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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  Great car! - 2001 Ford Focus
  By Chayse G. - November 5 - 8:52 pm

  I got my blue 2001 Focus ZX3 for free, it needed an idler pulley, and it ran well! It may have the occasional stall and rattle, but it runs well!

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  Always attracts positive attention. - 1997 Ford F-350
  By Dave - November 5 - 7:57 am

  The truck is a tank! I have been asked to sell it at least a dozen times, very popular body style (1997 - last year of the real truck look). The truck is a power house and is bullet proof. Ive towed large boats, trailers with 6000 pound tractors, etc... with ease.

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  Great car for a great price - 2010 Ford Fusion
  By Vincent Nicotra - November 5 - 7:19 am

  I have owned this car for two and a half years now. It is a great. Extremely reliable. It is fast and has great control in the snow and rain because of the all wheel drive. Would buy again 10/10. It looks cool and sleek and I always get compliments.

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  Good for what it is, dont expect a luxury car. - 2014 Ford Focus
  By Evan Waller - November 4 - 9:46 pm

  I have owned this car for the past 10 months. I did my research on this vehicle before I bought it and I knew what I was getting myself into by purchasing the DCT transmission. Not going to lie this car absolutely sucks in traffic. It lurches and lunges along however Its the best car ever on the highway. My job sometimes has me commute a lot all over the city (and state) and the car is very smooth on the highway. Acceleration isnt an issue and it gains speed quickly (quickly enough to merge and pass cars safely that is). Ive put on close to 15 thousand miles on it so far and I still really like it. I have the SE hatchback (in the very nice Tuxedo Black) great for hauling all the stuff I need. The back seat is very small but I rarely have people sitting back there for long so space isnt an issue. It also does surprisingly well in the snow. Being from southern Ohio I had to drive it in a lot of it this past winter and not once did i get stuck. I get great MPG and average 32 mixed driving (mostly city). I have learned to live with this car and I hope the car will last as Im ok with the DCT quirks but Ive heard mixed reviews about DCT reliability in general.

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  Great Truck !!!!! - 2004 Ford F-150
  By Pete Holden - November 4 - 9:06 pm

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  the white beauty - 2010 Ford Mustang
  By Maria - November 4 - 6:59 pm

  All these cars have a problem with the AC compressor. Ford should recall on this part because is a problem with all the 2010 mustang and is very expensive.

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  An Engineers Perspective - 2011 Ford Edge
  By R. Eads - November 4 - 6:00 pm

  I bought this car new. My wife drives it primarily. Its now traveled just over 55,000 miles. We have owned mostly SUVs and trucks recently so this was our last venture into the land of unibody, transverse engine mounted vehicles. Overall, Im very satisfied with the vehicle. Its outstanding features are in the technology it brings to the segment. The adaptive cruise control borders on magical. It is very hard to fool and is very able to sense lane changes and switching of lanes. I find it very impressive and it makes long drives across interstates from state-to-state-to state a breeze during construction season. You set the distance between you and the next car. You set the speed. It keeps the distance and life is great. The Sony sound system is very good and the bluetooth integration is also great. It seems much more adept compared to GM, Toyota, Nissan, and Dodge/Fiat for the same year and then some. My edge is AWD and the torque vectoring is exceptional in keeping the vehicle aligned. With good tires, the vehicle does exceptionally well in snow, better than classic SUVs. Even a Jeep Grand Cherokee seems less capable in a snow/ice scenario than does the AWD Edge. Ford gets high marks here. From a reliability standpoint it has been excellent. There were two warranty items. First was the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM). Ford issued an extended warranty on this module. It started acting flakey, the display would dim on its own. It was replaced at no cost. The second item was the brake booster. Again Ford issued an extended warranty on this item (up to 150,000 miles) it was replaced at no cost. The brake booster fail resulted from a failure in the rubber diaphragm of the brake booster. I suspect that the fuel tank vapor recovering lines that connect to the intake manifold are also tied to the vacuum supply for the brake booster along with the intake manifold. This loosely ties the fuel system to the brake booster system thus allowing fuel condensate to accumulate in the brake booster. Alcohol in the fuel is no friend of synthetic rubber materials in your vehicle and may be the ultimate root cause of this failure. The resulting failure manifestation is a very stiff brake pedal that gets stiffer over time. I would not be surprised if this leads to a recall as it is a potential safety issue. To me, neither of these two problems would be deal breakers if the question was "would I buy another one?" knowing what I know now. I would buy another one. I think it has many strengths for the price point and the things it does well (AWD, room, comfort, sound, technical aids like BLIS and Adaptive Cruise), it does very very well.

