Rock Auto has several selections of Blower motors.....none are OEM https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2002,taurus,3.0l+v6+ohv,1385771,heat+&+air+conditioning,blower+motor,6916

This morning's updated gas prices in Hamden, CT (New Haven)  $3.05 Regular (Cash) @ Gulf (No Change)  $3.15 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo (Regular Decreased $0.04)        

Thanks Firedog, I rotated the picture for you...Looks really good, I still can't believe you had to wait 3 years to get the truck, that is just crazy.  Did you ever find out what part or parts were holding up the build?

I think it wouldn't make much difference-everything being equal, a CUV based off a car platform already has a 1.5-2K upcharge over its sedan counterpart-so manufactures are going to try and maximize their profits vs competing in markets that are oversaturated. I'm sure the CUV market is already starting to hit that point, but who will be the first to blink and drop prices? 

Alan Mulally was from Boeing....jus' sayin'.....

Quite simply, the answer is both. The lobby groups were definitely there but it takes two to tango and the government of the day was sympathetic and willing to support manufacturers building larger less efficient vehicles all the way up to the GFC.    I wonder where we would be today if CAFE regs had been more reasonable for cars and slightly tougher  for utilites than Trucks…..water under the bridge but fun thinking about how the government basically legislated a pathway for most buyers to switch to Trucks and utilities.

If you mean the “law” that they have to provide parts for ten years, that’s an urban legend, not a law.     

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/02/boeing-known-for-squeezing-suppliers-changes-its-playbook.html   “This collaboration was in sharp contrast to a few years ago, when suppliers were bleeding money from a Boeing program called Partnership for Success. Contrary to the name, the program applied intense pressure on suppliers that transferred their profits to Boeing. Justified by a promise of higher work volumes as production rates climbed, Boeing demanded that suppliers provide 15% price cuts on their parts every year. Boeing’s then-CEO Jim McNerney warned that any companies that didn’t step up would be dropped, or as he put it, added to a “no-fly list.””

Definitely

I own an Expedition and absolutely hate driving it on roads with narrow lanes and narrow shoulders. Also, parking it is not fun. Other than that, it's a comfortable vehicle to drive.   With that being said, I'm getting ready to order an M340i as my new daily. lol