Overview & Reviews

For more than 100 years now, Ford Motor Company has been selling mass-produced automobiles in the United States and around the globe. Known as one of the Big Three American manufacturers, Ford has attracted millions of loyal customers with a wide range of vehicles that offer considerable value. The automaker's trucks and SUVs have been especially popular. For decades, Ford's F-Series truck has been the best-selling vehicle in America.

The company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. Ford dreamed of building a car for the masses, and that's precisely what he did, most notably with the immortal Model T of 1908-'27. The latter was bought by 16.5 million Americans during its 20-year lifespan and was affordable enough for Ford's own factory workers to purchase. Ford's early years were also distinguished by its introduction of the moving assembly line. It was the first to utilize this more cost-effective method of production, and its innovation became a mainstay of the manufacturing process.

Ford expanded into the luxury-car market with its purchase of Lincoln Motor Company in 1925. Over the next few years, the company broadened its focus even further by creating the Mercury division to produce mid-priced cars. By the late '30s, Ford had unveiled the stylish Lincoln Zephyr, introduced a low-priced V8 engine and built more than 25 million vehicles.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the legendary Thunderbird. Offering sleek styling and spirited performance wedded to available luxury features like power windows and a signal-seeking radio, the car was a huge hit. Another model of that decade, the Edsel, met with a somewhat less enthusiastic reception. In the wake of abysmal sales, the Edsel was discontinued just a few months into its third model year.

Ford regained its footing in the early 1960s with the introduction of the compact Falcon, a model that was warmly received by the public. By the middle of the decade the automaker had given enthusiasts something to cheer about with the launch of the sporty Mustang, a car that went on to become one of the biggest sellers of its day. Buyers adored the Mustang's low price, available powerful V8 engines and sporty styling. The Mustang even created a brand-new vehicle category: the pony car.

By the 1970s, Ford, like other domestic automakers, was starting to suffer the effects of changing consumer tastes and new government regulations. Many of its cars became shadows of their former selves. But the seeds of rebirth were planted in this decade. In 1979, the company acquired a stake in Mazda; this move would later aid Ford significantly in co-development projects. The company also emerged with a new mindset of global competitiveness.

By the mid-to-late '80s, Ford was showing new strength with its popular Escort and Taurus models while further expanding its empire with the purchase of the Aston Martin and Jaguar brands. Meanwhile, its full-size LTD sedan (later renamed the Crown Victoria) remained a staple of taxi companies and police forces throughout America.

Ford rode a wave of popularity in the 1990s, thanks in part to the huge success of its Explorer midsize SUV. The truck played a huge role in ushering in the era of the SUV. In 1999, Ford expanded its family yet again with the purchase of Volvo's car division, and, in 2000, it acquired Land Rover. For awhile, there was talk of Ford even taking General Motors' spot as the No. 1 automaker in the world.

But the new millennium initially saw a downturn for Ford. Increased competition, a continuing operating loss for Jaguar, legacy costs and a reliance on SUVs for profit took their toll. To compensate, the company sold Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo and introduced a wave of successful new products. Models like the F-150, Fusion, Fiesta, Focus, Flex and Mustang have allowed Ford to regain its health and standing as a very competitive manufacturer.

User Reviews:

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  Now I know how "Ford Tough" feels - 2007 Ford F-150
  By FORMER Chevy Guy - April 18 - 9:53 pm

  This truck is a serious machine. Ive driven GM trucks for decades. After being tired of replacing transmissions and large repair bills after 100,000 miles, I decided to give the Blue Egg boys a shot. his truck does not disappoint. I believe the GM might be slightly quicker in 0-60, but put a trailer on the back, and youll appreciate the Fords torque advantage. Guys - Quit wondering! Go get one!

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  Great truck at a great price! - 2005 Ford F-150
  By Jamison Turner - April 18 - 5:26 pm

  I have been completely satisfied with this vehicle from the day I bought it. It is a great designed vehicle that drives unlike what you would think something this big would handle like. It is extremely roomy and will hold five to six adults without a problem.

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  Faststang01 - 2001 Ford Mustang
  By Todd May - April 18 - 1:57 pm

  Bought her in APR of02. The stock power grabbed ahold of me and never let go. Didnt lose a race. I have installed started to up grade. K&N FIPK,75mm throttle body/upper plenum, long tube heders with high flow cats, Flow master cat back,4.10 gears, Hypertech power programmer and Micky Thompsons for the track. This season I have installed a tower strut brace and sub frame braces. For the street I run Good Year 245/45 ZR17 in. tires mounted on Replica BLT 17x9 chrome wheels. I just bought a Gtech performance meter to tell me my actual HP. Ive done some paper calcs. and it was above 300 HP, pretty good for just bolt on mods. Not bad since she started at 260. I love her, my wife gets jealous.

