Ford Dropped to #4 :(

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Ford SportTrac Forum

Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
T

troy malone

Active Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2001
Messages
310
Reaction score
0
Location
dover, DE
DETROIT - Ford’s U.S. sales dropped 19 percent in January, allowing Toyota to pass it again as the nation’s No. 2 automaker. But Ford’s numbers were so bad that it was also passed by DaimlerChrysler, knocking the troubled automaker into fourth place for the month.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Looks like Ford needs to hire some more engineers that like to copy VW front ends with lots of big chrome and they also need to redesign the trucks. Never mind the Ranger, it is only 20 years old. Lets redesign the Expedition, that body style is 5 years old.



Morons. Bring over the Ford Ka. Bring the Ford Fiesta to the USA. Try offering a Focus with a Diesel engine. How about a Ranger with a Diesel engine.



You have the technology, they are driving them in Europe.





Tom
 
Ranger is still 1982 basic design. That is more like 25 years old...:(



How about all trucks having diesel engine option? Also, all trucks need 6-speed manual transmission options.



How about some decent cars that can compete efficiency, emmission, and quality-wise with Camry and Accord?



How about listening to customers? There are several reoccuring themes on this site alone that could be used to improve the SportTrac.
 
No surprise.



I am in the market for a small SUV now, and ya know what? Ford is not on the list.



Going with either a Honda or Toyota...



Just drive one once... they feel so much better....



There's a reason why Ford can't redeem itself.... start with their cars and make your way up to the LARGER Expedition. WTF needs that?? When gas is a killer and a company in troubles, you make something total opposite of what we all need/ want.



They DO make a great 1500 series truck (F150), but everything else just seems to lack, IMO.

 
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the practicality of a light truck with a diesel engine. The biggest reason to go diesel is for the added HP for towing and hauling and such, and then you have to have a beefier version of the truck, etc. It just seems like the small, light truck theme is at odds with the needs of diesel.



Unless of course you are going diesel for othe reasons.



TJR
 
A small truck or car diesel would be great however the EPA pollution regs keep out the diesels from Europe (except VW), plus in about half the country they're going to be a PITA to start a couple months a year.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the practicality of a light truck with a diesel engine. The biggest reason to go diesel is for the added HP for towing and hauling and such, and then you have to have a beefier version of the truck, etc. It just seems like the small, light truck theme is at odds with the needs of diesel.
Click to expand...



TJR, I believe it is the same reason as diesel cars, to get better fuel economy. Cars like the Jetta and Golf TDI get amazing mileage, the same could be done with a small pickup.
 
Olaf, that would be a good reason...fuel economy. Still, there have to be better, cleaner ways to get better fuel economy than going diesel.
 
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the practicality of a light truck with a diesel engine.
Click to expand...



40 to 50 MPG and little to no maintenance due to the design of a diesel engine.



My uncle is not turning 275,000 miles on his powerstroke F-350 without even a hint of the engine slowing down. At that rate he will never get rid of it.



Ford is still not producing cars people want. They have no small truck to compete with the others out there. That is a major strike. They had a perfect opportunity to use the frame for the Explorer, modify it, then use it in the Ranger. A new body and they have a preplacement for the Ranger for minimal cost.



Ford builds, IMO, some of the finest vehicles in the world. They just need to start producing vehicles people want and not selling what they have.





Tom
 
Like I said, Caymen, if performance in hauling was the issue, I don't see it. But as Olaf said, is the fuel economy that might be what you guys are touting. Would be nicer if Ford could come up with a more environmentally friendly light truck that gets 40 to 50 mpg and has lower maintenance costs.
 
josh, thanks.

i like your tundra !!!!!, i was considering the tundra, but it did not fit in my budget for all the options i wanted. i chose the trac because of my attatchment to the s/t's. probably not the best reason. good luck with your truck
 
Switching to diesel power also allows for the use of Bio-Diesel fuel which is made from recycled vegatible oils from resturant fryers, etc, will further reduce our dependency on imported oil from the middle east and Venezuela. That in turn will drive down demand for crude oil and should further reduce the fuel prices around the world.



For about a $500 investment you can buy the equipment to make your own Bio-Diesel fuel. I even seen a guy on TV who converted his Dodge Cummins diesel truck to run on plain cooking oil without any conversion to bio-diesel. He just runs it through some filters and has a specially made fuel tank in the bed that has some warmers to keep the oil warm during cold weather and prevents the oil from gelling.



One heater is an electric emmersion heater that heats a small baffled off area of the fuel tank so it heats the oil in that area very fast. Once the engine is up and running, coolant is pumped back to heating coils in the bottom of the whole oil tank and that heats and keeps the oil flowing.



I think hydrogen fuel cells are the only direction to go in the long run. However the technology to run fuel cells in cars is about 15 years into the future and even longer before most people would be able to afford to buy fuel cell vehicles. In the mean time, Ford needs to implement some better technology now or they won't be around when the fuel cells become practical. Ford can no longer survive on just their truck and Mustang sales to carry them much longer. They have let everyone pass them and they will keep dropping further and further behind the other, more innovative automakers.



...Rich
 
I really have to have a pick-up truck but are there any trucks out there that get 30mpg?



Ford needs to start designing vehicles the same for the whole world market. That's there problem now. A Toyota Corolla is the exact same vehicle all over the world. Ford vehicles are completely different from here and Europe. A Focus here in the US bares no resemblance to the Focus sold overseas. Seems like they could save a bunch of money just being consistent.

 
The Focus here is the same as the ones in the rest of the world...except non-US ones are faster, stop quicker, and look better.





Tom
 
Actually here is a quote from a recent newspaper article:

The Ford Focus in Europe is a newer generation with later technology and it shares its platform with the Volvo S40. It drives like a BMW and wins tests and awards. But they wouldn't take that car in North America because investing in a new generation was only going to make their profits worse.
Click to expand...
 

Latest posts

Top