2012 Ford F-150 – Brad Your Car Guy – F150 Buying Tips

2012 Ford F-150 Features of Popular Mid to Top Trim Levels starting with the FX4-King Ranch-Raptor-Platinum-Harley Davidson  

2012 Ford F-150 – Harley-Davidson Interior – Doenges Ford Bartlesville

First lets take a look at the 2012 Ford F-150 FX4-

The 2012 Ford F-150 FX4 is the 4×4 equivalent of the FX2 but nevertheless features some of the FX2’s core features such as the SYNC In-car Connectivity System, 4.2-inch LCD screen in the center cluster, and the rear window with fixed privacy tinted glass with defroster.

In addition, the FX4 is fitted with an electronic locking rear differential system to aid in all-terrain performance. The FX4 is available in SuperCab and SuperCrew configuration and features two engine choices – the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine or the 5.0-liter flex-fuel engine.

Other FX4 features not found in the FX2 include wheel lip moldings in sterling grey, skid plates, two front tow hooks, the Electronic-Shift-On-the-Fly (ESOF) system, P275/65Rx18 OWL all-terrain tires, and optional P275/55Rx20 OWL all-terrain tires.

2012 Ford F-150 King Ranch-

The 2012 Ford F-150 King Ranch trim level, although not the most expensive among all F-150 trim levels, is a luxurious and high-end version in the F-150 line-up.

Key features include the SYNC In-car Connectivity System, a 4.2-inch LCD in the center cluster, heated and cooled power front seats and heated 2nd row seats, and the Trailer Brake Controller (TBC) system.

The King Ranch is available only in the Super-Crew configuration and is equipped with either a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost Engine or a 5.0-liter flex-fuel engine.

• Other King Ranch features not found in many F-150 trim levels include
• The Dual-zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (DEATC) system
• A reverse sensing system
• A rear view camera
• A universal garage door opener
• Chaparral leather-wrapped front-bucket seats and steering wheel
• With memory power tilt and telescoping, power
• Adjustable pedals with memory
• Visors with lighted and covered mirrors for both the driver and front seat passenger
• A remote start system
• Wood-grain-style trim accents
• Sony AM/FM/MP3 stereo with 6-disc CD changer
•  10-way power driver and front passenger seats with lumbar support 

2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor-

The 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor trim level is designed for the thrill-seekers at heart.

It is a high-performance F-150 trim level but with a hint of class in the exteriors and interiors despite its rugged form factor. It is available in both SuperCab and SuperCrew and is fitted with a 6.2-liter V8 Engine.

• The core features of the 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor include
•  the SYNC In-car Connectivity System
• a 4.2-inch LCD display in the center cluster
• heavy-duty front and rear SVT Raptor skid plates
• And an auxiliary switch board

The SVT Raptor can also be customized to further improve its ruggedness with optional upgrades such as the:

•  Hood Graphics Package
•  Bodyside Graphics Package
•   Interior Color Accent Package
•   Raptor Plus Package
•   And the Raptor Luxury Package

2012 Ford F-150 Platinum-

The 2012 Ford F-150 Platinum is a stylish and higher-end F-150 trim level available in SuperCrew configuration and you can get a power plant with either a 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine, a 5.0-liter V8 flex-fuel engine, or a 6.2-liter V8 engine.

1. Core features of the Platinum include the SYNC in-car Connectivity System
2. a 4.2-inch LCD
3. The Trailer Brake Controller system
4. And 20-inch polished cast-aluminum wheels

Just some of the high-end features include the:

1. Dual-zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control system
2. Reverse sensing system
3. Rear view camera
4. Universal garage door opener
5. Ambient lighting
6. Leather-wrapped steering wheel with memory power tilt and telescoping
7. Leather-trimmed front bucket seats
8. Power-adjustable pedals with memory
9. Remote start system
10. Woodgrain-style trim accents
11. Sony AM/FM/MP3 stereo system with a 6-disc CD changer

2012 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson

The 2012 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson trim level is the most feature-packed and most luxurious trim level priced significantly higher than the other trims of the 2012 F-150 line up. It is available in SuperCrew cab configuration and is the power plant is a 6.2-liter V8 engine.

