isellford

Due to tarriffs on cargo vehicles being imported, all Transit Connects are built as wagons and imported. The carg van versions are converted once they arrive at the port. That is why there is not a big difference in pricing between cargo vans and wagons.

A court order was instituted late Thursday which in essence told Navistar to resume shipments and to Ford to pay for the engines.

This is a legit charge. the dealer can not add any of their additional charges. The FDAF is charged out right on the factory invoice.

That is a more closely guarded secret than the plans for our missle defense system. I have been to many meetings with Ford people including the super duty brand manager, etc. and they would reveal nothing. From what I have been able to piece together, we should start receiving preliminary info in bits and pieces towards the end of the 3rd quarter of this year. As I get updated info, I will try to post as quickly as I can.

Pricing has been out for a couple weeks, your dealer should be able to price it out at x-plan for you.

I have been attending meetings as far back as a year and a half ago with the super duty brand manager as well as the Ford commercial sales manager. The next generation super duty with the 6.4L was ALWAYS planned for January production as a 2008 model to coincide with the Tier II emissions that go into effect on 1/1/07. We already have 2007's in stock. The 6.4L has been in test mules for over a year racking up miles. I swear people look for any straw to bash the company.

I have been attending meetings as far back as a year and a half ago with the super duty brand manager as well as the Ford commercial sales manager. The next generation super duty with the 6.4L was ALWAYS planned for January production as a 2008 model to coincide with the Tier II emissions that go into effect on 1/1/07. We already have 2007's in stock. The 6.4L has been in test mules for over a year racking up miles.

It's not even a real Shelby and Hertz is doing like some Ford dealers with an ungodly fee. You can rent a loaded Navigator or Jaguar for less than half that amount!

Attached is the 2006 F150 order guide so you can see everything that is standard and optional. 2006_F_150_Order_Guide.pdf

I attended a marketing seminar several years ago. There were 2 Transits, 2 Sprinters, and an Econoline. We were given the opportunity to drive each one over a pre-set course in town and do an evaluation. There were other truck salespersons as well as a lot of consumers in attendance. It was put on by an outside marketing company. We all liked the Transit and the consensus was that our fleet customers would sacrifice power for fuel mileage [and that was WAY before $3.00 diesel fuel]. There was talk about bringing it over but in the end, Ford scrapped the E550 [just as sales were finally starting to take off], and we got the LCF instead of the Transit as Ford felt that the econoline would compete with the Sprinter [not enough volume of Sprinter top worry about].

Our dealership sponsors our Arena @ football team. They recently did a cheerleader calender shoot with one of our GT's. I was forced to take the car there and represent our dealership. :D Tough job but I took one for the team!

Here's the '05 I recently sold to make room for my '07 that is being built the week of 6/5. Reflection is the clouds as I had just clay bar'd and waxed it with Mother's. Here's the 68 I had to get rid of to make room for my 1st GT Vert in 02. It was a one owner and was all original with a 390 V-8 and 37,000 miles.

Ford has kept th MSRP on the 2007 Super Duty lineup the same as the last price level on the 2006 models. The dealer cost increased approximately $50 across the board. Freight charges remained the same which surprises me due to the increased cost of fuel.

