I would not write Ford off too soon.
Check out Ford in 1926, 1954, 1978.....
More so than any other car company Ford has shown the ability to turn things around quickly.
At this moment my family members own the following vehicles:
- 1997 Honda Civic - not a bad car, but soon to be replaced with a new Escape
- 1999 Ford Ranger - Good Truck, in 8 years the only repair has been 1 IAC
- 2001 Ford Escape - Has needed one coolant level sensor (warranty) and 1 Cruise Control Cable ($13). This is my Sisters vehicle. It compares very favorably to my SO's 2007 Toyota RAV4.
- 2005 Ford Freestyle - zero problems so far. This is my Mother's car. I drove it on a long trip earlier this year and was very impressed.
- 2005 Honda Accord - This is my older sons car. It was purchased used when
1 year old. It is a good car, but certainly nothing so outstanding that I would pay thousands extra for it.- 2006 Nissan Frontier - This is my farm truck. Nothing wrong with it, but after owning it for a year, I wish I had bought a Ranger instead.
- 2006 Ford Mustang - This is my younger Son's car. It is basically a stripper. The only option was the exterior decor group (spoiler and spinners on the wheels) and a tape stripe. Despite this the car is very well equipped. The Mustang was $3000 cheaper than the 1 year old used Accord. I am still amazed how well equipped it is. It drives very nicely and has not had a single problem so far.
- 2007 RAV4 - This is my SO's car. It is a very nice car, but I don't understand why it costs thousand more than an Escape (I've driven both extensively). She prefers Toyotas, so I understand why she bought it, but I think Toyota is ripping people off. The car has been flawless so far (5 months)
- 2007 Ford Fusion - my new car. I've only had it for a month, but so far it is great. An Accord or Camry with Similar equipment is unavailable (I have AWD). But even without AWD, an Accord or Camry with the same equipment would cost thousand more. And in my opinion, the Fusion drives much nicer than either of the other two.
So, at least based on the Fords I am familiar with, I don't understand why Ford is suffering so much.
Ed