Ford F-Series pickup truck remains the top-selling new vehicle — car or truck — in the US this year

[NNN0LHI]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/motoring/2008441097_fordtruck28.html

Originally published Friday, November 28, 2008 at 12:00 AM

2009 Ford F-150 | Tough trucks in tough times

By ANN M. JOB

For The Associated Press

FORD / AP

The 2009 F-150 is bolder looking outside and quieter inside. It's also more powerful.

The good news is the Ford F-Series pickup truck remains the top-selling new vehicle — car or truck — in the United States this year.

The bad news for Ford: Sales of the full-size truck are down 26 percent.

Despite the decline, which is more pronounced than the overall U.S. sales slide of 15 percent in the first 10 months of calendar 2008, the F-Series has been spruced up nicely for 2009.

The V6 engine is gone, replaced by V8s that are more fuel efficient because they're mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. One of the V8s provides about the same fuel mileage rating as the old V6.

The F-Series also has better ride and handling than its predecessor, a quiet interior with improved seats, bigger payload and towing capacities, and new styling and features.

[DonEBrook]

1. More powerful? What great news! I hope all the new power buyers will be happy as

pigs in shit. I'll be taking delivery on my new Toyota just in time for Christmas!

[Pavulon]

2. You use your toyota to haul wallboard?

or landscaping equipment. You can do that with a tundra, but it costs more. F150 has a history of being a reliable work vehicle.

More american cars should follow its model. Lots of 10 year old f trucks around.

[DonEBrook]

4. Actually I have 3 Toy trucks. No shit. One is a 1983 and still runs great.

Show me a still-running 83 Ford or Chevy pickup and I'll kiss your ass on the steps of the First Baptist Church and give you an hour to draw a crowd.

[LeftyMom]

8. A friend's Dad had an early 80's Chevy pickup when I was a kid. I think it died around 1990ish.

The big Fords held up better. Trucks and big sedans are the two things Ford does better than anybody else.

[DonEBrook]

10. Ford always had magnet bumpers...it helped their reputation quite a bit.

:rofl:

[liberal renegade]

48. he should've changed the oil more often.

ford doesn't make a better truck, just more of them. I have 2 chevy trucks, 1984 2 wheel drive with a 305 ci engine and a 1993 4 wheel drive with a 350 ci engine. Both of them with over 300,000 miles.

changing the oil often leads to a very long life.

[LeftyMom]

58. Yeah, I kinda doubt that was an issue. The guy's an obsessive and meticulous tinkerer.

I can't picture him skimping on basic upkeep.

[DainBramaged]

12. All you have to do is go to any car or truck show across the country

with me and I'll take that bet. One of my co-workers has a 1979 Chevy C10 8 foot bed with a crate motor, TH750 four speed auto, and fat 20" tires on it.

Looks A LOT like this but with the long bed.

http://images.sporttruck.com/eventcoverage/0706st_12_z+freak_show_2006+1983_chevrolet_c10.jpg

Where can I meet you to kiss my wrinkled old ass??

[DonEBrook]

14. That's about the ugliest thing I've seen since my dog died with his butt up in the air.

I REALLY hope you're not suggesting that piece of shit is representative of what was ever sold in a showroom. :scared:

[DainBramaged]

17. YOU have been busted, you made NO conditions, and search yourself

for HUNDREDS of other pictures of GREAT LOOKING Ford and Chevy trucks from the Eighties.

I hate phonies.

You think this piece of shit is good looking???

[DonEBrook]

21. Actually I'm more concerned with the utility of a truck than its appearance, so no,

I don't think that is particularly attractive...but it probably is decently utilitarian. Hell, I don't even know what it IS.
:eyes:

[DainBramaged]

27. It's an '83 Toyota

[DonEBrook]

30. OH! Okay, I get it. It's like an Axe I have that belonged to Abe Lincoln!

It's had 4 new handles and 2 new heads but it's original!
:D

[DainBramaged]

32. Didn't you JUST tell us you owned three Toyota trucks and one is an '83??

If you are going to tell stories, scroll up and read what you wrote before.:eyes:

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DainBramaged]

37. I am far from being an idiot child, and you are becoming trollish with your comments

Maybe you need to recognize that the last picture I posted was of a Toyota Pickup, 1983 model, and since I have this skill typing in numbers and letters into this box labeled Google at the top of my browser, I get to visualize what you are 'splain about, except your 'splain is pretty screwed up.

