MyFordDreams begins 27 month test drive of Mercury Mariner!

Ok not a test drive, but a lease. After months of shopping for a good deal I've traded in my trusty Mazda 3 sGT for a 2010 Merucy Mariner I-4 Premier 4wd. I went back to the dealership where I bought my very first new car 22 years ago, Smith Cairns of Yonkers New York. My salesman Frank made it one of the easiest purchases I've ever made.

My opinion of the refreshed Mariner/Escape/Tribute is a matter of record here, the only flaw is the lack of 4wheel disc brakes. The level of luxury and technology are both fairly high, especially at this price point. I was joking with my salesman Frank that when this lease is up, Ford should finally have the new Kuga based Escape/Mariner replacement out. That may be no joke. And if FoMoCo can SYNC up those dates, then that's what I'll do.

Now to learn how all my new toys work! I've got to learn the SYNC system, load up my MP3 and USB Flash Drive with tunes, then select which Sirius stations I want to listen to. The ambient lighting is actually kind of cool. But over the next 27 months I'll also give my day to day impressions of my first Mercury.

Yeah, it's hard for me to believe, but with all the FoMoCo products I've owned over the years, this is the first Mercury I've ever had.

Where the hell has MyFordDreams been? Don't worry folks, all 3 of you, I'm back...

As any regular reader will know, I'm not an Automotive Journalist by trade, although high horsepower, high rpm equipment is a regular part of my life. And I haven't posted anything since August 24th, but I'm back and I'll be posting more soon enough. Here's a brief glimpse into my life, I'm an Engineer, not like The Auto Prophet mind you, I'm more like the Casey Jones type of Engineer. And over the last few weeks I've been involved with a work project that will be ongoing over the next year or so, the redesign and retrofit of my powerplant. So, bear with me folks, life is complicated for those of us who don't get paid for this. For those that may be curious, that pic is me standing in front of a Steam Turbine, 600 hp that runs between 1500 and 48oo rpm, one of three we have in our plant.

I've also been trying to retrofit myself in a way. I've been on a diet and am quitting smoking, so no crap or I'll twist your head off and ... oh never mind, I'll be fine, no need to fear the blogger.

In September I did manage a little down time, even dragged my pastey butt to the beach. Damn kids kept trying to drag me back into the water, but what can you do.

I am happy to read all the good news about FoMoCo, the uptick in sales caused by Cash For Clunkers, the new product ramping up, the public perception improvement of the company, it's all been very promissing. Not so much over at Auburn Hills, Chrysler is in a world of hurt with no light at the end of the tunnel in my opinion. Guess that's what happens when you build truly boring mediocre cars and get bought by the taxpayers and Italy's house of crap.

It's my opinion the Chrysler won't last five years, the new Ram brand is obviously an attempt to position Dodge trucks for future sale. Jeep will get a new home also, but you can kiss Dodge and Chrysler goodbye. Another pair of "orphan brands" for the history books.

GM will survive, they'll even be fair competition for Ford, but they'll never be the giant they were. And looks like Japan's GM (Toyota) is in for a world of hurt as well. Of course all the Japanese are worried about Hyundai ( and their in house little buddy Kia )

But oveall I'm happy with the direction Ford is moving in although I see room for improvement ( that's sort of what I do .)

CARS aka Cash For Clunkers was a wild ride, but it's over and I didn't scrap the Ranger

So, like many Americans I took note of the CARS program, more commonly known as Cash For Clunkers, and was actually persuing a new vehicle under this program. Mine was a complicated deal initially, because I did not want to scrap my beloved Ranger, but instead trade in my beloved's Isuzu Rodeo. That was not going to work for a number of reasons.

Then I decided I would part with my Ranger, see it put to a miserable death and scrapped.
But fate had other plans for me and the Ranger. My dealer and I couldn't meet in the middle on a couple of details and I walked.

Now I've advertised the Ranger for sale, not scrap, but to a "good home" for "market value".
I've checked Kelly Blue Book and NADA sites for the estimated value of my Ranger and have actually gotten a couple of nibbles. I decided to get the Auto Check report from NADA, it's half the price of the CARFAX, in case any prospective buyers don't believe my claim of 57,670 miles on a truck that's 10 years old.

I'd love to sell my Ranger to a good home, then go back to the dealer that didn't want to honor my Xplan pin and see if he's so confident that he's going to get full price for the silver Escape.

