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 - 2000 Ford Focus
  By JMahler1980 - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I think the Focus is a great car for the money. Looking at some of the other reviews made me realize that people get, what they pay for. I have only had one problem with my Focus, and luckily my Brother is a Ford technican, and advised me the fuel pump was being recalled. In a little over a year I have about 50,000 miles on my Focus and am still loving it!!! Ford did a great Job!

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  Could be better - 2003 Ford Explorer
  By SUV girl - September 24 - 2:00 am

  The Ford Eddie Bauer could be a better SUV, Its a boxy truck and just doesnt seem very luxurious, like you would hope for the money and eddie bauer name, light interior is really bad if you have kids, leather seats and light carpeting end up dirty quick, The dealership I worked with and Ford company are great, they both send me little perks and gift certificates to the eddie Bauer stores, but as for the truck I am really not impressed. There is some rear sliding in winter. I also have had problems with the memory seats forgetting the memory, and it feels and sounds like it wants to take off when you braking at a red light on on a decline of a hill.

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  Rattles - 2004 Ford Explorer
  By Don Crocker - September 24 - 2:00 am

  The engine performs excetionally well.The ride is like a car. The Auto 4 wheel works great in snow.Have not tried it on rocky terrain or swamps.Fuel economy is not great. The only problems I have is that it rattles in the back due to build quality.The transmission is slow to kick down to low gear.

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  Awesome car - 1995 Ford Probe
  By shoe - September 24 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car. Great looking and fun to drive. I wish they hadnt stop making it. The interior could be more durable and it is expensive to fix.

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  I Love My GT! - 2003 Ford Mustang
  By Deborah Brown - September 24 - 2:00 am

  It gets great gas mileage on the highways. It handles great as well.

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  T-Bird exceeds my expectations - 2003 Ford Thunderbird
  By WalterZBird - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I then decided to look at a Ford for a third vehicle. By chance, they had a new red T-Bird for sale because the person who ordered it declined to buy it. Well, I tried it out and was really impressed. It had better exceleration and comfort than the BMW 3 convertible I had tried. We could carry on a conversation with the top down at speeds exceeding 70. Every where I went, the T-Bird got people looking at it. Needless to say, I bought it on the spot. Ive had it for a week and cant put into words, the pure joy and exhileration of driving it. I never thought that there would be a car more fun to drive than my 98 BMW Z3.

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  my baby - 2004 Ford F-150
  By Earl Mongtinch - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I love this truck and I would not trade it for a thing.

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  F-150 Supercrew - 2004 Ford F-150
  By joel Franks - September 24 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving pickups for 40 years. This 2004 supercrew is the best of the bunch hands down! Plenty of power, easy to drive, nice interior design and comfortable ride makes this one a favorite. There is no shortage of power. This truck hauled 18 foot utility trailer loaded with a ton of construction equip, not even a whimper. The reduced noise level was super improvement over 2001 Supercab! Seats were a really comfortable, a more firm ride that felt much better and really helped the back after trip of 400 miles. Milage was as expected and advertised by Ford, but comfort, power, quiet ride makes this the best ford pickup I have ever owned.

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  Great for parents - 2006 Ford Focus
  By shovan A - September 24 - 12:33 am

  I am a single mom and I was looking for a car that had room plus good mileage. This is a good car because it has fold in seats in the back to put longer stuff in your trunk. The trunk is large too. The seats have anchors for car seats and you can still fold one side or both sides down if you have a rather large item. I love my car.

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  Great Ride - 2006 Ford Freestyle
  By ptrgreat - September 23 - 4:50 am

  Hey, Im a Southern California Driver and traffic bites, but this ride gets me through it. Rolling down the windows works great when you roll them all down, saves on gas also. Getting like 25 MPG mixed street/freeway, manual calculations, the computer is way wacky with that. I have no problem with hills fully loaded. I found that you have to shift into "L" and she runs with it. The blue looks good at night too.