Bob Rosadini

HAH! I guess we Ford guys feast on negativity. I did a post on Toyota's troubles and as of this minute, it has about half the traffic as this thread! Plus, the thread gets highjacked by guys talking about the price of gas! So here we are- I assume a group of Ford employees, annuitants and enthusiasts, and what do we focus on? The negative.

UTE, Thx for response- I think I'll stick with the Flowmasters and a set of chrome tips-although like I said in previous post- my '00 has been through 7 New England winters and the exhaust is still as solid as can be- almost a crime to take the stock unit apart!

Guys, I have to tell you how great it is that this car of mine will have a personality thxs to whoever works on it and knows that it is for some nut case who frequents BON. I brag about my '00 which had no "personality"-This one will! And keep in mind- the folks that built my 00 did a good job and that sold me on this one ( I could have had a Zephyr). So when any of your younger co-workers think what they do doesn't matter? Kick -em in the ass- it does! Bob

Joe, I would say that is on the back bujrner for sure. I actually wonder about class 6 and 7 too. It would not vbe too dificult for them to pull the plug on that I would imagine. then again, in class 3 to 7, no one comes close to Ford in total sales. Granted 6 and 7 are a small part but at least in 6 they are the leader.

Front page story in Friday's WSJ. Toyota recalled more 05 vehicles last year then it sold. and 06 is not looking much better. We will see how much press this picks up. Also as was posted on another thread, the Journal also had a comparison of new Expedition EL and the Suburban. Expedition came out on top! Two bits of good news in one issue!

Excursion- wasn't that the brainstorm of Jac the Knife?

Joe, RELAX. 150 mph is 220ft. per sec. Just think, a moment of distraction and you've gone 300'! I too drive NYC roads although I must admit, when I'm headed to Jersey I take the TappanZee to the Garden State because I have this fear of having a blowout on the Cross Bronx and being mugged by the time I got the jack out! Now when I go out on the Island, I can't imagine doing 80 on the Cross Island, never mind 150. I agree on the traffic issues as a constraint but the road conditions are another factor. Bottom line, what cop ANYWHERE has a need to hit 150? On the subject of the CV, mine turned 213,000 last night. I have a new one on order and as tempting as a loaded 500 was with all the gadgets AND AWD, I just could't see myself doing a 500 mile day with my size 13's jamed into that narrow footwell. Legroom the same? Yes- but you can't beat the comfort of being able to move around a bit. And the CV lets you do that.

I also posted this question on theTech thread. Can anyone (probably an STAP employee) tell me if the Sport (41K) has the same "dull" exhaust as the 41g? If so I would assue most economical route would be a set of Flowmasters rather then Marauder part nos. -right? One thing I will say, the 2000 41G I have now was delivered 10/99. 213,000 miles and 7 salt infested New England winters later it is still solid as a rock! TOPGUN! If you read this, after you sent me word you were shutting down and my build week of 8/7 wasn't going to happen, the next day I get a notice that the car was shipped! I'll keep you posted.

Nick- My question too. Assuming the models are all built in same plants- issue then has to be the various mix of models Ford vs Merc or perhaps it is the age issue. I think R Greene raises a valid point- I think some older buyers might be more inclined to live with a minor issue or to take care of it themselves. And we all know that the GM is the vehicle of choice of the "blue hair" set. In any case I have a new CV Sport on order- wish it had some upgrades but I'm sure a set of Flowmasters and chrome tips will make me FEEL like I'm driving a different one then my current 41G pkg. which is pushing 213,000 miles!

10-4- Enjoy your break.

Top Gun- Thx for the info. Originally I was told it should be at dealer byu 9/17. Then I checked out the lease cos. website and it had a build week of 8/7- I've had some long waits in my life- how abouit a 68 Torino square back, 428 CJ, C-6- but I was a kid then and a lot more impatient. I'm an old fart n ow so the wait won't be so bad. Thx again.

Topgun here it is 2FAFP74W97X112679. Black/Charcoal Thx for your interest.

[i mean the fleet Vicky, not the PI, should sticker for just about as much as the fleet Taurus. What happens if Ford sees a boost in demand for the Crown Vic, just because it's going to be cheaper than the Five Hundred and more available than the Fusion? Richard, Good point. In my mind once again its all about what Ford does from a marketing point of view. There is no doubt the car is a hell of a value. Iwould also bet that its life cycle operating costs would be less then any FWD vehicle. As for mileage, again you are correct. I have one with the 41G pkg. which has 3.55 gears. It has 212,000 miles and it still averages close to 21 mpg-with 3.55's. My typical daily commute is 70 miles of which about 20 is stop and go city, 25 is x-way (75mph) and 25 is rural two lane. As for the value issue, I have an 07 Sport on order. Its a co. car and trust me- I'm saving the co. a lot of money over other cars I could have had. If Ford is smart, they would take advantage of STAP's capacity. IF they were smart!

Well guys/girls, I got a build week on my 07 Sport- week of 8/7. Do a good job for me like you did on my current one- pushing 212,000 and tight as can be. Pisses me off too that they haven't spent any money on it and while you will always get the die hards like me to buy again, how many new customers could you have with a small amount of upgrades and a little marketing. The car is a hell of a value and my 41G with 3.55 gears averages almost 21 mpg. One question- what's the logic of restricting the sport package to four colors? The grill issue??