Try the cooking forums. You may have better success.

[Snotcicles]

40. I think you may be on to something. DB. nt

[DainBramaged]

41. I love your name as much as I love mine.

:rofl:

[Snotcicles]

42. I almost went with Klabish Fwinkie. nt

[DonEBrook]

45. I'll be purchasing a new Toyota Tacoma truck tomorrow ... and thinking of you.

:D

[DainBramaged]

54. I certainly have NO intention of thinking of you

:rofl:

[DonEBrook]

44. I retreat in awesome awe at your Power in the Word.

Obviously I am not a correct Democrat according to the rules here. I will go away.

[liberal renegade]

52. goofballs

your the only fucking goofball here. shove that new toyota up your ass, birdman.

[madrchsod]

29. rust buckets....could`t kill the engines but....

the frame rails disintegrated into flakes and the sheet metal evaporated. in all my years in metal working i have never seen metal rust the way these japanese trucks did.


the only good thing in these trucks was the screw jack.

[liberal renegade]

49. Nice ride!

:toast:

[liberal renegade]

50. the only nice ford

is the "56" f-100

[Pavulon]

20. Use fords in fleet

mid 90's v6 still running along. There are PLENTY of running fords from the 80's. here is a nice 84. Not trying to shit on toyota, just saying ford does make a good truck.

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=ascending&sortfield=YEAR+ascending%2cPRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-|E-|M-_14_|D-_180_|N-N|R-40|I-1%2c7|P-YEAR+ascending%2cPRICE+descending|Q-ascending|Z-90053&aff=national&paId=136800639&recnum=0&leadExists=true

[Kalyke]

79. Which First Baptist Church.?

http://www.lmctruck.com/Fordcust_photos.htm

http://www.lmctruck.com/Fordcust_photos.htm

http://www.lmctruck.com/Fordcust_photos.htm

http://www.lmctruck.com/Fordcust_photos.htm

(There's more, but now I'm embarrassing you. All these are working 1983 Ford F-150s)

[madokie]

22. I still see 30 year old ones and older

I seen an early '70s this morning for sale that looked like it had been through the mill, on the windshield it said starts and runs good.

I'd rather have a picture of a ford as the keys to any of the others

[XOKCowboy]

71. My Dad's old '69 is still running...

He drove it to Baja twice and us all over the mountains of the US West. It was even Dad's "hearse" when we brought him home to be buried. It's on it's 3rd engine and we estimate the chassis has over 400,000 miles on it. It now lives as a ranch feed truck and still can pull a 6 horse trailer anywhere you need it to go.

[NOW tense]

3. I am pretty sure a Toyota would not pull farm equipment very well.

[DonEBrook]

7. A silo isn't equipment. My Toyota pickup will pull any equipment on your farm.

Wanna bet?
:D

[Pavulon]

25. Yip. You can NOT pull my

car trailer with a 14,000lb (2 cars and tools) load and goose neck hitch. F350 - 450 does that no problems. Anything over 5 tons and a quarter ton will not do the job. Period.

Well you cant do it legally.

[DonEBrook]

35. Oh, you've changed the goal posts...it needs a gooseneck now.

Sorry, I'm not taking you very seriously here. But it's okay, we're Democrats, right? :D

[Pavulon]

46. If you tow heavy stuff yes

but it is just a matter of choice. F series would include 250 and up. Which is a market toyota does not sell in.

[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Pavulon]

69. If toyota sold a diesel here

I would buy it. They make great vehicles. I use ford and chevy diesels because they work.

F series is a solid machine.