In the end, it was an experience, not just for me, but for our nation. Pundits are kicking the can around the block, bitching and moaning about the program and every media is looking for the latest opinion and factoid. I still think that it was a good program, maybe not run very well, but out of the billions of stimulus dollars flushed this year, it's the only program that the average citizen could actually feel a benefit from.

I'm working long hours this week and waiting to hear if this fellow wants to buy the Ranger, but I'll update as I can.

MyMercuryDream?

First I'd like to thank MF my friend from Dearborn for the Xplan pin, much appreciated.

It looks like today we're going to give the Mariner a second test drive and if all goes well sign on the dotted line. We're taking advantage of the CARS program (Cash For Clunkers) and trading in our Isuzu Rodeo (Ranger is in too good shape to be scrapped) and combining that with the Fed program and FoMoCo incentives means that this is a great value.

While it's obvious I'm biased toward FoMoCo products, I did my due diligence, researching available vehicles and incentives on small SUVs, CUVs and Wagons from Jeep, Dodge, Chevy, Chrysler, VW, Honda and Subaru ( as well as Ford, but more on that later.) End result? The Mariner is the value leader among them, when combined with mild incentives and the programs I'm taking part in (CARS & XPlan.)

The Mariner drove well in the first drive, the interior was very nice and there are a ton of features I really like. One thing I haven't seen in years, but was a real plus, was the two way opening hatch, where either just the window or the entire liftgate open depending on what you need to load/unload. The one deficiency that jumps out is the lack of 4wheel disc brakes? The Ford/Mercury twins were the only ones that didn't even have this as an option.

Traction Control, ABS, full compliment of Air Bags and the RSC (Roll Stability Control) offer a level of safety and confidence that help aleviate the nag of rear drum brakes. The tech goodies and amenities make the Mariner a near luxury vehicle at a more reasonable price. The 2.5L I-4's 25 mpg and 171 hp have the power and economy balance I'm looking for and the Smart 4WD will help in bad weather.

I've spec'd all the major options, Moonroof, Sync, Power and Heated everything, Dual Zone A/C and Stereo, so this is no stripper. I didn't opt for the DVD Navigation, I've never needed it, with my natural navigation skills, but a Tom Tom or Garmin GPS can be had for much less.

The one surprise was that with all the same option boxes ticked, the Mariner comes up $600 less than it's Ford Escape twin. That and my dislike of the Escape's egg crate grille were the tipping points for the Mariner.

I'll blog more about my adventure with this purchase later this weekend. This will be my first Mercury, I've owned quite a few Fords and even 1 Lincoln over the years, and my mom and dad each had a Mercury over the years, so I'm looking forward to this.

The one downer is that my Mazda 3 sGT is going away, but I'm just thinking of this as MyFordDreams doing my part to stimulate the economy and support the home team.

The wheels are spinning in my head. possible new car in my future?

So, with no Internet on vacation and some down time I got to thinking, not always a good thing.

My quiry was this, would this be a good time for me to take advantage of several programs and trade up while reducing my monthly payments? Let me lay the foundation, I currently have 2 vehicles, 1999 Ford Ranger XLT with 4.0 V6 and 4x4, plus 2006 Mazda 3 s GT. The truck is paid for, the Mazda is more than half paid, but I'm paying insurance, gas and repairs (minimal luckily ) for 2 vehicles. Now, the Ranger as much as I love it is a prime candidate for the CARS program, more commonly called the Cash For Clunkers, it's 10 years old and gets poor fuel economy. So, I went to Ford's CARS site to see what I knew, that if I were to scrap the Ranger I would be eligable for up to $4500 if I picked a vehicle that got better milage.

Yesterday, after enduring the long drive back to the New York Metro area from Cape Cod, I started tipping and tapping at my keyboard and checked KBB and NADA values of the Ranger, both pegged at aproximately $4300, so the $4500 scrapage is very fair. I also checked the Federal website and noticed that beyond the $4500 I may be eligable to apply the further scrappage value of the truck. But let's just assume the $4500. What to buy? Well after a lot of thought I settled on the 2009 Ford Escape Limited with the I-4 and AWD. It's 175 hp may not be impressive, but the Ranger has 5 less and the Mazda's 158 does fine. My racing days are long over. The Escape's MPG rating of 19 city and 25 city is less than the Mazda's but very livable.

Life's a compramise and I need the following qualities/features in my next vehicle;

I-4 engine for economy

AWD for winter driving

Wagon style versatility for hauling and people moving.

