Explorer4X4 Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 A puffed up Escort? Bringing back the Tempo isn't going to do anything Ford, except make them the laughing stock of the automotive business. The Tempo sold "well" but it wasn't earth shattering car like the Taurus was...it served its time and got whored out like most other cars..thats it Sold 'well'? Sold more in its first year then the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Not just by a few units either, by about 100,000. Tempo was not 'earth shattering' like Taurus, but it was innovative and more likely then not, the reason Taurus ever even came to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Sold 'well'? Sold more in its first year then the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Not just by a few units either, by about 100,000. Tempo was not 'earth shattering' like Taurus, but it was innovative and more likely then not, the reason Taurus ever even came to be. Uh your forgetting that today that there are alot more competitors out there then there was when the Tempo was out? Great sales numbers don't give the Tempo "creed" The Escort sold in great numbers and was the best selling cars in the 1980's, I don't see anyone around here making a fool of themselves by starting a thread on how Ford should call the Focus or B-car (seriously) an Escort since it sold so well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorer4X4 Posted August 28, 2007 Author Share Posted August 28, 2007 Uh your forgetting that today that there are alot more competitors out there then there was when the Tempo was out? Great sales numbers don't give the Tempo "creed" The Escort sold in great numbers and was the best selling cars in the 1980's, I don't see anyone around here making a fool of themselves by starting a thread on how Ford should call the Focus or B-car (seriously) an Escort since it sold so well... Not enough competitors to make that much of a difference. You idiots make it sound as if it were just Tempo vs. Cavalier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Not enough competitors to make that much of a difference. You idiots make it sound as if it were just Tempo vs. Cavalier. Your the idiot that started it...and your automatically discounting what was on the market...and how old are you again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Not enough competitors to make that much of a difference. You idiots make it sound as if it were just Tempo vs. Cavalier. I already pointed out the difference in the number of brands, PLUS the fragmenting of the midsize sedan segment. It's not 1984 anymore. You're just not listening or not understanding or refusing to let go of the past. There are MORE competitors. Period. Ford, GM, and Chrysler had ~90% overall market share in 1984. Now it's below 50%. How did that happen? Competition. By the way, what are these "features" that cars like the Camry have that make them so popular? I mean if, like you claim, features, styling, and originality are all that matter to make a car successful, what exactly is it about the Camry that makes it so popular? Is it the class-exclusive all-wheel-drive? Oh wait, that's on the Fusion. Is it the addition of the coupe version? Oops. They cancelled that while Honda and Nissan offer it. Is it the innovative cooled glovebox and heated/cooled cupholders? No, that's Dodge. Is it the most powerful engine in the class? Nope. Most fuel efficient? Nuh uh. The Camry, by and large, offers up absolutely nothing innovative compared to the majority of the competition. It survives on reputation alone. Reputation is something the Tempo surely doesn't have. If the Tempo had such a dandy reputation and was such a great car, it wouldn't have been discontinued in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Fusion is ok, so is Edge. Edge is good because the car is new anyway and never replaced anything. Fusion should have been Taurus though. Taurus is a stodgy name for that car. I would run away if they named an "image vehicle" that, especially with the rental addiction. I grew up with Taurus, Sundance, Cavalier -- I wouldn't want to drive any of those. Escort I could live with though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 The Tempo's were basically a decent car. (...) For whatever reason the Canadian built Cars seemed to have have a better reliabilty record. They built the Tempo in two plants, or did they move the tooling? Which plants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Sold 'well'? Sold more in its first year then the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Not just by a few units either, by about 100,000. Tempo was not 'earth shattering' like Taurus, but it was innovative and more likely then not, the reason Taurus ever even came to be. 100,000 more than Camry and Accord? Great, but there was much more