KCM1

That's not as bad as the Dodge truck commercial running on the radio around here. There are 20 seconds or so of a guy telling how much he loves to drive and use his Dodge truck. Then at the end is the disclaimer saying this guy is not an actual Dodge truck owner. What the..., do they need to hire actors to say how great Dodge trucks are because actual owners don't really like them??? At least the Chevy commercial has a small grain of truth to it.

When I first saw the picture, two other vehicles came to mind: Ford Courier and Chevy Luv. Maybe it was the style of the bed, but sure looks like an updated version of those two to me.

You've got an excellent point! Doesn't make any sense does it? Brakes are something you don't want to fail no matter where you are, and I would think that would something the government would force a recall on all vehicles to fix. I guess you are not suppose to drive them when it gets below freezing. Maybe Toyota will install a warning label on the dashboard saying, "This automobile should only be driven when the outside temperature is above 32 degrees F (0 degrees C)."

Actually, they can be parted out by the recycler/salvage yard in a round-a-bout way. See my post: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...st&p=533625

Did some more research, and here is an excerpt from the law: http://www.aolcdn.com/ch_autos/cfc_carslaw.pdf (2) DISPOSITION OF ELIGIBLE TRADE-IN VEHICLES- (A) IN GENERAL- For each eligible trade-in vehicle surrendered to a dealer under the Program, the dealer shall certify to the Secretary, in such manner as the Secretary shall prescribe by rule, that the dealer-- (i) has not and will not sell, lease, exchange, or otherwise dispose of the vehicle for use as an automobile in the United States or in any other country; and (ii) will transfer the vehicle (including the engine block), in such manner as the Secretary prescribes, to an entity that will ensure that the vehicle-- (I) will be crushed or shredded within such period and in such manner as the Secretary prescribes; and (II) has not been, and will not be, sold, leased, exchanged, or otherwise disposed of for use as an automobile in the United States or in any other country. (B) SAVINGS PROVISION- Nothing in subparagraph (A) may be construed to preclude a person who is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is crushed or shredded from- - (i) selling any parts of the disposed vehicle other than the engine block and drive train (unless with respect to the drive train, the transmission, drive shaft, or rear end are sold as separate parts); or (ii) retaining the proceeds from such sale. So in the first paragraph A it says it must be sent to a recycler to be crushed. But in paragraph B it says that the recycler may sell everything except the engine block and a complete drivetrain (but can sell the parts individually). Sounds like typical politics wording, says "Crush Them" to please the environmentalists and "Part Them Out" to please salvage yards.

What I read on MSN is that the "drivetrain" cannot be sold, which I take as the engine, transmission, and rear drive axle if it has one. There is no restriction on selling all other parts. So these cars could be sent to salvage yards and parted out rather than crushed. Being as only the engines are destroyed, I bet the transmissions will still be sold as parts.

TeamFord, Thanks very much for posting the info. The Appearance Package brochure is a very cool extra. Had not heard that the packages are only available with the black interior. Finally get to see what the instrument panel trim change is all about. You're the man! Kevin

Getting back to the original subject of the thread, does anyone have the updated (6/15/09) Fusion order guide that they can post?

Supposedly it already has in the Monochrome Appearance Package, but in limited colors only (see link below): http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...showtopic=34075

I'm always skeptical of 2nd and 3rd hand sources and their accuracy. The Ford site does not list these package options when you "Build It". I 2nd that. My parents will being buying a Fusion within the next few weeks and it would be nice to have an updated order guide if there is one. The last one I've seen is from March or April I believe.

General Motors would have then come full circle to their beginnings. They started out by bringing other car companies under the GM umbrella while others just faded away. Maybe that needs to happen again.

As for the tranny issues, if you are going to buy a Fusion for the sport aspect, you are either going to get a 4-cylinder with a manual tranny or a V6. Why do you think they only mate the SelectShift with a V6. 99.9% of the buyers are not going to push the 4-cylinder automatic to the edge like they did. Motor Trend also picked the Honda mainly due to ALG residual values and Intellichoice service data, and then just barely by their calculations. This is likely based on 2009 models, which should be thrown out as the Fusion has had some major redesign for 2010. Up to that point they were saying the Fusion was by far the best value for the money (though they say it grudgingly), and performance stats were very, very close even with less horsepower in the Fusion than the Accord. To me it sounds like they were looking for any excuse to pick the Honda. Of course I may be biased. :D

Without the designers and engineers, there would be no American cars to sell. They play a vital part in car production, and are American workers who benefit from the sale of a car just like an assembly line worker. Just because the final assembly point is in Mexico does not mean nobody in the US benefits. I believe the engine and transmission for the Fusion are assembled in the good ole' USA. And I bet the majority of parts that go into the car are also made in the USA. If you were to count all the people in the USA who directly or indirectly receive money from a car purchase, you would see that buying a US made car does help out the US workers and our economy.

According to the owner's manual, the SelectShift will downshift automatically in manual mode to prevent under-revving. It will allow you to manually downshift as long as it will not over-rev the engine. But SelectShift will never automatically upshift in manual mode, even if over-revving may occur.

Sounds like the SEL you drove did not have the optional 18" wheels with the sport tuned suspension. Wonder if this is the same suspension set-up as on the Sport. I bet this package would give you the same handling on an SEL as the Sport at a lesser price.

