R.I.P. Ford

[davidc4430]

Sad day for Ford Manufactoring in Australia

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-07/ford-closing-its-australian-factories-after-more-than-90-years...

To the many workers over the many years, thank you for doing australia proud.

To all those who stood by and did nothing to stop this from happening, a great big RASPBERRY!

[lind9650]

They are not going to stop producing cars. They are going overseas for cheaper labour like so many other Australian manufacures have done.

Money and profit for the shareholders is the driving force.

I have watched for almost 60 years how Unions have driven wages up and up, without thinking that everything else will go up in price as well and the extra bit of pay did nothing to make life easier for the working mans families.

I am very sorry for all those people who are being forcd to live on the dole.

Erica

[davidc4430]

well i have a chicken or the egg thoughts on unions vs prices.

have prices risen because unions demand fair pay for workers and get better wages as a result?

or do unions fight for better wages for workers to compensate for price rises in general?

the fact large and not so large companys close businesses in one country and move production to a country with lower wages and other costs cant just be lobbed onto unions. the first world shouldnt be taking advantage of second or third world countries.

that to me is where the problem lies, we accept these companies and let them do this, all the people who buy the stuff we once made ourselves but are quite happy to buy knowing there are workers working for low wages in sometimes apalling conditions so we can have our stuff cheaper. i include myself, i buy the cheaper imported stuff, i'm just as much to blame.

ok, ive never had a new car, but i buy clothes and electrical goods made in these other countries.

[joz*garage]

the average common 6cyl car wasn't up to scratch anyway

pre 80s were good honest reliable cars though

[joz*garage]

'bout the only thing decent i heard is the ranger, but that's a mazda really isn't it?! LOL

tweaked for aussie conditions

[davidc4430]

on the plus side of the loss of manufacturing of fords in australia is the importing of the mustang,

i do like that car, yumm yumm

[chameleon54]

---

@joz*garage wrote:

'bout the only thing decent i heard is the ranger, but that's a mazda really isn't it?! LOL

tweaked for aussie conditions

---

 The Ford Ranger is a Mazda BT50 with different front grill and wheel caps.

I,ve got a mazda BT50  ute. Its OK. but certainly not the best ute I ever owned. Its a hi lift 2WD extra cab model. . No option for LSD when new. WHAT THE !!!  ( how is that tweaked for Australian conditions ). The radiator is made out of plastic. It cracked at 140,000 km. and slowly lost my water. I was too slow picking up the rise in Temp. and had to put another second hand motor in. That cost $7000 by the time I finished.

Its now done 270,000 km. and is pretty clapped. Plastic headlights pitted and cracked, seats split and worn out, clutch slips under heavy load, plenty of rattles and squeaks, knobs falling off. Basically as soon as I can afford it, its going to be replaced by a Mitsubishi Triton. Ive had a few of those over the years and found them very good.

I,ve got a Mazda 6 car as well. Not all that impressed with the build quality of that either. The Ford Falcon wagon we owned before these vehicles was a much better built car. I do actually miss that one.

I also miss the black 2 door XM Falcon Coupe I drove around in as a lad. Red interior, fold down seat to get into the back, huge doors, lowered springs, chromies.  Now that was a car. Ahh Happy days.

When I was 17 I purchased a Ford XP ute from the estate of an old farmer. He brought it new when he retired and sold the farm. He lived in a retiremernt village and just toodled around the town in it. It was in great condition with the original tonnua cover and no rust.  I drove the ute for 6 months until the rego ( 6 digit numeric plates LOL ) ran out and then parked it up on blocks in an old stone garage with wobbly wooden doors on my fathers farm. That was 45 years ago and the father is gone but old stone garage with the  wobbly wooden doors and the ute inside is still there. I stop in and check on it from time to time. Its probably about time I dragged it out of the old shed, tidied it up and drove it again.   

[joz*garage]

i've been browsing for a X-cab ute 2wd for some time, read a lot of reviews & heard the ranger is a better option that has quite a lot of differences to it's mazda bt 50 rello, and gets a good rap

just a search to give you an idea..

http://www.drive.com.au/new-car-comparison/ford-ranger-v-mazda-bt50-20151209-gljceu.html

i'd consider a late second hand ranger if a petrol engine was available

so i've narrowed my search down to a V6 hilux 

[so many old fords i owned i wish i had the opportunity to store!]

"I was too slow picking up the rise in Temp. and had to put another second hand motor in. That cost $7000 by the time I finished."

didn't your car give you any indication it was over heating? faulty temp gauge?

[serendipityricho]

Hi Joe---my favourite (and only) son just purchased a Ford Territory Turbo.

Its the FPV-F6X model-only 538 made--has brembo  brakes all round-leather seats

and lots of features not in a standard model.

Does 0-100km/h in about 6 seconds-been some bad reports in the past-

-but its what he wanted.

Only 3 for sale at the time-needed to fly to Sydney and drive it back.

Richo.

[joz*garage]

G'day Richo

Sounds alright and with only 538 produced that makes it an instant collectable

i read when retro cobras came out some bought two or more then sold 'em off for a profit!

i don't have much data on the territory, but i know they're not much different to falcon sedans, dubbed falcons on stilts.