I'd agree on the styling issues. My wife had a couple of Mercury Topaz, I liked the styling. The corresponding Ford Tempo was "not my cup of tea".
http://autospies.com/Ford-Plans-To-Axe-Mercury
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Originally Posted By: rjacket
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability? So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
Are you kidding?
Ford made Jaguar quality and reliability virtually unsurpassed. I bought a new XJ (my fourth) for my wife in 2004, and it has only seen the dealer for its annual service / inspection.
Jaguar and Aston Martin are the only car companies in the world afaik that use the bonded aluminum chassis that Jagaur uses in the last two generations of XJ, the new XK and the XF. The XF has been out for some time, and was in development for a considerable period before that.
Ford has taken itself from being a builder of world class state of the art cars, to bottom dwelling with the plain vanilla car companies.
Sad.
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability? So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
Are you kidding?
Ford made Jaguar quality and reliability virtually unsurpassed. I bought a new XJ (my fourth) for my wife in 2004, and it has only seen the dealer for its annual service / inspection.
Jaguar and Aston Martin are the only car companies in the world afaik that use the bonded aluminum chassis that Jagaur uses in the last two generations of XJ, the new XK and the XF. The XF has been out for some time, and was in development for a considerable period before that.
Ford has taken itself from being a builder of world class state of the art cars, to bottom dwelling with the plain vanilla car companies.
Sad.
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: rjacket
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability? So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
Are you kidding?
Ford made Jaguar quality and reliability virtually unsurpassed. I bought a new XJ (my fourth) for my wife in 2004, and it has only seen the dealer for its annual service / inspection.
Jaguar and Aston Martin are the only car companies in the world afaik that use the bonded aluminum chassis that Jagaur uses in the last two generations of XJ, the new XK and the XF. The XF has been out for some time, and was in development for a considerable period before that.
Ford has taken itself from being a builder of world class state of the art cars, to bottom dwelling with the plain vanilla car companies.
Sad.
So Ford turned Jaguar around and then sold them?
But Ford are now profitable and vying with Toyota for no1 in quality. So they must have done something right in the last few years.
Or are you saying that profit and making desirable cars don't mix?
Originally Posted By: rjacket
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability? So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
Are you kidding?
Ford made Jaguar quality and reliability virtually unsurpassed. I bought a new XJ (my fourth) for my wife in 2004, and it has only seen the dealer for its annual service / inspection.
Jaguar and Aston Martin are the only car companies in the world afaik that use the bonded aluminum chassis that Jagaur uses in the last two generations of XJ, the new XK and the XF. The XF has been out for some time, and was in development for a considerable period before that.
Ford has taken itself from being a builder of world class state of the art cars, to bottom dwelling with the plain vanilla car companies.
Sad.
So Ford turned Jaguar around and then sold them?
But Ford are now profitable and vying with Toyota for no1 in quality. So they must have done something right in the last few years.
Or are you saying that profit and making desirable cars don't mix?
Originally Posted By: rjacket
I don't think many large manufacturers have done a good job of their acquisitions. My sense is that the accountants take over and the cost synergies take priority over brand "purity".
To some degree, yes sharing makes sense, but if I see what happened to Saab and Jaguar once GM & Ford bought them, it was a disaster.
They need to find a way to make the brand soul the number one consideration, with cost cutting synergies something that does not impact on that. I sense that Renault Nissan have done a reasonable job on that front.
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability?
Platform and part sharing were needed to get Jaguar under control financially. I believe they had always been in debt which made them cheap to buy but expensive to fix (the company, not the car). The cars were always unreliable, even under Ford, but I do believe it got better under their control.
Quote:
So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
The 2010 XF and the XJ were both Ford designs done just before the sale. The XF launched during the sale to TaTa...TaTa is just reaping the benefits of both. It would have been nice to see Ford get some of the accolades of those vehicles, but they made the right choice (read up on XF reliability) to let them go when they did.
I don't think many large manufacturers have done a good job of their acquisitions. My sense is that the accountants take over and the cost synergies take priority over brand "purity".
To some degree, yes sharing makes sense, but if I see what happened to Saab and Jaguar once GM & Ford bought them, it was a disaster.
They need to find a way to make the brand soul the number one consideration, with cost cutting synergies something that does not impact on that. I sense that Renault Nissan have done a reasonable job on that front.
I think Jaguar is a great example of what goes wrong. How many absolutely gorgeous cars has Jaguar made? How many of them needed more reliability?
Platform and part sharing were needed to get Jaguar under control financially. I believe they had always been in debt which made them cheap to buy but expensive to fix (the company, not the car). The cars were always unreliable, even under Ford, but I do believe it got better under their control.
Quote:
So why did they produce the X type and the S type instead of the XF when they were part of Ford? And why is it that they now have the XF now that they are not part of Ford?
The 2010 XF and the XJ were both Ford designs done just before the sale. The XF launched during the sale to TaTa...TaTa is just reaping the benefits of both. It would have been nice to see Ford get some of the accolades of those vehicles, but they made the right choice (read up on XF reliability) to let them go when they did.
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I don't understand WHY Mercury is still around...Essentially they have been nothing but rebadged versions of Ford vehicles with slightly different trim applications...All Mercury has been is a drain on Ford for the past 25 years or more.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
Originally Posted By: Vizzy
I don't understand WHY Mercury is still around...Essentially they have been nothing but rebadged versions of Ford vehicles with slightly different trim applications...All Mercury has been is a drain on Ford for the past 25 years or more.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
Amen.
