Close



Page 8 of 14 FirstFirst ... 678910 ... LastLast
Results 176 to 200 of 350
  1. #176

    Default

    heres the reason a new ranger wont be as reliable - direct injection

  2. #177

  3. #178

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 4-barrel Mike View Post
    It's amusing what they said about replacing the sedan products at their price points. I'll believe that when I see it. And how do they expect to make them appealing in the same way the sedan products were? Fuel mileage, performance, attractive design... THEY CAN'T if they expect to replace them with some lame crossover variation stripped down to fit the price point.

    The question at the end about stale products made me laugh too. That's the way Ford has ALWAYS operated. They put their best foot forward, come out with a boatload of great stuff, and they're relevant for a few years. Then they leave them all around for WAY too long, and then they need another "turnaround".

    This article amused me too.

    https://jalopnik.com/ford-ceo-has-ha...e-2-1832029573

    HACKett has no one to blame for the stock price tanking but himself. Nothing says "we're doin' great!" like a RETREAT, you dumbass. In the end though, it could all just be posturing for that all-important growth next year. "look, we grew!".
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  4. #179

    Default

    Oh, and on a happier note, it was nice to see that all of the suicide door Continentals sold out. They are planning on doing one again for 2020.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  5. #180
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default be gone already

    So cars are disappearing. Now to make trucks 'disappear' so they can be passed?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=sams...w=1152&bih=715

    highway hypnosis, microsleeps, flicker vertigo, refresh rates on electric screens, motion sickness.
    Flashing lights, used to draw attention, also make you sick, dizzy, drowsy?
    The 'Moth Effect Theory'. Emergency lights attract attention of drivers who strangely steer toward them, piling into the vehicles. Driver was prob getting along fine until encountering the scene.
    Those super bright, road blinding, flashing lights at night confusingly both attract and distract drivers, even straight ones.

    Companies can't bring themselves to believe many older, cheaper, simpler designed products were fine and did the job.
    Guess they lasted too long. So people got bored with them? They get over it. Vintage chrome toasters still exist.
    Instead mfg and govt design cars so hard to drive, unstable, like jet fighters they cant move without computers.
    Now need lane avoidance to stay in lane? One tech chasing the other.
    While the driver is trying to control the car with 'fake' feedback clues. Electric steering, throttle by wire, antilock.

    So mfgs give up on cars; too complex no profit? Then focus on self driving cars, impossibly complex.
    What's next- self driving bicycles? Simple item, came before the car. Nope too hard. Do a car.
    Last edited by gr79; 02-18-2019 at 11:21 PM.

  6. #181

    Default

    I really need to stop reading the news coming out of Ford. Everything I read makes me just more and more p!$$ed.

    http://www.thedrive.com/news/26670/w...ang-crossovers

    We've already discussed the Mustang crossover thing. What really caught my attention in this article is this:

    "According to the story, which runs in the April 2019 issue of MT, the Aviator/Explorer platform was originally intended to also be used for a range-topping Lincoln sedan—presumably a competitor to the Cadillac CT6. Lincoln head honcho Joy Falotica apparently knew better than her counterparts at Caddy, however, because according to MT, she canned the fancy four-door before the project could get off the ground."

    G******it, Ford! With every decision, comes another huge disappointment!! Lincoln could've finally been taken seriously as a world class marque, but nope. Trucks only. Hey, let's even water down our only remaining car, the Mustang by making it a truck. Brilliant!

    By the way, Taurus production just ended too. Might not have done quite so poorly lately if they hadn't kept the new version they'd already done all the development on just for freaking CHINA.

    Name:  ford-taurus-china-shanghai-1-3.jpg
Views: 233
Size:  34.0 KB

    Yeah, it's been out for years in China, but they couldn't take the chance it might succeed in the US. It's not a truck, after all.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  7. #182

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ZephyrEFI View Post
    Lincoln could've finally been taken seriously as a world class marque, but nope.
    That ship sailed many, many decades ago.

  8. #183
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default electric cars coming to Flat Rock MI Mustang plant


  9. #184

    Default

    Well, if it doesn't make me angry, then it puts me to sleep. "bla bla electric. bla bla autonomous. bla bla other boring stuff. bla bla hybrid." Wake me up when I can buy a new Focus, dammit.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  10. #185
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default 2020 Mustang 2.3L High Performance Package 330 hp

    "As a treat for your ears, the package will come with a standard active exhaust. We heard the new performance pony fire up and rev in neutral, and it has a nice raspy note as well as some excellent pops and crackles from the tailpipes."

