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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  Fun Car, Mostly Reliable - 2001 Ford Focus
  By Helen - June 1 - 10:31 pm

  Ive owned my Focus for 3 years now. Ive put about 20,000 miles on it, and about $3,000 in repairs. I was told that the body is German engineering, and the front suspension is by ford....which is where the majority of the problems have been. Replaced the struts, ball bearings, etc ($1600 and $300-ish), and I still think theres something wrong with the suspension. Also had a distributor problem which caused the car to run at half power (cost about $500 to repair) Recently replaced the coolant reservoir and cooling fan ($380), and am saving up for repairs for an EGR issue (check engine light is on). Car gets about 27 MPG, and is super fun to drive when...it runs well.

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  36 gallon gas tank? - 2009 Ford F-150
  By Tom - June 1 - 6:05 pm

  Its too expensive to fill up with a 36 gallon gas tank with gas almost $3 a gallon it costs me a fortune and have to take a loan outta the bank to afford to fill it up! The stock Goodyear Wrangler tires are wearing funny, took it back to the dealer twice and they just rotated the tires. The stitching on the front seats are coming loose, cant install a seat cover cause the side air bags are in the seat. never got any better than 14.3 MPG

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  love it - 1993 Ford Taurus
  By Nick - May 31 - 5:34 pm

  I purchased my 1993 Taurus GL in September of 2008 from my friends grandma. The car had only 76,000 miles on it. They had a power steering line replaced before I bought it but nothing prior except oil changes. I have had to replace the rack and pinion, and the starter, but other than that its just been routine maintenance. It has the 3.8 liter engine which I love though its sometimes difficult to work on due to size. It now has 91,000 miles on it and I still drive it on road trips and it has always done fine. It gets 21 miles to the gallon city driving!!

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  Nice car for the price - 1999 Ford Contour
  By Leo - May 29 - 10:44 pm

  Bought it new in 2000. Sport SE V6, auto. 95,000 miles motor, transmission still strong, dash pad, rear brake proportioning valve replaced under recall-new pad better quality-still perfect, solenoid idle valve, air conditioning compressor bearing seal had very slow leak-compressor was replaced under extended warranty, sun roof motor intermittent-replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, front brake pads, new battery. Despite these problems this car is FUN. I flush the cooling system every two years and change the oil regular, its had 10 Minnesota winters and almost no rust still! Still has the original exhaust!

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  A nice small SUV - 2006 Ford Escape
  By mjs - May 29 - 8:31 am

  Bought used with 40k on the clock and have put 30k trouble free miles on it so far. Get 25 mpg in every day driving with the 4 cyl. I owned an 03 6 cyl and could only manage 19 mpg. Tires do not wear well and get very noisy. Rotate them often! Seat fabric is awful and stains easily. But it drives nice and is very versatile.

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  Great first car for the price - 1997 Ford Thunderbird
  By Ominous - May 29 - 1:14 am

  Very helpful hint here! Only use supreme with the car. I get around 20 mpg city! I think its worth it. Bought the car with 57,000 miles on it and runs great. The person I bought it from did not take good care of the vehicle but I have. The car is fun to drive and kinda fast. The car is really heavy though. Other than that the comfort of the leather seats and the handling is great. I can take turns at 60 mph with ease. Great car overall and I am planning on improving it even more

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  Got lucky - 1995 Ford Taurus
  By Pleased - May 27 - 11:46 pm

  It seems my Taurus will never die. 265,000 miles and going strong. Not a drop of oil burned or leaked. Have replaced some of the expected wear parts -usually before they broke down. always change oil at 3000 miles. replaced transmission at 230,000. some of the paint is beginning to fail and the interior plastic is becoming brittle and breaking.

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  Still a Ford fan - 2005 Ford Taurus
  By Jackie - May 27 - 11:21 pm

  I bought my Taurus in 2007 with about 40K miles on it. Gas mileage ranging from 15 mpg to 18 mpg. No anti-lock brakes. After about a year I started having problems with the throttle sticking, the car continues to accelerate after I remove my foot from the gas pedal. The pedal is not sticking. O2 sensors 1 and 4 went out and the car misfires and occasionally stalls when backing up, or during slow turning (like pulling into a parking spot). I was quoted about $400 to replace both o2 sensors, then another couple hundred to diagnose the other problems. Car is getting repod, I lost my job and cannot afford to fix the car.

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  A sleeper - 1998 Ford Escort
  By ford escort wagon - May 27 - 3:18 pm

  Bought Ford wagon 2002 used with 48,000k miles drove it to 155,200k doing courier deliveries gave it to my daughter she drove it for 3 years, then she gave it to grand daughter for college later she gave it to younger sister then the care was sold in 2008 with 243,000, this car is still running only routine maintenance tires brakes timing belts tune ups

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  Good value - 2007 Ford Fusion
  By AL - May 26 - 6:03 pm

  I just purchased this used with about 35,000 miles on it as a 3 yr. lease return from Enterprise Car Sales. Paid a little over private party value at $13,786 as a "certified" vehicle. No negotiation type dealer. I took the car on a two day road trip and got 29.5 mpg. In town shows 22-24 mpg after 1000 miles of driving. I live in the mountains of Oregon and it handled the road nicely. Looking forward to testing it in winter time driving with the awd. The car shows no signs of rattles or problems and checked out with the inspection report the dealer provided. I was looking at Subarus and this looks like a great alternative at a better price.