I'd like the following as well

Moonroof

Heated Leather seating

Premium CD stereo

and since it's a Ford Sync.

I'm thinking that if I do this, I can get one vehicle that will fulfill all my needs and save me a few bucks every month. After the CARS and Trade In of the Mazda my monthyly payment should be about $40 less per month and since I'll be paying for Insurance on only one vehicle you can add about $90 more to that.

The only drawback to the entire thing? No Manual Transmission available with the AWD.

Research has only begun on this idea, I need to shop the competition, see what's going to be a better price with comparable options and see if I can get the Manual with AWD anywhere.

Do I stay Ford loyal ? Keep an eye on these pages over the next few weeks as I explore my buying options.

Back from vacation, getting back to MyFordDreams

I've been on vacation and didn't have Internet access while out on Cape Cod. Sure I could have trudged up to one of many locations with free WiFi, but it was a vacation to get away from everything. But I'm home, and going to be getting back to blogging. I've got some observations and comments based on my vacation and interaction with a lot of very interesting folks.

I don't usually mention what I do in social situations, the Auto Blogging or my day job. But this year there were a lot of situations where friends and aquaintences started talking about cars and the auto industry and I couldn't resist adding my perspective, especially on several important subjects like the "Quality gap perception" and marketing towards the LGBT community.

I like to keep MyFordDreams about the cars and avoid "social issues", god knows I've got flack over the years when I've touched on certain issues. But this years trip opened my eyes and the eyes of those I talked to.

I go to Provincetown at the tip of Cape Cod a couple of times a year with a big group of friends and most of these folks are LGBT folks. And you'd be surprised how many of them are real car enthusiasts. Some of my friends are real gear heads, restoring classic cars and modifying and personalizing their newer cars. Many have brand loyalties based on perceptions of quality and on real life performance. Some LGBT folks buy vehicles based on how community friendly they percieve the company to be.

Some of my friends never knew I write about the industry or of my passion for FoMoCo, but when they found out they wanted to know my opinion on the perception of quality of the "Big 3" versus the competition. I was encouraged that MANY of them knew and appreciated the fact that Ford was the only domestic auto maker that did not take Bailout Money or declare Bankruptcy.

I was talking to one fellow who was a native of Dublin Ireland, now working in Germany, and vacationing on Cape Cod. Our conversation was enlightening, because it was one of those rate moments when I was able to get a European perspective on Ford. His insight on how well Ford does in Europe confirmed what I've known for years, that Ford truly is a global company that can compete market by market with a completely comparable lineup, that in many segments is class leading. His comments on the European view of Ford in the US unfortunately were not as favorable and all too familiar to comments to folks I've known that own Honda/Acura, Volkswagen and other foreign competitors.

Over the next week, I'll try and post some pieces that will flesh out these conversations and hopefully dispell myths on all fronts. Myths like Ford quality is so much worse than that of foreign competition. Myths like Ford is a company that is not LGBT friendly. Myths like all LGBT folks drive Miatas and Mini Coopers.

So, while I've been silent these last 2 weeks, I'm hoping that you'll come back for these and more opinion pieces.

Trying to "follow" the Fiesta Movement, but it's sooooo stupid sometimes

Ford's "Fiesta Movement" campaign, is it working? The idea was to get 100 Euro-Spec Fiestas in the hands of "Agents" who will get the car free for six months and help promote the car ahead of the US intro next year. Young "Tech Savy" hip kids who'll jump through hoops and Tweet the hell out of it.

Tweet, FB, YouTube, what ever their choice, they'll use the "Social Networking" sites to generate buzz about the car. And in an effort to "follow" I myself have joined FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube and even LinkedIn to see how they're doing. I "follow" a couple of "agents" on several sites and of course Scott Monty FoMoCo's guru of Social Media on Twitter. But I'm not learning much about the Fiesta at all. I'm seeing cute/funny kids making stupid videos of themselves, sometimes with friends sitting in the cars and giggling. I'm reading reports about "stolen" Fiestas, that weren't really stolen, just impounded because it was parked illegally.

Ocassionally there'll be some video of the kids playing with the SYNC system, but it's never informative in any real substansial way. These "agents" are promoting themselves more than the car. Several are comedians, actors, or just Idiots as in the case of the Brooklyn New York agent.

