Current daily’s a 2003 X-Type, and it’s my second one of those. If anything, I at least have a feel for how Jags go as they age. Like, I disabled the parking brake on my X-Type (manual transmission) because I got sick of replacing rear calipers every two months when the arm that engages the parking brake would…

So, this is just one of Scotty’s repair estimates-the truth was multiplied by a factor of four so someone could keep their reputation as a miracle worker. Yes, it’s a rare example of it, but every time I sit on the toilet what comes out is a one-off example.

Seriously have been toying with this as an option as I look to replace my 2003-vintage daily driver.  The 6 still makes a ton of power, and that look is just divine.  

Could have at least done a quick ‘Shop for us, eh?

Cue the Dustbuster jokes!

Neutral: At this point, I’m ready, but the market’s not ready for me. Model 3 (which I really like) and that price range are outside of my budget. A couple of Hyundai/Kia offerings (Soul EV and Kona) look really great, but they’re not available for sale in my state. The Bolt is hideous inside and out. The Leaf seems…

Sad that Jaguar and Land Rover have both fallen so far off the radar as to not even be on the list.  

5th: It’s amazing how putting in the work of maintaining a relationship pays off when there’s the potential for strain in the relationship. It’s true in love, and it’s true in corporate/union negotiations. Ford’s put in the work and tried to at least respect the UAW going back into the 1980s when they actively…

The sad truth is that every time they’ve tried to get religion on that front, they’ve actively made things worse for themselves. The ‘96 Taurus was a fine example: They benchmarked Toyota and mandated “World-Class Timing,” which basically led to them taking a bunch of shortcuts and wasting money because they couldn’t…

I just did the summer/winter change on my X-Type. 17" OEM alloys with summer rubber gave way to 16" aftermarket wheels with Ice-Xs on them. Same story you have-I could easily carry two of the 16s, but the 17s were very unpleasant. Doesn’t seem like there’s that much more metal in the 17s, but they were quite noticeably…

Will these new vehicles featuring these larger wheels also have this badge?

My boss liked her Focus enough to buy an escape.  A buddy of mine liked his old Taurus enough to buy an Explorer.  Brand loyalty’s by no means absolute, but a positive experience with the brand will at least keep that brand in consideration for the next purchase.  

You might, but there are a lot of folks, younger and older, that liked their last car and felt that Eric at The Dealership treated them pretty well, so they’ll go and buy a new car from that manufacturer at that dealership.  

Another “Ford lost us” voice in the choir. My husband has a 2017 Fusion that is likely to be totaled after some heavy vandalism/getting stripped in the driveway. He really likes the car and would consider another one. He has a long commute and doesn’t want to pay for gas in a crossover or make the huge payment on a…

Ford was not losing money on the Fusion.  They were interested in their margin being higher to appeal to Wall Street, and the Fusion, while profitable, was dragging down the average margin.  Fiesta in the U.S. was losing money, and Focus might have been because of the transmission question.  Fusion, though, was not…

It’s like they all think they’re sharing the world’s greatest revelation when they share the X-Type used the Mondeo’s platform, like they found Jesus and need to tell us all about it.  Funny thing is, the X-Type’s about as Jalop a car as they come, especially since later versions did in fact come in a wagon.  I…

The Mondeo was a good-handling car. And I love how people always point out that the X-Type shared a platform with the Mondeo, like that’s brand-new information that wasn’t known in 2003 or that I didn’t know before buying one.  

Thanks! 

It really is fascinating how much car enthusiasts are keen to shit on other people’s rides.  It’s like, I paid $4,000 for my X-Type.  I like the interior, it’s a ton of fun to drive, and it even has a stick-all things that should endear it to this crowd.  Yet here we are.  

Genuine wood, my friend. I’ve pulled and examined pieces from a yard car. It’s a metal backing with a thin wood veneer over it, heavily lacquered.