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Nissan_Racer

Nissan_Racer

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is it just me or does ford have no new ideas, like the gt40, the mustang the bronco, and the cobra, plus their new 20k sedan is a carbon copy of the taures(sp), i think that the are running out of ideas and are going back to see what sold in the past. if its just me but sorry, im a bowtie man. well really i live nissans but if i had to choose between ford and chevy i pick chevy no contest.
 
Uhhh suuuuuuuuuure, now what about Toyota, Honda, etc? Ford makes cars that look different or trys to compared to all the nasty plastic bloated small cars.
 
Originally posted by Nissan_Racer
is it just me or does ford have no new ideas, like the gt40, the mustang the bronco, and the cobra, plus their new 20k sedan is a carbon copy of the taures(sp), i think that the are running out of ideas and are going back to see what sold in the past. if its just me but sorry, im a bowtie man. well really i live nissans but if i had to choose between ford and chevy i pick chevy no contest.
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How is Chevy any different? They're doing the same thing.
 
...and not quite as well, might I add. Ford at least is producing decent looking cars, albeit highly derivative of their own work. But the new crop of bizarre Chevies are just, well, bizarre.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
...and not quite as well, might I add. Ford at least is producing decent looking cars, albeit highly derivative of their own work. But the new crop of bizarre Chevies are just, well, bizarre.
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And I applaud Ford and Chev for what they are doing.


While being bizzare, at least Chev is trying to give us something new. The SSR may not be the prettiest, or fastest, or best, it is something fresh and shows us that we can expect some great new ideas from Chev in the future.

Also, how can you blame Ford for playing off of the success of their older models. The GT40, Cobra, and T-Bird are all great cars. Ford knows that if they build them, people will buy them. While not being inventive they are making money, which is the name of the game right?

*edit* I know Ford is losing ground in the sales department... but they still aren't hurtin are they?
 
Originally posted by Rumple Foreskin
And I applaud Ford and Chev for what they are doing.


While being bizzare, at least Chev is trying to give us something new. The SSR may not be the prettiest, or fastest, or best, it is something fresh and shows us that we can expect some great new ideas from Chev in the future.

Also, how can you blame Ford for playing off of the success of their older models. The GT40, Cobra, and T-Bird are all great cars. Ford knows that if they build them, people will buy them. While not being inventive they are making money, which is the name of the game right?
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To add on top of that, Ford does have the #1 sold car in the world which is not a car. The Ford F-150 has dominanted the market for a long time in the past few years. . .

A retro look is the new fad of cars I am guessing and to bring back some greats would be awesome. Ford with the GT / Mustang / Thunderbird - GM with the GTO / SSR (I feel it is a reincarnation of the El Camino), these cars might throw a little stick in the plastic car market. I still think that the new GM Cobalt looks like it is a Cavalier on cocaine though
 
The Mustang and the GT might be good cars, but I don't see why they couldn't come up with some new styling rather than just ripping off the old cars. A 65 mustang might always be remembered as a classic, the 2005 will just be remembered as a ripoff of a classic.

I'm not sure what you mean by saying their new sedan is a carbon copy of the tauruses... I saw the Ford fivehundred recently and it was nothing like a Taurus.
 
Originally posted by retsmah
The Mustang and the GT might be good cars, but I don't see why they couldn't come up with some new styling rather than just ripping off the old cars. A 65 mustang might always be remembered as a classic, the 2005 will just be remembered as a ripoff of a classic.
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I don't see how they are ripping off a style they originally created . . . :odd:
 
Do you have a lot of respect for the New Beetle? I sure as hell don't. They took the decent Golf platform, mashed it into a "feelgood" shape that they new would capitalize directly off of nostalgia, and in consequence hurt the handling, efficiency, and luggage and passenger space.

Yes, they've sold a boatload of them, and ultimately that's the name of the game, but it under no circumstances makes it a good car.

Many don't like the PT Curiser, but it manages to be "retro" in feel without referring directly to a specific car. It also has tons of interior volume.
 
If this is in reference to my Retro rip off comment, I don't feel you can rip off and idea you originally created btw. . .