The core features of the Harley Davidson include the SYNC in-car Connectivity System, a 4.2 inch LCD, exclusive Ford Harley Davidson seats, and a Trailer Brake Controller system.

The Harley Davidson has most of the features of other high-end 2012 F-150 trim levels plus a number of features you will only enjoy in the  Harley Davidson including:

• Color-coordinated leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Power-adjustable performance pedals with memory
• Navigation System with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link technology
• Body color grille surround with billet style insert
• Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 badging
• 36-gallon fuel tank
• Powered moonroof
• 122-inch polished aluminum wheels

 

Popularity: 3% [?]

2012 Ford Fiesta-Safety Car Buying Tips-Brad Your Car Guy

2012 Ford Fiesta – Safety Car Buying Tips – Brad Your Car Guy 

2012 Ford Fiesta Sedan and Hatchback are rated highly safe cars  by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.   Both these models received an overall rating of four-stars. They each received five star ratings for their side crash safety configuration. Next came four stars for the rollover as well as frontal crash safety.

The 2012 Fiesta is Loaded with Neat Features Including:

• Side-curtain airbags
• Hill start assist
• Front safety belt
• Monitoring system for tire pressure
• Four-wheel anti-lock brakes
• A well as electronic brake force to assist the drivers to keep the vehicle under control in different kinds of active driving conditions.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has voted the  2012 Ford Fiesta their top safety pick. Ford’s  passion for passenger safety has lead to engineering brilliance. The 2012 Ford Fiesta is the only small car with several safety features and a top class range of seven airbags. This  includes an exclusive knee airbag for the driver. Ford’s IPS technology tests the airbags with sensor calibration testing to ensure that these airbags will be activated quickly.

If You Ever Need the Three-Point Safety Belt This is Why You Will Glad it is a Ford

Added to the safety features are the three-point seat safety belts that  provides the dual-stage digressive pretensioner. This dual stage comes  load-limiting  as standard on the front seat for occupants. The back seats are also furnished with similar three-point safety belts for the two passengers. The retractors are designed to tightly stretch the safety belts to accommodate the passengers  for making  the airbag effective.

Dual-stage digressive features in the belts to limit the load and enable a moderate decrease in belt tension. What this does is  reduce the chance of any injury on the chest in the unfortunate event of a crash. It is also equipped with a driver side airbag.

In addition, the adjustable head rests work to optimize whiplash protection. The front seats have  anti-submarine design for an extra safety.

Safety Features You Will Never See but Might  One Day Save Your Life

The driver gets the extra protection with a special underlay below the carpet known as a crash pad. It acts to minimize impact on the lower part of the leg in case of a crash. There is an extra reminder system for the driver to remind him to buckle up the seat belt.

2012 Ford Fiesta is innovatively structured for the safety. It utilizes a  Trinity front type  crash structure to save the occupants on front from injuries in any frontal crash accident. More than 55% of the body is made from tested high strength boron steel in its front beam to bear and absorb the impact of the crash.

Transfer and Deflect Energy Away for the Passengers in the event of an Accident

There are also boron steel  rails to transmit the impact  to the rigid roof structure of the car. Another element, its decoupling engine cradle will shear and drop the powertrain and prevent it from invading the passenger cabin due to extreme force.

The shape of  the Fiesta is designed to give an extra protection. The car is structured to be rigid and stiff for the safety of occupants. For greater structural safety, the high strength  structure elements are integrated into a sub assembly before being assembled to form the body of the vehicle. This ensures a higher strength of the joints which is another way this safety feature will  deflect harmful energy.

Blind Spot Technology 

All 2012 Fiesta models are now provided with integrated viewing mirrors into their side view mirrors. These are added  to enhance the driver- visibility particularly in the blind spots. The prime focus of Ford on the  safety features makes 2012 Ford Fiesta  a  safe car for the driver and passengers to travel with a peace of mind.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Three Reasons Why Ford Motor Company is Not on the Front Page of the Interent, TV or Newspaper

In the business of reporting the news there is a slang term the media uses, “If it bleeds, it leads”. Interpretation: The more negative, horrifying, and grotesque the story, it is guaranteed the lead story on TV and front page of the Internet or the newspaper. Now if you throw in some “blood splatter” you are guaranteed a ringside seat for days if not weeks to come.

