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

[Donelson Don]

ron

I am not sure about "sales" of the T bird being flat. There is no doubt that at there release they were a extremely popular.

In general sales are still brisk and the T bird is a great car. I drove one for a day and I was very impressed actually. Solid car ... no rattles great body.

I do know this ron some stores will sell T birds better for a variety of reasons. We do real well with the cars not because we are in a big metropolitan area but because we display them well and dont do a bump sticker as some stores have done over msrp.

We still hold to sticker but sold a demo ( owners wifes car ) and discounted it like a 1000.

I know that if ford thinks a dealer has too many T birds on the ground and are not marketing them ford will re-allocate the T-birds to stores like us who do well with them.

dond 



---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: "Ron Porter" <ronporter@prodigy.net>
Date:  Sat, 26 Apr 2003 15:44:17 -0500

>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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