Anyone think Ford is going away?
- Thread starter srfdude
- Start date
From my point of view, Ford's biggest problem is their dealership network. They're destroying the brand at least as fast as the bean counters are.
the new bodies and chassis are odd to my eye under the hood. Maybe they have achieved more efficient use of materials for strength and weight, but they seem cheap and plasticy, even more so than my 18 f150, which was very plasticy compared to the 06 tundra I traded for it. But, the f150 also nailed it where the tundra couldn’t - towing, load capacity, quiet, handling and mpg - so ford didn’t miss the mark by any means.
but the newer unibody vehicles are just odd to my eye, though admittedly I like the Maverick, minus the interior. But it’s hard to beat the maverick for technology and value.
if I had to buy another truck right now, I would definitely look at the ranger. Ford seems to still stake some life blood on truck products.
but the newer unibody vehicles are just odd to my eye, though admittedly I like the Maverick, minus the interior. But it’s hard to beat the maverick for technology and value.
if I had to buy another truck right now, I would definitely look at the ranger. Ford seems to still stake some life blood on truck products.
The F150 is the best selling car in America
Ford's dream is to only sell the F150 and forget about everything else
Ford's dream is to only sell the F150 and forget about everything else
Ford does seem to have more issues with it's dealers than some. Definitely been a power struggle going on for a while, and I can't tell who's winning yet. I think Ford had the upper hand until the pandemic shortages started.
I'm kinda looking at Mustangs right now mid life crisis LOL. I read on here how Ford is the devil, but we've got 7 of them just within my immediate family, well over a dozen if you go into extended family and they've all been good to great.
I'm kinda looking at Mustangs right now mid life crisis LOL. I read on here how Ford is the devil, but we've got 7 of them just within my immediate family, well over a dozen if you go into extended family and they've all been good to great.
I wouldn't buy stock in any auto company, but I'd especially avoid GM and Volkswagen as they seem to be wasting the most money on EVs.
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2022
- Messages
- 770
The UAW is what has been killing the US automakers for decades.
Had a visit to Detroit lately?
Had a visit to Detroit lately?
I used to drink Coca-Cola, but now at $2.50 for a 2 litter bottle, I prefer Walmart's store brand: Sams Cola at 0.99 for a 2 liter a bottle.
All my boss buys is ford's. Lately we have had a rash of trouble from them. Glow plugs, glow plug harnesses,glow plug controllers, complete transmission failures at low mileages etc.
The biggest problem is finding a dealer that can fix them under warranty. We switched to another dealer because the one we were using was just guessing, throwing parts at it without proper diagnosis which caused too many comebacks. When a truck has a problem it throws a wrench into the works as it's an assigned vehicle with tools ,parts etc needed .
Having to take the same truck back a few days after it was allegedly fixed is a real problem.
The biggest problem is finding a dealer that can fix them under warranty. We switched to another dealer because the one we were using was just guessing, throwing parts at it without proper diagnosis which caused too many comebacks. When a truck has a problem it throws a wrench into the works as it's an assigned vehicle with tools ,parts etc needed .
Having to take the same truck back a few days after it was allegedly fixed is a real problem.
But who would have thought Sears of all companies would have bit the dust.
Sears failed to go with the changing of times
With the increase of online sites like Amazon the brick and mortar stores are not long from being a distant memory
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2022
- Messages
- 1,128
They're not though. GM has been outselling the F series for a few years now.
Yes we need to add Chevy and GMC sales because the differences between them amount to differences in trim only. They're the same truck, different trim.
This matters in this context, when you talk about the health of a company. GM makes more money selling their trucks than Ford does, especially the sales of GMC which sells huge amounts of Denali trims; GMC just prints GM money hand over fist, they have a very high average transaction (a fair bit higher than Ford/Ram IIRC).
There are three brands at the Long-Term Quality Index that have sunk in the rankings from year to year.
Ford
Nissan
Subaru
Ford does fine with full-size trucks and SUVs. That's pretty much it. Their quality control issues and high repair costs on certain parts that are known to break make most Fords a no-no nadir.
Nissan... we all know about their CVT issues. If you get a manual transmission they can be surprisingly reliable.
Subaru went from the most average vehicle when it came to long-tern reliability to much worse than average. Bad engines AND trasmissions to the point where we no longer recommend them.
Ford
Nissan
Subaru
Ford does fine with full-size trucks and SUVs. That's pretty much it. Their quality control issues and high repair costs on certain parts that are known to break make most Fords a no-no nadir.
Nissan... we all know about their CVT issues. If you get a manual transmission they can be surprisingly reliable.
Subaru went from the most average vehicle when it came to long-tern reliability to much worse than average. Bad engines AND trasmissions to the point where we no longer recommend them.
I don't think any of the major OEMs are going away anytime soon. I do however think they will morph into different companies than they are now. By that I mean, they will need to have leaner, differentiated product offers instead of being "me too" models.
BTW, the same thing that is affecting the OEMs is the same thing that is affecting the large industrials (think GE, Honeywell, Danaher, or 3M). They are not nimble enough for the markets they serve....plus being a large conglomerate takes to much investment in pure overhead.
Just my two cents.....
BTW, the same thing that is affecting the OEMs is the same thing that is affecting the large industrials (think GE, Honeywell, Danaher, or 3M). They are not nimble enough for the markets they serve....plus being a large conglomerate takes to much investment in pure overhead.
Just my two cents.....
Ford and GM have plenty of life left in them. Look at the Maverick, they can't make enough of them! Sure it's a lower margin product than an F-150 or Explorer, but still, a lot of people that might not have bought a Ford are buying those and I think that's important for their brand. GM, I feel a little less confident about, but they aren't going anywhere anytime soon - the Tahoe/Burb/Yukon/Escalade is sooooo popular and those things have huge margins.
I'm curious what the fleet companies (e.g. ARI) will be giving their customers who only seek a mid-size sedan. For the longest time, Ford was their choice with the Fusions. Lately it has been the Chevy Malibus, so I wonder how much fleet business they've lost.