    The ricer glass pack sounding exhaust is the first thing i would cut off the car.
    Add quieter turbo mufflers or https://www.summitracing.com/parts/imm-87885cb

    http://www.campaign.ford.com/content...0-mustang.html
    https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...ng/3441269002/
    https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vid...rmance-package

  11. #186
    FEP Power Member 4-barrel Mike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Posts
    1,953

    Default

    Tangentially, an interesting Motor Trend article: Cadillac vs. Lincoln. https://www.motortrend.com/news/cadi...erican-luxury/

    Mike

  12. #187

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 4-barrel Mike View Post
    Tangentially, an interesting Motor Trend article: Cadillac vs. Lincoln. https://www.motortrend.com/news/cadi...erican-luxury/

    Mike
    It's nice to hear the RWD Continental may not be... quite dead. Thank you, China, I guess. And also nice to hear that Lincoln is "hotter" than Cadillac. That XT6, in particular looks like a real flop. It could easily be confused for an XC90 or a Pilot. LAME. Also "Corsair" is a pretty sexy name. Well done to them there. Kind of nostalgic, maybe paving the way for "Zephyr" to come back.

    That said, am I nuts, or when they talk about Caddy and Lincoln "losing their way" and resorting to rebadged more pedestrian models.... isn't that pretty much what they've ALWAYS done?! What changed between the '80s, when they were relatively successful and the '90s? If fact, at least on the Cadillac side you could probably say there was MORE differentiation between them and cheaper models, what with the Seville/El Dorado and Northstar engines? Lincoln not so much, but still. Their component sets they had available to them simply didn't follow the trend that had been building through the '80s towards German luxury brands. American cars were SO bad in the late '70s that more and more people found the idea of a foreign built car okay. That, again, I wouldn't say is really the fault of the US car makers. The market changed way too fast for them to react. That's got nothing to do with badge engineering. That was a constant. The automotive press just loves to point to that as the problem, but it's just part of who Lincoln and Cadillac are.

    Now though, I feel that US brands are fighting the opposite of what they enjoyed up until the '80s, which is blind brand loyalty for German and Japanese brands. If I hear one more old fogie boomer going on about how great his Toyota is, I might puke. What they just LOVE to leave out too, is that those sickeningly beloved foreign brands DO THE SAME DAMN THING. Badge engineering. It's everywhere, and it's not going away.

    Regarding the Mustang EcoBoost performance package, I think it's cool Ford is offering that given how damned expensive the GT is now. That said though, I wouldn't buy one. I'd scrape together a few more pennies and get a base GT. There is just no way to make a 4 cylinder sound good.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  13. #188

  14. #189

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 4-barrel Mike View Post
    "it's all about the Benjamins." https://www.reuters.com/article/us-f...-idUSKCN1RT1UZ

    Mike
    "Yes, we are willing to do lower volume models if they are profitable. No, it probably won't be anything you like." That was my takeaway from that.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  15. #190

    Default

    double post

  16. #191
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default

    Every time i go to the salvage yard, i see thousands of good parts that will be crushed up.
    Can that waste be sustained, even if they are paid for?
    So they make only 10,000 cars a year and sell to highest bidder.
    10,000 cars or trucks x 100,000.00 each= 1 billion gross.
    One well operating plant can make 300,000-500,000 per model year
    https://www.automobilemag.com/news/t...plants-151801/

  17. #192

    Default

    I get so sick of the Toyota fan boys. My favorite is how they had a 4 door Geo and it just crapped out all the time. So then they bought a Toyota Corolla and never had a problem.

    It so fun to point out that they are rebadged versions of the same car, or at least they were back in about 1997.
    2 1986 cougars (both 4 eyed and 5.0)
    1 1987 cougar

  18. #193
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default

    What kind of crap high tech computer engine designs and materials are getting approved for production these days?
    Mopar used to noted for bullet proof engines. Ford is no better.
    Trying to squeeze more and more power from defective designs already over stressed or faulted from the start?
    Do they think customers have money to burn? The customers are getting burnt bad.
    Advanced- advanced failures.

    https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...210043421.html

  19. #194

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gr79 View Post
    What kind of crap high tech computer engine designs and materials are getting approved for production these days?
    Mopar used to noted for bullet proof engines. Ford is no better.
    Trying to squeeze more and more power from defective designs already over stressed or faulted from the start?
    Do they think customers have money to burn? The customers are getting burnt bad.
    Advanced- advanced failures.

