The Ford Fiesta America Says No!
The brand new Ford Fiesta seems like a good choice for the earth friendly or ecologically aware car owner. It is an agile yet quite capable small car that can fit up to 5 people and can get over 59 miles per gallon.
This new release automobile has one overpowering negative fact. It is not sold in the United states or Canada. It would seem the Fiesta has what it takes to compete with other fuel efficient cars in the US, too bad Ford will only sell it across the pond.
The only reason the President of Ford gave for not selling this car in America is that it would be too pricey to import. Therefore the decision has been made for the Ford Fiesta to take a siesta in the US marketplace.
The main reason for this selective selling is that Fords Fiesta runs on diesel fuel and the North American population does not care for this type of fuel. America’s opposition to diesel fuel is because Read more
Big Three Bailout
Bailing out the big three has been discussed heavily on the Internet. I seem to have a completely different view on the topic. Possibly due to my position in the auto repair business.
So please forgive this sidebar from the water for gas posts, but I would like to express my side of the story.
Big three bailout full disclosure, I should notify everyone that my skewed opinion might be due to my position as a senior fleet service technician. I work for a large local government fleet operation that purchases Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet light trucks and cars.
The vehicles that we purchase are paid for in full using taxpayer money. As an example in 2009 we are scheduled to replace 2,200 vehicles.
As with most United States Government fleet operations the rule of thumb is to buy American. If the big three were to collapse, then this would not be possible. I cannot imagine taking taxpayer money to buy Nissan and Toyota trucks.
It is true that some of these vehicles are manufactured in the United States. But the profits from the sales of these vehicles go straight back to Japan.
I do not think that the American taxpayer would enjoy directly funding a foreign economy. I’m not sure what the numbers are, but I would figure that a large percentage of sales for the big three come from publicly owned fleets.
Quality of the big three products
For the last three years I have worked on the 2,200 vehicles that we are scheduled to replace. We have had zero engine failures, and only minor problems with these vehicles during their three years and 100,000 miles of exemplary service. In my opinion, the quality level of the products Read more
