newlifeinstpaul: (Default)
newlifeinstpaul ([personal profile] newlifeinstpaul) wrote2006-01-23 09:03 am

(no subject)

Why I Hate Ford





Today those bastards are going to announce plant closings that are gonna put tens of thousands of people who've worked hard their whole lives on the street. If you listen to the company line, you'll hear them say they're losing kazillions blah blah blah health care blah blah blah those damned expensive employees blah the union.


But did you know...

- That while they did lose money on North American operations, Ford's still profitable? Yup. Made $2 billion this year.

- Or of that $1.6 billion lost in North America, roughly a third of that--you heard correctly, $500 million of it--was their recalls? WHOSE FAULT WAS THAT? Elmer GreaseMonkey workin' on the line and his kids with braces? What's he supposed to do? Make a gotta-go-with-the-low-bid design magically not suck?

(Correction: That's not $500 million on recalls, but half a billion MORE than last year. Im-pressive, no?)

- While they were all too happy to crank out tire-chewing SUVs, they neglected their car lines completely. Wanna buy a Lincoln Town Car? How about a Lincoln LS? Or a Taurus? Did you even know Ford still makes 'em? Or they'd build cars that would totally miss every imaginable market *cough* Thunderbird *cough*.

In short, these are a few compelling reasons they just plain reek. Besides their products. The end.

[identity profile] lumbergirl13.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 03:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh the reasons to why I buy imported cars...

One of the reasons I heard on the news earlier was that theie SUV sales were down..

Well.. no wonder! Gas costs $2.50 a gallon (roughly)!

I'd be buying a smaller car, too, if I had an SUV.

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
They were making about $10K profit on each one of those suckas. Employee healthcare and all.

Meanwhile, that friggin' French CEO Jacque Nasser was too busy acquring Volvo, Jaguar, Aston Martin and other brands to sit down and think long and hard about how to build FURDS.

[identity profile] rachelk121.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)
found
on
road
dead


need i say more???

jerkheads

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
You could always say

Free-Range
Owner
Research and
Development

which is why I'd always buy Furds just as they were about to introduce their new 'replacement' models. By then it's a safe bet they've figured out how to build the 'old' ones.

[identity profile] rachelk121.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 05:56 pm (UTC)(link)
true...

i did drive an escort for a while... but only cus it was cheap and newer than the one i was driving before

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 06:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Then again, you gotta remember my Dad's discount.

I got a '94 Aerostar (when the Windstars hit the dealerships) for $14.5, a '99 Bore-us (when the 2000 'new' ones came out) for $15.1 and ironically, the first one I spent more than $20K on (the Windstar with the DVD) was the biggest POS of the three.

Lucky me, the ex wanted to keep it.

[identity profile] san-simeon-girl.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm with you.

That Ford plant in St. Paul is in my neighborhood. The street it's on is named Ford Parkway (and the bridge that goes over the river there, is the "Ford Bridge" but I don't think that's an official name, just what everyone calls it). Wonder if they'll be doing some re-naming?

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
So THAT'S where she lives!

*stalk stalk* XD

[identity profile] san-simeon-girl.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes. I live at the Ford Plant. C'mon over!!

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll just listen for the employee wolf-whistles... :-P

[identity profile] ehmondieu.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
You forgot the mustang! Tom says it's the fastest selling car in the country. It's ironic you mention the cars when they make trucks in St Paul. I wonder if Ford Parkway will be renamed. Knowing how those crazy Minnesotans can be, we're expecting some kind of symbol, like the Chevy symbol to be the new name for Ford Parkway.

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
But one car does not a auto label make.
Where Ford really sucker-punched the industry in their heyday (and completely destroyed Oldsmobile) was their willingness to rethink the family car. In fact, Ford lost their title of best-selling US nameplate for the first time in 19 years in '05.

The Five Hundred is doing 'eh.' It's no Thunderbird, but it certainly isn't doing what the Taurus did in '86. And they lost at least the competitive edge--if not the desire--to take back the family car segment years and years ago to Toyota and Honda.

[identity profile] katyageisenhoff.livejournal.com 2006-01-23 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
hey remember me?
i accidentally deleted you awhile ago
then i was hella busy and didnt have time to get back to you
anyways just wondered if you didnt mind me adding you again

[identity profile] newlifeinstpaul.livejournal.com 2006-01-24 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
Why aren't YOU a pleasant surprise.
Of course I'll add you back.

How have you been?
What's been going on?

[identity profile] katyageisenhoff.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
school takes up a good majority of my week lol, im there from 7:45 -3:05 everyday but i graduate and get my cos licence next semseter...

what have you been up to? i think i saw you at the mall maybe 2 months ago or so

[identity profile] amberskye72.livejournal.com 2006-01-24 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
I had a Ford Escort and had 3-4 letters stating that something needed to be fixed on it and to bring it in to get fixed.

My best friend and her husband had bought a 1993 Ford Tauras AND in 1 1/2 years had to have their transmission fixed 3-4 times.

They were on a trip and the transmission had more issues when they had just had it fixed a month before they took their trip.
So their trip was a waste and spent with no car.

All of us will never buy another Ford again and it was just to many issues with the car.

It is not surprising they treat their employees like that.

Before too long no one will have faith in them.