Ford Profits sky-rocket

[nissangirl74]

Gotta have some respect for a company that took a $424 million deficit and turn it into a $1.6 billion dollar profit. In a year. Without using bailout money. I'm all about brand loyalty to Nissan but that is impressive. Time to go buy some stock.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/marty-b ... and+Blogs)

[ADDirishboy]

Holy shiz! That's awesome. Kudos to Ford.

They would probably make more if they brought some of their Euro models to the US. Focus RS? Yes Please.

[Razi]

Wow props.

[Jesda]

This guy takes credit

[Dattebayo]

I would like Ford more if the body designers didn't take a massive dump on the mechanics.

[nissangirl74]

This guy takes credit

I wonder how much he brings to the table?

I have had good / bad luck with Ford. The Contour sucked but the Taurus was a good car. I didn't get s*** towards trade-in value though. Nothing on their lot is appealing to me at the moment but they are doing something right, somehow. My guess would be that the F-150 has a lot to do with it.

[Mr1der]

Alan Mulally told them all to suck it.

[Jesda]

My experiences with Ford have mostly been through co-developed Mazda products. My Michigan-built 626 was a fantastic car, 250,000 miles, not one creak in the interior. Paint was glossy and it handled beautifully.

Loved my 1991 Explorer. Still ran great when traded at 179k and looked really sharp.

And that beater '98 Mustang was reliable and fun to drive.

My friend's 5-speed Mystique has some pretty incredible seats, sharp handling, and decent looks. He got it cheap because he had to replace the computer.

Most of us on NICO might have experienced a JATCO Nissan-Ford-Mazda automatic, which isn't usually great.


As for anything they make now, I'd go for a 2011 V6 Mustang. I like the Ranger too -- it might be the last honest compact pickup in America.

[Dattebayo]

Just wait till you have to take a bumper off or something like a fender. GAH SO MANY BOLTS AND NUTS...

[Jesda]

Just wait till you have to take a bumper off or something like a fender. GAH SO MANY BOLTS AND NUTS...

I replaced the fender on the Mustang. Reasonably easy job.

[nissangirl74]

Has anyone driven the Ford Flex? I find it (slightly) appealing. From the outside it doesn't look like it seats 7 people.

[MinisterofDOOM]

While I'm glad to see Ford doing well, I find the source of their success disappointing. The blandification of their whole lineup across all 3 (well, two now) is nothing to be proud of. The fact that American buyers are responding to it so positively makes me do this:

Has anyone driven the Ford Flex? I find it (slightly) appealing. From the outside it doesn't look like it seats 7 people.

I actually like them a lot as far as family cars go. They're really NOT crossovers, despite the marketing. The reason I say that is that they have very sedanlike interiors. Footwells rather than flat floors and carlike seating positions. It is, quite literally, a Taurus wagon.

I like them aesthetically, mechanically, and interior-wise.
BUT they're not perfect.
They weigh in at an astounding 4600lb, which is far beyond mind-boggling. Fortunately you can get the Ecoboost TT V6 in it, but you can expect low-mid teens combined MPG out of that package, which is hardly appealing in a FWD family car.

Also, I can't post in a Ford thread without mocking the MKS. So I'll do that now. Because "luxury" divisions topped by V6 front-drivers (I'm looking at you, Acura) should be laughed at by all.

[Dattebayo]

Really? I guess it's just the trucks and the large car lineup then.

I suppose a truck would hold a dent real well when it's bumper is held on my 40 nuts and bolts, huh.

[MellowZ32]

Alan Mulally told them all to suck it.

[nissangirl74]

The SHO was a huge disappointment. I sat in one at Barrett Jackson and hated it the minute I sat down. The thing had ZERO headroom in it and I'm only 5'7". I have driven some tiny cars in my life and never before had I ever felt so claustrophobic as I did in that car. It's also a lot bigger on the outside that I would have ever imagined. Despite the lack of headroom, the roof of the car is almost as tall as me. I no longer have any desire to drive one. Ever.

[MinisterofDOOM]

It's also a lot bigger on the outside that I would have ever imagined.