Good feature story on AOL automotive that shows up when you log on. NICE to see positive press about a Ford product. If you have not driven one, I urge you to whether you are in the market or not. proFive-Star Family Sedan By ERIC PETERS Does anyone make an honest cup of coffee anymore? Or is the only option a $3 cup of "venti"? How about a down-to-earth family car? You know, one that is solid and unpretentious -- a safe, comfortable, well-equipped large sedan. With ample passenger and trunk space -- and a Middle America price tag. The kind of big four door cruiser that used to be everywhere -- before minivans took over the family transportation market and sedans went either the hard-riding/tight-fitting "sport" or high-dollar "luxury" route -- with a few old men's starter caskets left over for the Bob Dole set. How about the Ford Five Hundred? This new five-passenger sedan from Ford may be the best real-deal family car an American automaker has built in decades -- at least since the '80s-era Taurus that was once a common sight in American driveways. Like that car, the Five Hundred has plenty of room (including a huge "three body" 21.2 cubic foot trunk) "sensible shoes" good looks -- and a family-friendly starting price of just $22,230 for the front-drive SE. But unlike the old Taurus -- and pretty much unlike any other car in its size/price range -- the Five Hundred also offers an all-wheel-drive system. This feature is not offered in other large sedans like the Toyota Avalon (base price $26,625) or Chevy Impala ($21, 330). This gives the Ford a strong selling point over those cars -- and specifically, makes it a viable alternative to an SUV. The Chrysler 300 does offer AWD, but it's smaller on the inside (especially the back seat area) and a lot more expensive -- $29,625 for the AWD-equipped Touring version with the V-6 engine. And here's something that's pretty interesting: The Five Hundred actually has more back-seat legroom (41.3 inches vs. 39.6 inches) than the six-passenger Crown Victoria sedan -- the largest car on the road this side of the $64,900 (to start) Mercedes-Benz S-Class. In fact, the Five Hundred actually offers almost six inches more back-seat legroom (41.3 inches vs. 35.6 inches) than the top-of-the-line Mercedes "full-size" sedan -- and exactly the same front-seat legroom (41.3 inches). Ford is offering a lot of car for the money here. Literally In addition to its basic bigness, passenger comfort has been attended to in other ways as well. Adjustable pedals that can be raised or lowered to accommodate drivers of varying sizes and statures are available. And "command" seating is standard -- so you don't feel towered over by hulking SUVs. The 60/40 rear seats have a pass-through to the trunk -- and with the passenger side front seat folded flat, it's possible to cart home something nearly 10 feet long if you have to. Plenty of cup holders, too (eight, all told) The Five Hundred is also exceptionally safe -- an important consideration in a family car. In NHTSA and IIHS crash testing, the Five Hundred earned the highest possible 5-Star ratings in both frontal and side-impact tests. Traction control and ABS with Brake Assist are standard; side and curtain (head and torso) air bags are available. In addition to being a well-designed family car, the Five Hundred also solidly well-equipped. Even base SEs come with 17-inch alloy wheels, six-way power driver's seat, AC, cruise, CD-playing stereo and power windows/locks. You may want more -- but you don't need to spend more to get the basic "gotta haves." But if you like, you can step up to the mid-trim SEL and get an eight-way power driver's seat, leather and wood trim, dual-zone climate control, an upgraded stereo with MP3-player -- and still be under $25K. Toss in AWD -- and you've just barely crested $26K ($26,080) which is still less than the base price of the FWD-only Toyota Avalon. In fact, you can buy a top-of-the-line Five Hundred Limited with AWD, 18-inch wheels, heated eight-way leather seats, an even better audio system -- and you're still only looking at $28,230. That's about $1,400 less than the Chrysler 300 Touring with AWD. Put the extra coin in your pocket -- or use it to buy available goodies like the optional GPS navigation system with touch screen display, an electric sunroof or the family DVD entertainment system. The one thing some reviewers have faulted the Five Hundred for is the supposed sluggishness of its standard 3-liter, 203-hp V-6 engine -- which does appear to have substantially less "on paper" power than some competitors, such as the 250-hp Chrysler 300 Touring. But check the figures that matter -- such as 0-60 times -- and you'll find the Five Hundred is only about 3-4 tenths of a second slower (about 8.4-8.5 seconds to 60 mph vs. 8-8.1 for the Chrysler). That kind of dragstrip hair-splitting may be important in a sports car vs. sports car (or sport sedan vs. sport sedan) contest. But the Five Hundred's a family car -- not a hot rod. If the extra half a second (or less) is more important to you than the extra room -- and better overall value -- maybe you don't really want a family car after all. In any event, the Five Hundred isn't "slow" -- and that's all that's the relevant consideration for a vehicle of this type. Any car that can make it to 60 mph in the mid-8 second range has enough of a margin to merge comfortably with traffic and pull quickly into busy intersections. The Five Hundred can do that without wheezing or scaring you; try it yourself and see. More importantly, it can flirt with 30 mpg on the highway -- something you'll come to appreciate if you are at all concerned about how much money you'll be spending on fuel. I drove my tester much harder than the typical owner is likely to -- pedal-to-the-floor starts, a lot of high-speed driving -- and the tank still read nearly half full with more than 200 miles having clicked by. I thought the fuel gauge wasn't working at first -- because it took 60-something miles before it budged from "full." In comparison, the other car I had that week to test out -- an '06 Subaru Outback -- slurped down two-thirds of its (smaller) tank after about 180-something miles of driving. The Five Hundred was designed before last all's gas price spikes -- but it seems to have anticipated a world of more expensive fuel. Its smaller, more efficient V-6 offers a better balance of performance and economy (again, for a family car) than any of its competitors. Ford offers buyers their choice of either a six-speed automatic (another rarity in this segment) or a Continuously Variable automatic transmission (CVT). Both transmissions make the best possible use of the V-6's available power, keeping the engine in its powerband (or the right gear) for whatever the situation might be. Together, they are smooth, quiet -- and don't suck your wallet dry. Again, the coin you save here can be put to better purposes -- whether it's the kids' PlayStation or maybe a new set of golf clubs for you. Bottom line: The combination of size, affordability -- and available all-wheel-drive -- makes the Five Hundred a standout in its segment. There simply isn't another large sedan like it, with similar equipment, that can be bought for around $24K. 2006-04-21 16:51:06

