[Shotimes] (OT) The T-bird is gone...

[Ron Porter]

Disclaimer: I'm not a Ford cheerleader, but I'm not a Ford-hater,
either.....

FWIW, I don't believe the '02-'03 model snafu had ANYTHING AT ALL to do with
sales of the car. If all of those cars were '03s, they would STILL be
sitting on the lots.

The new T-Bird is a rather specific vehicle for a specific market. And it's
not enthusiasts. Plus, since the only difference between an '02 and an '03
was the engine HP, I'll bet that difference appealed to maybe .01% of the
potential buyers.....or maybe like 3 buyers!

The market for this car is not one that gives a damn about the motor. Plus,
when you are talking a number of lease buyers, the difference between an '02
and an '03 does not matter at all.

On a personal observation note, I have seen what happened to the new T-Bird
at my local dealer. Skalnek Ford in Lake Orion is a small dealer. I almost
bought my '99 SHO there, as they "had" to take a '99 SHO to get the
allocation of trucks they wanted. I suspect (judging by the lot space) that
50% of sales is trucks-SUVs, 30% used cars, and 20% new cars. Anyway, their
first new T-Bird was in the showroom with a "Do Not Touch" sign etc.
Throughout this past winter, they have had anywhere from 1-3 new T-Birds
sitting out in front of the showroom in the cold & snow!! They have two out
there as of this morning! 

This has told me that T-Bird sales have been in the toilet since the initial
frenzy died down.

Disclaimer(2): if they put the Cobra 390 HP s/c motor in it, I "might"
consider one!!

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Don McKinnon (AST)
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2003 7:55 AM
To: SHOtimes (Team.net)
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] (OT) The T-bird is gone...


Once again it shows Ford at its best...

The decline in sales can be traced partly to a momentum-sapping production
delay last year. Ford engineers were late in delivering an upgraded V-8
engine for the 2003 model Thunderbird and Lincoln LS sedans.

Because of the delay, Ford continued to build the 2002 model Thunderbird
through November of last year. Normally, the company would begin building
2003 versions in August or September.

The result was a glut of 2002 models on dealer lots, with many still unsold.
According to J.D. Power and Associates, it's taking dealers an average of
five months to sell the 2002 Thunderbirds, even though the company is
discounting the models.

"We made a mistake," Lyons said. "If I could do it again, I would have just
stopped building the Thunderbird for a month or two. We had people coming to
dealerships saying why do I want a year-old Thunderbird."

Don McKinnon
95 MTX - White/Mocha 91k miles
Stage 1 Power Package with Stage 1cams
Canyon Carver Road/Race Suspension
Quaife & HiRevs Competition Clutch


-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Mark Kelley
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2003 9:28 PM
To: SHOtimes (Team.net)
Subject: [Shotimes] (OT) The T-bird is gone...


It didn't last long.

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0304/22/a01-144063.htm

Mark
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