So with that introduction let me state my “3 Reasons Why Ford Is Not in the Headlines”

Reason # 1. Ford Motor Company has nothing negative to report.

The only news coming out of Ford Motor Company is good news. Unfortunately good news gets buried on page 32, if reported at all. For instance here are a few “good news stories”

• Ford is offering “Chrysler Orphans” incentives to discover the Ford Advantage.
• Ford Stock is selling at 600% better than GM
• Ford is increasing production of its vehicles to meet a strong demand.
• Ford just announced the strongest month of sales since July 2008
• In the Arts….Ford donated a million dollars to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra fund raising arm.

Reason #2. Ford Motor Company has offered the Best Vehicle Purchase Plans and Incentives Available.

• Get it  straight from the “horses mouth”, go check out what you get for your money when you purchase a Ford. You and your family are in for a delightful surprise, find out this man’s confession and then the truth. Just click on the following link (after viewing click on the return arrow at the top left of the your screen to go back to this site)  http://www.thefordstory.com/planandprogress
  
• Ford has a whole book on incentives and special deals to apply to a purchase of a new vehicle that we don’t have room to list here. For the complete list call 918-333-0900 and ask for Tina.
• Every incentive offered is made with the idea of boosting consumer confidence in purchasing a Ford Product, with no hooks, no surprises, no games…just the fact you made the right decision.
• These  plans also offers you and your family 0% and other attractive financing options.
• The resell value of your vehicle will hold up real well compared to the competition.

Reason # 3. Instead of Exerting all of their Energy Putting out Fires and Administrating CPR; Ford Motor Company is Innovating on Three Consumer Focused Fronts. Producing Quality, Producing New Products, Producing New Purchase and Finance Opportunities our Customers Deserve.

• While GM and Chrysler are spending all their money and effort on deciding what life support system they need, Ford has at least 57 new consumer focused products on the drawing boards.
• We wish all the luck to our domestic competitors, fact is it will take them years to catch up, if ever.
• Ford Motor Company is now and will be for a long time the leader in total automotive innovation and quality and resell value. Ford will be the domestic Gold Standard for quality and value.
• Ford Motor Company commitment is to improve everyday as the leading transportation problem solvers in the world by producing one quality vehicle at a time. Making our customers and employees life’s better one day at a time in the process.

I want you to log this into your daily planner or your to do list and jot this down…. Come visit our dealership, Doenges Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Bartlesville Oklahoma, pick a vehicle you like and take a test drive. At the end of the test drive I guarantee you will understand our commitment to innovation, passion and the reasons why we are the best choice.

Popularity: 42% [?]

Car For Sale: Another Misinformed Journalist

Why Alfred E. Newman? Because it Reminds me of the Figure Behind this Story (or why Political Journalist are Political  Journalist and Car Guys are Car Guys)

At this time last year  the price of gasoline was well on its way to starting a nation wide panic. No longer would America buy trucks or SUV’s. The press predicted that the price of gas would get so high that people would just park their SUV’s on the side of the road and walk away. The Ford F150 and all of its counterparts were doomed for extinction.

Last year the price hike on a gallon of gas could change three times a day. Do you think that was caused by a shortage in oil or was it caused by speculators and an over hyped media looking for another sensational story? There was no shortage of oil but there certainly was a lot of hype. That hype cost you and I a lot of money and was one of the catalysts that started our current economic meltdown. I don’t recall any journalist coming out and saying “Maybe we over-reacted!”.

Fast Forward.

This appeared on the front page of MSN.com this morning.”Deal or No Dealership Why is Chrysler closing 789 car dealerships? The author claimed to be a Political Reporter for Slate. Another title for this article could have been “How Irresponsible Journalism Takes Money Right Out of Your wallet”. First why is a Political reporter attempting to write an objective, non biased story on the state of the automobile business?

