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#61 | ||
3..2..1..
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Bellbird park
Posts: 7,218
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Ah the old export chestnut....
Who exactly were ford supposed to export the falcon to? As we have seen with Holden, and are seeing again, exporting from a country with a strong dollar, high wages and strong labour laws, coupled with moronic govt fta deals, is pure financial lunacy. Ford are nothing, if not shrewd bean counters. |
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#62 | |||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Quote:
Notice how Holden had to spend millions on the VF to make it more "American", only to export it in (projected) lower amounts then the previous attempts...and at a premium price? Notice how Toyota run there local operations at a loss even with exports?
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#63 | ||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Typical business...lol I'm just happy that Ford are still largely their own company, not owned by a government nor a expanding European based brand umbrella...
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#64 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,653
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#65 | |||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Quote:
I never said they were good, I mentioned that Ford have tried, were obviously you think they haven't...
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#66 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Perth, Northern Suburbs
Posts: 4,919
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Quote:
Now, to be honest, I feel kicked in the guts by the Brand I gave my allegiance to. And in future, yes, I won’t look at Ford’s offerings. Do I “blame” them for making a “business” decision? Ultimately no, but I do blame them for not fighting hard enough, for shrugging their shoulders whilst our governments destroyed our auto-industry, and for slowly strangling the Falcon to death so they could claim it wasn’t worth keeping. And so from now on, I will make “business” decisions and buy Nissans or Mazdas. |
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#67 | |||
_Oo===oO_
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 3,305
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#68 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 185
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Quote:
I have always been a large RWD sedan person, of which the Falcon is my favorite. Small cars do nothing for me. If the Falcon is still being produced in 2015-2016 my plan is to get a manual XR6. After that, well Ford will be on the bottom of my shopping list. |
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#69 | |||
Straight Eight
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 2,049
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Quote:
As regards exports... who stopped the Falcon's LHD development? Oh yeah... Ford US.
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The Falcon is dead. Long live the Mighty Falcon. Last edited by Buntz; 12-10-2013 at 05:07 PM. |
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#70 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: In Front of a Monitor
Posts: 1,645
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Can I ask a dumb question?
Was there ever an attempt to sell the XR6T or GT in Engalnd as Holden did via Vauxhall? If not why not?
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2004 Mercury Silver Falcon XR6T - 5 Speed 2017 Platinum White Mustang GT - 6 Speed 2022 Blue Thai-Special for Daily Duties - Auto |
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#71 | ||
Boss 335
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 4,330
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Garden variety AU / BA Utes were sold in the UK under a different badge some years ago. They were called Verte Tempest if I recall correctly. Don't think they sold too well.
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#72 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Cairns, QLD
Posts: 39
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The sad thing about this is our RWD options keep getting smaller and they're the more enjoyable cars to drive. If we lose the falcon and commodore what rwd options are left?. Not that many good options that provide the comfit, performance,space and value.
And another thing, large cars do sell just look around there's plenty of options out there if you want a large car. Ford wouldn't have built the Taurus if they didn't. Why are manufacturers throwing these FWD econoboxes down our throughts? I'm certain they could've built the Taurus and the Mondeo RWD, why didn't they? they'd be more exciting cars if they were. |
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#73 | |||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Quote:
So they can sell more cars that are cheaper to build, a large portion of car buyers don't have a care for FWD v's RWD...
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#74 | |||
Thailand Specials
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Centrefold Lounge
Posts: 49,073
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Quote:
My EL Falcon is RWD and it handles like the Costa Concordia, but a nice comfortable boat with awesome A/C. FWD is just more efficient, smaller package and handles better in crap conditions, done a lot of dirt road driving in my EL and it doesn't take much to catch you out, especially on off camber corners. Granted the EL is old but it is RWD. Last edited by Franco Cozzo; 12-10-2013 at 08:47 PM. |
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#75 | |||
Barra Turbo > V8
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Posts: 25,793
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Quote:
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-2011 XR6 Turbo Ute - Lux Pack - M6 -2022 Hyundai Tucson Highlander Diesel N Line |
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#76 | |||
BANNED
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,886
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Quote:
I've got one that would scare you with it's 720Nm of torque at the wheels. |
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#77 | |||
Render unto Caesar
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: ::1
Posts: 4,221
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Quote:
The Focus ST was only 2.2seconds behind the GT.