[XOKCowboy]

70. There are rumors of a Toyota diesel...

coming mid year 2009. If they make a 1 Ton Tundra with a diesel engine Ford better start worrying. I've been a F-??? fan all of my life starting with my '72 F250 (still the best looking Ford Truck of all time). My family have owned over a dozen Ford pickups but the Tundras are good trucks. I know a lot of ol' Oklahoma boys who've switched over. If Toyota targets the dually diesel market Ford and Dodge will take a big hit.

[Sex Pistol]

101. Some people pull horse trailers, boats, ect. and need the extra power.

IMHO, Ford trucks are a better deal than Toyotas at this time. My F-150 does a fine job towing my horse trailer but if I had to do over, I would probably get the F-250.

However, I have a '86 Toyota pickup that still runs great and a '02 Forerunner that I use at my mountain cabin.

The main thing is to spend your money on what works best for you, without regard to manufacturer's name.

[flvegan]

5. The F150 is a Ford triumph.

I saw the ad about the additional rear seat room and flat floor in the crew cab models. I'm glad Ford is still aces in truck sales.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

13. Not true!

I owned two Triumphs. Broke down constantly. My F150 runs like a top.:sarcasm: :shrug:

[flvegan]

18. That's because they're British.

My dad had a TR-7 in the 70's which I though was really cool. Before I came along, he had an Austin Healey. No idea why he didn't learn his lesson.

[CreekDog]

38. don't slam British cars

they are very reliable more than half the time...the new ones that is.

[flvegan]

43. Know why?

Most of the British car companies are owned by Germans now.

Even TVR is owned by a Russian dude.

[JCMach1]

60. the other half of the time they sit in the garage for EXPENSIVE repairs

[madinmaryland]

6. Ain't that just wonderful!

[Obamanaut]

9. Does it have an enhanced finish that will ward off rogue, unattended

shopping carts?

[blogslut]

11. I live in truck country

Panhandle of Texas. Trucks devalue far slower than compact cars and minivans. We have a relatively arid environment here so auto bodies last longer. Even a truck as old as twenty years is going to sell for at least a couple thousand dollars if the engine is in fair shape. There's an ad, right now in my local classifieds, for a '97 Ford F350 XLT priced @ $8900.00. I would image resale value plays into the choice to purchase a truck as much as any other reason.

I got nothing against trucks. I've never owned one but I think they're utilized as work vehicles more often than people realize. At least around here they are.

[DonEBrook]

19. I used to live in Lubbock...and I've noticed that here on DU truck and gun owners aren't

much tolerated. The odd thing (as far as I've seen so far) is that I and my same sex partner of 29 years, because we drive trucks and have guns, are considered less than real Democrats here. What the hell is up with that?
Since I found this place I'm having Brokeback Mountain moments!

[madinmaryland]

23. Hey Don. The point is, (at least from where I am) is that I see people

driving vehicles that are totally inappropriate for what they are designed for. If you are in construction, work on a farm, and other types of jobs like that, then they are absolutely called for.

Do you need a truck for your job?

on edit, I saw one of your posts above. :hi:

[DonEBrook]

28. Actually I don't need (NEED) one because my job is flying planes

but I (we) live out in the sticks, have a lot of 'stuff' that needs moving around and so we use pickup trucks a lot. Which is why we have 3 of them :D

When there is no cargo to haul, and we both have a little spare time we like to hop in the Mazda MX5 and roar around the lakes. :-)

[DainBramaged]

55. I thought you said you had THREE Toyota pickup trucks, one as old as 1983?

The 'splain is getting magical.

[blogslut]

31. It's a big community

You'll find those who judge you and those who don't and for each category, the players change. :)

[DonEBrook]

36. Yes, they do! About every fourteen seconds.

:D

I just sit and marvel that we actually managed to win an election, given how we hate each other so much. :D

[blogslut]

39. I wouldn't call it hate

How can we hate people we've never met or seen? How can they hurt us without our permission? Text on a screen - taken as seriously as we choose. It's all good. O8)

[CRF450]

65. Just the slightest mentioning of having a gas guzzler here can easily bring redicule...

From someone who doesn't know what you do for a living or personal taste in a car/truck. I could give a shit less what someone drives no matter who they are.

