Chuck
08-31-2006, 04:07 PM
The article is a good read, but not a feel-good article. The author recommends Ford not sell off anything and merge with Nissan - somebody. They also need a game plan...and get ready for a rough ride as it's going to be awhile before they have a seller to take the slack of the plumetting F150, Lincoln Navigator, etc.
Aug. 30, 2006 - When Scott Kleinhans bought his big Ford Expedition SUV back in 2001, it was the ideal vehicle for him. Its roomy interior, with three rows of seats, offered plenty of space for his family of five. Its beefy V8 engine could easily tow his boat. And the SUV’s ample cargo room was just what the traveling salesman needed to haul around samples of industrial cleaning products. Sure, the Expedition’s 15 miles per gallon (city and highway combined) wasn’t very impressive. But who cared with gas selling for $1.50 a gallon? Back then, it was practically cheaper to guzzle gas than bottled water. “Weren’t those the days?” he says now with a sigh.
This week, Kleinhans, 37, will park his Expedition on a street corner and stick a “for sale” sign in the window. And he’ll take delivery of a new Toyota RAV4, a compact SUV that gets 28 mpg on the highway. Kleinhans decided to ditch the Ford when a fill-up hit triple digits. “Once it hit that $100 plateau,” he says, “I had to start looking around.” He shopped the hybrid Ford Escape SUV, but found it too pricey at $26,000. Plus, it didn’t have a third row for his three kids and it couldn’t tow his boat. The RAV4 offered those features and cost just $23,000. “The things I was looking for in a vehicle,” he explains, “Ford just didn’t offer.”
Newsweek Story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14585542/site/newsweek/)
Aug. 30, 2006 - When Scott Kleinhans bought his big Ford Expedition SUV back in 2001, it was the ideal vehicle for him. Its roomy interior, with three rows of seats, offered plenty of space for his family of five. Its beefy V8 engine could easily tow his boat. And the SUV’s ample cargo room was just what the traveling salesman needed to haul around samples of industrial cleaning products. Sure, the Expedition’s 15 miles per gallon (city and highway combined) wasn’t very impressive. But who cared with gas selling for $1.50 a gallon? Back then, it was practically cheaper to guzzle gas than bottled water. “Weren’t those the days?” he says now with a sigh.
This week, Kleinhans, 37, will park his Expedition on a street corner and stick a “for sale” sign in the window. And he’ll take delivery of a new Toyota RAV4, a compact SUV that gets 28 mpg on the highway. Kleinhans decided to ditch the Ford when a fill-up hit triple digits. “Once it hit that $100 plateau,” he says, “I had to start looking around.” He shopped the hybrid Ford Escape SUV, but found it too pricey at $26,000. Plus, it didn’t have a third row for his three kids and it couldn’t tow his boat. The RAV4 offered those features and cost just $23,000. “The things I was looking for in a vehicle,” he explains, “Ford just didn’t offer.”
Newsweek Story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14585542/site/newsweek/)