I tried to have an open mind about the entire thing, I really did, but how many cars are going to be sold because of the "Movement"? Will the 100 agents buy them? Some of these folks didn't even know how to drive a stick shift until they were handed the keys.

Now, to be fair, there are an additional 40 or so press cars that are being assigned to journalists and "Mommie Bloggers" so that they can write about their impressions. Ford is also aparently doing this with the new Hybrid Escape and Fusion, the Mommie Blogger thing anyway.

Does this generate any real buzz? I know I'm a little light headed from watching stupid YouTube videos and reading stupid tweets and blogs, but dizzy doesn't equal buzz.

Well, that's not fair or true, I do know that several Agents have appeared on local TV stations, on morning shows or local news, so I guess there is some buzz to it, but what about the Internet?

I'm not making any friends by writing this and crushing any hopes that Ford would ever let me drive a new car. But let's face it, they weren't going to before this anyway. I'm a man in my 40's who's not interested in putting my mug on YouTube or being someone's dancing bear.

Sorry about the "Weasel" thing Bill...

So, I was looking to see who is looking at me and I noticed there was a visitor from Livonia MI and it was someone from FoMoCo. And they had done a Google search for Bill Ford that landed on my post about CNN Money's profile of Alan Mulally. Cool huh? Yeah, maybe not so cool, because in that post I mentioned that in the past I had referred to Bill Ford as a weasel.

Well, I was pissed, Ford was making stupid moves and watching market share drop. I haven't called him a weasel in at least a year. I'm not going to shine his shoes, but I forgive him.
Let's hope he's got a sense of humor too. On the road I'm going to be keeping a close eye in the rearview, making sure a squad of hitmen in new Lincoln MKSs don't try and put me in the ditch. My little Mazda3 wouldn't be much of a match.

Good to see recent visits from FoMoCo, maybe if they'd dropped in back in 05 or 06 they'd be closer to their "Way Forward" and profit? Not to be too smug, but a lot of what Mulally's doing is what I said back then.

The Mustangs you see when you don't have a camera! Damn!

So, today is a beautiful near summer day and I was out running errands this morning, when I come to a red light. I hear before I see a row of SVT Mustang Cobras and other modified pony cars and as is Murphy's Law, that's when I realise I've left my camera at home. Doh!
It was 9:30 am and the road was empty as 20-25 very nice examples of Dearborn's greatest rolled by me. The sound of Superchargers and tuned exhaust filling the semi-industrial area with music to my ears.

I had even bought a small digital camera like this one just for this type of thing.

But dumb me I brought it in the house to download some photos from a party and left it on my desk.

Big Thanks to fellow bloggers!

Over the last few weeks as I've been resurecting MyFordDreams I've recieved advice and assistance from several of my fellow Automotive Bloggers, The Auto Prophet, Brian of RaecDriven.com and Gary of TheGarage and while I've sent individual thanks to them via e-mail, I'd like to take the time to publicly thank them and advise you to check their great blogs linked on the sidebar.

When I started in 2005 there was an explosion of Automotive bloggers, some who've fallen along the way. Today some of those guys are professionals at AutBlog, Cars.com and other mainstream sites. But even the mainstream writers would take a moment and help out the non-professional guys. Dave Thomas of Kicking Tires @ Cars.com started the Blog for Auto Bloggers and there were notables from Jalopnik and AutoBlog there as well. There was a real sense of community. And there was a thing called the Carnival of Cars, a weekly roundup of the Auto Blogging highlights. If I'm not mistaken this had been handled by various guys over the years, including Gary of The Garage, The Auto Prophet and Mark Tapscott.

There have been low points to blogging, like when "Splogs" would scrape content and repost it on sites designed to generate income with no original content. But there have been high points as well, such as when Bill Daschele, a graduate student did a survey and wrote about the auto blogging scene. And we've even been mentioned in a book on corporate blogging by John Case, which I mentioned a few days ago.

Some guys get paid to do this, many of us do this out of passion for the subject. I've recently started to attempt to monetize my blog, by accepting advertisements. I've even tested the waters of partnering with a professional site. There will be improvements to MyFordDreams and some minor changes ( maybe even some major changes) but it will still always be My Dreams and there will always be some level of personal passion about it.

Again I'd like to thank The Auto Prophet, Brian V and Gary G for their assistance and encourage you to check their pages as often as possible. And in a shameless plug for myself, tell all your friends about MyFordDreams.