I don't understand WHY Mercury is still around...Essentially they have been nothing but rebadged versions of Ford vehicles with slightly different trim applications...All Mercury has been is a drain on Ford for the past 25 years or more.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
Amen.
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Can't say I'm surprised...expect the dealerships to fight....
Are there many stand-alone Mercury dealerships... if at all?
I know of F-M, L-M, and F-L-M dealerships... but I don't know of any stand alone Mercury dealerships.
Can't say I'm surprised...expect the dealerships to fight....
Are there many stand-alone Mercury dealerships... if at all?
I know of F-M, L-M, and F-L-M dealerships... but I don't know of any stand alone Mercury dealerships.
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Can't say I'm surprised...expect the dealerships to fight....
Fight...but for what?
Ford is basically stopping production of ALL Mercury branded products so basically they will starve these pesky hold outs to death..fine with me.
Can't say I'm surprised...expect the dealerships to fight....
Fight...but for what?
Ford is basically stopping production of ALL Mercury branded products so basically they will starve these pesky hold outs to death..fine with me.
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
what will the UAW say about mercury closing?
Will it have any effect on UAW workers? Is there actually a Mercury production line someplace? Aren't they just tarted up Fords made in the same plants as Fords?
what will the UAW say about mercury closing?
Will it have any effect on UAW workers? Is there actually a Mercury production line someplace? Aren't they just tarted up Fords made in the same plants as Fords?
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
Originally Posted By: Vizzy
I don't understand WHY Mercury is still around...Essentially they have been nothing but rebadged versions of Ford vehicles with slightly different trim applications...All Mercury has been is a drain on Ford for the past 25 years or more.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
A tad harsh, don't you think? I certainly get that "badge engineering" will and must go the way of the dinosaur, but with that said, I think that from a styling perspective (assuming that for the last half-century, there haven't been any "genetic" differences between Fords and Mercurys), I always strongly preferred the Mercurys. We owned a 1990 Merc Sable wagon from new for over 10 years and 150k miles. It was much prettier than the Taurus variant, and served us virtually flawlessly that whole time. One of the very best cars I've ever owned.
I'm with those who feel that if they do kill Mercury, the Ford line needs to absorb A LOT of the Mercury styling. Time will tell, I suppose.
I don't understand WHY Mercury is still around...Essentially they have been nothing but rebadged versions of Ford vehicles with slightly different trim applications...All Mercury has been is a drain on Ford for the past 25 years or more.
I doubt almost anyone will miss them now.
Goodbye, farewell, good riddance, Mercury.
A tad harsh, don't you think? I certainly get that "badge engineering" will and must go the way of the dinosaur, but with that said, I think that from a styling perspective (assuming that for the last half-century, there haven't been any "genetic" differences between Fords and Mercurys), I always strongly preferred the Mercurys. We owned a 1990 Merc Sable wagon from new for over 10 years and 150k miles. It was much prettier than the Taurus variant, and served us virtually flawlessly that whole time. One of the very best cars I've ever owned.
I'm with those who feel that if they do kill Mercury, the Ford line needs to absorb A LOT of the Mercury styling. Time will tell, I suppose.
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I never quite understood why Mercury stayed around so long. I agree with edhacket--
Put those Mercury design engineers that are redesigning headlamps (i.e making a Ford a Mercury) to good use and make the Ford product line even better.
Yeah, well someone loses a job.
I never quite understood why Mercury stayed around so long. I agree with edhacket--
Put those Mercury design engineers that are redesigning headlamps (i.e making a Ford a Mercury) to good use and make the Ford product line even better.
Yeah, well someone loses a job.
I always liked the Mercury's,the styling was different from Ford in 50-70s.Examples like 68 cougar,70 Cyclone Spoiler,73 grand marquis to me looked much better than their Ford counter parts.
Unfortunately lately it appears more like just grill and tail light treatments and other little tweaks are the only difference.
If Ford would allow Mercury to build distinct cars again that would be one thing but as it is now its time to let them join Olds,Plymouth etc.
Unfortunately lately it appears more like just grill and tail light treatments and other little tweaks are the only difference.
If Ford would allow Mercury to build distinct cars again that would be one thing but as it is now its time to let them join Olds,Plymouth etc.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
Killer.
Are you a member over at foureyedpride???
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
Killer.
Are you a member over at foureyedpride???
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
Killer.
Are you a member over at foureyedpride???
I am, but as stated below the photo, that is NOT my car. Belongs to somebody in Toronto. It was my inspiration.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Originally Posted By: ethangsmith
I'm a Mercury guy and this is really [censored] news for me. I love my 86 Capri to death because of how much better it looks than the Mustang (or any other foxbody really) of that era. I always thought Mercury's styling was killer and I can only hope they transfer that styling into the Ford lineup. I will never buy anything other than a F/L/M product. Unfortunately, this cuts down on my selection a bit.
This one's for you:
Owned by a guy in Toronto. And the inspiration for my car.
Killer.
Are you a member over at foureyedpride???
I am, but as stated below the photo, that is NOT my car. Belongs to somebody in Toronto. It was my inspiration.
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