MustangWorks.com - The Ford Mustang Power Source!

Go Back   MustangWorks.com : Ford Forums > Website Community > Blue Oval Lounge
Register FAQ Members List Calendar

Notices


Poll: As with the other domestic car makers, Ford is losing billions. Can they come back?
Poll Options
As with the other domestic car makers, Ford is losing billions. Can they come back?

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rating: Thread Rating: 1 votes, 4.00 average. Display Modes
Old 02-18-2007, 05:14 AM   #1
69fastback
IRAQ VET
 
69fastback's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: high desert California
Posts: 1,480
Default Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

It is Fords on fault. They chose to go with the big SUVs instead of getting good GPA. I can't blame them though because at the time the big SUVs were making all the money. Then all of the sudden the Jap crap with good mileage started making all the money. I am a life long Ford fan and all the other brands, including the Chevy, can kiss my ass. I am one of the last few people that believe in American iron let alone Ford. I will live and die Ford for the rest of my life. If there is anyone else that has the balls to feel the same way then let me know?
__________________
428 Cobra Jet
SOHC 5.4 3V F-150
96 mystic cobra
91 GT
69fastback is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2007, 04:49 PM   #2
Mach 1
Registered Member
 
Mach 1's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: Georgia
Posts: 3,866
Default Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

I think ford has a good product line, I beliieve the 500, fusion, new mustang, etc... have all gotten good reviews, they are all good looking cars, and I havent compared them value wise to the competition, but I dont see why they cant survive in the long run..

not to mention the many die hard ford truck guys that are extemely brand loyal
__________________
2002 GT
1993 GT (SOLD)
'93 Mustang GT
RHC member #142
Mach 1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2007, 06:13 PM   #3
Mr 5 0
Conservative Individualist
 
Mr 5 0's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 1997
Location: Wherever I need to be
Posts: 7,487
Post Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mach 1 View Post
I think Ford has a good product line, I believe the 500, Fusion, new Mustang, etc... have all gotten good reviews, they are all good looking cars, and I haven't compared them value-wise to the competition, but I don't see why they cant survive in the long run.

Not to mention the many die-hard Ford truck guys that are extremely brand loyal
Unfortunately, truck sales alone can't save Ford or they would have, already. That's why Ford had to borrow 18 million to 'restructure' the company last year and put much of it's real estate up for collateral. Sales are in the dumper. It doesn't look good. That's why Ford/Toyota merger stories are floating around

While the current Ford vehicle line is decent, the new models are mostly unknown quantities to the average new-car buyer and past Ford quality issues still haunt the company, hurting both public acceptance and sales for the new models. Once you buy a new Ford and have it need go back to the dealer for repairs time and again, that sours you on the brand, as it has many people over the years.

Enter, the Japanese auto manufacturers, who have built up a reputation for both innovation and build quality, as well as holding good re-sale value. Check the retail price on a 2003 Ford Taurus or Focus and a similarly equipped, same mileage 2002 Accord, Civic, Camry or Corolla. There's usually a difference of thousands in the retail price -used - and it's always less for the Ford. There is a simple reason for that: high demand for Japanese cars. Fairly low demand for domestic models. In this instance, Ford. Sure, the Mustang holds it's value pretty well, but the Mustang is a very small part of the market and can't 'save' Ford, any more than it's truck sales can.

This is partly a case of 'chickens coming home to roost' or, more accurately, minus the metaphor; actions have consequences.
__________________
5.0 Mustang Owner
1990 - 2005
Mr 5 0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 03:40 PM   #4
1SVT2NV
Registered Member
 
1SVT2NV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 17
Default Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

its all bs they do this all the time to gain buisness and promote their attempts at regaining the market
1SVT2NV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 04:10 PM   #5
Mr 5 0
Conservative Individualist
 
Mr 5 0's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 1997
Location: Wherever I need to be
Posts: 7,487
Post Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1SVT2NV View Post

its all bs they do this all the time to gain buisness and promote their attempts at regaining the market
No, it's quite true. Do some research and find out.

Ford, a 104-year-old American car manufacturer with a worldwide reputation that has to borrow millions to 'restructure' and use it's factory and office real estate as collateral while rumors float around that they're either about to go bankrupt or will be absorbed by a foreign car company is hardly going to help them 'gain business' or regain the market. Who wants to buy a car from a company that could be out of business next year?

Ford's stock price is holding fairly steady (at about $8. per share) but institutional investors are very worried about the Ford stock they now hold. If they begin to sell off, Ford is finished, as the smaller investors will panic and everyone will try to sell, killing the price of the stock, which would be fatal for the company.

If this is a way for Ford to 'gain business', it's sure a strange method of doing so, as their sales are down 20%. Maybe Ford needs a better idea.
__________________
5.0 Mustang Owner
1990 - 2005
Mr 5 0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 04:14 PM   #6
1SVT2NV
Registered Member
 
1SVT2NV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 17
Default Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr 5 0 View Post
No, it's quite true. Do some research and find out.

Ford, a 104-year-old American car manufacturer with a worldwide reputation that has to borrow millions to 'restructure' and use it's factory and office real estate as collateral while rumors float around that they're either about to go bankrupt or will be absorbed by a foreign car company is hardly going to help them 'gain business' or regain the market. Who wants to buy a car from a company that could be out of business next year?

