Rearranging the deck chairs on the......
Posted on 01/27/2006 8:14:40 AM PST by oxcart
Post #15 well said.
Five years? I don't think they'll wait that long.
Sounds like my first car, a '91 Thunderbird. Replaced the transmission and several engine components. Also many belts and hoses. And a compressor. I was so happy when my friend wrecked it. My dad was a loyal Ford man until he got two Taurus' in a row that sucked. Everyone in the family drives Toyotas now.
I worked at a Chevrolet dealer for 16 years. If, you bought a "new", car at any other dealer, you would be terminated. Used car, they didn't care.
Your not, the union is though.
I agree. Ford's quality is much improved. I've had great experiences with their F Series trucks in particular. I think Ford's biggest problem in recent years is that they've focused so much on quality and not enough on design. Their vehicles have been booooooring. I mean look at Chrysler. Their quality is still subpar compared to even Ford/GM but their car designs have been phenomenal. Why do you think they are doing ok while Ford and GM have been sucking pondwater? Ford is trying to correct that and are betting a lot on the new Fusion, Milan, and 500.
ok.. as i started working on my taxes the other day, i remembered there's a spot to put in for "parking expenses." with this policy in effect, anyone want to bet that someone will try to deduct his vehicle payment as a parking expense?
http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/funderprofile.asp?fndid=5176&category=79
THE FORD FOUNDATION.
Rearranging the deck chairs on the......
The union is telling their people they have to buy Fords ?
Or the union is telling Ford that they have to employee their people...
"betting a lot on the new Fusion, Milan, and 500.
"
The Fusion/Milan is essentially a Mazda 6 series, and the 500 is a Volvo S70. Both designs come from outside the USA. That's Ford's real problem.
But, since Ford owns a controlling interest in Volvo, I wonder if Volvo drivers can park in the lot. How about Mazda drivers? Ford has partial ownership of Mazda, too.
Ford made a piece of junk in the 1970s called the Galaxie 500. They just brought back the name of a lousy car. The original 500 was full size. The current version is somewhat smaller.
I can see recycling the Thunderbird and Mustang names. The original versions of those cars were nice. But the 500?
You and a whole bunch of other folks on this thread, wtih apparently minimal or non-existent knowledge of the auto industry, have a serious misunderstanding of what's going on here.
The plant manager is simply giving preferential parking to employees who DO drive the company's cars.
And what better way is there to learn about a customer's concerns than to drive the same car the customer drives?
If you're the guy who say installs seats, and your seat comes loose and rattles, wouldn't you conclude you have a means of fixing that?
Ford still builds one heck of a car. I just sold my '96 Explorer with 367,780 miles on it for $1800.00. It ran like a top, and still does. Guy that bought it took it to California and back two weeks ago and averaed 23 mpg. I'm kind of sad I sold it, but wanted a new one.
I have had the same experience. I have owned three Fords in forty years of being a licensed driver. The first was a 1956 Ford Fairlane that always knew when it was payday and would break down, the second a 1983 Ranger that caught fire and me with it, and lastly a 1992 F250 that had a major fuel problem even the dealers couldn't figure out. I have been Found On Road Dead too many times. No more!
Muleteam1
I agree with the property rights, but it seems that everyone has missed a very important point.
No place in the article does it say how many non-ford cars have to park elsewhere. They could have 90% of the employees driving Fords, and want to reward them for buying the company product.
It could affect 2 new hires and the immigrant applying for the nut tightening job only. NO one knows by the facts in the article.
On the Contrary...
You have employees that are financially strapped and some that are extremely frugal and won't buy new. You have all types at any major employer.
What gets unmentioned reported over on the the Detroit News and Free Press is some individuals (Union?) were putting pamphlets on Ford brands such as Volvo and Land Rover, on company sites and who knows if on company time, saying they should also buy American. Which is really stupid, because some of these lines are making money for Ford.
These brands are becoming the basis for some of their product, ergo the Mazda 6 is the base for the Ford Fusion. Which is smart use, the best DNA you can.
Now if these are union guys, don't they have better things to do with there time? How about researching HSA's and bringing a demand for them to the bargaining table to save the company some money so they have the R & D seed corn to got head to head to Toyota. Or how about attending college classes instead to better yourself and your company?
The plant manager did this, it is not company sanctioned, yet they haven't stopped him. I wonder what his relationship with the union is, very bad timing on his part.
This story is a little on the weird side for me...
I have my own business and drive about 25 th. per yr. I own a 02 Ranger XLT which I find very dependable. ( it's my third one since 94). Good gas milage and just enough room for my Wife and I. Price for the 02; $ 11,999. Before I had an 87 Mazda B2000 (same as the Ranger) and put 250,000 on it before I got rid of it.
I've had pretty good luck with the Fords. Every GM I've owned has come down with what I call GM-itis. Door handles start falling off, windows won't go up/down, AC goes out. Love my Navigator.
The car I'll never buy again is a Nissan. I've got a beautiful 1990 300zx that the Nissan dealership REFUSES to let me bring in for them to look at because its "too old." Screw 'em, I'll never buy another and I'm not even going to tell them why.
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