I parked my Q45 next to my cousin's (new) Taurus. The Q was DWARFED, and it's not exactly a small car. The friggin' decklid of the Taurus is only a few inches lower than the roof of my (admittedly lowered) Q. They really are ASTOUNDINGLY huge.

[krimsonviper]

My experiences with Ford have mostly been through co-developed Mazda products.

My 2 3s have had excellent build quality. The only problem I had on my first 3 was the transmission(auto) wasn't the greatest, but everything else was great. Even my friend's 3 is still holding up well from the '04 model, he reports NO problems. They're all relatively easy to work on.

[nissangirl74]

The first time I stood next to one I could have sworn they had built it on the F-150 platform. For a long time, I really wanted to test drive one because the times in it vs. the new Z were identical in the 1/4 mile. I wanted to see if the test was bogus or for real. I don't even have the urge to do that.

[THawks]

Really makes me wish I could have bought a couple thousand shares when their stock was $1 a piece

[Kompresshun]

I was very happy to see Ford come out of debt so well, although i'm more loyal to Nissan products, I still love Ford vehicles too. I've had more Fords than anything and none of them have disappointed me, we're pretty reliable, and we're all easy to work on. I drove my '04 Ranger for 5 years and put it through hell and it still looked great when I sold it. I still wouldn't go near a Chrysler product ever though and there's only a few select GM's i'd consider at all.

The SHO was a huge disappointment. I sat in one at Barrett Jackson and hated it the minute I sat down. The thing had ZERO headroom in it and I'm only 5'7". I have driven some tiny cars in my life and never before had I ever felt so claustrophobic as I did in that car. It's also a lot bigger on the outside that I would have ever imagined. Despite the lack of headroom, the roof of the car is almost as tall as me. I no longer have any desire to drive one. Ever.

I was VERY interested after the commercials first showed up, then I saw them in person and couldn't believe how huge they were and how much they weighed. I think they should've just left the Taurus dead instead of trying to repackage it but I guess it's better than the Five Hundred.

[Bubba1]

Has anyone driven the Ford Flex? I find it (slightly) appealing. From the outside it doesn't look like it seats 7 people.

I rode in one as a passenger on a snowy day and was impressed. I have a good friend that is considering buying a Flex for his wife (to replace their Sienna).

[dickie]

[tigersharkdude]

Has anyone driven the Ford Flex? I find it (slightly) appealing. From the outside it doesn't look like it seats 7 people.

my buddy who works at ford, said they are actually kind of quick. He said the thing will even do a burnout. Im inbetween on them

[Speedy7_7]

I had the pleasure of driving a flex while I was working Repo. It suprised the hell out of me. Great build quality, handled relatively well, had more than enough power. It also had some really intuitive interior features; Lots of storage, good ergonomics. I will consider one when I step up to a larger vehicle than the versa.

[Mr1der]

my old T Bird was a great car for what it was.

it was beat to hell when I got it but I railed that car constantly.

it saw peak boost everyday. I miss it. something about over 300 lb ft of instant torque through a manual transmission to the rear wheels did it for me.

[OriginalWheelman]

I love the Flex but I like station wagons. But IMO most "SUVs" today are 4x4 Station wagons masquerading as trucks. Ford is the only American car company on my acceptable list. They keep building well priced dependable cars people actually want to buy.

I've owned lots of Fords over the years. Actually I just moved and I was looking at a 5sp Fusion a few weeks ago. The new location means lots of stop and go traffic and the V8 is killing me cause I floor it everywhere. But I might just go total econobox and spend the money on a new Versa. The Fiesta is tempting though...

[Urabus GodofTraction]

Time to go buy some stock.

Ehhhh. Time to buy was 2009. Well, short term anyway. I've been buying chunks for about a year now, I'm betting it's going to return to post-2000 levels... eventually. It's been underperforming compared to the Dow since then.

[HashiriyaS14]

Modern Ford products are very good, in my experience.

I'm looking forward to driving the Fiesta.

Mulally is an excellent CEO.

[breadbox]

I wanna drive a fiesta too. They should make a awd version. I built one online and it was priced okay, but the car still isnt attractive to me. Why can't they still make Cosworth Sierras and stuff?

[MellowZ32]

from what I've seen the Fiesta makes for a great city commuter.
If I had one I wouldn't mod it.