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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  I currently own a 1985 - 1990 Ford Mustang
  By ThatGuy - August 26 - 3:27 pm

  I am the second owner of a 47K mile 1985 5.0 LX vert. I love this car, i have a chevy Volt i drive daily and have this as a weekend nice weather cruiser. The car has a bunch of upgrades and a few things removed, because at this point it is a classic and will never have to be smogged again. The car by todays standards is horribly inefficient, extremely unsafe, and the fit and finish from day one was terrible. They rusted the day you left the lot, and there are not many left that are either original cars, or were looked after there entire life. The convertibles suffer from chassis twist due to torque, and there are quite a bunch of them out there that are permanently bent. What makes these cars great is the simplicity, anyone can pick up a cheap set of tools and wrench on these cars, the parts are cheap, and with less than 1000.00 you can put together a junk yard 500+HP build. Mechanically they are pretty well bulletproof, and are very simple to fix when they break. These however are not cars you buy to daily drive any longer, unless you are a kid, who has the time to work on them weekly to fix things, and does not care about safety or fuel costs. All this being said, the sound of the old small block 5.0 is intoxicating, the grunt when you lift off the clutch and the gear engages, and the RPMs rise is what draws the motor heads to these cars, and the reason mine will be mine until i die. Here is a brief list for anyone checking reviews for a Fox body mustang they want to buy.. 1. They rust, but the worst places are generally at the lower portions of the strut towers where the weld is to the frame rails in the engine bay. If they are rusted, unless this is a low number car like an original Saleen, i would just walk away. 2. The Rear main seals are notorious to leak, this is a cheap part, but you have to take the tranny off to get it out, so be prepared for a new clutch, and all the additional parts that will likely need to be replaced.. 3. Valve cover gaskets were cork, they are probably shot too.. 4. Intake manifold gaskets leak out of the rear, generally leak down the rear of the engine and look like a rear main seal, when they probably arent they are cheap and easy to fix for even a novice. 5. Oil pan gaskets leak, these are not fun to change.. Generally have to lift the engine about 3in to clear the cross member, and you dont want it to continue to leak, it will burn off the collectors off the exhaust.. 6. Every vacuum line under the hood is likely dry rotted by now, you will likely have to re-plumb every line, or make the choice to go carb and get rid of all the clutter of lines. 7. Body rust, if it is a vert, keep in mind that doors are nearly impossible to find, so if there is rust in the doors, i would just walk away. 8. electrical.. Most of these cars if they are stock have a solid electrical system. 9. exhausts, although they were stainless, they are likely also shot by now, i needed to replace mine, and it ran me about 1100.00 to do it the right way. 10. Convertible tops are 1200.00 11. Convertibles should have frame connectors installed, this will stop the flex, and the rattling.. Its worth doing. 12. suspension, most of the parts for the suspension are cheap, easy to find, and easy to replace. Aside from the listed items above, anyone looking to buy one of these should check the forums first as they generally have classifieds of these for sale, and most of them listed on those sites have been well taken care of.

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  gotta have it green retirement dream car - 2014 Ford Mustang
  By Timothy Burkholder - August 26 - 1:20 pm

  I have always been a mustang lover since I owned a 69 mach1 when I was 17. I was looking for a perfect vehicle for my retirement, and so I bought a 2014 mustang with the 3.7L v6 and am so happy with it. It gives me the performance when I need it and the fuel economy when I dont. I am getting an average of 26 mpg to and from work. I get so many people looking at my car with the "gotta have it green". I know they are green with envy. Keep up the great work Ford.

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  New Edge Night and Day Difference - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Jeff Cermak - August 25 - 8:28 am

  We traded in our 2013 Edge SEL and opted for the 2015 Edge Titanium. We are very impressed with the new design both inside and out. Our new Edge is as quiet if not more than my mother in laws 2015 BMW X5. The ride quality has improved even with the optional 20in Tires. I know people gripe about the My Ford Touch, but knock on wood we have never had any issues. The push button controls are a nice alternative to My Ford Touch. The engine provides more than enough power for us in the hills in and around Pittsburgh. We are still under 5000 miles, but continue to be pleased with our purchase. I would definitely recommend this to friends and family.

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  I Love this Car! - 2013 Ford Focus
  By Nile - August 24 - 6:21 pm

  Okay a lot of people harsh on this car because it had a clutch recall, but seriously people if you take your [non-permissible content removed] to the dealrship the replace it for free! For free people! Once you have that done the car is great! Mine gets in the 40s mpg. I drove a round trip from Salt Lake City to the grand canyon and got 43.5 mpg average. The bluetooth system rocks! Its so great taking calls hands free! The car is zippy and I have driven it through a blizzard in the middle of Wyoming. When I traded my subaru for this car I was a bit timid. In fact I named my focus subi in hopes that some of my old cars reliability would wear off on it. This is by far the best car I have owned. I have put 40,000 miles on it in one year and it has treated me so good through it all.