    https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...210043421.html
    Wow, that's really lame. It does make me a little less jealous though of the Mopar faithful getting to have RWD V8 sedans all this time while Ford gave us jack squat. Like you say though, Ford is no better with that kind of thing. There's the stupid automatic design they used in the Fiesta and Focus. Rather than DO something about it over an EIGHT year run, they decided to just ride it out and absorb the customers' anger. And now they're being sued. AGAIN. And hey, they can use it an another excuse to just "cut their losses" with the small car market, rather than building a better product. Pathetic. It's like it's their way of having a temper tantrum over not making money on small cars. All of our MANUAL Foci from those years were GREAT cars. Thank you, Ford of Europe. Can't get away with all the cost-cutting BS like they do here.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  20. #195
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default

    Self driving cars? Phooey. How about self repairing ones?

    Instead of being accountable and use conservative designs, they simply kill car engines and sneak away.
    Govt regulations started the whole thing of dictating mileage, emissions, safe (ha) car design and parts.
    GM engines have their valve train problems too. Guess the small block/big blocks of old were too good.
    Someone i know just replaced a broken rocker in an 05 GTO. Heads, etc were needed. 130,000 miles.
    Lifter roller cracked in half.
    So that's one LS, two late 2000's 3.7's this year among family and friends with major valve train problems.
    These cars are production, no mods, well maintained, daily driven to work or school.

    Wow find a nice affordable used Caddy with the Northstar engine.
    Be aware the starter is in the back of engine under the intake manifold.


    Computers made simple things complicated. Serious accidents are more? common and more horrendous looking.
    Engines got cleaned up, but then went crazy with what if's. Short production lifespans, too many running changes.
    Huge vehicles, smallish size engines, big power. Where are replacement parts going to come from? If any at all?
    Guess mfgrs think its no big deal to throw engines in. Not because they wear out, but break. Like race cars.
    They got their money, product lasted 3 years, off the hook, only sweating engineering defects, spinning bad press.
    Then come clean every now and then with a free repair recall making them look accountable to suck in new buyers.
    Become much more serious due to added complexity stemming from computer design, expensive mfg costs


    Sure, all the unreal engine specs are good for marketing. Not all are bad. Wait till later when they break. Stupid stuff too.
    Pull heads to change lifters? Give me a break. Oh but sometimes this design gives 2 mpg more? Yah at 10x cost later?
    The everyday driver traditionally was reliable, practical, affordable. Low tech tires. Options were optional.
    Not a blind, high tech fire monster blowing up bank accounts and burning paychecks.
    Money pits from day one until much later when the bugs are worked out- if there is anything left.
    God help getting car totaled. 30g, 50g+ who pays? Scary figures not pocket change.
    A 1970 shotgun ranch, no basement, cost about 12.000.00 new, with used cars outside costing 2x more than house.

    https://www.google.com/search?q=gm+l...hrome&ie=UTF-8
    Last edited by gr79; 05-19-2019 at 01:54 PM.

  21. #196
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default

    2020 Shelby 350 automatic has no shifter- paddles and dial a gear knob on console.
    Attachment 128239

  22. #197
    FEP Power Member 4-barrel Mike's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Posts
    1,953

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by gr79 View Post
    2020 Shelby 350 automatic has no shifter- paddles and dial a gear knob on console.
    "Hey Siri, shift to 3rd gear."

    Mike

  23. #198

    Default

    You mean the GT500? Or have they added the DSG to the GT350 now too?

    Either way, it's really lame the GT500 won't offer a manual. Maybe with a manual, apples to apples, it can't beat the Hellcat. I'm sure there's a point when you're over a bazillion horsepower like these cars are where traction and driver skill can't make a 50 or so horsepower advantage make a difference.
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

  24. #199
    FEP Super Member gr79's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    SE Michigan
    Posts
    5,141

    Default

    Its a prototype. No badges. Could be changed or named anything later.
    Luxury car price, luxury car features.
    Unusual hood pins, single gas strut shock hood lift.

    Attachment 128346Attachment 128347Attachment 128348Attachment 128349
    Last edited by gr79; 06-17-2019 at 04:05 PM.

  25. #200

    Default

    Looks like a GT500 to me. GT350s are not supercharged.

    Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
    Brad

    '79 Mercury Zephyr ES 5.0L GT40 EFI, T-5
    '17 Ford Focus ST
    '14 Ford Fusion SE Manual

Page 8 of 14 FirstFirst ... 678910 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •