No more SVT?
- Thread starter 03marauder99vic
- Start date
T
TripleTransAm
Guest
03marauder99vic said:
How about: The way Ford flip-flops on decisions lately, SVT might just be back in a year or two?
Mike Poore
Crabmonster
03marauder99vic said:
That's sensational news!
Not that they're going to scale back on the model offerings, which is horrible news; but that they're shutting down that marketing disaster.
Who but Ford could have conceived a plan that would anger the customers AND the dealer base as well? It might have been very nice for you guys in the city, but it put SVT dealerships out of the reach of the rural American enthusiast. I had to go to BelAir, MD to get my '97 Cobra from a dealer who had a lot full of SVT Contours he couldn't sell, and who gave up his SVT dealership, in disgust, the following year.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the engineering of the SVT project, and can't say enough good things about the cars, it was the poor decision to turn the program over to marketing, that lead to it's demise, in my view.
That I'll be able to go to my local Ford dealer and order up a Shelby GT-500 is thrilling news. I'll have mine in Red with white stripes, thank you. Unless they'll make one in that silver with silver stripes, like they did with the Ford GT.
:woohoo:
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TripleTransAm
Guest
Very interesting perspective, Mike. Makes sense.
I looked at the SVT "certification" when looking for a dealer competent enough to address the crazy stuff happening to my first MM. What a letdown... I wouldn't have trusted those monkeys to work on my son's Hot Wheels. I went running back to my original non-SVT dealership with my tail between my legs.
I looked at the SVT "certification" when looking for a dealer competent enough to address the crazy stuff happening to my first MM. What a letdown... I wouldn't have trusted those monkeys to work on my son's Hot Wheels. I went running back to my original non-SVT dealership with my tail between my legs.
Bluerauder
CAMaraudin' in Virginia
Doesn't much of this sound just like Deja Vu -- all over again ??DEFYANT said:
I am old enough to remember a time when Chevy and the Body by Fisher ruled the roost. Then in the 1970's the balance of power shifted to the Dodge & Plymouth boys. In the '80s there were some pretty good offerings from GM in the form of some Buicks (Regals) and Pontiacs (Trans Ams). Automotive Power shifted to Ford in the 1990's and their ride has lasted a very long time. Unfortunately, during this entire period, the foreign competitors have been listening, learning, producing, and gradually whittling away the total domestic share.It appears that the domestic marketers are clueless about what the US based customer really needs and wants. Personally, I don't think that fuel efficiency is as big a driver as all the "experts" think. A recent local survey indicated that MPG was the least consideration when purchasing a new vehicle.
IMHO -- I think that much of the American public is looking for Utility, Value, Performance, Style, and Reliability .... in that order when selecting a new or used vehicle. Of course, this ordering can be shifted depending on each individual's needs and lifestyle. :soapbox: :flamer:
Marauder2005
Oh! Look at the grouse!
Its news like this that makes me sick. I'm starting to loose interest in
in the Co.
in the Co.
I better not see a V6 base model tho!
B
bigslim
Guest
I think this is all very funny. Just last week Anne Stevens, one of Ford's VP's answer a question I sent to them in their online telecast. She said just last week that SVT would be looking at new products. I knew by the way she fumbled through the question that something was happening and it was not good. Dammit, I really hate to have two Chryslers but I guess if I want a high performance sedan that is what I will have to do.
MENINBLK
Lumbee Marauder
This can be a sigh of relief for dealerships also...
The 600 SVT dealerships each had to pay Ford $10,000
JUST TO BE AN SVT DEALERSHIP !!!
So now Ford is out of the extra $6M it collected every year,
but it is planning on selling more vehicles through a wider offering.
So now, we can have a HEMI in every Ford !!!
The 600 SVT dealerships each had to pay Ford $10,000
JUST TO BE AN SVT DEALERSHIP !!!
So now Ford is out of the extra $6M it collected every year,
but it is planning on selling more vehicles through a wider offering.
So now, we can have a HEMI in every Ford !!!
marauder307
Jack Ryan Incarnate
dwasson said:
Amen. Truer words hath never been uttered in any form, than these...
The only thing actually stopping me from unloading mine is the fact that I'm a solid 5g upside-down on it...'s what happens when you make bad decisions in your car-buying history (the cars I had before this one). I've already picked out my choices in Charger R/Ts from the local dealer; they've got 3 in varying colors (exact same options) that I'm seriously interested in.
Beat me up if if makes you feel better, but it's pretty hard to deny: Mopar is the ascendant company now. Although...it's interesting to observe: the car mags are implying that M-B's quality has dropped since the acquisition of Mopar.
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JMan
THE Big Ugly
marauder307 said:
Acquisition or confluence? MB quality started to drop off long before the stated confluence. Even the dyed-in-wool Kraut-loving technicians tell me that. I agree Daimler/C******* has stepped it up a notch. Marketing to middle-aged kids with spending power and dreams of their mother's '68 Coronet, or their dad's '70 Bonneville, or their uncle's '65 Continental is a sure thing. Let's not forget though, the C******* is silent in German.
MB and Dodge are equals, so to speak, in the D/C world. A very similar situation is Jaguar and Lincoln. Some models are the same across brands with simple, separating variations (Distinctions.). I hate to see the disolution of American makes but it is happening. Plymouth and Oldsmobile (The oldest NA name plate.) are the first to mind. Talk of axing Mercury came up a few year ago also. We'll see how the new Kermit/Ford upper management decides in the near future.
I cannot imagine they will continue to turn a blind eye to D/C though. That GT motor (Yep, Modular 4.6 24valve.) will fit nicely into the TownCar and the CVPI. They have already beefed up the suspension again on the PI and gone to 17" wheels and 55 series tires. That transplant would add another 60 horses (25% increase.) with similar fuel economy numbers and make fleet managers think twice about swapping to the Charger PP at the higher expense.
My $.02
J
Bluerauder
I probably go back further than you.
I remember when getting a new car was an event. Our fathers were so proud of their new Buicks, Olds, Hudsons, and Nashes.
Now, while cars have become much better*, who can get excited over buying a new Honda Accord or Toyota Camry? OK, maybe some cars a buyer can still be proud of, but the more popular family cars are just people movers.
*Back in the good old days, you wouldn't even consider buying a car that had over 60-70,000 miles. My two owner, 61,000 mi 1958 TBird runs/rides like garbage when compared to my 1994, 128,000 mi TBird LX. I sold my 148,000 mi Lincoln Towncar to my neighbor almost two years ago. He still has it even after it's been back/forth to Florida at least once. Darn car still looks classy.
I probably go back further than you.
I remember when getting a new car was an event. Our fathers were so proud of their new Buicks, Olds, Hudsons, and Nashes.
Now, while cars have become much better*, who can get excited over buying a new Honda Accord or Toyota Camry? OK, maybe some cars a buyer can still be proud of, but the more popular family cars are just people movers.
*Back in the good old days, you wouldn't even consider buying a car that had over 60-70,000 miles. My two owner, 61,000 mi 1958 TBird runs/rides like garbage when compared to my 1994, 128,000 mi TBird LX. I sold my 148,000 mi Lincoln Towncar to my neighbor almost two years ago. He still has it even after it's been back/forth to Florida at least once. Darn car still looks classy.
1 Bad Merc
"Pathetic Earthlings"
It's not the SVT division at Ford that is screwed up but the Marketing/Sales department! Those are the departments where heads should roll!!!!! The lack of advertising, promotion, etc. is non-existent for any type of high performance car that Ford has brought out. How many times have we all seen a "Hemi" performance commercial? How well did they market or advertise our MM'S? I can tell you that I get stopped at least once a day with people asking me what kind of CV is that Marauder car you are driving? 
IMHO the whole marketing department should be let go and Ford should start over! Just my .02.
IMHO the whole marketing department should be let go and Ford should start over! Just my .02.
Bluerauder
CAMaraudin' in Virginia
An event .... ain't that the truth. I grew up in mostly a Chevy-Ford neighborhood. Only a few folks had the wherewithal to step up to a Buick (with the fake 6 and 8 cylinder side vents), Pontiac (with the hood stripes and the lighted indian head hood ornament), and Mercury. Chryslers and Cadillacs were even more rare. Foreign cars were mostly non-existent with the exception of an occasional VW bug, a VW Kharman Ghia, or a SAAB (that I used to call "Scabs"). I even remember that radios and even heaters were options in the cars. The heater was a necessity ... but my Dad didn't spring for a radio until his 1962 Chevy BelAir station wagon.jerrym3 said:
Your are right on the longevity and the reliability part though. We had a 1958 Ford Country Squire station wagon that was nearly completely rusted out in 4 years. Side panels, rear quarter panel, back floor and the rear spare well had holes through to the pavement. That was our last Ford until the 1990's.
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TripleTransAm
Guest
Bluerauder said:
Sounds about right... my dad's first car ever was a 1970 Ford Fairlane (302 2Bbl) 2 door (he had just arrived here after his military service in Africa, and got married in '70). 2 years later, the front fenders were rusted through AT THE TOP (meaning, you could apparently look down onto the top of the fenders and see the wheels!). 1 year later, one of the front wheels departed from the rest of the car as he came to a stop sign... mere seconds away from entering the expressway! He hasn't touched another Ford since.
My 1978 Trans Am, at 109 000 miles, looks considerably more worn than my 80000 mile GTA... you can't even compare the two cars, mileage-wise. I say "looks" because powertrain-wise, the 78 seems to be bullet-proof (which seems logical considering how under-stressed that drivetrain is... Sure, 320 lb-ft of torque off idle, but 400 cubic inches making 180 hp? :sleepy: :sleepy: ). However, when I got the '78 the motor was an unrecognizable ball of sludge, whereas my GTA is still free of leaks 18 years later.
My WS6, at 55000 miles, still feels like a brand new car. (In total honesty, it feels infinitely tighter than my 19000 mile MM#2!)
These ARE the good old days... enjoy them before we're forced to endure another period of low performance like the 70s.
marauder307
Jack Ryan Incarnate
I was under the impression it was an acquisition, but...eh...I guess it's just semantics. I'm always up for semantics...huh, huh, huh....
I dunno if MB really views it that way. Not taking issue with your statement---it's your view, and you're entitled to it---but from my perspective, I get the vibe that MB really just views DCX as their bumpkin American cousins.
"Verrry interestink, but stupit!" as Arte Johnson would say. I dunno...could be just my perception of it all.
Your last line has stimulated a couple of thoughts. Gonna post another thread...