Motoring Journalists & Car Companies?

[niky]

Fords are nice cars to drive. Thus, reviewers have glowing praise for them. but their reputation, as well as their very low resale value in Europe, make them difficult to live with as old cars.

Ford's reputation regarding reliability still hasn't caught up with reality. Much like with Nissan. Thus, people who have experience with old Fords, which are usually beaten up company cars, don't like them... even if the new ones are much better.

Which is great for secondhand buyers, as you can get a secondhand diesel Focus for very little money, fix it up, and have a pretty good commuter car.

[number001]

^The Expeditions are not reliable enough according to a friend. His most expensive repair involved replacing the air suspensions.

I also read in other thread that the F150 and some Expedition had premature transmission failure or something.

[niky]

That much is true, or at least what I've observed of the numerous Expeditions and Navigators owned by relatives. I've seen a lot of transmission failures.

Of course, the Expedition is a comfortable vehicle, but no way in hell would I buy one myself.

But what Wouie was referring to was European Fords, and the Fords people there are familiar with are mostly Focuses, Pumas, Mondeos and the like, of which only the Focus saw wide exposure in the US. I think the Mondeo came in as the Contour, but I'm not sure of that.

LIke I said, Ford has the same rep in Europe as Nissan does here. Utterly horrible resale value and perception of quality, though some of that is underserved... which means you can get a nice secondhand Ford for very little over there.

Reviewers love Euro-Fords because they drive nice. Owners who have to pay for repairs and who get shafted on resale often have a different view.

Hopefully, with this new Focus and the shared Mazda tech, Ford can turn that perception around.

[Jun aka Pekto]

But what Wouie was referring to was European Fords, and the Fords people there are familiar with are mostly Focuses, Pumas, Mondeos and the like, of which only the Focus saw wide exposure in the US. I think the Mondeo came in as the Contour, but I'm not sure of that.

Yup. The Mondeo was the Contour here. I have the 1995 model year which was the very first model. It's supposed to be a lemon car here. But, ours have been problem free. It has the 2.5L V6 and sports suspension. At one time, it's been regarded as a poor man's BMW and I tend to agree its handling is sweet. Its power is only 170hp. But for a 2800lb car, it's plenty enough. My wife absolutely loves it still.

[oldblue]

d'ba even japanese cars in the states have low resale value. sa states kasi basta 2nd hand, mababa na talaga bentahan. dito lang naman sa P'nas ginagawang ginto ang 2nd hand, porkit Toyota, Honda, Diesel SUV etc...

[Jun aka Pekto]

d'ba even japanese cars in the states have low resale value. sa states kasi basta 2nd hand, mababa na talaga bentahan. dito lang naman sa P'nas ginagawang ginto ang 2nd hand, porkit Toyota, Honda, Diesel SUV etc...

They're pretty low overall. But, they're still the best short of premium/classic/super cars.

I know people who'd kill for a Lexus SC400 or an early 90's Toyota MR2 Turbo.

Edit: Japanese brands do have better resale values. I'd be lucky to get $500 for my Contour as a trade in even though it runs really great for a car made in late 1994. There comes a point where it makes more sense to just keep the car until it quits running for good. That Contour gets looks from drivers of older cars. They probably didn't expect it to last this long.

[niky]

Yeah, but secondhand Fords are always in the basement compared to anything else, no matter where you are. Hope that doesn't happen with the Focus, but if it does, it'll be a sweet deal secondhand.

*Jun: A lot of Fords have been touted as poor man's Beemers. Too bad that factor hasn't helped their sales much, as can be seen in the Contour and the Lincoln LS. In fact, I personally feel that the Ford Focus is a good alternative to the 1-series, despite being front-wheel drive, because of the driving feel of the thing. Then again, Fords just don't get no respect...

[Jun aka Pekto]

Yeah, but secondhand Fords are always in the basement compared to anything else, no matter where you are. Hope that doesn't happen with the Focus, but if it does, it'll be a sweet deal secondhand.

*Jun: A lot of Fords have been touted as poor man's Beemers. Too bad that factor hasn't helped their sales much, as can be seen in the Contour and the Lincoln LS. In fact, I personally feel that the Ford Focus is a good alternative to the 1-series, despite being front-wheel drive, because of the driving feel of the thing. Then again, Fords just don't get no respect...

I guess it's the maintenance part that kills any good reputation for Fords. I do know that crummy starters and Ford have been partners for a long time now Another is inefficient A/T. Case in point, our A/T Contour SE. A M/T version of our Contour does 0-60mph in 7.5 sec while our A/T does 9.5 sec. I do get much better times if I press a button and take it out of overdrive. Still, I do agree that Ford A/T stink. Even GM A/T is better. I was surprised that my 2006 Sonata V6 can take out an A/T 5.0 V8 Mustang GT (stock), something that'll never happen if that 'stang had a M/T.

Motoring journalists have harped on Ford and those issues for a while now. I wish it's improved. But, the starter issue is still cropping up (from older cars, of course).

I guess I should be happy that our Contour has been problem-free up to now.

Edit: I realize A/T will always be less efficient than a M/T. But Ford took it to a new level er, low.

[number001]

d'ba even japanese cars in the states have low resale value. sa states kasi basta 2nd hand, mababa na talaga bentahan. dito lang naman sa P'nas ginagawang ginto ang 2nd hand, porkit Toyota, Honda, Diesel SUV etc...

You know why this is so? Because it is easy to get cars in any form in the US because Americans are blessed with easy access to low interest credits. Lucky them! People there also change their vehicles very often for various reasons.

I know people who immigrated there whom drive brand new European brands compared to the mid-size Japanese that they can afford here. All of that is thanks to leasing.

[niky]

Even in the new Focus, the AT is unimpressive. It's so sluggish!

And of course, there's the sudden and disastrous AT failures on older cars... but then, I'm of two minds as to whether that's the manufacturer's fault or the owner's fault... but it seems to happen a lot on old Ford SUVs.