bobbyd

The new Taurus should be at the Detroit Auto Show...I would hope. GM has a truckload of cars at the LA Auto Show. Ford tells me the New Taurus will NOT be shown at the LA show. I think that's wrong.

Taurus outsold the Buick LaCrosse, Charger, Chrysler 300, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon in October. Great!

I have been trying every resource at Ford (Media Ford etc...) to see what the 2013 Taurus SEL wheels look like and the answer I get is "sorry, we don't know!" The frustration is all they show is the wheels on the 2013 SHO...which of course accounts for maybe 10% of Taurus sales. WHY DON'T they offer pics of the SEL..the MOST POPULAR MODEL? In contrast, the 2013 Malibu is plastered in Car & Driver and Motor Trend...and this 2013 Chevy debuts at the same time as the 2013 Taurus. Chevy makes a 2012 Malibu, so they aren't concerned about AFFECTING the sales of the current model. What's with all this secrecy at Ford....especially when they plaster the 2013 SHO, SHO, SHO everywhere. Sounds like the OLD Ford management team acting like its a big secret. As you can tell by now, I want an SEL, but am anxious (a little bit) to see the wheels. Afterall, the WHEELS make the car!

I need clarification..is Reliability the same as "Things Gone Wrong?" Are they saying that Ford slipped in the survey because the manual/auto transmission is NOT reliable and in need of recall for a DEFECT? Or is it "Things Gone Wrong" and thus a recall or mechanical fix is needed? The way I am trying to understand this is it appears NOTHING MECHANICAL went wrong (like a bad Toyota running out of control and needing a massive recall)..but simply a new car buyer not UNDERSTANDING how the new technology with MFT and the manual/auto Transmission work. Consumer Reports gives me the impression Ford has major reliability issues and I ASSUME its a defect. Consumer Reports seems almost one sided and unclear with this RELIABILITY accusation. Plus, wasn't this their same criticism a few months ago.? Anybody know?

It appears that the negative responses are from union guys...expected. I wonder if they would be thinking different if Ford went under and they had to settle on a less lucrative offer like GM or Fiat/Chrysler? Did anyone hear about the union guys at GM rejecting their offer? With 30 million Americans out of work..forever...and with Ford still in $14 billion debt...you union guys should kiss the ground you are working under for the "more than generous offer" you were given.

BOB KING DELIVERS A SLANDEROUS SPEECH TO HIS UNION TELLING THEM ALAN MULALLY (WHO SAVED FORD) WAS OVERPAID AND THE UNION SHOULD DEMAND AS MUCH AS THEY CAN GET FROM FORD. SO, OF COURSE, THE UNION VOTES THE CONTRACT DOWN, SINCE KING INITIALLY FUELED THE FIRE AND NOW HE'S STUCK WITH "NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO!" IF HE DID ANYTHING, HE HAS HELPED "HURT FORD" AGAINST THE COMPETITION WHO IS LOVING THE FACT THAT FORD MIGHT STRIKE AND LOSE MARKET SHARE. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TELL KING FORD IS STILL IN DEBT ALMOST $14 BILLION (NOT MILLION). IDIOT!

OK...I just received information on the scheduled launch for the 2013 Ford Taurus. Job-1 launch at Chicago Assembly will be February 2012.

I REALLY THOUGHT FORD WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE FRONT GRILL FOR 2013...OTHER THAN ONLY ON THE HIGH PRICE TITANIUM MODEL. THE FLEX IS A BEAUTIFUL VEHICLE BUT THE CAR HAS BEEN THE SAME FOR MANY YEARS, ACTUALLY SINCE ITS INTRO. PEOPLE WANT TO DISTINGUISH THEIR VEHICLE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR, YET THE 2013 FLEX IS BASICALLY THE SAME..OTHER THAN THE TITANIUM. WE COULD SELL A LOT MORE IF THEY WOULD MAKE THE SE/SEL BASE MODELS LOOK LIKE THE TITANIUM... ! AFTER ALL, I WILL BET THE TITANIUM DOES NOT HAVE THE SALES FIGURES OF THE THE SE/SEL SERIES.

THANKS FOR RESPONDING. I'VE BEEN DRIVING HER (GERTY) AND SHE SEEMS FINE WITH NO THUMPS OR CLUNKS. I JACKED THE CAR UP AND PULLED ON THE WHEEL...NO LOOSENESS. I'M NOT SURE IF THE SERVICE GUY WAS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY ON ME OR NOT. I WILL BE CAREFUL WHEN DRIVING HER AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. I ONLY DRIVE ABOUT 60 MILES TOTAL A MONTH BEING RETIRED. I'M WAITING TO ORDER THE 2013 TAURUS...DEALER CAN'T GIVE ME AN ORDER DATE...YET. better off going to a general car repair site, since no one replied.