I think this is one of the major reasons dealerships are crappy no matter which brand you are talking about. I suspect most of these young hot shot salespeople are not car enthusiasts, don't care about cars, and are all about the sale and commission/paycheck. The Ford dealership that closed last year where I live fired most if not all their veteran (older)salespeople when the new owners took over several years earlier, and hired a new batch of very young people in white shirts and ties. With the veterans, they would come up to you, chat with you about cars or whatever, answer questions about the vehicles intelligently, and leave you alone to look around. They were just a bunch of friendly car guys. The new guys would swoop on you like vultures as soon as you drove in, go into the sales pitch right away, and when asked questions about the vehicle would not know the answer. And the new guys seem so fly-by-night, not staying very long. I think those salespeople who actually sit down and study a new model when it comes in so they know all about it are getting fewer and far between.

So it sounds like they admitted the mistake and are going to fix it. Good deal. My dad ordered a F-150 back in 2002. He went to the dealer and had the truck quoted with all the options he wanted including a 3.73 rear axle. A few days later he placed the order. After picking it up, I noticed it had the standard 3.55. We went back to the dealership and talked to the manager, who also quoted the price originally. He would not admit he made a mistake, and that was probably the most frustrating part of it. He didn't want to do anything to make the customer happy. If he had just admitted his mistake, we would have let it drop as it was not a deal breaker. We just wanted to find out what happened. The dealership had changed ownership not too long before that, and it was an excellent place to do business with the previous owner. Needless to say, the dealer closed up last year partly because of the economy and partly due to poor performance and poor management. If I was the dealer, I wouldn't worry about selling a 4-cylinder automatic. Bet it won't stay on the lot for long.

Just curious, but why do you think the SE has plastic wheel covers? The order guide lists aluminum wheels for all models except for the SE, which says "17" Design Wheel with silver paint". I took this to mean an aluminium or steel painted wheel. Seems unlikely Ford would use aluminum wheels on all models except a mid-level trim. But I suppose anything is possible.

They are talking about The Henry Ford, formerly the Henry Ford Museum. http://www.thehenryford.org/ The complex includes the museum which houses Ford historical items along with other automakers and about everything else from appliances to locomotives, Greenfield Village with several historical buildings from Ford's history and other historical events, and other attractions. They also have a tour of the Rouge assembly plant. I plan to go back there this summer, as the last time I was there was '88. Difinetely a recommended place to visit for Ford history along with other automakers. I seriously doubt there is a warehouse full of cars or other items, other than what the Henry Ford Museum has on display and in storage, and certainly not one of every model. Henry Ford was good for doing that when he was around though, but some of that stuff has been sold to private collectors over the years. Read an article about 20 years ago in Motor Trend about the first T-bird (a black one) being in a private collection. Something about the owner finding it sitting, doing some research, and finding out it was the first T-bird off the assembly line according for Ford records. It was of course restored to new condition

I already found a glitch on the site. If you build and price a SEL, the option for the 18" wheels and sport suspension does not show up. It is listed as an option in the handling option tab at the top of the main page. Also, shouldn't there be a package discount taken off of the final price? Does anyone have a shortcut to the 2010 Milan build and price page?

Here is a link to a thread with the updated Fusion order guide with prices: http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index...showtopic=29515 Looking at the guide, looks like leather seats are only available if you order Rapid Spec 502A (included in package) or as a stand-alone option if 501A is ordered. You will notice that the stand-alone option is grayed out for the base 500A rapid spec (and for 502A since it is already included in the spec package), so it is not available. Stand-alone price is $1190.

mrk1984, I guess I'm not up on the 4-cylinder as much as I thought. Sorry about that. That would explain a larger increase in mpg. This year the 3.0 also gets the electric steering and iVCT (Variable Cam Timing), plus a new air induction system, Adaptive Spark Ignition, and Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-off. I figured all these improvement would do more then 1 mpg. Maybe traditional engines have reached their mpg limit. Time for the the direct injection EcoBoost.

I'm disappointed with the 3.0 FWD. With the all the improvements in the engine and transmission, I was sure it would make at least 30 on the highway. 18 and 27 is the same as the 2009 for the city and only 1 better on the highway, while the 4-cylinder auto is 3 better in the city and 6 better on the highway. That does not seem right. How did they get so much out of the 4-cylinder when, from what I've read, not many changes were made to it?

I remember when my dad ordered a Mercury back in 1988, there was no incentive. When it arrived, there was a $400 incentive in effect. The dealer gave it to him, even though he did not know there was one. A nice surprise for my dad, especially nice since the dealer could have not said anything and kept the money since the deal was already done.

I'm no lawyer, but don't think it would be. When you agree to buy the car before March 31 and give them a down payment, you are agreeing to a binding purchasing contract (and likely signing your name to it) that you will pay the rest when it arrives. This would be the purchase date. If it arrives and you back out and don't pay for the car, the dealer could legally make you buy it, or more likely, keep the deposit and just add it to their inventory. The contract would then be fulfilled or voided. If for some reason it doesn't come in, or is not what you ordered, then the contract could be voided and you would get your money back, or the dealer would have to get you what you ordered. As for the purchase date, I guess it would depend on when the dealer considers it sold, when the agreement is made, or when it leaves the lot. I don't know enough about the way the dealerships work to answer that. I know at small town dealers, they are many times more willing to work with the customer than a big city dealer.