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"Aliens might be surprised to learn that in a cosmos with limitless starlight, humans kill for energy sources buried in sand." - Neil deGrasse Tyson |
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#78 | |||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Perth, WA
Posts: 1,308
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Quote:
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Current car: 2016 Ford MD Mondeo Titanium EcoBoost (2016-) Previous cars: 2005 Ford BF Fairmont (2006-2019) 1989 Ford EA Falcon GL (2000-2007) 1982 Ford KA Laser Ghia (1999-2000) |
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#79 | |||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Cairns, QLD
Posts: 39
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Quote:
I have a new and an old falcon, i guess by sorted you mean something like a euro hot hatch? sorry but even with the brand new one's they still can't fix that horrible torque steer and they don't fit the catagory of vehicle i was talking about. Can you show me a mid to large size car that's FWD and exciting to drive cause i haven't seen one. |
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#80 | |||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Quote:
FWD don't over steer? hahaha!
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#81 | |||
Barra Turbo > V8
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Posts: 25,793
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Quote:
I know a FWD car can oversteer, ive had it in my ST and old XR5T
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#82 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,876
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#83 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,216
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On a Ford drive day in 2003 at Sandown I drove the BA series XR8 XR6 GTs etc then I drove the Focus ST170. The ST170 felt like it was on rails while the Falcons felt soggy in comparison.It was 10 years ago I know but it certainly opened my eyes to what excellent suspension & drive-line engineers can achieve. Love my leaf sprung XR ute but am not blind to the obvious.
cheers Bill.
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AUII XR6 VCT ute 20 years and still going strong! |
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#84 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Canberra Region
Posts: 8,941
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Difference is the suspension in Falcons are designed for all of Australia's road conditions., and have always been more on the comfort side of things.
A Focus ST would probably beat just about every Falcon around a track, but a Falcon would be more comfortable on an extended trip on country roads. What do most Falcon owners do?
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2016 FGX XR8 Sprint, 6speed manual, Kinetic Blue #170 2004 BA wagon RTV project. 1998 EL XR8, Auto, Hot Chilli Red 1993 ED XR6, 5speed, Polynesian Green. 1 of 329. Retired 1968 XT Falcon 500 wagon, 3 on the tree, 3.6L. Patina project. |
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#85 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Cairns, QLD
Posts: 39
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#86 | |||
BANNED
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,886
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#87 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Canberra Region
Posts: 8,941
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2016 FGX XR8 Sprint, 6speed manual, Kinetic Blue #170 2004 BA wagon RTV project. 1998 EL XR8, Auto, Hot Chilli Red 1993 ED XR6, 5speed, Polynesian Green. 1 of 329. Retired 1968 XT Falcon 500 wagon, 3 on the tree, 3.6L. Patina project. |
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#88 | ||
Regular Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Cairns, QLD
Posts: 39
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That's a debatable question as everyone will have a different opinion on that, but what i'd like to see is more rwd options as u can see it's my preference but there are fewer and fewer choices becoming available. Take a Holden Malibu for example why not have made it RWD with a small capacity v8, say a 3 ltr, that's something i'd like to see. It's not a bad looking unit but it's an uninspiring car the way it is. I hope that helps you see where I'm coming from. I'm not trying to say all FWD's are crap(they have there place), just they are becoming the only option. As you might know the only small car available in RWD is a expensive BMW1series there is no other option in the small car market and the large cars seem to be going that way as well.
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#89 | ||
Oo\===/oO
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tamworth
Posts: 11,348
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Does a Family car need to be exciting? Something that gets banged up, scratched and has milk and food spilt over the rear seat?
A Falcon XT isn't exciting...
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#90 | ||
FF.Com.Au Hardcore
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 1,573
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I dunno, I'd have more fun driving a base model falcon too the shops then a Nissan patrol
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