Why can't Ferrari sell new cars for under a quarter million or so?
Posted on 03/11/2008 12:18:32 AM PDT by MississippiMan
Sure, they could. But with a high-end variant like the Cobra, part of the appeal is that's it's an exclusive, hard-to-find model. Ford has to strike a balance between how much to increase production without flooding the market and diluting the brand.
—One car I managed to ruin with youthful naiveté was a big green Chevy Impala station wagon - the “check oil” light was flickering every so often, and it turned out that a “flicker” is just as serious as a “always on” where a Chevy’s oil light is concerned - it wasn’t long before it threw a rod and trashed the engine—
Flickering “check oil” idiot light happened to me years ago with a Ford LTD. Figured something was serioulsy wrong when I noticed I was leaving a trail of oil like a stuck pig. Broken oil pressure switch. Got it to a mechanic before I burned the motor out though (only a $40 repair—sure the switch probably cost $1.95)
—Why can’t Ford build a Mustang Cobra that sells for less than $45k MSRP that the stealerships turn around and charge another $20k for dealer markup?—
I wouldn’t touch a car like that for the insurance alone (and I’m a forty-something with a clean record).
My husband has a Cobra and it doesn’t really cost that much to insure it. Actually, it’s costs about the same to insure as my Escape does. Now, the Cobra is 10 years old but it can still burn most cars on the road.
$1.95 for the switch, and $38.05 for knowing which switch to replace.
—Actually, it’s costs about the same to insure as my Escape does—
Well, this may be something to consider if I ever have a mid-life crisis. ;)
You know what, you may be right - perhaps I’m thinking of the Sable/Taurii we had later on.
Why can't Ferrari sell new cars for under a quarter million or so?
Ok - so the AFAbots swore that they chose Ford, even though Toyota contributed more, because they had to start somewhere, and after Ford, they would move on to the next auto company until they had hit all and “converted” them.
I’ll be waiting to see if they live up to their ideals, or if this proves to have been just a cheap political stunt.
I’m betting it was their usual cheap political stunt.
I would definitely believe a Taurus/Sable from intro up through 1995 would be unreliable... But even they had dramatic improvements once they finally stopped making head-gasket eating 3.8Ls and self-destructing AXOD-E transmissions.
(funny thing is that Honda Accords and Odysseys have been eating transmissions via the same failure mode as those AXOD-Es in recent years... shows you that companies don’t necessarily learn from each others’ mistakes)
As I said, I haven't followed the numbers in detail but Ford's numbers are FAR worse than your suggested scenarios. I think AFA explained the numbers accurately, which translates to "Since the boycott began, Ford sales for each month dropped an average of 8% compared to that month the previous year."
Bottom line: The boycott worked. As someone else posted, whether Ford can be trusted to honor the agreement this time (when they didn't before, thus providing the impetus for the boycott in the first place) is a serious consideration.
MM (in TX)
Well Ford did the switch on this once before, but I wouldn’t mind a new F250. We’ll see.
Who is it you’re calling “AFAbots?” I’ve never seen one single claim by AFA that they would work through the automakers one by one, and I’ve been involved with the organization for about 15 years.
This boycott began because AFA complained to Ford about their continual homopromo ways, Ford agreed to stop, then didn’t. AFA may be able to apply pressure more effectively to the others as a result of the boycott.
As for “cheap political stunts,” you’re wrong. It may well be that you don’t agree with the Christian mission of the AFA, which is surely your right, but Christian activism most certainly does not equate to cheap political stunts. Christians stayed silent in this country far too long and it was a grave strategic error.
MM
Eighteen months ago, I traded in my Explorer for a Toyota Highlander. Since then, I’ve had to take the Highlander to the shop once, for a faulty fuel sensor that was covered under warranty, whereas I was taking the Explorer in about every three months.
You have no idea what you are talking about. I bought my 03 Cobra for $35k and asking for the next generation Cobra to not be $10k more without dealer markup is not like expecting to spend $15k for a 3-series BMW.
First, you're accepting Don Wildmon's version of facts at face value, which isn't a good idea. Second, we don't know whether those particular marketing efforts were designed to have an exipration date, or whether they were canceled ahead of plan. With Ford cutting costs across the board, niche marketing would be an obvious place for it.
My explanation is simpler -- the Ford boycott wasn't bringing in donations any more, so Wildmon decided to pull the plug and focus on his other fundraising initiatives boycotts.
Amen brother!
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