I need to replace the control arms on my 1989 Taurus GL. I know its much cheaper doing it on my own, but I'm not mechanically inclined. Firestone Service quoted me a price of $430 including wheel alignment. I priced the parts for $39 each side at a number of local parts outlets, but the service station won't let me use the parts. Isn't $430 a little too much? Any suggestions?

Congratulations. If I may ask, did you lease or buy? I'm looking for a lease deal myself, but they are not offering anything right now.

I know that the Elantra does not have a spare tire or jack as standard equipment. The Focus does. It was not until a Consumer Report driver had a sidewall flat driving a test Elantra before they discovered the can of sealant in the trunk with instructions to fill the tire and then drive it so the sealant would fix the flat. Ridiculous...plus it was a sidewall puncture. Tow truck time!

thanx...will do!

I was trying to calculate my monthly lease payments for an F150 4x4 on the Ford Vehicle Page. When I totaled the options and model I wanted and arrived at the Summary it only calculated the finance payments. When I clicked on LEASE payment, it popped up saying "Sorry...call your dealer!" Does anyone know if this is a temporary glitch or does the employee vehicle purchase website normally reflect what a lease payment should be.I don't want to call a dealer!

We MUST get that production rate up on the Focus. The Chevy Cruze is running 3 shifts...Ford Focus is on only 2 limited production shifts. We will never catch the Cruze (Redone Aveo) at this rate. I am glad to see the Flex is doing better. Why are we not changing that 3 year old grill..other than offering a new one on ONLY Titanium Version for 2012? The Flex is sweet but has looked the same for over 3 years or since its launch. I also hope we get the jump on the new Malibu when they launch it in the Spring...we need to get the new 2013 Taurus on dealer lots before they do. Thats what happened with the Cruze...it beat the Focus by a number of months. People are NOT buying the 2012 Taurus ($1000 rebates) because they are waiting for the new 2013....myself included.

OK...OK....I'm toning down the references. I do want to add one more important point...The union should consider the fact they are asking for more money and benefits from a company that still OWES over $16 BILLION DOLLARS!!! If FORD was profitable I would think differently, however, considering the state of both Ford and the economy....the union should reconsider their demands.

Can you believe these idiot union jerks. Ford was on the brink of bankruptcy but borrows to save the company...which includes the jobs, pensions, insurance and future of the union workers...and what does Ford get in return......They want more, more, more and they will strike to get it. Complete idiots. There is no need for unions anywhere. The Ford salary workers have no union and are doing a great job. Now the union is going after them since they feel the salary people didn't suffer enough during the market downturn. Last time I checked the union gets COLA, sick day pay, shift premiums, much better medical and better pensions than the salary gang. Damn unions! They will go down as a crippling force of Ford. I WISH THEY COULD ONLY USE ROBOTS AND REPLACE THESE MONEY HUNGRY LEACHES! The foreign competitors have no unions and they are getting by just fine.

Ford Focus has a mini spare tire as STANDARD equipment according to Consumers Report. The Hyundai Elantra does NOT have a spare tire as standard. They offer an inflatable glue that must be injected into a flat tire...however, Consumers Report failed to mention that until one of their drivers hit a rock and had a sidewall damaged. The glue did not work. Hyundai claimed the mini spare is an option. Geez...and Consumers never caught that until after they gave the Elantra a good rating. Goes to show you how these so-called Consumer experts aren't really experts. Glue to inject in a tire ...c'mon. The mini-spare adds another $130 to the price.

OK...I just read the May 'Car and Driver' road tests of the 2012 Focus. 0-60 MPH in 7.6 seconds. I thought that Hyundai article was incorrect when it claimed a 8.6 seconds time for 0-60 MPH. As a matter of fact, Car and Driver compared the Focus to the Cruze, Jetta and Elantra. It beat them all!

I am wondering about the 0-60 times. I recently watched Motorweek and they ran the Focus at 7.6 Seconds from 0-60...compared to 8.6 seconds in the Hyundai comparison. I think the test drivers (credentials?) were struggling with having to accept the COLD HARD FACTS that the Focus is better...in every important category...faster, much better braking, better slalom times, quieter, better quality materials, much better seating....they had to come up with some defense...so they picked price. Of course they FAILED to emphasize that without the Top Premium model (Titanium) the 2 cars are only about $900 different. Go figure. I read in USA that the Elantra charges extra for a spare tire and jack...did anyone read that article? Anyway, the Focus is better! USA, USA, USA!

Does anyone know if Ford will offer a new selection of wheels on the 2013 Taurus SEL? I read that they are going to consider "new wheel options" but nothing was firm. I want to order the 2013 With 19 inch wheels, but currently on the 2012 Model, you are required to buy the expensive 202A package at $2600 to get it. I am frustrated to discover that Ford won't simply let you buy bigger wheels without sticky you with a package of additional unnecessary options you don't need or want. Does anyone think they will change when the 2013 is available? I hope so.

I really want to buy a 2013 Taurus SEL but heard they are not available till "Early 2012!" I also would like to see what the wheels will look like. Anybody have info?