resistance to buying foreign then. Now, admittedly, they were less contented than Tempo, but arguing that Tempo beat these brand names -- nothing more than brand names -- means nothing. The real question is, did Tempo beat Cutlass? The Olds Cutlass was the kickass defacto car back then. It was, in many ways, the Camry of its time. Indeed, from my memory of overall sales from the era, the Tempo was hotly in contest with Cavalier and the GM A-bodies. The top car of 1983/1984 was the LTD, if I remember correctly. Escort was up there too. Ford sold cars like a banshee, but the foreign makes grew and grew. I do not believe your arguments are taking this into consideration. Also, arguing that it sold dramatically well compared to modern sedan sales is nothing either. Impala sold a whole heck of a lot back in the '60s -- more than Tempo. Does that matter though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 I was working for a large fleet that bought a lot of Tempos the first couple of years they came out ('84-'85). I am sorry to say those were some of the absolute worst motor vehicles I have ever had to work on. Constant transmission and electrical problems, rapid rear tire wear due to weak rear suspension parts, poor quality paint, lackluster performance from the 2.3L HSC pushrod engine (together with plenty of driveablility issues), the list went on and on. And adding insult to injury, a bunch of Dodge Aries K cars and Chevy Celebrities were purchased at the same time, and they both proved quite reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 I totally agree! I had a 1985 Tempo Sport GL and it was my first car at age 16. I loved it when it was brand new. After a year or two it came down with a ton of engine problems. I kept getting it repaired and couldn't believe how much I spent on repairs after 10 years. I traded it in for a 1995 Mystique V6. Now that car was a 100 times better in every way. When I traded it in 5 years ago, I felt like I had lost a friend or a part of my body. I really enjoyed owning and driving that car. The Tempo--not so much. In fact I was so glad to get rid of that leaky, piece of shit! I was working for a large fleet that bought a lot of Tempos the first couple of years they came out ('84-'85). I am sorry to say those were some of the absolute worst motor vehicles I have ever had to work on. Constant transmission and electrical problems, rapid rear tire wear due to weak rear suspension parts, poor quality paint, lackluster performance from the 2.3L HSC pushrod engine (together with plenty of driveablility issues), the list went on and on. And adding insult to injury, a bunch of Dodge Aries K cars and Chevy Celebrities were purchased at the same time, and they both proved quite reliable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted August 29, 2007 Share Posted August 29, 2007 Indeed, from my memory of overall sales from the era, the Tempo was hotly in contest with Cavalier and the GM A-bodies. Its a J-Body...:P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7Mary3 Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 As for the Fairmont, I worked on a few of those back in the day, too. Real hit-and-miss. If you found one with a 5.0L and a regular 2bbl. carb., you had a pretty quick car that usually wouldn't give too much trouble. The 255 Windsor with the variable venturi carb. was a whole 'nother beast. No power even when the did run. In those days, the best car in that class was a GM X body (Nova/Ventura/Omega/Skylark, NOT the FWD Citation X bodies!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 The 255 Windsor The 255 Windsor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Who needs a light bar? The funhouse mirrors on the front of the new Ford's effectively refelect the headlamps of oncoming vehcles and blind drivers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Its a J-Body...:P Huh? I was talking about both the J-Bodies and the A-Bodies as competing with Tempo. Mind that I don't think J-Bodies like the Sunbird, Skylark, Firenza, etc really sold that well in contrast to the all-powerful ( ) Cavalier but I don't have the background to know that for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 The 255 Windsor? Yeah my parents had a car with that engine. A 1980 Mercury Cougar XR-7. It was the first truly downsized Cougar built on a Fairmont chassis. My mother hated that car! My dad says it is the worse Ford product he ever owned. It was actually fairly reliable for the time, but it had a lot more issues then the larger Torino based Fords they owned before it and was not very well built. I think they drove it until about 100,000 miles and never had any engine problems, but it had a crappy carb that caused stalling in the winter. My dad has owned these Ford cars and bought each of them new except for the 1984. 