Sorry to hear about your experience, not all dealers are like that. Wish you luck with your new truck.

It plays right into the new Ford theme of Red, White, and Bold tha twill be shortly debuting. They scrapped "Driven for the road ahead".

Here are highlights of the teleconference meetingwith the Shelby team [at least what i can talk about]. Car is on schedule for 6/6 Job#1 Satellite Radio is not going to be available until Dec The Hertz Version is NOT a Shelby but an upgraded GT only. The "reported crank breaking" story was on an EARLY engine that did not have the same valves or pistons as the final design. The engine will use 5W50 synthetic Oil 6.5 qts. Rated HP will be published in the order guides as 485 @ 6000 rpm and 475 lb ft torque @ 3750 rpm. They also said that the car is being tested at a higher HP that will be published in the brochure but they would not reveal it until it is finalized. NO info on pricing. The marketing manager is trying very hard to get production increased to 10,000 units which will be distributed across the board [uS, Canada, WDMO]. Has a programmable tach. Can program shift points. My color is std however when you start cr the guages will light up red, white, and blue. Can be changed. Cars will be delivered to dealers with derated calibration to cut down on hot rodding at the plant or en route. Dealer will have to disable while performing PDI. Those are the highlights.

Your dealer probably did not have allocation for a car right away. There are plenty of dealers who would be more than willing to order a car for you and if you are too far to travel, arrange for delivery to a dealer in your general area.

Here is the latest that I downloaded from the Ford Service area. It comes from the presentation material for a conference call that I will be dialing in on tomorrow as I am our Shelby Coordinator. Here are the PUBLISHED numbers : Job#1 6/26 OK to ship 6/26 2007 Shelby 7,070 US Units [although the marketing plan is set at 10,000 units so it is not known if they will increase production; I will ask question tomorrow]. 255 Canadian Units 25 WDMO Units [worldwide distribution] 2008 Shelby 7,330 US units 340 Canadian Units 30 WDMO Units I also talked to the Mustang Brand Manager yesterday and anyone who has the power lease guarantee will see their letter mailed this week. They then will have the opportunity to order their car from the dealer of their choice and that order will receive production priority and will not count against the ordering dealer's allocation. I am glad I talked one of my good customers into the power lease a couple years ago; now he is guaranteed a Shelby. My first retail Shelby was given an 01 priority by the region last night so it will get serialized this week. It's a torch red vert for another good customer of mine. I will post more info as I get it, either after the teleconference on Thurs or on Friday; just depends on how busy it is at work.

Call your salesperson, they get updates daily.

Manning Truck Equipment manufactures a pickup bed for the F450-F750. We have also done one in house for around $6000 which is an 8' 4" bed. Attached is a picture. Here is the Manning Bed

drop me an email at Isellford@aol.com and I will email what I have.

That is the $64,000 question. Normally after Job#1, vehicles show up in 2-4 weeks; however with a new model there is a good chance of a delivery hold until Ford makes sure everything is ready and right with the unit.

The non-compete clause with Freightliner over the Sterling sale expires in 11/07. I am getting hints of heavier duty GVWR's at that time. I am keeping my fingers crossed as that will open a lot of markets for us, even just being able to go to a heavier single axle truck [35-36,000 GVWR]. A lot of municipalities spec 35K for their plow trucks as well asa lot of single axle fire trucks; both vocations we used to be a leader in.

That is NOT the 2007 Super Duty. it is the 2008 that comes out in january 2007 along with the new engine and emissions. We are already ordering 2007's and it is a carry over vehicle. Edmunds needs to check their source. I have placed over 50 2007 Super Duty orders already.