[Snotcicles]

33. Give it more than one day. nt

[madinmaryland]

15. That's just great for people who ACTUALLY need them.

I just wish that the hockey moms who seem to be the drivers of those fucking vehicles would switch to something more economical!

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madrchsod]

24. i had solid body 60`s half ton 6 banger

paid 750 and it ran for ever. for some unknown reason i sold it.i have`t seen another one since.

[lib2DaBone]

26. I've had a couple F-150's..I must say Ford builds a decent truck

I really like my '04 F-150. No Problems. New Trucks aren't selling because no one has a job. No construction.. no need for a new truck.

Obama wants to creat a couple million new jobs. He's on the right track. Put American back to work. American energy and American parts.... simple equation but the Morons in CONgress dont get it.

[lumberjack_jeff]

59. I've generally been a chevy guy.

I did own an '87 f150 once. Didn't like it much. Went back to Chevys.

Current 94 k1500 has 250,000 miles. Its only problems now are deferred maintenance. It's a good truck despite my being an abusive owner.

[foxfeet]

47. My partner and I share an '02 F-150.

It's our only vehicle, and yes, we actually use it to haul stuff. No problems, runs fine. We've been happy with it.

[Hanse]

51. Is this the same truck Jeremy reviewed on Top Gear?

The one were the interior was already falling apart, didn't have to meet safety and environmental standards, was sluggish despite its horsepower, had horrible steering, and beat out the Russian-made jeep for worst vehicle he'd ever driven?

[flvegan]

57. That was the F150 in Lightning trim/model.

And that one looked fairly "worn". I think Clarkson chose that specific truck to ridicule the F150, considering the whole piece was just a comedy of mockery.

[JCMach1]

61. Top Gear rarely relates to reality... if so, we would all be driving

Vauxhalls

[flvegan]

62. No we'd be driving Ford Mondeos or Honda S2000s.

And driving a UK issue Vauxhall wouldn't be so bad. Have you seen the Astra VXR? Put a Chevy badge on that and I'm in line to buy.

[JCMach1]

64. We have British cars here AND yes THEY SUCK!

In fact we get virtually every model on the planet.

Chinese Chery's are more popular (and probably more reliable).

But yes, Mondeo is actually good. I like the new one better than the new Camrys. Toyota isn't what it was and car ownership here reflects that.

[flvegan]

66. Yeah, um, okay. Good luck with that response.

[Kalyke]

83. Hee hee...

That made me laugh out loud, seriously.

As long as the cutie-pie Hammond is sitting next to me, I'd drive a Vauxhall. ;)

[ACTION BASTARD]

53. It IS a nice looking truck. I'd own one but y'know...Fords.

[CRF450]

63. The new F-150's are damn nice, and good riddance to the v6 engines.

Honestly I would never get a truck larger than a mid size with a v6. There just too underpowered for the weight, and not anymore efficient than a good v8. Even if they had a good 300hp, the lack of torq because of its small displacement wouldn't help at all.

Having said that, the full size trucks are far too big for my needs. So I got this Dakota instead.

[TexasObserver]

67. Yeah, it's too bad the F-150 is about the only thing they make worth owning.

Have you driven a Ford lately?

[NNN0LHI]

72. Tell us about the nice trouble free car you are driving

I am interested.

Don

[TexasObserver]

73. Japanese. They know how to make cars.

Until American car manufacturers completely revamp, they're going to keep making cars that don't sell.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan are far superior to Ford, Chevy and Chrysler.

Why don't you stop trying to defend the indefensible and get on board with change to the Big Three? You're not getting a bailout if you don't, so if you want to ride your attitude all the way down to a Chapter 7 liquidation of the Big Three, be my guest. As long as you and others continue to act as if the problem isn't a bad product at an excessive price, you're going to LOSE any chance of saving your jobs.

