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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  Awesome Ride For Our Family - 2005 Ford Excursion
  By SHAWNA - July 9 - 10:05 am

  I love it. We only have two kids so far, but to go anywhere takes a lot of stuff and room for it. This can fit it all and lots more, especially for those long road trips. The diesel engines performance is phenomenal. It is so powerful. Right now we are averaging about 16.5 mpg, and about 680 miles a tank. Not bad considering gas excursions get approximately 7-8 mpg. :-) I would suggest this car to anyone.

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  Ford Probe - 1994 Ford Probe
  By Chaz - July 9 - 4:28 am

  Good car but too slow and too hard to find performance parts. Pulled a 18.5 1/4 mile which is pretty slow but fun and good looking.

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  Glad I made the change - 2016 Ford Edge
  By GD - July 9 - 1:56 am

  Based on myntedt drive, I knew this was the vehicle for me. A very quiet and smooth ride.

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  Consider something else - 2015 Ford Focus
  By Joyce Sykes - July 9 - 1:43 am

  I have no idea where to even begin, but so far with just 9,000 miles on this car, it needs quite a bit of work. The wipers act like rain sensing wipers, which I do not have. The heater when on level 4 acts like it has climate control, which it does not and also likes to come on when I start the car (I shut it completely off when shut off the car) and then it takes five or six tries before it will stay off. I have a belt that squeels when I start the car. The shifting of this car is a laugh as it has more noises that I can count and they told me that was normal. The way this car acts, I am afraid of what will happen when the warranty runs out. I just have the feeling that this car will not be reliable at all. The positives of the car are I like the color (performance blue), I love the heated seats and heated steering wheel. These are the only two things that actual work right. UPDATE 8/12/16 - have had the car a year, has 17,000 miles and it continues to be a problem. Transmission was fixed for about 3000 miles and now makes noise again. Electronics all messed up and dealership cannot "replicate" the problem. I am ready to take the loss and trade this piece of junk in for a Toyota Corolla.

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  My Ford Nightmare - 1999 Ford Windstar
  By Ron Melancon - July 9 - 1:00 am

  I bought a new 1999 Windstar and thank goodness I got the extended warranty. Because after 36,000 miles, every five months something has gone wrong. It has cost the warranty company over $18,000 dollars to date. It is so bad they did not offer to extend my coverage. Now the van has only 80,000 miles on it and my wife wants to get rid of it. Why in the world would anybody produce a car and have it break down so often? Here is some of what happened: 38,000 replaced transmission 42,000 replaced full rack and pinion steering 48,000 new head gasket 52,000 new left ball joint and strut, also checked weird thump on the driver side, did not find anything 58,000 new cold start valve.

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  Great Mustang - 2001 Ford Mustang
  By nelsomc - July 8 - 10:52 pm

  This is probably the best Mustang ever built. Classic, unique and really cool looking. I have made a few modifications for very little money and I can leave all the C5 Corvettes looking at my tail lights. What a great car to drive. It gets attention from kids to grandmas. I only wish the trunk were bigger, but thats my only complaint. I think this model looks better than the new Mustang and will wait to see what the 2007 Bullitt looks like.

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  Its the best - 2005 Ford Freestar
  By Adam - July 8 - 2:42 pm

  I love my 2005 Ford Freestar my kids love the DVD entertainment system and my wife likes how she can start the car with the keyless entry system and just go hop in to her heated seats. I like the 6 disk CD changer also. My kids like that they have some power in the back with the rear controls for the air condition and audio options we also like the electronic 3 zone climate system. Wow there is just do much stuff about it, I like the message system where the car can check it self. But we mostly love the power sliding doors and liftgate the power liftgate is the one feature we use the most because everytime we go to buy something we just open or close it with a touch of a button.

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  Focus on a very good car - 2005 Ford Focus
  By rollinstone60 - July 8 - 12:36 pm

  I am very impressed with the reliability of my Focus. I like the acceleration, and the easy handling. And of course in this day and age the gas mileage. I would buy it again in a heart beat.

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  Poor Gas Mileage - 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
  By enternewid - July 8 - 12:32 pm

  We were getting over 40 mpg the first 4 months we owned the car, then mileage dropped to 28 mpg with no change in driving habits. Took it into Ford and they gave the song and dance that there are no error codes so they cant do any thing! So much for auto mechanics being able to figure out a problem. My guess would be a bad fuel injector or oxygen sensor being bad, but not enough to show a code. I did put in some injector cleaner even though the owner manual says not to. This actually helped and increased the mileage to about 32 mpg average. BFD I can be driving on the straight and level and the MPG gauge bounces up and down for no reason. After buying a new Mustang in 1988 and having injector problems that Ford refused to fix, I told myself I would never buy another Ford. Well I was stupid and bought one anyway.

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  I was sure I was going to own a Tahoe - 2003 Ford Expedition
  By Aaron Burt - July 8 - 10:00 am

  I wanted the 2002 Chevy Tahoe. But my wife suggested we test drive the new Expedition. Externally I thought the truck was better looking then the old style but still not as good looking as the Tahoe. But the interior sold me. I loved not having to take out the third row of seats and that at 61 my knees werent up to my ears when I sat in the third row. Then with the conversation mirror and the flexible seating arrangments plus the ride quality I was hooked.