Automobiles

[Trevor]

My A3 has a sunroof. And it was sunny yesterday, will be today, and tomorrow as well. Rumor has it, it might even get into the 50's. So yeah, I'm going to open my sunroof and let the air in.

[Jason Musgrave]

Most of the stuff out there for these cars is overpriced junk that either takes strength and weight out to try to gain a few hundredths in the quarter mile- or band aids to try to prevent wheel hop.

I spent a lot of time and money on my 2008 Bullitt preparing it for road racing- and I came to rely on Sam Strano and what he learned in route to winning national championships in a s197 mustang in autocross- which is insane given what cars he has to race against.

In short- the best thing to do with these cars is wide 18" square wheels with awesome rubber. I've got custom offset 18x11" on all four corners and run Hoosiers. I've got XTA coilovers, camber plates, new lower control and upper control arms- and a Watts link in the thing as well as a giant front sway bar. The car handles better than anything I've ever driven.

I've also got Mickey Thompson ET street drag radials on the stock wheels just for driving it around- because the Michelin pilot sports that came on it made first through third gear pretty useless. These cars have dumb solid rear axles and lots of power- most people have no business driving them honestly. (You should see the discussions about replacing clutches and transmission fluid because people just don't know how to shift).

I'm really lucky to have a great shop at JBA here in SD and to be pals with Sam- the former dyno tuned for the bigger supercharger I put in- and the car is putting about 750hp to the wheels but it's safe and won't explode. As I mentioned the suspension is pretty dialed too. The thing is a fat pig though and the next step is fitting the interior and putting it on a massive diet.

Thx Craig!

[jerk]

honestly it's the most fun and stupid car i've ever driven or owned. you can get a GT500 pretty cheap for what it is- and they are stupid cheap to modify and get real results out of. I paid just under 15k for mine with less than 60,000 miles on it and it had not been modified other than a bunch of really stupid taped on scoops and silver grills and stuff to make it look like "Elenor" from the Gone in Sixty Seconds movie. The guy also painted the stock wheels black and cut out the axle-backs and put a bunch of dumb shelby silver dress up stuff in the engine compartment. He also put the world's worst radio/GPS/DVD thing in it and a bunch of really big speakers and giant amp and subwoofer in the trunk. It's amazing how bad and counter intuitive thew head unit is and how much the speakers just vibrate at any volume and sound terrible. I like the fact that the satellite radio hasn't been turned off though so I can listen to rap music and baseball games- but i'm going to pull all of the hifi stuff out when i get time.

What's weird to me about the GT500 is how drastically a little bit of work on the suspension transforms the thing. The stock suspension on these things is so bad its almost comical. i guess it was designed to be comfortable but it is so squishy and undersprung that it feels like it was designed to give a 1970's Oldsmobile ride for a much lighter car. All you really need to do is new struts and springs and some plates to correct the geometry. i went with the XTA coil overs because they're exactly the same as KWs but made out of galvanized steel instead of stainless for about a third the price. They're the exact same internals.

I did upper and lower control arms too- I got Whitelines which are fine. I also did a fays2 Watts link which is incredible. That thing completely addresses the the issues with the suspension design and transformed the car as much as anything else I did. Lots of folks think a Watts link is overkill and that you can address the same issues with a panhard bar- but those folks have just never driven a car with one of these things or are in the business of selling panhard bars. I didn't believe in them either- because I'd read MaximumMotorsports diatribe about them- but then I talked to Sam Strano again. I was all set to save up and spend 8k-10k on a Griggs suspension set up- but Sam basically put me straight....more later!

[snotrockets]

In most european eastern countries, which also applies to part eastern germany, people have for a long time preferred sedans to hatchbacks. This is a trend that tend to disappear but part of it also came from a percieved higher status symbol of a sedan over an hatchback, which appealed to some cultures in poorer european countries.

I always thought that it was about getting more metal for roughly the same amount of money, hence "a better deal".

[davids]

I'm short so I like a moonroof.

I'm going bald so I don't like a moonroof.

I'm an American so I must have a moonroof so that I can tell you I have a moonroof.

[htwoopup]

I have a sunroof.

Because I have a Great Dane that jumps up and tries to catch light that is reflected on walls, floors, and ceilings.

If you have ever driven 75 MPH with a Great Dane jumping and trying to bite a light on the ceiling of the car, then you appreciate the retractable ceiling cover.

Probably true in all nationalities. ;-)

[j44ke]

Interesting.

[murphy]

Interesting.

I feel like this is short-sighted. If gas prices start rising again, they will have to rush to federalize global platforms to be compliant in the US. But I also prefer cars (specifically hatchbacks) and had thought about getting both a Fiesta ST and a Focus ST in the past so it hits me more than most maybe.

[AngryScientist]

Interesting.

Ford has completely dropped the ball on the car market.

10 years ago, with a few exceptions, EVERY police car and NYC taxi was a crown vic.