In this economy the slogan Buy American, isn't just a Protectionist rant

Over the years many people including the media have made the slogan "Buy American" seem like a Protectionist phrase spouted by Right Wing loonies and Pro-Unionist. But in the new reality, it's actually more important than that. We're all reading the stories about Chrysler Bondholders and now GM Bondholders who have been "holding up" the process of getting these companies back on their feet. But let's examine who some of those bondholders are, not all of them, some of them. It's you and I folks, it's our Pension Funds, Annuities and Retirement portfolios, even if you didn't check the box saying I want to invest in the auto industry. Even if you drive a Honda or Toyota or BMW, you have money invested in the domestic auto industry, like it or not. And let's not forget that with Chrysler and GM you're going to be defacto part owners as well.

It's not Xenophobic in these times to say Buy American, it's common sense. And I don't want to argue where the "American" cars are made or that foreign makers like Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and Mazda, among others make vehicles here. I'm going to make this argument very very simple. Do you want to retire? Do you want that 401k or Pension to be worth even half of what it is today? Well, then suport the domestic auto industry and in turn help yourself.

Nobody cries foul when told that most cars sold in Asian countries are made there. Nobody shouts "No Fair!" when we hear that in Italy Fiat is very popular, or that Renault and Citreon/Peugot are major players on their home turf. Is it any surprise that Volkswagen is doing so well in Germany? No, of course not, around the world, other people realize that by buying domestically produced products they're supporting their own economy. And that's true even if a German buys a VW made elsewhere or an Italian buys a Fiat made in Poland. The money, the profits go back into their domestic auto industry and their government coffers in the way of taxes.

So, you buy what you want, I don't care. But my next vehicle will be a Ford. Not just because I love Ford, I've owned Chevy, Honda, Chrysler and Mazda products over the years, but because I want to be able to retire with something and I'm hoping beyond hope that GM & Chrysler will pay back some portion of their loans. I'm hoping that I won't have to work until the day before they put me in a box. I'll buy American so that I can enjoy something over a "Developing Nation" lifestyle in the future.

Still want a Prius over that Ford Fusion Hybrid? Good for you. I KNOW Ford's quality is on par with foreign automakers. But hell, even if it wasn't, just like those crazy Yugo lovers from Eastern Europe, I know I want to retire with something.

I know I can seem tough on Ford sometimes, but it's tough love

It's like a tough love here at MyFordDreams, there's no doubt I love Ford, but from my criticism some could get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to tear them down, I'm trying to put a fire under their rear. So, let's talk about what I look forward to over the next few years.

I'm looking forward to the new small cars like the Fiesta and new "global" Focus. There has been talk about a new Ranger that will be coming. I'm thrilled about this. Rumors have been that the Fusion and Mondeo will merge in the future, another great thing. The true globalization of Ford's lineup looks like it's well underway.

Ford's advancement of new technologies like EcoBoost and further development of their Hybrid program are all great. Ford's increase in quality over the last few years is a plus. There's a lot to look forward to. But when can we expect an IRS in the Mustang?

Unlike professional journalists and bloggers I don't have to pull my punches out of fear that I won't get invited to test drive the latest and greatest. I already don't get invited. I have the freedom of a true Ford Fanatic to say it like I see it and how I'd like to see it.

Sometimes it's a good thing to be the little guy that nobody cares about.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it's not about the cars..

A couple of years ago I did a series of pieces about the AFA boycotting Ford.
I caught flack for that in the way of emails and comments that I would not publish.
I then made a serious effort to keep it about the cars. But, sometimes, just sometimes it's got to be about more. Sometimes it's time to take a stand. And I stand for what's right.



What will you stand for?

I was mentioned in a book?

Strategies and Tools for Corporate Blogging By John Cass (Amazon link in title) mentions me and my blogs? I'm actually surprised. I remember several years ago helping a grad student who was doing a research paper on blogging, maybe it's the same guy? I read a Google Books preview and learned some things that I hadn't known. MyFordDreams predates TheCarConnection, LeftLaneNews and several other more famous blogs.

The Auto Prophet and Brian from RaceDriven.com are mentioned as well. And here we are all still plugging away. So while AutoBlog and Jalopnik are the heavyweights, it's still nice to know I've gotten noticed over the years.

New page to cover e-Bay auctions

As you may know from earlier posts, I've opened an e-Bay account to sell some collectibles, like the baseball cap signed by Carroll Shelby pictured above. And so I've added a new page to the MyFordDreams family (linked in title) MyFordShops, so I can post pics and details of those auctions.

