Ford Motor Company: April 2008 Sales Figures

[armadamaster]

I have seen adverts for the GM and Town Car before. I haven't seen those ads for 2 years now,

 

There ya go.

 

In all honesty I did actually see a Jill Wagner ad with a Grand Marquis in it about two years ago....the last Mercury ad I saw a GMQ in as a matter of fact....Jill was zipping past a GMQ cab in a new Milan.

 

I can't tell ya the last time I saw a TC ad.....2003 maybe?

[taxman100]

I saw the lease "special" Mercury was offering on a Grand Marquis - $454 a month with zero down.

 

Uh, no thanks, when I can BUY one with the incentives and no money down over 5 years for far less than that.

 

Panther sales are down because gasoline is expensive, and they look the exact same as 10 years ago, and Ford has invested almost nothing in the vehicle.

 

The idea is when the buyer comes in to the dealership, they can bait and switch them into one of their horrid Euro-Japanese rebadges.

 

No thanks - when the Panther dies, I'm moving on.

[suv_guy_19]

No thanks - when the Panther dies, I'm moving on.

 

 

 

Moving on to what? The days of BOF sedans are over. Thank God.

[Noah Harbinger]

No matter how you try to spin it the cars people actually desire are all RWD or RWD based for the most part.

 

Hitler has nothing to do with it.

 

You've been hanging around "car people" too much. Believe it or not they don't represent "real people".

[armadamaster]

Moving on to what? The days of BOF sedans are over. Thank God.

 

 

 

[Sixt9coug]

 

Quick! get the shark repellent spray!!!

 

havent seen that clip in years man!

[RichardJensen]

People desire those?

People BUY the Camry and Accord.

 

Which do you think is more important?

Edited May 6, 2008 by RichardJensen

[V8 Ford]

There ya go.

 

In all honesty I did actually see a Jill Wagner ad with a Grand Marquis in it about two years ago....the last Mercury ad I saw a GMQ in as a matter of fact....Jill was zipping past a GMQ cab in a new Milan.

 

I can't tell ya the last time I saw a TC ad.....2003 maybe?

Like I said, I didn't see much of an improvement in the number of panthers on the or a change in demographic after the add push, and the dealers didn't run the adverts for long, supporting my observations that they didn't change the sales much. I don't see any new panthers outside of taxi/law enforcement outside of southwest florida. Its general consumer disinterest outside of the remaining loyal retail buyers and the fleet buyers that's causing their decline, not ignorance of their existance.

[Blueblood]

Whats so great about RWD that makes it so vastly superior then FWD?

 

I almost don't believe my eyes, am I on a car board? A Ford board? I'd expect this kind of stuff on a Toyota Camry owners site or something along those lines.

 

Why don't you go ask a formula 1 team why they don't use FWD if it's superior to RWD, or any motorsports team for that matter. Cause if you don't know, than there's nothing I can say to explain it to you.

 

Like its been stated over and over before, most people don't give a shit about what wheels are driving and I'd say most of them would perfer FWD car if they live in area that has snow over RWD.

 

Who cares what "most people" think? Most people also think Ford still makes piles of shit cars and that the Japanese are flawless. You want to base your arguement on that?

 

And in the southern half of the country it doesn't snow, I shouldn't have to drive some compromised sled because people in northern states refuse to buy snow tires in the winter or slow down in slippery conditions. Cars with 50/50 weight balance like BMW's and the G8 do great in the snow, and with modern traction control and stability control systems FWD is not necessary.

 

FWD is fine for the vast majority of applications that people drive in, I doubt that people even approach using the full extent of their cars capitily, they are lucky if they use 10-15%...much like you using your mind...

 

Why FWD though? Why not RWD? Why do we have to settle for something inferior? Sure FWD is fine for most cheap small cars, but for large heavy vehicles I don't see any advantages, especially considering that more powerful engines are needed for large cars which causes torque steer and complex transmissions to handle the power.

 

And for everyday cars if we could choose I'd say RWD is better for reasons having nothing to do with performance, how about safety, legroom, style, and ease of maintenance? If you engineer a car properly like GM did with the G8 and like BMW does, you have equal weight over the rear tires, making things like snow and emergency handling much more predictable and safe. Anyone who has experienced snap oversteer knows how it can ruin your day.

 

That's just my opinion, I just don't understand the FWD craze, even it cost more I'd be willing to pay for it, although I don't really buy that arguement anymore with modern manufacturing techniques. Look how cheap you can get a RWD Ranger for, or all the AWD cars Ford is making, they aren't all that expensive. So RWD can't be cost prohibitive.

 

I love cars, all the classics built over the past 100 years and the things that made them great, I hate to see the automobile become nothing but a appliance, why can't we leave that to the soulless bastards over at Toyota?

Edited May 6, 2008 by Blueblood

[Blueblood]

Moving on to what? The days of BOF sedans are over. Thank God.

 

There's nothing actually wrong with them, it's just that Ford hasn't updated them in 20 years, if they came outwith a modern looking, state of the art BOF sedan I think people might change their tune.

 

What about older cars with frames, are they are junk? Just like a truck, the Panthers still offer something no other car does, which is why the cops all use them, unbeatable durability. Just think of the difference in strength between a Ridgeline and a F-150.

 

I think there's room for both, BOF and unibody, of course just one BOF sedan is enough, I just wonder what the police will do when the Panthers go away? I've seen cops do stuff to their CV's that would destroy a FWD unibody, so it'll be interesting to see what happens.