[madokie]

74. No

I don't buy any of that, none

[TexasObserver]

75. The Big Three has failed. It's a fact.

If we want to save the industry and many union jobs, we'd better focus on making sure they make better cars, more reasonably priced, with higher quality.

[madokie]

76. The vehicles or the workers is not any of thems problem

Its management and management only.

[TexasObserver]

77. The vehicles are inferior to those of Honda, Nissan and Toyota.

All of the Big Three management needs to be fired and replaced.

Workers are probably going to have to take some cuts if they want to save their jobs.

A job making $40 an hour isn't worth much if the plant shuts down.

[madokie]

78. No they are not inferior

I will put a ford up against any of the others, domestic or foreign

add: and they are not making 40 bucks an hour either

[TexasObserver]

80. Of course they are. I've owned many of them.

I've owned many American made cars and trucks. They're good for 50,000 miles.

Chevy Bel Air
Dodge Dart
Pontiac Lemans
Chevy Impala
Pontiac Bonneville
Buick Regal
Buick Lesabre
Lincoln Town car
Ford Vans x 4
Buick Park Avenue
Ford Taurus
Chevy Suburban
Jeep CJ
Jeep Cherokee
Chevy corvette
Ford F-150
Ford Bronco

[madokie]

82. No you are wrong on that too

sorry but you are so wrong.

[TexasObserver]

84. I'm right. If you don't know it, go look at all those unsold Big Three cars.

The proof is inescapable. If they were as good as you say, they wouldn't be rusting on lots all over America, while Japanese cars sell. Whether new or used, the foreign cars are vastly outselling the American cars, and that is why the Big Three are going under.

The proof is in the buying choices of Americans. Your point of view has been rejected soundly.

[madokie]

85. No my point of view has not been rejected soundly

best I remember Ford has the best selling vehicle in America and has for 30 or so years running. I challenge you to take a trip to the used vehicle lots and compare 10, 20 or whatever you want year old vehicles and then tell me the honda's toyotas or whatever the other one you named are in better shape, mechanically and especially body wise. The big problem has and is the choice of vehicles to build not the quality of said vehicles.

[TexasObserver]

89. The Big Three has failed. That trumps you holding your hands over your eyes.

They didn't fail because they make great cars reasonably priced.

You and others like you are killing the hope of saving all those union jobs. You are the enemy, not the friend, of labor. Your blind refusal to see that the Big Three has put out bad products is the primary reason they're not going to get a bailout. As long as those who think they're representing the union point of view insist on ignoring the objective evidence of failure, they're not going to get the votes to secure a bailout.

I'm hoping we can save union jobs, but that isn't going to happen as long as the product doesn't improve. They've lost market share because they're not as good.

[madokie]

92. Good luck with that

I know of what I type. :fistbump:

[BamaGirl]

90. Me too

My 94 Thunderbird is still the best car I've ever owned. 300k miles on it.

Drove a Chevy Corsica (94) until 04 when I traded it in for a foreign car I don't like nearly as much. That car still had a working a/c and never had any major problems. Drove it to Vegas and back and lots of other places in between. I really should have just kept it. 250k miles.

Had a Ford Fairmont (80) which I 'inherited' from family when I was 16. Man, I hated that car. But it ran well, got good gas mileage, and I drove it for a couple years before I could afford anything better. 200k miles.

My Dad has a 94 Blazer with over 300 miles on and an 88 Camaro with over 300 miles on it.

Do these old cars need maintenance? Hell yeah. Does shit occasionally have to be replaced you don't want to? Sure. But in the end, with the even a minimum of care, they will run forever.

When my current is paid off (only one year left thank god) I will not be buying another foreign car. I really wish Ford would come out with a new T-bird and this time with a backseat. I'd buy it in a minute.

[DainBramaged]

86. Wow, a DU member slamming the Unions and US manufacturers

isn't worth squat either, except maybe on some ignore lists.

Like mine.

Goodbye, it's weird (how subtle) finding out how much of a jerk people are.

