Caps94ZODG

Just wondering...running down the line..
Mercury Maurauder?? they selling??
Thunderbird?
Mustang Cobra?
SVT Lightning, and for that fact SVT Focus?
any other mustang..bullit, mach1
stuff like that..and how bout D/C..with the Viper,Dakota R/T and such..
and GM with the F body?? oh wait I forgot WE GOT HOSED TOMMY WE GOT HOSED!
GM dosnt have a factory hot rod..the Vette is selling I know..but thats it..can you get the Silverado SS yet??
just wondering..cus I have seen a **** load of comercials for the Nissan 350Z..and none for anything else?? how you supposed to sell a SS Silverado or anything without commercials?? oreven an SSR??? or the GTO?? we going to see any commercials for that??
I havnt seen any Maurauder TV spots yet..WTF..dosnt the big 3 know commercials SELL cars..hell seeing the WRX commercial with radar love blarring while hes going around the twisties..that makes me go..I WANT THAT CAR!...
wast the Mustang commercial from the first ones the most watched thing on TV when it was introduced?? why dosnt anyone do that anymore..put spots up saying ..in 30 seconds you will see the new GTO stay tuned..

Eric77TA

Maurader is selling OK, I think. I've already seen a few around town, but both of the Mercury dealerships I go by on a regular basis both have one in stock so it's not exactly smokin' hot. Cool car, but pricey.

Moderate. Initial demand has been satiated and dealer gouging turned a lot of potential customers off.

Fast as they can make 'em.

Both limited production like the Cobra. I don't think they'll have trouble selling every one they make.

Bullit was 1 year only. There are waiting lists for a Mach 1. I think it will be as hot as the Cobra sales-wise if not performance wise.

The new Viper hasn't even hit showrooms yet and the complete 2003 production run is sold out - all to previous Viper owners who got first dibs. I don't know how the Dakota R/T sells.

No, the Silverado SS isn't available yet.

I think there will be Silverado SS commercials when it hits the showroom. GTO is still almost a year away. I would look for it to start creeping into Pontiac commercials once the production version is revealed, which everyone is assuming will happen at the NAIS in January. There is a Chevy commercial with the SSR in it airing now.

There's a Marauder TV spot. I've seen it several times.

You'll see GTO spots. Plenty of them. Just wait. Ford sold 22,000 Mustangs the first DAY they were on sale to the public, April 17, 1964. I bet anyone would love to do that now no matter what the car.

RiceEating5.0

Mercury seems to be really advertsing the Marauder. I've seen their ads all over car mags and websites.

guionM

Maurader is selling very quickly. Seems Ford sold a whole batch of them (over 5000) last summer before they even hit the showrooms: http://www.new-cars.com/news/020701-...-maurader.html

Regarding Thunderbird: "Though last-minute production glitches twice delayed it from reaching dealers, the reborn T-Bird was a virtual sell-out for model-year 2002. And sales were right on track for the first six months of the calendar year, running at just under half the 25,000-unit yearly cap. But don't worry if you missed an '02. Industry sources say this car won't change much through its planned design cycle, which is now set to run all the way through model-year 2008." (consumerguide.com)

Mustang & Lightning are highly sought after limited production vehicles. Good luck to anyone looking for one at sticker. I havent heard anything about the SUV Focus yet.

Seems all of Ford's hotrods are doing better than projected.

Evil Turbo SS

There are two thunder turds at the lo0cal ford dealer they will sell them for stiker and they have been there for more than a month. The thunder turd will be cancelled. I give it to 2005 at the longest befor they pull the plug. Slow, over priced, and just plain not all that attractive. Once the new retro mustang hits with some real power and a lower price. By by thunder-turd

guionM

Let me guess.... You think Mustang and Thunderbird buyers are one in the same, that everyone will always buy the cheaper car with the most horsepower regardless of what type of car they want, and that you missed the part about Thunderbirds selling pretty much at capacity?

Oh, and I take it you don't like Thunderbirds either, huh?

Thunder-turds?! How old are you anyway?

Z28Wilson

I'm curious to see if Ford can keep up sales of T-bird if it in fact does go unchanged through 2008...somehow I think that styling will be rather tired a couple years from now, let alone 6.

Evil Turbo SS

The styling is already tired like guionM know-it-none atitude in every post I have ever read from him. Who is Ford trying to sell a way to retro 2 seat thunderbird 2. It hast been in this configuration since the late 60s, I think(2seat sports car). There are not many people who will spend that type of money for a car they have no memory or nostalgic feeling toward. Now add the fact that it is underpowerd, over priced and in many peoples opinions not that good looking (even at sticker). My point is that when the new Mustang is out, it will have a much larger following of memory seekers, hot rodders, car and driver mag types, chicks ect.. A vert mustang w/ retro styiling will take buyers away from the t-bird.

Here are my reasons why the Stang will take buyers from the T-bird
1. More people have fonder memries of the mustang
2. More people will remember the mustang
most people recall the t-bird as a chavelle sized car or the 90s t-bird
3. My guess and MM&FF is that it is a great looking car(mustang).
4. People who would have had to stretch to buy a drop top t-bird will settle for the stang
5. It will offer retro styling in a v-6 price for the looks seekers
6 Anyone who wants performance in all around well built car will leave the t-bird alone.

