Amen brother!! The Chevy vs. Ford crap starts to lose it's appeal with newer trucks. It's a sorry state when I can only get to 3 spark plugs with the truck on the ground, and need a $300,00 bill to change the alt on my work truck. I drive an S-10 as a daily driver, but only because I have to go 40+ miles each way, and I'm married. If it was up to me I'd have got a mid 90's Chevy pickup shortbed with a small V8. I don't get the bling big rims thing either. It doesn't look bad on some sports cars for performace running, but I wouldn't put anthing bigger than a 15 rim on any truck. I read an article in a 4x4 mag where there's a new feature on trucks now called 'traction control' The truck won't let you accelerate to where the tires lose traction. The same article mentioned a test drive on one of these trucks where the driver decided to get on a road with moderately heavy traffic from a standing start on a gravel shoulder. He though he would gun it when he saw an 18-wheeler coming up the road just as he started out. The 'traction control' would not let him 'punch it' to get outtta the truck's way, it deciced a slow acceleration was adequate for the gravel road condition. The driver's sphincter tightened up to where he couldn't shove a needle up there, as he saw the big Kenworth's grill filling his rear-wiew mirror, and his blood ran cold. Luckily he wasn't read ended, and only had to take the verbal tirade and hand signals from the trucker as he was passed ( while he was still trying to put his foot through the truck's floor board ). It's great when you can put your brain in 'neutral' and let your truck 'do your thinking' for you,'ain't it ?  

I think they build trucks with features like that for women and men who either don't know or don't want to know how to drive. Most women that is; some are really good drivers and don't freak out in slippery conditions. (ie. most women are nervous on icy or snowy roads around here)

If I needed to buy a new truck, I wouldn't be looking for a great looking truck, I'd be looking for a truck that doesn't annoy me as much as the other new trucks, and that might be a hard task.

Lately they all have taken a beating with an ugly stick before leaving the plants. (grin)

 The new F-150 would probably be the ugliest, yet it has some features I like that might make me consider it over GM or Dodge.

   Well everyone got away from that discussion !!!  Anyway here it goes, late model crown vicks use a internally regulated ( computer controlled ) pump that needs no return line ( one of Fords newer generation fuel systems.as for the Mustang low pressure pump for fuel pick-up, hig pressure pump for delivery to injectors.

    As for all of these brand wars going on, my van is just that...mine ! I don't get paid by the big three to argue whose is bigger or better then yours, mine, his or hers. We all change cut and modify so much on our vehicles the only thing left to say when people ask what I drive is, A BIG 4X4. 

That being said, lets get back to Ford bashing!!  I do agree that if they are not paying me to advertise for them, I won't provide free advertising space on my back for 'em. I just belive in product quality. - somethng the big three forgot on their way to their ivory towers. Japan is big on quality, but I like to 'follow the flag' personally. These days the lines are all blurring though. A real "American car' is either built in Mexico or Canada, while Americans lose their jobs to "guest workers" - It all sounds pretty civilized don't it ?     Have you heard about the new Pontiac GTO "American cars" Designed & built in Australia !! They just change the logo on it when it gets here ( and castrate it so it meets US emmision standards) - Progress - So called.

I don't think you need to worry about Canadians taking more American jobs in auto assembly. I heard of Canadian plant closures from more than one of the Big Three and this was done by one of them to prevent American plant closures, as was told in our local news.

Also our dollar is much stronger this year than last year but our cost of living has also gone up slightly (like everyone else's) too. Last year it cost 66 U.S. cents to buy a Canadian dollar and now it costs about 85 cents. Or another way to look at is we had to pay $1.50 Cdn for a U.S. dollar and now we only have to pay $1.15 Cdn.

This is hurting some of the Canadian companies who export products to the U.S.A. Fortunately I'm in an industry that the exchange rate doesn't really effect us. In fact a higher Canadian dollar probably makes doing business cheaper while in Canada for us, since most of our equipment we have to purchase is made in the U.S.A.

You may be doing well up in Canada ( Nice place and people from what little I saw, when we crossed the border from Buffalo for a few weeks ), but down here in Florida, and the business I'm in (Information Technology) It's not doing very well. Most I.T. jobs these days have gone to India, Mexico, or Australia - as you will find when you call tech support for any tech product whether it's Internet Access to Dell Computers. Some managers in I.T. were given an option to travel to India, train people over there, and get laid off as soon as they got back off the plane. Then Brother George tells america that the solution to the U.S. not losing jobs overseas is "education" ! What did he think all these I.T. people who were certified MCSE or MCP - after bustin their ass for years educating themselves to be in this field did ??  It feels like everyone else is doing great overseas except for the gool 'ol US of A!

The worst part of it is that they aren't doing it to us, we're doing it to ourselves!!  I wouldn't hold out much hope of holdin a Big Three Plant job for long. The plant jobs will probably move to China!

exactly  

ford First On Race Day  

At least ford still has a their popular sports car chevy's biggest f@#k up was they got rid of the camaro and now they realize it  

The only one "made in america" of the big three is ford, and it's just assembled here all of the electronics are from japan  

most of the manufacturers have plants in usa that make their vehicles but most of the parts are from other countries. Chevy, ford, diamerchrysler, nissan, just to name a few, all have plants in the us  

On some of the Fords the transmissions are made in France, leaf springs are made in Mexico, varius under hood lines and fittings are made in maylasia, phillapiens. < Dam I can't even spell that word. Fords might as well be a import truck, just like the other two. When you go to the auto parts stores its likely that you will find the parts that you are purchasing are made in China, Taiwan, Korea, Brazil. What is this F@#$%&* world coming too? Soon the U.S.A. will be a third world country, no jobs, no food to eat, and living in a cardboard box thats made in China!

I'm not defending Chevy either theses days. They've all gone down the toilet in my opinion. It's all driven by profit and nothin else. If Yugo's were the top sellers they would all be sellin that instead of SUV's. Most idiots out there drive their SUV's like they drive a sports car. Then they end up pasted to a telephone pole somewhere. Like most Ford 'Exploders' do.

Pass the Rice bowl and chopsticks comrade!!

Have you read most automotive product labels or instructions lately ?

You have to search for the ones in English!!

I think there second biggest screw up is canning the Caprice/Impala fullsize rear drive body-on-frame car.

As a commuter vehicle, an 80's or even 90's Caprice in great shape would be my vehicle of choice. Did you see the EPA ratings for hwy fuel economy? 25-27 mpg! That's better than my parents Grand Caravan that is 300 lbs lighter and has a 3.3L V6 instead of a 5.7 L V8!

I often spend a lot of time commuting at 70 plus mph so it annoys me I can't buy a 4000 lb vehicle and still get 25 mpg on the highway. (unless I want to buy a Ford Crown Vic or Merc Grand Marquis; I like to work on my own vehicles but hate working on newer Fords)

BTW an SUV with equivalent interior space would likely get 16-18 mpg on the highway, not 20-25 like the old fullsize cars. For just commuting and nothing else, an SUV seems to be a very poor choice.

 Even my grandfather's 57 Oldmobile with the 377 cu. in V8 that made 277 hp and 400 ft. lbs @2800 rpm got 20 mpg on the highway!

SUV's often come with the same engine and have the same interior space as the old fullsize cars did, but they often weigh 1000-1500 lbs more and since they are taller have more aerodynamic drag.