Joe771476

First of all, I don't buy new cars. I'm 69 and I've only bought one new car, a 1985 Ford wagon. Here's why: A) You can't fix anything yourself! B) Your insurance and property taxes are huge in the beginning. I buy 5 to 10 year old cars and keep them for another 10 years or more! And they're all Fords by the way. My insurance and property tax are peanuts! Depreciation is great! Now talking about driving habits. There is no sense in roaring up to a traffic light and making a complete dead stop! You know how much brake wear you incur bringing a 2 ton vehicle to a DEAD stop?! Learn how to time yourself so you don't have to stop dead, instead coming to a slow roll. Here's a tip: The traffic signals are controlled by loop sensors in the pavement which detect the presence and absence of traffic on the main thoroughfare and intersecting side streets. Usually the main drag will get a 40 to 60 second green and go to red either for a vehicle on the side street OR to accommodate a low mass vehicle like a motorcycle which didn't trigger the sensor on the side street. If there is no vehicle, the signal will turn red after 5 seconds, and if there was a vehicle, 5 seconds after the last vehicle has cleared the intersection. Then the main drag will get the green! So I tap my brakes on the main drag when my light turns red, and by the time I get to it, it turns green, never having had to stop DEAD. So now on the other side of the coin, I don't have to bring my 2 ton vehicle from a DEAD stop up to speed! You know how much gas that saves? I'm supposed to get 25 MPG with my car, but I get 31! I get 150,000 to 200,000 plus miles on my brakes! I know, you don't believe me. But it's true! The only place I have to stop dead is a busy Main Street, and sometimes not even there! I used to get 52 MPG with my WIFE'S 1996 Nissan Sentra 5 spd overdrive! Who needs hybrids?!

Hey Bob, you always ask this. I saw a new F750 with the words Metal Men on the sides. The only thing I can find on the internet is some kind of super heroes! But anyway, it had a Powerstroke! And Bob, I don't think the Eversource Ram was a bucket truck. But still, as far as small support utility vehicles go, I still had never seen a Dodge/Ram Eversource vehicle.

I just saw for the first time in my entire life a Dodge/Ram Eversource (formerly Connecticut Light & Power) utility truck!!!! They used Ford light, medium and HD trucks for decades until Ford dumped the heavies in 1997. Everybody wants a piece of Ford in class 3 thru 7 and they're taking it! Time for Ford to take somebody else's action! Ford needs to diversify into heavy truck, bus (including school buses, city mass transit buses and interstate motorcoaches) and fire apparatus........NOW!!! If they don't want to sell cars, then let's get going! Return to the glory days when the Ford C-series was the most popular commercial chassis -- heck probably the most popular including custom chassis! Team up with Rosenbauer maybe. I know Pierce is supposedly still using Ford diesels in one of their pumper apparatus lines, but Pierce is owned by Oshkosh I believe. The Bluebird Bus Co. was born in a Ford dealership. If Bluebird could share components with Ford mediums, big dollar savings could be had. Bluebird Vision buses are using a Ford/Roush propane set-up already. But electric-wise, Bluebird is using a Cummins electric set-up. Ford should buy Bluebird and leave it alone (and I mean LEAVE IT ALONE) , except when Ford gets a suitable electric drivetrain, dump the Cummins. These school buses go from around $80,000 to $150,000. City mass transit buses and interstate motorcoaches go for around $400,000. How can you justify that kind of money for an engine/chassis, basically a metal box with windows, and some seats??!! Fire trucks go from $500,000 for pumpers to $1 million for ladder trucks! These guys are making a ton of money because I don't care how much shiny paint, chrome, diamond plate, electronics and hydraulics are in these fire trucks, they aren't worth that money. The reason why they get these prices is because they don't sell that many so they have to pad the price to make it worth opening the factory doors every day! Same for buses. It's like the old adage, you can sell apples for a million bucks a piece and it's going to be a tough sell, but you only have to sell one!!! Check out the links below. By the way, you don't see that much chrome and diamond plate on fire apparatus in other parts of the world. Blue Bird Corporation - Wikipedia Electric School Buses

