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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  You have to learn how to drive this car - 2014 Ford Fiesta
  By David Dawson - November 30 - 2:38 am

  Okay... does this car stutter when you drive it. No. If you learn how to drive it. It takes time as the car learns how you drive and you have to learn how to drive it. If my wife and I switch drivers it does stutter. It never, ever stutters for me. Not at all. The trick is to be assertive. That doesnt mean floor it. That means to step down a tiny bit harder than you normally would. If you get a stammer you do not back off the accelerator as you would normally do... you press down about 10% more and the stutter will immediately stop. When you accelerate to get onto the highway you want to do that assertively. That means you press down the accelerator to 40% and let the car move through the gears without changing the accelerator setting until you reach 4th or 5th gear. It will be very smooth if you do that. Eventually the car and you will learn and youll have a smooth ride every time. In exchange for learning how to drive you will get between 40 and 50 MPG on the highway. You will get between 30 and 40 around town. I fill the gas tank twice a month (and it only holds 14 gallons). Yes, you may have been fooled when you bought this car. It does not have an automatic transmission. NO. If you expect it to act like a conventional automatic transmission you will be disappointed. It wont, it is a manual transmission and it absolutely acts like one. If you learn to drive it properly, learn to work with its limitations, you will find it is a nice, little, pretty, INEXPENSIVE car. You have to learn to love it.

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  exceptional truck for being almost 20 years old - 1996 Ford F-250
  By Aaron - November 30 - 12:28 am

  The 7.3 turbo diesel is excellent tied to the 5 speed manual transmission. The drivers seat is comfortable after 200k while the interior is like new for its age. awesome heat in the winter and cold factory ac in the summer. Owned for 3 years after purchase replaced turbocharger, glow plugs and o rings on fuel injectors, waterpump and fuel lift pump. Would recommend removing ebpv on turbo as it sticks in the winter which can cause your turbo bearings to go out as did on my truck.

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  A piece of crap - 2015 Ford Fusion
  By CRM - November 29 - 9:59 pm

  The electronics of the car is shorty and cheap. Ford will do nothing to rectify the situation. They are liars and act as if they are trying to fix the issues, but they really dont care. Do not buy a Ford from Germain Ford in Dublin Ohio. Anything they cant figure out, they say its normal. I will never buy another Ford again in life. I wouldnt even accept a free one, thats how much I hate Ford.

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  217k and still going - 2001 Ford Escape
  By JCR - November 29 - 8:38 pm

  3.0 V6 XLT. Bought it new with leather and towing pkg. Has 3500 lbs towing capacity which was best in class then. Still getting 20 mpg city and 25-27 mpg hwy. Great suv even by todays standards. Heard some horror stories with the transmissions on this vehicles I serviced my transmission every 50k no problem!

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  Good car, Good Price - 2004 Ford Escape
  By Andrea Gonzalez - November 29 - 2:04 pm

  I bought my car because I wanted something with a little more space when I had my child. Its perfect with kids and car seats, enough space for everyone to be comfortable. Ive always trusted Ford because with the exception of the older "Exploders" theyve made great cars. My car isnt an exception. It has 165,000 miles and it still runs pretty good. Only complaint is leaking oil, but aside from that, its been pretty reliable. Alternator went out recently, but thats to be expected. One Ford trait, is blowing coils. Two days after I bought it, at 140,000 the coils around the spark plugs blew,which caused a misfire. Could have been a pricey fix other than being married to a mechanic.

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  reliable vehicle - 1999 Ford Escort
  By john - November 29 - 9:53 am

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  Consider other makes or another Ford product - 2014 Ford Focus
  By eric ericksen - November 29 - 1:29 am

  While I bought my 2014 in March 2015 it has continued to have issues with transmission and lurching forward or rolling backward. Cant have car that rolls backwards in San Francisco with its hills. Then if its on a steep hill and you accelerate it wont go... Same with merging from stop not freeway traffic or bridge. Not a safe vehicle and especially on freeway. Horrible resale value and because these are used as rental cars the market is flooded with them.. I paid 23000 for a fully loaded one with leather, heated seats, navigation... I traded it in with 9000 miles at Ford dealer on an Escape and was given 12000 for trade. If you buy one buy it used as no matter the mileage a less than 1 year Focus will cost 11-14k.. It did get very good mileage in its defense the interior quality was excellent ..

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  LEMON!! - 2012 Ford Fiesta
  By E. Lucero - November 29 - 12:05 am

  I purchased a used 2012 model from my local Ford dealer as a graduation gift for my daughter in 2013. This car has been nothing but trouble almost from the start! We have had to take the car in for constant service due to the ongoing recalls associated with the clutch, transmission and door locks, and still the car is not up to par. Thank god for warranties! We finally had enough and traded this lemon in for a Fusion hoping for better luck this time around, and peace of mind knowing my child is driving a safer car.

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  Focus transmissions are bad - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Do not buy Focus or Fiesta - November 28 - 3:12 am

  Do not buy. Period.

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  Nice SUV, Bad build Quality - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Vince - November 27 - 10:02 pm

  I bought the 2015 Titanium Edge a couple weeks ago. The car is very nice and rides well, but the fit and finish is very poor. I had to get trim piece on back door replaced due to severe misalignment with rear window trim. The upper section of the driver door is severly misaligned with the rear door while the middle and bottom sections are aligned. There is what looks like a N shaped defect in the leather trim in backside of passenger front seat. The passenger front drink holder has a constant rattle when a drink is in it. There are two spots on outside rear passenger side door that seem to be defects but look like dents. I choose this car over other brands because of its comfort and features, but did not catch these things before buying. I spent nealy $40K and regret purchase due to these issues.