[DainBramaged]

87. He deserves a big red X from anyone who is UNION OR SUPPORTS UNIONS

[madokie]

88. I'll put a ford product up against any of the others,

and I do mean any of the others. We have two 98 fords, f150 and explorer and they both have 127 thousand miles on them and they are still just like they were the day we drove them home when they were new. Interiors for instance on both is still like new, no show of wear on the seats at all.
And yes I too am a Union supporter 100% or more if thats possible.

[DainBramaged]

91. It is so sad to see that kind of attitude from supposed Progressives

here on DU. They will refuse to shop at Wal-Mart but worship the Foreign cars and trucks they drive at OUR expense.

:hi:

[madokie]

93. Yes its enough to boggle the mind

One of the best gauges of a product is how well it stands up to time. :fistbump:

[CRF450]

94. Um, they make good cars now. You just need to peel your eyes open and LOOK.

Have you looked at any of their cars from the past couple of years? And excessive prices?? Come on, they all cost the same when loaded out similarly. A Toyota Tacoma equiped like my Dodge Dakota (4x4, 4 door crew cab, and almost all available options) would've costed the same as my Dakota at 30 grand if brand new, and its still like that right now for the new trucks.

[TexasObserver]

96. Put 100,000 miles on the two vehicles, and see which one is still worth owning.

It won't be Dodge.

[madokie]

98. I'll put either of our two Fords up against your Toyota

and they have 10 years and 127,000 miles on them. I don't care how many miles are on your Toyota or how new or old it is. Toyota builds a pretty good vehicle but take note of my use of 'pretty good'. Toyota has been selling many vehicles here for several years but I hardly ever see one that is 10 years or older and I never seen one that is 20 years old. Oh and my 98 F150 spent the first seven years on the job every day doing the work that a concrete finisher ask of his work truck, loaded down with tools and pulling a trailer with a skid loader on it. Toyota builds a better vehicle than ford, :rofl: not hardly.

Thanks for the laughs though, you're good at that. :fistbump::hi:

now off to church so you can ask forgiveness for the lies you're spewing :-)

Ford rules, always has and prolly always will.

[TexasObserver]

100. Come back when you have more than childish insults.

YOU are the reason unions no longer have anyone who defends them, the reason their industries are dying, the reason they're losing their jobs.

As for church, that's for you. I don't have time for that kind of fiction, either.

[madokie]

102. I'm defending them, the op is defending them, others are defending them

you on the other hand, are not defending nor supporting them. What do you drive that is sooooo good, if'n I man ask, make and model?

I'm not so sure I was insulting you, actually

peace
have a great sunday in the meantime, OK

[CRF450]

114. I owned a 94 Camaro that went up to 193k miles before I sold it to a friend, its still running.

My brother had a 95 Camaro z28 that went to 232k miles before the engine failed, it was never rebuilt, never had a major problem. Even the transmission wasent rebuilt.

You need to pull your head out of the sand and accept the fact that many of us had good experience with our domestic autos. Its true that they dont have a good track record of being reliable, than again they produce so many cars and SUV/trucks that you'll also see a big number of them having trouble. For any car that you buy, their a hit or miss possibility of it being a lemon. My dodge has 62,000 miles and not a single problem, my brother now has the same exact truck I have and same year model too, it has a leaking power stearing pump, and something broke inside the door that holds the window up. It has half the miles mine have.

I see my fair share of import cars that are barely running, falling apart or burning oil so dont try to deny that. I could care less if the Tacoma has a higher resale value, as long as my Dakota runs a serves its purpose it doesn't matter to me. Thats one of the reasons I didn't buy a Tacoma, because they hold their value so good I couldn't afford the year model I preferd so I got the 04 Dakota which was several thousand dollars less than a similar Tacoma and still in like new condition at 40,000 miles.

[NNN0LHI]

95. I noticed you don't want to get specific on this question of which foreign cars you have owned

Reminds me of when Sarah Palin refused to get specific about what papers she read and she would only say I read all of them.

And there was a reason for your ambiguity too wasn't there?