Well I guess my observations here in New England don't pan out according to nationwide sales figures. I see a lot of Ram Promasters and not many Chevy Express but Chevy has impressive sales along with the GMC version. Sprinter sales are dismal! E-series aren't bad considering it takes a backseat to the Transit. 2019 US Passenger Car Sales Figures by Model | GCBC

Here's the future: NASCAR is already experiencing a huge drop in attendance and fan base. Millenials don't want to DRIVE cars, let alone watch them race! But for those who will still be watching, you'll be seeing quiet electric cars fitted with smoke ejectors installed in the rear wheel housings as well as loud speakers blaring out the sounds of squealing tires and engine exhaust!

What changes are coming to Avon Lake 7M3?

Gee Bob, if my memory serves me, the L-series came out in the early 70's I believe and the CB radio craze was starting in the mid-70's and I was looking for girls!!! I was in my early to mid 20's! I didn't watch much football or any TV, but I did watch some! Don't remember the ads, but I always had a wish for a Ford TV ad during a sports game where Ford would brag about how they were the No. 1 police cruiser and show some in action, and then ambulance chassis, and then largest supplier of COMMERCIAL fire chassis and have a C-series and F-series come barreling down the center of the screen with siren and hair horns! Tag line would be something like, "No other mfr. is relied upon more for emergency response than Ford!" Oh it would have been great! "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one!" On a side note, Hino has sold 8 Class 8 units YTD as of Nov 2019. It's going to be interesting how that number climbs.

If Mack wants to go into 6 & 7, then let's have Ford go into class 8! Let the games begin!

Thanks for that info on the electric buses Twintornados. Meanwhile I'm a little puzzled. As Bob R. and I have noticed, observations on the roads/highways here in New England don't reflect sales throughout the rest of the country. But here in CT, I think I'm seeing more Ram Promasters than Transits! I havent seen a Sprinter or GM van in months! The only Sprinter I've seen was on TV transferring Fotis Dulos from a UConn ambulance to a Life Star helicopter! The USPS (post office) bought a ton of Promasters and I'm seeing a ton of blue Amazon Promasters as well. Must be they're dumping them for peanuts and why FCA was charged with paying off the union for lower wages.

Ford needs to get going on electric heavy truck engines. Maine is already enacting laws for mandatory electric school buses by 2040, making the Roush/Ford propane engine on the Bluebird Vision buses a non-player.

Honda and other cars are also displaying blue lights for headlights. I think they're factory installed. They're not as blue as police strobes, but an unsuspecting driver -- I'm thinking a woman here -- might think he's a cop if he attempts to impersonate an officer and pulls her over. They should be outlawed.

Ford leads in class 6, is third in class 7. If they drop 6 & 7, they can hand over to Ram the class 3 thru 5 biz as well. They've already lost a lot of it to Ram anyway, hell, give it all! Why is Hino smart enough to realize that if you want customers to take you seriously in 6 and 7, then you MUST be a player in class 8!!!!? Is Ford that dumb?!!

Partner with whom? Daimler has F-liner, Volvo has Mack, VW has International. FCA/Ram or GM would be awkward and GM is partnered with International on mediums. The only one left is PACCAR (Kenworth/Peterbilt) and I don't think that would work. The truth is if Ford went into class 8 themselves, they would own the short haul/vocational biz like they used to. That's why Daimler/Freightliner bought the Ford Class 6, 7 and 8 L-series when they re-tooled it in 1997. They had to get rid of that pesky Ford powerhouse!

Bob, He was going in the opposite direction, but I'll try to make that observation next time.

Up until today, the only Asplundh Tree Co. Ford medium duty bucket trucks were Blue Diamonds. But lo and behold I just saw an Avon Lake! I did! I really did!