Not all items are auto related. Like this item which is a picture disc of the BBC series Dr Who.

I've watched Dr Who since I discovered it 1976. It was on the air from 1963 to 1989 or so and they've re-established the franchise with the new series and spin offs.

What can I say, in this economy we're all doing what we can to stay afloat, MyFordDreams is no differetnt. I'm sure you've noticed that I've started to accept advertisements on the blog. All auto related and sites that I feel would be a benefit to my readers.

Don't worry, I'm not going to compromise the integrity of my blog. I'll still be giving you all I have to say about FoMoCo. And with this new page, I won't be blogging here about the auctions.

Coffee time with the FIESTA MOVEMENT videos on YouTube

So, after a hellish week, working 12 hour overnight shifts at my real job, how do I spend my relaxing Saturday morning? Why sitting in my boxer shorts with an extra large Dunkin Donuts coffee ( the best! screw Starbucks) watching Fieasta Movement videos on YouTube.

Ok, so you didn't need that visual, well some of you may have, but most of you are now weezy at the thought of a middle aged stocky/hairy man in boxer shorts. Well, I've always said, I'm not Jalopnik or AutoBlog. Sometimes you get a glimpse into my life. Not much, just a teaser.

But seriously, I've been anticipating the Fiesta for a long time, check check my archives here and at http://myforddreams.blogspot.com and you'll see for yourself. And I got up way too early, so it's coffee and feeding my Blue Oval addiction.

When did I catch the Blue Oval bug? Why am I such a Ford Fanatic?

Every now and then I do these personal nostalgia pieces, sue me, I'm just a guy and this is just my blog. It would be cool if I was AutoBlog or Jalopnik, with the latest news and great pictures, but it's just me. So, I was thinking, I do that a lot, about how did I become such a Ford Fanatic?
I was born in 1965, the fifth child of a middle class Irish American Family from New York City. And the very first car I ever rode in was a Ford! My parents bought a 1963 Fairlane the year before I was born and we had that car until I was 5 or 6. I guess that could be part of it. But my dad wasn't a gearhead, he didn't even drive when I was very little. My mom always joked that she was the one that drove away from the church when they got married! By the way, that was in a 1957 Ford ! Being born in Washington Heights it was not that common to have a car in those days, but at one point before we left for the suburbs our family had 2! And of course they were both Fords.

Being a family of 7 with the Fairlane was fine, except when we do our family vacations with all the lugage. So, every summer my dad would swap cars with his brother and we'd take his 66 Country Squire to various places from Plymouth Rock to Gettysburg. And that's when I fell in love with Country Squires. Weird kid huh? Most little boys would be wanting the Mustang or Corvette, I wanted the big woody! Uncle John's was black with the wood of course and blood red inerior. And Uncle John's good friend and neighbor worked for Ford at the Mahwah New Jersey plant! And later my cousin John Jr Worked there. And I'll never forget cousin John's 66 Mustang, he was always working on that. Both my grandfathers were Chevy guys, go figure?

And then in 1972 or 73 my Mom bought our first Pinto! And again I fell in love. And you're thinking I'm crazy now aren't you. Well, I love Pintos and don't care what the world thinks. In the late 70's my dad bought a 73 Pinto wagon used from our neighbor and I was hoping that would be mine someday. But my older brother got it and by the time I was driving it was gone.

My parents had started out Ford owners but over the years drifted, buying GM and Chrysler vehicles. Like many dads, mine got on a Slant-6 phase, buying several Darts/Valiants and even talking both my sisters into Aspen/Volare territory. But back to me, my first Ford was a 1967 Ford Fairlane while I was in High School, by this time we were suburbanites and a multicar family was putting it mildly. Over the years most of my family strayed from the Blue Oval path even I did a couple of times. But I've had at least 9 Ford vehicles, including my own Pinto, a 79 that I learned to drive stick shift on. Lots of fun there.

I became such a hardcore Ford guy it was driving my poor parents mad. At one time I had 4 Ford products in their driveway, 77 Versailes, 78 T-Bird, 88 Festiva and 91 Mustang LX 5.0, not to mention the Chevy Truck I had. And you know how it is, when you have old cars, the hood would be off one of them and my tools were all over the garage. I think the ultimate expression of my Ford fanaticism was in 1998 When I made my personal Hajj to Dearborn and the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters. And while I did go to the Henry Ford Museum and other points of interest, I really mean the Headquarters building. It was a 2 day drive, stopping in Cleveland half way and I dragged one of my best friends, who's not a car guy. And I made sure I actually went into the building, went to the company store and bought a bunch of crap.