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  Gets me from A to B - 1993 Ford Taurus
  By cheap transport - April 18 - 1:03 pm

  I got this car free from my gramps a few years ago with only 50k miles on it. It now has 110k miles. Replaced the starter, and thats about it. The 3.0L doesnt have a lot of snort by todays standards, but it does just fine. And my ASE-certified mechanic says this engine is one of the better designs out there. He says stay away for the SHO 3.8L, its prone to major issues, many of which require specialty tools and training to remedy. This has been a good commuter car. I wish it got better mileage though, 25- 26 mpg overall (mostly hwy miles). Thats the price you pay for throttle- body FI instead of multi-port EFI though! Body seems to be holding up well against MN winters with salty roads.

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  Exceeds expectations - 2003 Ford Focus
  By P K - April 17 - 11:11 pm

  Bought this car at 1 yr/8k thinking I would sell it in a year or two. But it has been a great car for four years and now 50k miles. It has been reliable and drives pretty sporty for 130 hp. The premium stereo is amazing for a factory model. The interior is larger than you would expect for a car this size when the rear seat is down. I have only two gripes. The brakes have always been squeaky and the gas mileage of the automatic is not as good as you would expect from a small car. Small complaints compared to the value of this car. I have been very happy with this car.

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  Its all good - 2006 Ford Crown Victoria
  By Wiley - April 17 - 6:20 pm

  This car, while not as heavy as a Cad I used to drive, is very comfortable and has excellent vision characteristics, instrutment cluster, steering wheel control of radio and speed control (have added in an iPod which is also controlled by the steering wheel. Have added on a device, which I had to order from England that allows attachment of GPS and/or iPod to a plate that fits onto the dash and beauty strip on the lower dash.. some road noise on concrete use Quite Coast spay in trunk and door panels now very quite, seats good for me 63" and very good on long drives driving or riding a co- pilot very good buy on an excellent used vehicle added on extended warranty and Im good to go & fast

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  Outstanding! - 2008 Ford F-150
  By ETexas1000 - April 17 - 6:17 pm

  I wanted a truck to haul building materials over long distances and looks good while doing it. Thats this truck, and I love it. I added some chrome wheels and accessories, and still kept the pricetag under $26k. Fuel economy is great, I took a 500 mi. trip, and rolled into my destination with 1/8 of a tank of fuel left, and this was with a 1000# load up and down mountainsides! Great truck! Thanks FoMoCo!

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  No Navigation - 2016 Ford Mustang
  By william munn - April 17 - 2:54 pm

  This mustang is the perfect v6 version of the car except that Ford was too cheap to put the sync 3 into this model. Build the ultimate v6 mustang that is great in every respect, and then put an outdated piece of crap like sync that has no navigation instead of the new model sync3. 2016 mustang is a great car. 2016 Ford motor company not so much.

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  But the A/C system (doesnt) blows - 2007 Ford Edge
  By WasAChevyDriver - April 17 - 2:44 pm

  Love the Edge, no going back to my unreliable and mostly unresponsive, GM vehicles. The Ford is great, seems very safe and reliable. Our main issues are the A/C (always on max, not enough air flow from vents to keep you cool in Arizona) and gas mileage (17- 19). The vehicle had 21,000 miles on it when we bought it, should be better. Also, there is a peculiar smell occasionally, smells like natural gas and we see some light wisps of smoke out from the hood area. Dealer says nothing wrong with it. For the price, though, its a great vehicle and wed never be able to buy a Murano here for the same price range!

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  It saved her life, so I bought another o - 2006 Ford Expedition
  By mustang6878 - April 17 - 11:22 am

  We purchased or first 06 Expy Limited in July of 07. What a wonderful machine! It had everything a guy ( and his wife) could want, and with 3 grown kids ( 17 - 22) plus an occasional mother in law, leg room was never a problem. On Feb. 4th in the early morning hours, my wife hit a patch of "black ice" here in Iowa while travelling at 70mph. She will tell you upfront that she panicked when she started to slide, hit the brakes and over corrected her steering. She flipped the Expy ( all 5600 lbs plus a full tank of gas) 3 times down a ditch before landing on its top. Every airbag went off. Rescue workers pried her out, but she walked away. We bought another one when the insurance check arrived!