[Blueblood]

You've been hanging around "car people" too much. Believe it or not they don't represent "real people".

 

 

So "car people" don't exist? They are real? Who should we turn to for opinions about cars? Toyota drivers?

[Blueblood]

People BUY the Camry and Accord.

 

Which do you think is more important?

 

Man, you haven't seen the drones living on auto-pilot here in L.A. who drive those dishwashers.

 

I think they buy them because they are percieved to be the most reliable cars, and because that is the size most people need so those two sell like crazy.

 

I've never heard anybody say they buy Toyota's because they are FWD, everytime I ask someone why they bought a Turdyota they say "They are reliable and they never break down" usually followed by some insult directed at American cars.

 

Honestly, I think if you could get a 3 series for the price of a Camry they'd outsell them.

[armadamaster]

Damn.....go Blueblood! :cheerleader:

[NickF1011]

People desire those shitboxes?

 

In the tens of thousands every month, for some reason.

[Noah Harbinger]

So "car people" don't exist? They are real? Who should we turn to for opinions about cars? Toyota drivers?

 

Car people don't account for enough sales to drive a top-5 automaker. Their opinions are valid only regarding niche products and small automakers catering to them.

[RichardJensen]

Man, you haven't seen the drones living on auto-pilot here in L.A. who drive those dishwashers.

So their money doesn't count?

 

Face it. It is cheaper to build FWD cars and FWD engines package more efficiently, therefore, for people for whom PRICE and SPACE are primary concerns (e.g. 90% of the car market), FWD is the preferred solution.

 

And to the whole, "If you could buy a BMW for the same price...." argument, I respond simply, "You can't, so who cares?"

[Ford Jellymoulds]

So their money doesn't count?

 

Face it. It is cheaper to build FWD cars and FWD engines package more efficiently, therefore, for people for whom PRICE and SPACE are primary concerns (e.g. 90% of the car market), FWD is the preferred solution.

 

And to the whole, "If you could buy a BMW for the same price...." argument, I respond simply, "You can't, so who cares?"

 

What percentage of the Pick-Up truck & vans are FWD Richard.

 

CNBC Top selling cars slideshow

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24427522

[NickF1011]

What percentage of the Pick-Up truck & vans are FWD Richard.

 

Majority of vans sold in the US (which are of the "mini" variety) are FWD. People buying pickup trucks (or fullsize SUV's for that matter) are not concerned with engine packaging or driveshaft location, as they do not impede on interior room or bed space in large vehicle configurations.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Majority of vans sold in the US (which are of the "mini" variety) are FWD. People buying pickup trucks (or fullsize SUV's for that matter) are not concerned with engine packaging or driveshaft location, as they do not impede on interior room or bed space in large vehicle configurations.

 

I can't understand why so many RWD Vehicles are in CNBC top selling cars list for the US Nick.

 

CNBC Top selling cars slideshow

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24427522

[NickF1011]

I can't understand why so many RWD Vehicles are in CNBC top selling cars list for the US Nick.

 

CNBC Top selling cars slideshow

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24427522

 

There is not a single RWD car on that list. 3 RWD/4x4 trucks, but no RWD cars. There were, however, 6 FWD cars on the list (and a FWD/AWD SUV).

[RichardJensen]

What percentage of the Pick-Up truck & vans are FWD Richard.

 

CNBC Top selling cars slideshow

http://www.cnbc.com/id/24427522

1) Please note that I said =CARS= not =VEHICLES=

 

2) Also, please note that dang near every pickup sold north of the Mason-Dixon line is a 4x4, not RWD.

 

3) The advantage of a RWD truck (towing) is not even remotely connected to the advantage of RWD on cars (separation of drive and steering wheels).

 

I am about sick and tired of people who love performance cars using the preponderance of trucks on the road as a justification for their insistence that Americans 'prefer' RWD vehicles. What it proves is that Americans prefer TRUCKS.

 

 

Because there is a Heeeeeyyyyyyyoooooouuuuuuuge gap between the most popular BOF RWD vehicle and the most popular RWD car.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

There is not a single RWD car on that list. 3 RWD/4x4 trucks, but no RWD cars. There were, however, 6 FWD cars on the list (and a FWD/AWD SUV).

 

Why do CNBC call it America's top 10 BEST selling "CARS" then Nick?

[RichardJensen]

Why do CNBC call it America's top 10 BEST selling "CARS" then Nick?

Okay, whatever. An F150 is, to all intents and purposes, comparable with a BMW M5. You bet. Sure. Whatever. Right on. Uh-huh.

 

Tell me, would YOU consider the F150 to be the same thing, basically, as a Fiat 500? I mean, after all, they're both =cars= right?

 

No fundamental difference to speak of, eh?

[Ford Jellymoulds]

Okay, whatever. An F150 is, to all intents and purposes, comparable with a BMW M5. You bet. Sure. Whatever. Right on. Uh-huh.

 

Tell me, would YOU consider the F150 to be the same thing, basically, as a Fiat 500? I mean, after all, they're both =cars= right?

 

No fundamental difference to speak of, eh?

 

Fiat 500's can be bigger Richard

[NickF1011]

Why do CNBC call it America's top 10 BEST selling "CARS" then Nick?

 

Because they don't know the difference between the word "car" and the word "vehicle"? Even sticking with the term "car", 70% of that Top 10 list is front-wheel-drive, or based on front-wheel-drive architecture.

Edited May 6, 2008 by NickF1011