You knew someone was going to check and see just how dependable the models you say you owned actually were. And your choice of cars couldn't stand up to that kind of scrutiny could they have?

Thats why you kept your answer in general terms like Sarah did isn't it. Sara: I real all the papers. You: I owned all the Japanese made cars.

Sound familiar?

Don

[TexasObserver]

97. I noticed you're one of those guys who ruins it for unions.

No one does unions more harm than union members like you. It's been that way for the 36 years I've been involved with the Democratic party.

Here's a list of some of the American made cars I've owned.

They're good for 50,000 miles.

Chevy Bel Air
Dodge Dart
Pontiac Lemans
Chevy Impala
Pontiac Bonneville
Buick Regal
Buick Lesabre
Lincoln Town car
Ford Vans x 4
Buick Park Avenue
Ford Taurus
Chevy Suburban
Jeep CJ
Jeep Cherokee
Chevy corvette
Ford F-150
Ford Bronco

[NNN0LHI]

99. There you go again

What trouble free foreign cars have you owned was my question?

You liked bragging about them up thread but now you don't seem proud enough of them to list the year, make and models for some reason. I can't help but wonder why that is?

Yea keep imagining that it is union guys who call people on their bullshit that ruin the unions.

It sure was a lot easier for you to keep spreading your anti-union blather without being called on it. Wasn't it?

Don

[TexasObserver]

103. This is why unions are dying.

Because of union members like you, who think the answer to their problems is nagging consumers who have more sense than to buy CRAP. Your problem is not me, it's the bad products at the high prices you make, which means the cars are not selling, which means the Big Three are going out of business.

You have accomplished one thing. You've convinced me to stop supporting a bailout of the Big Three. They need to go through Chapter 11, so they can wipe out all the baggage they're carrying. New ownership, new management, new workers. I had wanted to see the bailout for the Big Three go through, but after having discussed the issue with you and some other union members, I can see that you'll never accept the economic facts of life.

[NNN0LHI]

104. I am sure your support or not for a loan to the US auto companies is a huge factor

:eyes:

[TexasObserver]

106. I am but a microcosm of the reason you're losing.

When you've lost lifelong liberal Democrats like me, you've lost any hope of getting a bailout that will preserve union contracts. Your attitude and that of other union members is the reason the bailout will not go through. You've made enemies in your own party, because you're selfish, you're offensive, and you lack economic honesty or acumen.

When your job is gone, when you're unemployed, go look in the mirror and you'll see the person to blame.

[madokie]

108. I hate to burst your bubble there but

The workers or the quality of the vehicles has nothing to do with the problems they are having, nothing whatsoever. The problem is management and the people who buys into the lie that the Union hands make some ungodly sum of money. Didn't you say earlier something about 40 bucks an hour? Wake up and smell the coffee, booze or what ever it is.

do me a favor and take the time to actually go and compare comparabl'y aged Ford vehicles with any of the other, domestic or foreign. You'll learn much.

[TexasObserver]

109. The only bubble is the one you're living in.

You lack any basic understanding of the economics at work here. The fact is that all over America it is the American cars that are sitting on lots, unpurchased. Those of us who understand economics understand what that means. You don't understand it, because your view of the world starts with the union worker.

Unions are dying, and the reason they're dying is because too many union members have unrealistic opinions of their value to the economy. You could save a job and make a decent living, but you won't. You'll ride your intractability right into the ground, and spend the next twenty years remembering that good job you used to have before you ran it out of the country.

[madokie]

110. You have no idea of what you just typed

man you are good.

[onager]

68. Lots of old American iron is still running in Egypt.

I see quite a few Ford and Chevy pickups from the 70's or earlier, mostly Fords. History Geeks will remember that most of the Arab world banned the import of Fords after the 1973 Yom Kippur war, when Henry Ford II shipped thousands of trucks to Israel.

OTOH, my daily commute takes me thru a bunch of little farm villages, where there are at least 20 1955 Chevy 4-doors still running. Along with an electric-blue 1949 Chevy still used as a local taxi, like the salmon-pink 1955 Ford station wagon I also see every day.