These days most police are driving dodges, and the NYC taxi fleet is largely toyota hybrids. there are exceptions, and there are still some explorers used for police cars and a few hybrid fusions running around in livery service.

but Ford literally owned the market for these things, and they failed to adapt to what people wanted. that had to be a pretty significant hit to their sales.

[Tamu8104]

Ford has completely dropped the ball on the car market.

10 years ago, with a few exceptions, EVERY police car and NYC taxi was a crown vic.

These days most police are driving dodges, and the NYC taxi fleet is largely toyota hybrids. there are exceptions, and there are still some explorers used for police cars and a few hybrid fusions running around in livery service.

but Ford literally owned the market for these things, and they failed to adapt to what people wanted. that had to be a pretty significant hit to their sales.

To be fair, Ford has owned the truck market during that same time/transition.

[Saab2000]

To be fair, Ford has owned the truck market during that same time/transition.

Also to be fair, I wonder how profitable fleet sales like that really are and whether or not they're good for the brand. I dreaded every time I had to ride in a Crown Vic or Mercury Marquis (de Sade) or Town Car taxi. They're just terrible cars. It's unbelievable how space inefficient they are. They reminded me a lot of the old 1969 Ford Galaxy 500 that was the first family car I remember as a child. While I hold a special place for that car because it was a struggle for my father to pay for it, the world is way better off without these dinosaurs and the Crown Vic and its ilk are all in the same boat.

Cars aren't selling like crazy at the moment but crossovers and SUVs and trucks are selling like crazy.

[rwsaunders]

If you read the annual reports and shareholder quarterly reports of the major automotive manufacturers, it's all about the SUV's, trucks and hybrids. Ford's move might not be so much about missing the boat, but about looking towards trends and market research.

Toyota Motor North America Reports March 218 Sales | Toyota

[72gmc]

Ford has completely dropped the ball on the car market.

10 years ago, with a few exceptions, EVERY police car and NYC taxi was a crown vic.

These days most police are driving dodges

Around here, all of the police interceptors have become Ford Explorers! Police officers race around like the wannabe Winston Cup drivers they've always been, but now they're in vehicles that offer the driving dynamics of a bowling ball sitting on a Slinky.

[Blue Jays]

”...now they're in vehicles that offer the driving dynamics of a bowling ball sitting on a Slinky...”

Hilarious imagery!
That is why I have been astounded by the SUV obsession when lower station wagons would benefit WAY more drivers.

Avoiding even just a single accident steering around an obstacle in the roadway would pay for itself.
I simply do not “get” the obsession. As a cyclist...I keep hoping the marketplace will come around.

[j44ke]

I think underneath all of these is an effort to make money where there is none. To up profits and reward shareholders, you can either sell more cars or you can reduce payroll and overhead (easy.) All the verbiage I've read makes specific reference to ceasing North American production of passenger cars. And this statement is from the international whatchamacallit guy at Ford. So I figure they are not throwing passenger cars out, just using a moment of low gas prices, decent economy and sagging sales of Ford Focuseseses to begin the move to overseas fabrication. Close factories, decrease their domestic work force, reduce costs, increase profit. In the meantime, the hybrid and alternative energy technology they've worked out in passenger cars will get deployed in crossovers, SUVs and trucks to raise their gas mileages (effectively if not 100% accurately in real world conditions) and thereby hedge against the inevitable increase in gas prices. And when the gas prices go up (if they are smart and not just aiming for the short-term) they'll build cars in Malaysia. Or wherever.

Maybe I can get a hybrid stuffed into one of these?

[Blue Jays]

”...And this statement is from the international whatchamacallit guy at Ford...”

It will be curious to see the FoMoCo website next year to see how many CARS they make compared to SUVs and trucks.

[roseyscot]

Hilarious imagery!
That is why I have been astounded by the SUV obsession when lower station wagons would benefit WAY more drivers.

Avoiding even just a single accident steering around an obstacle in the roadway would pay for itself.
I simply do not “get” the obsession. As a cyclist...I keep hoping the marketplace will come around.

Because Americans generally want convenience and bigger is better. We as a society are physically bigger (fat) and so it's easier to get into an SUV or crossover than a sedan or wagon. But being fat and lazy hasn't diminished our desire to drive like we're in a race car.

[Tom]

The local paper has a weekly car ad section where they run syndicated reviews and a Q&A column. I swear I am not making this up but the first question from a reader was which cars have the longest seat belts because the one in their car is too tight and they need a new car as a result.

I just hope it is like Ray Wylie Hubbard says: "The problem with irony is that some people don't get it."

[j44ke]

Does this car make my butt look too big?

[Tamu8104]

It will be curious to see the FoMoCo website next year to see how many CARS they make compared to SUVs and trucks.

Here’s your answer... https://www.freep.com/story/money/ca...eup/549463002/