1954 Ford 2 door 1959 Ford 4 door (which was the only car he ever crashed) 1960 Ford 4 door 1964 Ford 4 door 1968 Ford Torino 1972 Ford LTD 2 door 1976 Ford Elite 1980 Mercury Cougar XR-7 1984 Ford Thunderbird (which he actually did buy used to replace the Cougar since it was about ready to croak at 100,000 miles) 1990 Ford Thunderbird LX 1994 Ford Thunderbird LX 2000 Ford Taurus (which he sold to my brother for a second car) 2007 Ford Fusion SE V6 His first car was actually a 1950 Chevy and he hated that car so he bought a Ford. Anyhow the Cougar with the 255 was the car he hated the most followed closely by the Chevy. The Ford's he liked most were the '68 Torino, '72 LTD and the 2007 Ford Fusion. In fact, he will tell you that the Fusion is the best driving car he has ever owned in all of his 70 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 (edited) Cut Explorer4X4 a break. Yes, there are some things that I've seen in his arguments that aren't perfect, but it's not like the rest of you are totally infallible. We're all human. Some of you need to start acting like one and treat the guy with some respect ... We might have different opinions on things, but that doesn't mean you have to beat a guy up ... a lot of you could benefit from taking the golden rule to heart. When your head is on the chopping block some day, maybe you'll finally figure out why. Why not just be nice to each other? Is that so hard? Edited August 30, 2007 by SVT_MAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Who needs a light bar? The funhouse mirrors on the front of the new Ford's effectively refelect the headlamps of oncoming vehcles and blind drivers... I can't say I've ever had that problem while passing one going the opposite direction. :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchdevil Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I can't say I've ever had that problem while passing one going the opposite direction. :huh: Blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 Blinding drivers of oncoming vehicles.... Like I said, I've never been blinded by one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted August 30, 2007 Share Posted August 30, 2007 I've never had a problem with the chrome grilles like that either. I have been blinded by chrome before though. One time when I was following our Jaguar XJ6, the rear chrome strip on the trunk lid blinded me. I pitty people who drive behind us. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 (edited) "[Focus] is just a rental lot king, nothing more. What was the best selling Ford Motor Company compact car in North America? The 1984 to 1994 Ford Tempo '' Poster is contradicting themself. If any car screamed 'rental' it is the Tempo, duh! I am still amazed at how little some 'car experts' know about the market. By 1990 it was over 70% fleet. But, there are fans of the Pinto so go figure. Oh, and another thing, no Tempo ever had a light bar. Edited September 1, 2007 by 630land Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVT_MAN Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 "[Focus] is just a rental lot king, nothing more. What was the best selling Ford Motor Company compact car in North America? The 1984 to 1994 Ford Tempo '' Poster is contradicting themself. If any car screamed 'rental' it is the Tempo, duh! I am still amazed at how little some 'car experts' know about the market. By 1990 it was over 70% fleet. But, there are fans of the Pinto so go figure. Oh, and another thing, no Tempo ever had a light bar. Yeah, the Topaz was the one with the light bar ... A faux light bar at that ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
630land Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 One other thing, the 'light bar' on the Topaz was non-functional. i.e. it didn't light up as on the Sables. These cars were heavily sold to fleets and rented out as 'mid sized cars' in the 80's/90s. Then repalced in rentals by Contour twins. Now, Hertz' 'mid sized car' is what?? Focus? Elantra? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Tempo/Topaz, Cavalier/Sunbird: rough, throbbing 4-cylinder engines and klutzy 3-speed automatics. When 4-speed transmissions arrive, they are not available as an extra-cost option. Too bad, because with a 4-speed auto, the Tempo would have been greatly improved in drivability. As it was, those cars were so foul (and the VW/Mitsu-engine K-cars were no better) they sold a lot of Toyotas and Hondas and Datsun/Nissans as people walked, no, ran away from Detroit ASAP. Yet, at least GM tried, with the Olds Quad 4, but it disappeared. Anybody know about it? The Ford domestic 2.3 8-v SOHC engine seems to have been less than it should have been. Were there any inherent problems with the design? Why not a 16-valve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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