Anyone with visions of buying these things and shipping them back to the U.S. should forget about it. I've been told that exporting cars is banned by the government here. You could probably fix that with enough bribes. But many of these oldies have had major modifications to their original equipment. Like engines out of Russian trucks.

I also see many Dodge vans from the Seventies. Those are very popular as inter-city taxicabs, running between Cairo and Alexandria (where I live). So are old Jeep Cherokees, with the square bodies.

For big 2.5-ton trucks, the absolute king here is the old British Bedford. I don't know the model number, but it looks a lot like a Fifties Chevy truck. They run forever, thousands were imported so there is a good supply of spare parts, and apparently the only thing that can stop them is a direct bomb hit.

[XOKCowboy]

81. It's all Toby Keith's fault!

OK just trying to lighten things up a bit. :)

[crispini]

105. I own one that's 10 years old. It's a "community truck" --

four of my neighbors and I went in together to buy it. Handy arrangement to share a truck for weekend projects that will sit in the driveway the rest of the time.

[madokie]

107. Smart move

And if that truck is a Ford F series then you all made one hell of a good decision in buying it because it will always be there for you'ens. :-) imo

[Fading Captain]

111. The Elitist Democrats bagging on Ford UAW-made products

is the kind of of Democrat I see far too much of in Ann Arbor.

Sickening lot.

[madokie]

112. And exactly how do you 'bag' a ford?

I like pizza...

[RetroLounge]

113. My first car (in 1977) was a 1960 F-100

Damn thing had over 200k on it when we got it in about 1974. Was a moonshine runner down in TN or somewhere. Guy drove it up to Chicago with the bench seat in the bed, dove it sitting on a kitchen chair. Spent shotgun shells rolling around the floor. Missing doorglass. Painted with a roller and sears house paint. My friend bought it for $5.00, put $45.00 into a tune up, and sold it to my dad for $50.00.

We fixed that thing up in my driveway. Made several boneyard trips up north for new glass, bumper, new hood, new tranny, several other parts.

My dad used it for several years as his work truck, hauling ladders, bed full of shingles, whatever. Beat it to hell as a work truck and it held up. He put lots of miles on it too. I learned to drive the 3-on-a-tree. Steering wheel like a bus.

He gave it to me when I turned 16 and I began a bit of restoration, looks-wise. Put a 1968 Grand Prix bench seat in it, new carpet, gave it a paint job, put on a chrome bumper from the boneyard, new stereo. But left that 292 V8 alone, and that sucker ran forever.

I sold in a few years later and the guy put a cap on the bed and used it for an RV. I saw that truck well up into the 80's until I left Chicago.

Both my brothers and my Dad drove F-150s after that and still do, although I think my dad traded his in on a Chevy truck now.

:hi:

RL

p.s. My GMC Suburban had well over 220,000 miles when I traded it in...

[SidDithers]

115. Would the V6 with the new 6-speed transmission...

not give better fuel mileage than both the V6 with the old tranny, and the V8 with the new tranny?

Is that available?

Sid

[CRF450]

116. It wouldn't matter honestly.

V6 engines generally dont get much better than a v8 unless the vehicle is super light weight. In a full size truck its no good. They dont sell either so they might as well do away with it anyways.

[kentuck]

117. A lot of people use their trucks to work with..

They haul hay, horse trailers, you name it. They need a good truck that is known to be reliable and strong. They don't get any better than Ford.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

118. Ford CLOSED their top-rated F-150 plant in Norfolk Virginia last year

It was one of their highest rated plants turning out their most popular vehicle. It had received multi-million dollar upgrades in the last few years. Workers at this plant felt safe, wouldn't you?

Just more proof of how abysmally run Ford is.

[KoKo]

119. People buy what they've gotta have. They must still be getting "Financing" or they

are all Rich Texans and can afford the cost. :shrug: I don't see most Americans driving a Prius.........as much as many might wish it.