Whats stopping people from buying the Falcon?

[Windsor220]

Originally Posted by prydey

what is more annoying to me is i see a certain few members who only seem to comment in threads that are negative to ford, and their comments are always sticking the boots in. i'm sure others have noticed similar things.

the other thing i find is, some people think that AFF is a reasonable cross section of ford/falcon owners/buyers and if 2 people have the same issue, suddenly its a 'common problem' and ford are crap for not issuing a recall etc etc.

There are quite a few of the Holden boys lurking here.

[prydey]

forums are very difficult to express emotion a lot of the time. its just words on a screen and often things can get taken the wrong way. many people get defensive at the slightest hint of a disagreement.

if someone doesn't like a car because it doesn't suit their need, thats fine. it doesn't make the car rubbish though. some need to step back a bit and realise there is so much more to life than having the most popular opinion on an internet forum.

[drew`SEVNT5]

Whats stopping people? Greater choice of more competent vehicles at a competitive price.

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

[Falc'man]

Right on cue.

[BHDOGS]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Whats stopping people? Greater choice of more competent vehicles at a competitive price.

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

Joshua dowling is that you?

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by atec77

Personally I find the newer Foulcans lardloaddin and to big , I dirve a medium sized Euro over ten years old with mods , if I could buy a foulcan which did as much as economically I would consider it but at more than 500kg heavier than the origional falcon I say time for some diet and shrinkage , a rwd Modeo almost fills the bill

is that just because you like to give them silly names and blindly follow the blind sheep who think new falcons are big fat slow and thirsty????

Do me a favour and look up the performance and fuel economy on an ecolpi falcon and compare it to the economy and performance that you get in your med sized euro modded car....some homework....am waiting eagerly for your findings and views on them....

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by b0son

I've heard of ZF's failing more often than DSG's ... oil cooler mixing oil with coolant already forgotten?

is that just your experiences because you have 2 mates who had zf boxes fixed....because if it isnt id like to see your facts as to where they say the zf falcon box has so many faults compared to the dsg vw ones.

And by the way i think the comments are mainly talking about the apparent failure of vw to correct the horible feel in dsg boxes at slow speeds...not them nescessarly failing

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by turbodewd

The question starting the thread is wrong.

Just because the falcon is selling 9th for 2011 doesnt mean its dead. Its damn popular! Any car cracking the top 10 is popular! The large car segment isnt dead, its just smaller due to:

* rising Aussie dollar making imports cheaper
* tariff barriers on imported cars have dropped over the decades
* massive segmentation of the car market - so many types and so many producers

Now you must also consider Falcon and territory sales in the same breath because they are the same platorm. Falcon + territory sales are pretty good. Some buyers who want an SUV now have an Aussie Ford option - the Terri!

The Falcon just wont get huge money thrown at it for updates. Would have love to see an alloy block 4.0L and maybe drop the capacity to 3.9L or 3.8L (if thats possible).

I will gladly buy 3rd XR6 Turbo next year when my lease runs out. The FG has been great to me. :^)

every ford fan should read this post...its very close to be spot on...or as close as you can get. People forget ford is selling these cars and still MAKING PROFFIT....so untill they are actually a drag on ford aus thet still have a strong case to stay in the market....esspescially when they are class leading and world class cars we are talking about here. Ford is doing a good job..and the best thet can do in the situation.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Whats stopping people? Greater choice of more competent vehicles at a competitive price.

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

This is true to an extent (Compared to my XR5).
As i posted earlier i could have bought a falcon, why didnt i? Mostly because my Focus does everything i need and is a barrel of fun to drive, yeah sure it might not match an XR6T but an XR6 it will now.
Does that mean i want the falcon to fail? No id love to see the falcon survive, i love the I6T its a great motor and if the XR5 wasnt around id have had one.
One other thing that annoyed me was the build quality/warranty claims, im good mates with an ex Ford service mgr and also a mate on here that worked at Ford hearing some stories made me wonder, even his own XR6T (Still an awesome car). Now i know they (cars) arent all like that. Only issue that has claimed a few cars like mine is the radiator.

Funny a lot of people sooking in here havnt even bought a new Ford.

[b0son]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

And by the way i think the comments are mainly talking about the apparent failure of vw to correct the horible feel in dsg boxes at slow speeds...not them nescessarly failing

i suspect much of that stems from people expecting it to feel like a slush box. given that it isnt one, its never going to feel like one.

if you spend more than 15min behind the wheel, you adjust.

i'm not saying its perfect, but like it or not, its the way of the future.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by b0son

i suspect much of that stems from people expecting it to feel like a slush box. given that it isnt one, its never going to feel like one.

if you spend more than 15min behind the wheel, you adjust.

i'm not saying its perfect, but like it or not, its the way of the future.