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  Couldnt be happier with this machine - 2005 Ford Expedition
  By Cason VanDriel - August 23 - 10:13 am

  We bought ours 15 months ago, but weve put 24,000 miles on it since we bought it. Couldnt be happier. Vehicle looks sensational. It performs flawlessly, and it is an absolute pleasure to drive. Id been looking for a Lincoln Navigator, but when we saw the King Ranch interior, we were hooked. We had to look a while to find one in mint condition, but it was worth the wait. That leather is so beautiful! The car had 59,000 miles when I bought it, and I immediately ordered a set of WeatherTech floor mats to keep the pristine carpets in their excellent condition. I also purchased a Ford OEM transmission pan with a drain plug in it. I replaced all fluids with synthetic, and I hope to keep this car for many miles and years! We also found a set of mint 22" Harley Davidson F150 wheels for it. Looks sharp! Finally, we tinted the front windows to match the rear. The car has been very reliable. Not a single problem. Sound system is superb. DVD player has been used only once. I wanted to have it, just to have it, but we never use it. The middle row in ours has 2 bucket seats, and this feature is wonderful. It makes getting into the back seats very easy. One major feature of this vehicle that sold us on this over a Tahoe is the 3rd row seating...... the 3rd row occupants sit comfortably with plenty of leg room, and a flat floor. In a Yukon, their feet sit above the differential, and this makes for very awkward seating for all but small kids. In summary.... weve been totally impressed with our big Ford. I love cars and do all my own maintenance. I have been over every inch of this car, just to familiarize myself with it, and in my opinion, this is a very well built vehicle! Highly recommended.

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  Black and Gold - 2014 Ford Mustang
  By William Herold - August 22 - 7:40 pm

  First new car I ever bought for myself, V6 Premium with Pony & Comfort Package, Black with dealer furnished Gold Le Mans stripes. Constantly getting comments from people that think its a V8. Ive owned a bunch of 1st Generation Mustangs, including a 68 GT/CS, & 3 - 70 Mach 1s. This isnt fastest Mustang Ive ever owned, but definitely my favorite. Its my daily driver and Ive put over 32,000 miles on it already. I took it from San Antonio, TX to Sturgis, SD for the 8th annual Mustang Rally, even there among so many great Mustangs I got a few compliments. My V6 automatic would not have a problem beating a stock mid 60s 289 or 302 2bbl., but I didnt get even close to 30+ MPG Highway and they were lighter weight than current 5th Gen. Mustangs.

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  Not a Ford Escape, it is a Mad Max Desert Ship - 2006 Ford Escape
  By Aaron Harford - August 22 - 7:07 pm

  My goodness people, I wont ever get rid of this SUV. Cali and the Mojave desert several times, 206,000 miles and still strong. I feel like its a member of my family. You cannot go wrong. Meat and potatoes, but so reliable you just cannot go wrong. I do not want a new one. Ill just get a factory engine and transmission replacement.....if it ever so happens I need it. It will probably outlast my body. lol.

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  Great car - 2005 Ford Focus
  By Matt - August 21 - 11:37 am

  I bought this car new when I was 19 and it never failed me. Outside of regular maintenance I did not have to do anything else. Nothing broke or stopped working and I traded it instead uear for a 2014 Focus ST.

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  Worth the cash - 2015 Ford Taurus
  By taurus87 - August 20 - 3:32 pm

  This car is best ever. I purchased the Taurus because was in the market for a Ford found this car be best in handling and drives smooth. The interior design nice with every available option in its class has lots performance. Sync system works fine as dashboard interface also a plus Taurus superb fast with a 3.5 liter engine seems like a jet driving this vehicle. I am over 62 the car interior door panels and drivers seat both comfortably best w/out feeling miserable sitting behind the wheel of car all best. Love new looks of Taurus not sure if a new design coming late this year or early next year but like this generation from 2009-2015 the body styles are best Ford ever made on this car. I love every piece of metal on my Taurus from interior design to exterior looks with LED lights and performance out on the road highly recommend it being best vehicle ever worth the money buying especially doing end of year savings looking for a car with prices slashing down bit cheaper.

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  Great college car - 2005 Ford Focus
  By no noburt - August 20 - 1:50 pm

  Im in college. I was gifted this car. It was the bare bones model. It had an engine and tranny with the stock radio. The manual windows and locks were annoying but they worked. I replaced the radio and drove from 88K to 120K until i was rear ended and totaled. It gave me 0 mechanical problems. It ran and had A/C. It was great. It looked like shit(due to previous owner) but it got me everywhere with no problems. It was loud when going 80 on the turnpike but I didnt care. I had a radio to listen to. My passengers dealt with the the rear seats so I cant vouch for them. Comfortable, fun, great steering, great brakes, good mpg, good on tires. Would buy again