Ford's stock price is holding fairly steady (at about $8. per share) but institutional investors are very worried about the Ford stock they now hold. If they begin to sell off, Ford is finished, as the smaller investors will panic and everyone will try to sell, killing the price of the stock, which would be fatal for the company.

If this is a way for Ford to 'gain business', it's sure a strange method of doing so, as their sales are down 20%. Maybe Ford needs a better idea.
Its the old theory make them think your weak when your strong. Do you think ford could afford to spend billions developing the ford gt if they were going out of buisness. or even cars like the svt cobra. ford has had the number one selling pickup 30 years running. dont believe everything you hear my friend. Ive worked for ford I know how things are going. Same thing goes for gm. its all hype. It pushes americans into buying domestic to protect our economy
1SVT2NV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 05:04 PM   #7
Mr 5 0
Conservative Individualist
 
Mr 5 0's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 1997
Location: Wherever I need to be
Posts: 7,487
Exclamation Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1SVT2NV View Post

Its the old theory make them think your weak when your strong. Do you think ford could afford to spend billions developing the ford gt if they were going out of buisness. or even cars like the svt cobra. ford has had the number one selling pickup 30 years running. dont believe everything you hear my friend. Ive worked for ford I know how things are going. Same thing goes for gm. its all hype. It pushes americans into buying domestic to protect our economy
Well, we're all entitled to our opinions but I have to disagree with this one. Ford sales are down 20% and their stock is shaky - but it's all 'hype'? That makes no sense. People buy cars and if Ford can't sell as many of their cars as Toyota, etc then they lose market share. That isn't hype, it's simply economics.

A new car - foreign or domestic - now costs an average of $29,000. A 2007 Mustang V-8 coupe has an MSRP of almost $26,000. and goes out the door for about $2,000. less, not including state sales taxes. I seriously doubt that any notable portion of the car-buying public is going to feel sorry for Ford (or GM or Chrysler) and start buying domestic cars that they don't really want and that take a good chunk of a years pay to purchase, out of sheer patriotism. That's ridiculous.

Ford truck sales are important but they have also fallen, as have SUV sales. Foreign manufacturers, mainly the Japanese, are making steady inroads on this particular market segment. As I stated in an earlier post, truck/SUV sales are only one portion of a large market and, alone, cannot save Ford, a company that hasn't made a profit for almost two years.

I don't know what kind of optimistic fairy tales (let's just call it 'hype') the company feeds Ford employees, who are likely to lose a lot of their cushy benefits in future Ford-UAW negotiations, but if I worked there, I would ignore the "we're just pretending to go broke to get sympathy" line and start looking for another job. But that's just me.
__________________
5.0 Mustang Owner
1990 - 2005
Mr 5 0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 05:07 PM   #8
1SVT2NV
Registered Member
 
1SVT2NV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 17
Default Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

ok keep thinking that sell your stocks. can I ask you what you do for a living
1SVT2NV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2007, 06:14 PM   #9
Mr 5 0
Conservative Individualist
 
Mr 5 0's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 1997
Location: Wherever I need to be
Posts: 7,487
Post Re: Anybody else watch the news? Ford losing billions

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1SVT2NV View Post

ok keep thinking that sell your stocks. can I ask you what you do for a living
I certainly will keep thinking that Ford is in serious financial trouble. Just as those who care to investigate the situation already realize. Look, this is hardly worth the argument so if you choose to believe the 'it's all hype' excuse the company apparently hands out when it's sales drop by 20%, its market share shrinks while it's stock struggles to stay near $8, that's certainly your prerogative. Besides, I don't own any Ford stock. Apparently a wise choice. I'm just saying.

The drop in 2006 sales volume at Ford cost it $3.3 billion (compared to 2005) and lower pricing on the vehicles it did sell cost another $1.9 billion. Do the math. That's a huge loss of revenue. I don't care what the company is telling you (or what Ford employees tell each other), if it continues, it will be, in effect, a financial death spiral. Besides, Toyota - a foreign car company that basically 'came out of nowhere' (Japan, actually) - has already displaced Ford - with all it's history and (mistakenly assumed) owner loyalty as the #2 selling car in the U.S. That is telling, to say the least. The days of U.S. car buyers having loyalty to U.S. cars is long past, I can assure you. Sales figures now prove that contention. That isn't 'hype', it's reality.


I'm in the insurance business, as if that has any bearing on anything.

I'm also a realist who doesn't depend on Ford for my living so I have the ostensible luxury of objectivity here.
__________________
5.0 Mustang Owner
1990 - 2005
Mr 5 0 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
2005 Ford GT Photos & News StangFlyer Blue Oval Lounge 16 08-22-2003 05:40 PM
Bradenton: Bad News, Good News And a Compliment! lx mike Stang Stories 5 04-07-2003 10:14 AM
Back from the Track - Good News/Bad News with Diablo apenn Modular Madness 1 09-22-2002 02:50 AM
More bad news for Ford! :-( mmacdone Blue Oval Lounge 32 02-02-2002 04:14 AM
Great news! I'm losing 3rd Gear!! Mustangbelle306 Windsor Power 2 04-18-2001 11:31 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:05 PM.


SEARCH