Originally posted by neon_duke
Do you have a lot of respect for the New Beetle?
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Actually Neon, I do after selling them for a little bit. . . Before I worked at Volkswagen I hated them too, but after driving the Beetle Turbo S it changed my mind and feelings towards a Golf Platform with a Audi TT 1.8T engine in it. . . Drive one and tell me you opinion on it.
They took the decent Golf platform, mashed it into a "feelgood" shape that they new would capitalize directly off of nostalgia, and in consequence hurt the handling, efficiency, and luggage and passenger space.
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Yes they did do that, and I agree with that.
Yes, they've sold a boatload of them, and ultimately that's the name of the game, but it under no circumstances makes it a good car.
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A boatload of what cars? the F-150? what is a matter with F-150 it is a solid work horse
 
No. A boatload of plain-jane New Beetles.
 
Originally posted by Rumple Foreskin

The SSR may not be the prettiest, or fastest, or best, it is something
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Yes - the worst new American vehicle in fifteen years.

*edit* I know Ford is losing ground in the sales department... but they still aren't hurtin are they?
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They're gaining ground this year.

Do you have a lot of respect for the New Beetle? I sure as hell don't. They took the decent Golf platform, mashed it into a "feelgood" shape that they new would capitalize directly off of nostalgia, and in consequence hurt the handling, efficiency, and luggage and passenger space.
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And nobody would even care except they did all that and charge more for it. That said, it's not VW's fault - they make a profit off it. People better be buying it because they like the style, because if they're buying it based on value, they're way off.

[that was all way off-subject]
 
IIRC The focus was the best selling car last year. Though they really need to get the new versions out if they want to keep in the game.
As far as I see, Ford US is just bringing out the same cars as everyone else, just with retro shells and nameplates.
 
another problem isee with the mustang is not the current version, but will will be next? going retro might be good for sales now but how will the next generation be styled? retro to the 80s???? they might just have created a stalemate
 
Originally posted by Z32
another problem isee with the mustang is not the current version, but will will be next?
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That will be interesting, once you do a retro deal like that you sorta stop any forward momentum you had going :p

I just think it's stupid for Ford to be reusing old designs when they should be coming up with something new.
 
ok so chevy is sort of doing the same thing, but ford seems to be stuck in this past is the blast crap, because first they got rid of the bronco for a reason, it was a great car i actually liked them, but if a huge corperation like ford got rid of something i think they ment to get rid of it. and look at the me412 that has new styling and it out performs the gt 40 by 350hp, i wouldnt mind having just the power diffrence in my car. when the fire bird(or what ever) came out i thought that it looked soso they seemed to just up-date the look not change it to a new car, thats what it seems like they are doing with the cobra, the bronco, and the mustang. i just dont like either one of them. however, i do like the gt 40 because it is a car you can drive, you know really drive. but what ever to each his own right?
 
Originally posted by Nissan_Racer
first they got rid of the bronco for a reason, it was a great car i actually liked them,
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The Bronco was dropped in 1996. The "reason" you mention was that it wasn't selling - at all - and because it was completely out of step with the times. It was a horrible SUV, certainly belonging to another era. Further proof that nobody was interested in the Bronco came in 1999 when Chevrolet dropped the Bronco's only competitor, the 2-door Tahoe, which was, though far better than the Bronco, still horribly outdated.
 
I don't mind Ford's current trend towards retro... at least they're choosing some of their nicest-looking designs. In fact, I don't mind "retro" in general, as long as it's done right... the styling complements or adds to the car, instead of taking away from it (like the Beetle or SSR). On that note, I also like the direction Chrysler is taking in regards to its upcoming 300C and Dodge Magnum.
 
Interesting, according to EVO, the Chrysler ME412 supercar team visited Pagani in the development. Hints can be seen in the interior, but also the engine is very similar to the original zonda's but with four turbos.
 