There are not many people who have to get a fix from the t-bird. The other potenial buyers will move on and dry up. The car doesn't offer much at all. Its almost as stupid as the SSR witch I like but cant justify owning a vehicle with such a narrow level of appeal and performance. If it has 2 seats and a drop top it better move.....

Chuck!

Im not a fan of the Tbird either, but guion has been an invaluable source of info on this board for a long time. I'd hate to see him leave.

MunchE

In English, please.

Evil Turbo SS

I retract the insult.

The t-bird has a norrow market considering it is supposed to appeal to people who remember 50s thunderbirds. The thunder birds I remeber our 80s and 90s ho hum cars. There are many other better built cars in that class that are slow as well such as the clk, z3 audi TT. The car just doesnt offer anything to me and many many other people. It will sell like the prowler just OK.

RiceEating5.0

The new thunderbird is more of a cruiser then a bruiser. I don't think Ford was going for a ballsey performance car that'd target the vettes and vipers when they went out to design/make it. The car is in a whole different niche. I doubt most of us would fit their target market either.

I think it's cool. I think a blown 300hp+ version was rumored not too long ago. I'd like to see the 375hp blown Jag engine in it mated to either a 6spd auto or manual.

guionM

You asked for it:

If you actually took time out to actually check things out before you made your statements, I think you'd be as credible and accurate as I try to be, not to mention alot more fun to debate. If I have something that falls under the heading of opinion, I state it as so. A car's looks is subjective (Aztec notwithstanding). I may not like something, you may not like something. But it's still opinion.

The internet is a very easy place to get information. It's a very easy place to look up such things as for instance, something simple as how current T-bird's sales are doing. If you hate Thunderbirds, thats fine. I prefer the old SC's myself, and I probally will never buy the new one. But Ford is selling everyone it can make despite it's troubled start. It's a success for Ford & I respect that.

Now... let's take the time for a quick lesson on the concept of market segments.

One person want's a fast, performance, RWD coupe. Another wants a nice styled, comfortable, distinctive convertible. The person who is looking for the fast coupe won't be sold on a comfortable convertible any more than he is going to be sold on a Geo Metro. Meanwhile, the convertible customer won't be sold on a high performance coupe. He may be sold on a Corvette convertible if he wants something alot faster, or a Sebring if he's on a budget and simply doesn't care about FWD or speed. The coupe buyer would (if GM was still making them) be a potential Camaro customer, or if he has extra cash, a potential M3 buyer. Nostalgia has little to do with the purchase, since in the case of a 60s Mustang the buyer would be about 50, and with the T-bird, the person would be pushing 60. In both instances, their average buyer's age is much lower. Besides, one would buy an origional. The new T-birds actually cost a little more than a restored orgional.

Thinking that someone who is willing to pay $40,000 for a Thunderbird will instead buy a $20,000 Mustang simply because it's cheaper doesn't show a realistic grip of the concept of "market segments". Ford's Thunderbird capacity is 25,000 per year, just about the same as Corvette. Mustang is currently just under 200,000. Different market segments, understand?

I hope this little lesson and taking a couple of minutes checking 'Yahoo', 'google', 'ask jeeves', or one of the other search sites before you throw firebombs helps you somewhat in the future.

guionM

BTW: Insult retraction accepted.

ProudPony

Not going to turn this thread into a T-bird commercial, but guionM is dead on the money with the "market segment issues and the T-bird as a whole.

The 2002 Car of the Year Award is not just given to a whimsy though-come-to-life. I expect the T-bird will remain a niche vehicle from now on, much as the vette does, and I think it will change in appearance over the coming years, so it won't "die" as many of the retro-haters think. Hunkins stated it well in his post about "classic styling never goes out".

As for production... This article states "Ford is said to have the entire 25,000 unit production run spoken for with customers lining up for next year's build. The basic model with black interior and just the convertible top stickers for $35,495. A fully loaded "premium" model - which includes a removable top with porthole windows, 17-inch chrome wheels, traction control and those special interior colors - is priced at $39,795. Don't expect a Ford dealer with any capitalist blood in his body to let one go for anywhere near that low price anytime soon. Currently, there is an approximately $10,000 palm grease charge if you want any Bird that hasn't found a home yet." Sounds like they are not sitting if they are visible and in the right part of town to me.

Now to add even more meat to guionM's point... in typical FORD style, you offer the LIMTED EDITION versions of the car to get those buyers who want to be really exclusive, like the James Bond Edition Ford is releasing in conjunction with the upcoming movie in which Halley Berry will be a hood ornament . There is also the Neiman Marcus Edition that sold out all 200 units in 2 hours- 15 minutes prior to build. There are several more limited-ed's coming up too from the rumor mill.

BTW, does the average Mustang/Camaro guy hang out in Neiman Marcus to pick up tennis shoes and ball caps? Just a pun on the TARGET MARKET of the T-bird compared to Mustang/Camaro crowd.

It's all good. Peace.