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  Get the Drivers Assistance Package - 2015 Ford Edge
  By Johnson - November 4 - 12:14 pm

  Waited from May order until September build and October delivery in order to obtain Drivers Assistance package on a Titanium Edge with 3.5 V-6. After a five hundred mile freeway trip, I am very glad I did. It is a wonderful workload reducer and safety feature. Really a fine enhancement to a comfortable driving experience. Also like the blind spot alert and the drivers wheel alert shudder when straying out of lane. Got 25.1 mpg on the freeway and looks like it will be about 19-20 overall. The car is a comfortable five star that was over my initial budget, but glad I went for it. We have aged up and now need safety and comfort more than value.

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  Buy something else! - 2013 Ford Fusion
  By Carly - November 4 - 8:36 am

  I bought this car( brand new) after doing my homework... Thought it would be a great investment. So I got it fully loaded seeing that I planned on having it a long time. Well two months in the problems started... Fuel system was failing. Replaced it. Then recall after recall they kept showing up. Needless to say I was starting to get annoyed. Then the horn and speaker died and check engine light kept coming on. Car only had 15,000 miles on it. Finally the damn transmission started acting up... Shifting so hard I felt like I was driving a stick shift. Took it in. They reprogrammed it.... No change. Took it in again before it started getting cold (drives even worse then) and they gutted the transmission replacing everything and fixed MORE recalls. Then the doors wouldnt lock because of bad wiring. Didnt chance it took it back. The car drove nice for all of 3 days before the hard shifting started again...not even 20,000 miles on it. Just a shame. Dont get stuck paying for this lemon people... Ford can take it back.

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  Hopefully your car isnt mine. - 2015 Ford Mustang
  By Peter Wells - November 4 - 7:35 am

  The 2015 Mustang GT is finally a sports car. The removal of the solid rear axle was the best thing they could have done. The rear end hop has been eliminated which has taken a drag racer and made it into a touring car. The stock ride is surprisingly comfortable for the driver and passinger. Both have heated and air conditioned seats the driver has lumbar support and I dont know why they didnt put one in the passinger seat. As always the back seat is more of an ornament than anything else. Child seats or a few grocery bags is really all that youll be able to use them for. The power and sound is great for a stock car but Id like the exhaust to be just a bit louder. The headlights and signals are top notch I have the adaptive cruise control system and its been problematic. The automatic windshield wipers will suddenly come on for no reason and the adaptive cruise control shuts down in heavy rain and ocasionally for no reason at all. It claims the sensor is blocked. The remedy is to pull over and restart the car. The adaptive cruise control is operated by a radar head mounted below the grill and it also serves as a colision warning system. It beeps and puts a red bar on the windshield. Having that shut down during a rain storm is not something you want to happen. The interior far exceeds previous standards and it isnt a plastic rattle trap that weve come to know and love. It has plush parts now and real metal. The navagation screen is sharp and large enough to read. The home screen can be reconfigured with personal wallpapers of anything you want. Unfortunately the leather on the passinger side dash started to bubble on the inside front corner. Ford had to replace the entire dashboard and the replacement dash has done the same thing. Two dashboards before the first scheduled oil change is a bit much. The car handles well even in normal touring mode. There are 3 steering modes and as far as I can tell they just decide how much power steering you have. By putting the pedal to the floor the tachometer gage will turn red at night when you touch the red line. I havent used the line lock feature and probably wont. New tires are expensive. The car comes standard with W rated tires and I personally feel that they should change that to the Y performance rating. The car is very responsive and I have broken traction once on a tight curve. When these tires wear out I will be replacing them with a Y rated tire if for nothing else better traction. The convertable top has an insulation layer that reduces road noise and makes for a quiet ride. I can recommend this car over the Camara and Challenger. The Camara has 1.2 more letters but you only gain 20HP. The Camara isnt as comfortable to ride in and has less features.