Well, I can't pronounce his name never mind spell it, but it does appear that DCX is taking full advatage of this guys many talents.Not only does he have obvious managerial skills but the guy is a colorful personality as well who gets the consumers attention. If "Z" was in Bill's shoes, what do you suppose Dr. Z's response would have been to all the analysts who quickly jumped on the Ford quarterly results calling for prompt action. My bet is he would have said ..."We (okay maybe "VEE") have a plan in place and we will see it through." Billy on the other hand jumps up like a lap dog and immediately calls for more cuts! Yes sir, nothing like chopping the hell out of an organization to force your way to profitability! Some conviction would be nice right about now wouldn't it?u And on another note, Ford is criticized for plant utilization at the 79% level. Ok all you auto mfg. experts, what IS a realistic number? Seems to me 79 isn't bad. If its much closer to 100, what is your ability to respond to upturns in the cycle? If only demand were in a flat line!.

As I have posted before, Ford has had Transits in test fleets here at least three years ago. I think the key difference between the Transit/Sprinter and the E seriesd is engine choices- small diesels in the Transit/Sprinter and gas V-8 power or Power Strokes in the E series. One sips fuel, the other two drink it. But if you are running max GVW and or pushing a lot of wind resistance with a box, you are not going to be happy with a small block diesel. DCX's decision was easy- lousy sales with the outdated Ram- what was there to loose. ford on the other hand does very well still with the E. Would the Transit be a nice compliment? Yes. However as with everything else, only so much money to go around. Bigger question I have, is what is with the LCF? I haven't seen any real marketing yet. International is spending far more marketing dollars on their version. Perhaps that's good- let them get the bugs out of it on their dime! And I still sccratch my head over the decision to build it. Talk to any Ford dealer. the E-550 was starting to get great acceptance and what do they do? Kill it.

Sully- trust me- it doesn't get through the joints- if water could get through the joints- were talking groundwater- the opposite would be true and the pipeline would be spewing product as a matter of routine as it is always pressurized. In any case, the article you provided was a good one. As a further point, ethanol is such a problem with respect to water, that it is not added to the base gasoline (known as R-bob for 87 and P-bob for 93) until the tank truck is being loaded. It is then blended at a 10% ratio- or in the case of E85, an 85% ratio Also, when you get water in a service station tank, (conventional gasoline) it sinks to the bottom. The pick up on an underground tank is typically 3 or 4 inches off the bottom so you just routinely pump the water bottom. With ethanol, a little bit of water will drop out but once you get to a saturation point, the water will pull the ethanol out of the gasoline and it will fall to the bottom . You end up with ethanol, then water, then the gasoline which is no longer oxygenated. This is known as phase separation. A royal PITA! Solution- best one, pump everything out.

Diesel makes a lot of sense. What confuses me is the fact that Ford announces a reversal on the commitment to hybrids, then turns around and announces a major investment in a hybrid research center for Volvo. With ultra low sulfur a reality this fall, and with all the money Ford has poured into the Puegeot JV, it would seem Ford should be well positioned to make the move. E85? Makes a lot of sense in the cornbelt but until the problems associated with moving ethanol by pipeline are solved, the logistics associated with moving 85% of our gasoline supply by inefficient rail and truck arrangements will drive the cost of E85 up. In my book its not a realistic alternative for most of the country.

Nick, I would have to agree with SJ and a few others who echo the same thought. It would not take much IMO. The powertrain issue should be fairly easy. The front and rear clips should not be all that difficult. Again, would a complete platform change be nice? Of course, but understnding the need to spread the development bucks around, I still say a small investment would bring big returns. As I have previously said, and we all know,the PI business pays the fixed costs to run STAP- at least I would bet it comes close. Anything else in incremtal sales is gravy. Last thing that no one has mentioned is MARKETING. There is NONE rght now. Think about the car- its bullet proof, accomodates a big family and a lot of "stuff" in the trunk, its safe- 5 stars worth-but the problem is NO ONE KNOWS THIS unless you are a prior owner. This should bean easy decision and a slam dunk for not a lot of money.

PItrippin. Good post. My 00 with the 41G package is pushing 208,000 and it is solid as a rock. Last mo. I averaged almost 22 mpg and remember the 00 41G had 3.55's. I'm about to order an 07 Sport, but really do wish they had made some changes- like get rid of the excess crush zones in front and back, give it a few more amenities- like driving lights, a light under the hood, etc. The car does not have to be the pace car of AARP! Unfortunately we all sound like broken records on this site. I can't believe the product planners are as blind as they seem to be.

999, Sounds like your group warranted a heavy hitter like Stevens to put on a presentation-that means they have clout. Sounds like you also got a lot of buzz words. Seems to me a group of dedicated annuitants who truly understand the situation could get a lot of action by involving the press. A few well placed e-mails to a guy like Dan Howes at the Detroit Free Press would truly pay off in the long run if you have a legitimate story that has to be told. And I'm sure that you and a lot of your fellow annutiants do have a lot of good insight as to what is wrong and also what needs to be done. I was reading a string of posts by people at KTP. If you believe 50% of what they write, it sounds like management still doesn't understand the reasons for Toyota and Honda's success. I'm a firm believer of the power of the press. Guys like me- a stockholder and true blue loyalist -don't carry the weight that employees and annuitants carry. And as you annuitants don't have to buy into the party line, you guys can REALLY tell it is.

Let's hope the product boys really pay attention to the 66-77 Bronco-They captured the look with the concept, now they have to follow through with true off road capbility, decent road manners that make it an acceptable commuter and moderate cost. And as others have pointed out, a diesel will be the added attraction. Ford seems to be pushing small diesel technology in Europe- let's bring some of that over here!