So, I guess it's in my DNA to a certain point. I only learned recently that my mom's father worked at a Ford asembly plant when he first came over from Ireland. But it was also environmental, with so many family members driving Fords. Ford has always been part of my life. Ok maybe now it's an obsession, but I haven't elevated to stalker level. I mean it's not like the local Ford dealer has a restraining order against me or anything. But I would explain why just over 4 years ago I started these blogs. Why I started "dreaming" so to speak. For a while I dreamed of an 05 Mustang. But I've always loved all Fords.

With my damaged DNA, this would represent the ultimate Ford, if you stuck an SVO Mustang drivetrain in it that is. It would combine my love of the blue oval, Pintos and Coutry Squires.

How cool would that be? A sleeper Pinto Squire with SVO power!

And so I blog, and hopefully someone reads.

To tweet or not? What the hell

I'm a bit of a dinosaur really. Not that tech savy. But, I have been blogging for 4 years now and I've fallen victim to other "Social Networking" services. I have a FaceBook, but not associated with this blog, that's just for friends and family. I have a MySpace page for this blog, but I'm not too active on there, except my addiction to the stupid games. And now I've signed up for Twitter? I don't have a mobile device. I have a cell phone, hell I have two, one for me and one for my job ( the real job that pays the bills.) But there are a couple of people or networks I'd like to "follow." I'm interested now in the Fiesta Movement, after the car was stolen.

Slowly I evolve? If anyone wants to "tweet" at me, it's myforddreams look me up?

This was what pushed me over http://mashable.com/2009/05/18/ford-social-media/

Shelby cap has a proud new owner!

About 2 weeks ago I decided that since funds were low I'd have to sell the centerpiece of my collection a commerortive baseball cap for the 2006 Hertz special Shelby GTH Mustang that was signed by Carroll Shelby himself. I never wore the cap, didn't want to damage it, so it sat on a shelf surounded by my die cast cars collecting a little dust. Well, the e-Bay auction ended Saturday night and Monday around noon I shipped it off to the winner.

So, I got a little curious about who bought it and looked at their e-Bay profile.
And it looks like this hat went to a very devoted Mustang fanatic. His purchases over the last few months imply that he has a 2006 Mustang and he's tastefully personalizing it with accessories. It's even possible that he has a Shelby GTH.

I hope he enjoys the hat, but really feel better knowing that he's a true blue oval fanatic!

A "Real" truck? You bet your ass!

Just feeling nostalgic about my Ranger. It just celebrated it's 10th birthday and only has about 57,000 miles on the odometer. I remember when I first got it, some people I know asked why I didn't get a "real" truck, meaning a full size truck. And my rather crude response was that I didn't need a big truck, because I had something else big. Childish, I know, but I laughed.
But the Ranger is a real truck. I've been able to do almost everything that my associates with bigger trucks have with theirs. I don't own anything that I tow, so no need for massive towing capacity needed. Most of the people I know don't tow anything either. I've filled my Ranger with over 1.000 pounds of various payloads with no problem at all. I've driven through a couple of blizzards on unplowed roads and not got stuck. Hell, one time I used it to pull a tree out of the way when it fell at work. So, it's a "real" truck.

And it's been very very reliable too. I was thinking of all the repairs it's needed over the last decade. And that has been limited to a brake job every two years and I replaced the tires a couple of years ago. Oil changes every 5,000 miles and a new air filter when I bought the new tires. That's it!

We here at the MyFordDreams ranch are a multi vehicle household and the love of my life has a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo, with triple the mileage, so a direct comparison one not be fair. But I will mention that last year when the Rodeo was up on the lift for yet more work, the mechanic pointed out the extensive rust on the frame and major suspension components. So, I decided to crawl under the Ranger and compare. The difference was like night and day. Both trucks have been in the same area all of their lives and neither garaged regularily. But the Ranger has just minor frame rust, and no suspension rust.

Did I mention that in 10 years it's still on the original shocks, clutch etc..
A few dings and scratches, as befits a "real" truck.

I'm going to try and keep it PG here, but I'll say this, you don't need a big truck to get the job done.