What this country needs right now is a sustained boost in our economy. One way to boost the economy is to fuel confidence and optimism and remove irresponsible, hype journalism such as witnessed below by Christopher Beam. Follow me through this article as I help Beam get his facts straight.

By Christopher Beam Posted Wednesday, May 20, 2009, at 6:20 PM ET

Beams View of the Automobile Business

Chrysler disclosed in a bankruptcy filing last week that it plans to close 789 dealerships—about one-quarter of its total. General Motors,meanwhile, told the owners of 1,100 dealerships that it will drop them from its network.

How does shuttering dealerships help car companies?

It saves them money. Car companies don’t actually own dealerships—instead, they have contractual agreements that dictate factors like location, display space, signage, and service options. Nevertheless, Chrysler and GM and other auto manufacturers must maintain a large, costly field force of trainers (to train technicians to fix cars), salespeople (to persuade dealers to buy more cars), and auditors (to verify claims for reimbursement). The more dealerships, the more go-betweens a car company needs to employ and the more money it has to shell out.

The Car Guys View of how it really works.

The manufactures never have and never will “give or supply” a service to a dealer without charging the dealer for it. There is no FREE LUNCH. All Dealers incur the cost of training any and all of their employees. 95% of the training for salespeople is done in-house. The dealer picks up the tab in full or in part on training. In a lot of cases salespeople invest in their own training with notables like Dale Carnigie, John Maxwell and Brain Tracy. Service technicians do the same in house training. They watch training videos and study the work-study manuals. So some training is completed outside the dealership, the majority is completed in-house.

The amount of money Chrysler pays it support staff before or after reconstruction is minuscule in comparison to the whole.[Multi Billions] Beam’s comparison and example is absurd unless you were presenting this to third graders.

Beams View:

Another benefit: Shutting down dealerships weeds out weaker branches to help stronger dealerships stay viable. It also makes sense from a branding perspective, because when a dealership starts to fail, dealers resort to tactics that make the car company look bad. Think free hot dogs, “push, pull, or drag” sales, and giant inflatable gorillas on the roof. (Luxury car companies like Lexus explicitly forbid dealers from using the words price or sale in their ads.)

The Car Guys View:

In every industry, in every vertical market you have the Neiman -Marcus operators and you have the Dollar General operators. Neiman-Marcus and Dollar General both satisfy a niche in the market. These niches are consumer driven not industry driven. They both satisfy a demand and work well in their respective markets. There is nothing “wrong” or socially unacceptable with a “free hot dog”.

Beams View:

Finally, pre-emptive closings help car companies from getting saddled with tremendous amounts of debt. Let’s say a GM dealer is just getting started: He’ll buy hundreds of cars from GM with money borrowed from GMAC, the financing arm of GM. If the dealership collapses suddenly, GMAC may not get a lot of the money it’s owed. So it makes sense for GM to shutter a dealership before it goes too far into the red.

Car Guys View:

The above is all based on a NEW dealer going into business. Before anyone can buy a dealership they have to prove that they have enough capital to withstand the two or three years it takes to get established. Plus today no one is rushing out to buy a dealership. So Beam your argument is real weak.

Remember when I stated that with the manufactures there is no Free Lunch. Anything a dealer receives from the manufacturer the dealer pays for. There are no gimmes. The manufactures does not negotiate with the dealer. The dealer pays “Full List Price” for every vehicle we buy from the manufacture. There are no discounts. There is no negotiation. Once the dealer buys the car from the manufacturer they have 60 to 90 days to sell it before their cost of the vehicle goes up again due to interest expense. The first 60 to 90 days are not interest “FREE”. Believe when I say that the initial 60 to 90 days of interest is factored into the price of the vehicle way before the manufacturer sells it to me.