Has anyone seen the Chevy Aveo, like up close? It's horrible. It's tin-like, plasticy, and it's like an 80's economy car sold brand new. Push down on the back bumper, it's got some sort of pre-worn out shocks. It, well, bounces like the back of my 323, even worse. My bro went to the show the day after I did, and he was looking at the car with several friends and a Chevy person came up to them and said "How do you like the new Aveo?" and one of my bro's friends said "It stays to Metro heritage."
Also, at the car show, my friend asked a Chevy rep about possibly a future Camaro, to which the rep said in a smug teasing way, "Yeah! It'll come back as a 250hp FWD car!" and then walked away from us. They're also still selling the early '90s Blazer, which, well, looks early '90s. They could have atleast changed some stuff to make it look refreshed, but now it just looks depressed.
And the Chevy display was overall depressed. The Reps just kinda talked to eachother in their little desk area. The coolest thing Chevy had was this high tech TV screen with a magician of sorts who could reach behind the screen and pull out various items. They showed the bed of a Silverado with an open cooler, and the guy stuck his hand into(hard to explain...there was an opening in the side of the flat screen display) the thing and there was his hand on the screen, and he pulled out a Coke and gave it to this kid to drink. Then the kid drank it, and the guy said "there's more soda in there" and the kid's like "no, I drank it all" and the guy takes the can and wiggles it around various ways and surprisingly(even to me) there was like a whole other can-full of soda. It was pretty cool, till you realize that that's all Chevy had going for them at thier display...

Ford wasn't much better. The new Mustang was roped off(why?!).
The other thing I don't like about Ford is that they are renaming thier cars. The Freestar and the Freestyle. Why? Evidently they think that "Free" will hit people's patriotic part of thier brain.
And Ford has come out with a new Bronco concept but it most likely won't sell.

Ohh, on a side note, Mercedes didn't have a Maybach on display. Thier reason: "Every Maybach is made specifically for a buyer's tastes", interesting, since there was one on display in Chicago last year.
 
Originally posted by MazKid
Has anyone seen the Chevy Aveo, like up close? It's horrible. It's tin-like, plasticy
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You know, it was styled by Italdesign.

They're also still selling the early '90s Blazer, which, well, looks early '90s.
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It came out in 1995. And its engine didn't debut until 1996.

They could have atleast changed some stuff to make it look refreshed, but now it just looks depressed.
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One word (well, two): Trailblazer. Base at $27300 was thought to be too expensive for the former Blazer crowd, so they kept the old Blazer ($20900) on along with the old Tracker ($19800) until the new Equinox could come out and serve as Chevrolet's mid-small SUV (vs Ford Escape, Saturn Vue, Mazda Tribute, etc). I think it's one of Chevrolet's more commendable decisions, though I've been critical of it in the past.

The other thing I don't like about Ford is that they are renaming thier cars. The Freestar and the Freestyle. Why?
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Freestyle's a whole new model. Freestar makes perfect sense - the Windstar had quite a bit of reliability woes and by its "redesign" it had sunk to the bottom of the class; a new name will have completely new connotations, Ford hopes, and might woo back some buyers originally turned off by the Windstar's failures.

My problem with the Freestar is that, though it's an improvement over the Windstar, it's nowhere near the best-in-class Nissan Quest or near-best Honda Odyssey. Why even have a van if you're not going to do it right?

And Ford has come out with a new Bronco concept but it most likely won't sell.
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Or they won't build it.
 
Ford is renaming all their vehicles merely because they want them all starting with "F" (Five Hundred, Futura, Freestyle, Freestar, Focus...), and Mercury will also follow suit with everything starting with "M" (Mariner, Mountaineer, Marauder, Montego, Monterey...)
 
Originally posted by The359
Ford is renaming all their vehicles merely because they want them all starting with "F"
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Except their SUVs with which they've already got something going. I was waiting for "Excrement" until they disappointingly went with "Escape" breaking the "Ex" trend. :(
 
Originally posted by MazKid
Has anyone seen the Chevy Aveo, like up close? It's horrible. It's tin-like, plasticy, and it's like an 80's economy car sold brand new.
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It's a rebadged Daewoo, according to the latest Auto World magazine. I also find it humorous that carpeted floor mats and A/C make the price jump almost $1,200 from the "Spartan" model's $9,995.


As far as Ford goes... they seem to be in a really confused state right now. Ford can't seem to really break away from their established molds, even with the new models (The Five Hundred looks like a slightly shrunk-down Crown Vic PI to me). Mercury is probably going to die very soon if they don't get out of their "slightly nicer Ford" rut, and Lincoln, in the last couple of years, seems to have copped an elitist snob kind of attitude (remember when they viciously maintained the Blackwood was NOT a truck, depsite it having the same chassis, body style and engine as an F-150?). Instead of the brands having images that complement each other, they clash so much that the company doesn't seem to have any real direction.
 

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