Beams View:

When the auto industry first started expanding in the early 20th century, it made sense to have dealerships in every community. Much of the population was rural, and cars broke all the time, making proximity to the original vendor necessary. These days, with a more urban population and better auto engineering, it’s not necessary to have so many dealerships. At the same time, people are willing to drive farther to buy or tune up their cars. As a result, more dealerships don’t correlate with more sales. Toyota sells more cars than Chrysler with fewer than one-third of the number of franchises. (The average Toyota dealer sold 1,589 vehicles in 2008; the average Chrysler dealer sold 124.)Deal or No Dealership Why is Chrysler closing 789 car dealerships?

Car Guys View:

First let me apologize for making you read Beams third grade class presentation on why we do not need more dealers. That was real torture wasn’t it?

First Rural or Urban?

Doenges Ford Linclon Mercury Toyota went urban from rural and started as a Ford dealership 68 years in the American urban metropolis city of Bartlesville Oklahoma. For 10 years prior to that my grandfather owned a ‘rural” Ford dealership in Braman Oklahoma. Most dealerships followed suit in the 1950′s and 60′s. The dealerships that stayed rural were assets to and of their communities. Some of the most profitable dealerships in the country are rural.

Is the Kansas City Metropolitan Area Rural?

According to the Kansas City Star, Chrysler send out pink slips to 11 (eleven) Kansas City Chrysler Dealerships. I would not consider Kansas City rural. So Beam, your assumption that most of these dealerships were rural proves that your research for this article was myopic or non-existent. This type of reporting is irresponsible and is the currency for hype. This kind of hype is the fuel that undermines the confidence of the consumer and our economy.

Toyota and Single Points

Toyota is a single point dealership. Chrysler is a multipoint dealership. In a single point dealership only one brand of cars can be sold. Lexus is also a single point operation. However they do not have the same sales volume numbers that Toyota does. A lot of Chrysler rural dealers have “bundled” franchises. Which means they may have one of the GM or Ford franchies as part of their overall dealership. My point ii this Beams comparison of 124 cars sold per dealer to Toyota’s 1,589 is not a “apples to apples” fair and objective comparison.

Bottom Line: More dealerships sell more cars for that particular manufacture without a substantial increase in manufactures cost. So Chrysler is really taking the real risk. The risk is can we sell enough cars to justify keeping X number of plants open. If I’m selling a product do I want more distributors or fewer distributors? I’m placing my bet with more distributors.

In the majority of cases it was not the dealer who was inefficient it was Chrysler manufacturing. Here is a novel idea. Manufacture quality cars at a fair price. This will help any manufacturer solve 90% of their problems.

BTW…Ford Motor Corporation started to thin out their dealer ranks three years ago. Ford had the leadership and the foresight to avoid some of the land minds currently faced by Chrysler and GM.

Popularity: 35% [?]

7 Secrets to Buying a Car-The Consumer’s Guide that will Ensure an Enjoyable Purchase Experience–Guaranteed

Buying a car, truck, SUV, crossover, van or minivan,  should…always… be a very exciting and fun filled adventure, not hand to hand combat. In order to keep this process, a true pleasure that  every consumer deserves and should expect, in perspective,  I have created this short, useful car buying guide to help you buy a car on your terms.

Brad’s Car Buying Secret # 1 : “Really Know The Salesperson You Deal With”

Read more

Popularity: 5% [?]

Why The Big 3 Don’t Need a Bailout and Other Rants

The Big Three: 2009 Ford F-150, 2009 Ford Fusion, 2009 Ford Taurus

The big three at Ford this year: The F-150, the Ford Fusion and the Ford Taurus don’t a need bailout, instead they need a standing ovation. Read more

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Dumb Driver Top Ten List: Warning this Post Contains Sex, Violence and Profanity

Right Now…I am so upset I am about ready to explode!……I have to get this off my chest.

Dumb drivers are accidents ready to happen.

Do you know what I mean?

When was the last time you were stopped at an intersection, attempting to make a left hand turn and the driver coming in the opposite direction was drifting into your lane? Or you were going down a two lane road at 60mph+ and the oncoming driver was drifting substantially into your lane? I’m sure this has happened to most of you just within the last couple of days. Read more

Popularity: 6% [?]