Yet the DSG in Focus TDCI and Mondeo TDCI and EB is great, it must be a VW thing like their US rep for poor quality...
Software patches have apparently transformed the ill performing 2.0 Focus into a smooth car.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Falc'man

Right on cue.

bingo. case in point.

[My poor XF]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

Yeh I hate averaging 10.6 l/100 km in my near 10 yr old BA. /sarcasm

Old mans 2010 imprezza averaged 9.7 on the same daily run. And it's gutless to boot. Small cars don't always equal better fuel economy.

I'm sure an FG would average low 9's or even high 8's with my daily drive.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Whats stopping people? Greater choice of more competent vehicles at a competitive price.

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

what is your experience with the latest falcons?

what is your experience with the competition of the latest falcon? you have obviously been in both recently to make such claims!

do you consider the honda accord to be a big, heavy, thirsty sedan?

[max_torq]

The falcon debuted as a 3 box sedan in 1960 as america's affordable ford. Since then there has been at least 2 oil shocks, a recession we had to have, the bursting of a few bubbles, and the GFC. The realization has set in that the car takes up a large proportion of the individual or families budget, and possibly the debt position. The modern passenger car has to be versatile and cost efficient. That means sacrificing mass, rear passenger head room, top speed performance, and driving dynamics, all things Falcon are good at. If a smaller car will perform the same fundamental functions as a falcon then people will buy it instead. The medium cars are now bigger, more competent vehicles, at the same time the falcon is a bit bigger and less affordable than it was in 1960. The US market has downsized from the famous behemoths of the sixties, ours is following.

The opportunity with the big aussie dollar is to import the modern cars that suit the current market perceptions.

The problem is, what if the dollar goes back, for any reason to US0.60 or so, how do we then afford the imports that have replaced local production. The only way is invest profits from successful imports into local production capacity.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

Yeh I hate averaging 10.6 l/100 km in my near 10 yr old BA. /sarcasm

Old mans 2010 imprezza averaged 9.7 on the same daily run. And it's gutless to boot. Small cars don't always equal better fuel economy.

I'm sure an FG would average low 9's or even high 8's with my daily drive.

In most cases they do.
My old TE50 (Albeit V8) and was better on fuel then my AU XR6, it returned about 10.6 on a 3200km trip
My XR5 on the same trip was 8.2.
Then again on the same trip after it was tuned returned 8.6. And it aint gutless i can assure you.

Now i know this thread is about the Falcon not selling, but theres no need for people to get cranky when people put up arguments why it isnt, this is a Ford forum not a Falcon forum.

[jpd80]

Those early Falcons were considered compacts in the US, same as Focus today.
And the early I-6 was called a "Thriftmaster Six"....
My how things have changed.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Now i know this thread is about the Falcon not selling, but theres no need for people to get cranky when people put up arguments why it isnt, this is a Ford forum not a Falcon forum.

some people use the argument that because the falcon doesn't suit their needs, it is therefore rubbish.

what is rubbish is that line of argument.

[tranquilized]

Originally Posted by max_torq

The falcon debuted as a 3 box sedan in 1960 as america's affordable ford. Since then there has been at least 2 oil shocks, a recession we had to have, the bursting of a few bubbles, and the GFC. The realization has set in that the car takes up a large proportion of the individual or families budget, and possibly the debt position. The modern passenger car has to be versatile and cost efficient. That means sacrificing mass, rear passenger head room, top speed performance, and driving dynamics, all things Falcon are good at. If a smaller car will perform the same fundamental functions as a falcon then people will buy it instead. The medium cars are now bigger, more competent vehicles, at the same time the falcon is a bit bigger and less affordable than it was in 1960. The US market has downsized from the famous behemoths of the sixties, ours is following.

The opportunity with the big aussie dollar is to import the modern cars that suit the current market perceptions.

The problem is, what if the dollar goes back, for any reason to US0.60 or so, how do we then afford the imports that have replaced local production. The only way is invest profits from successful imports into local production capacity.

Good post, very good point. We all know how quickly importers pass on the effects of a falling aussie dollar!

Another theory that popped into my head recently was that so many people - probably most people, know and care little about cars, yet they'll want to project an image with the car they drive. These people probably view the Falcadore as just too old fashioned. It was the car their parents drove, so they'll want something they percieve to be better, more unique, or whatever it may be. Of course the irony is they pass up the more uniquely engineered and capable aussie car for what is often a run-of-the-mill korean s***box.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Now i know this thread is about the Falcon not selling, but theres no need for people to get cranky when people put up arguments why it isnt, this is a Ford forum not a Falcon forum.

People get cranky when rubbish like this is posted...

Originally Posted by drew`SEVNT5

Not everyone wants a big, heavy, thirsty sedan these days.

with no fact or substance to back it up.

[max_torq]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Those early Falcons were considered compacts in the US, same as Focus today.
And the early I-6 was called a "Thriftmaster Six"....
My how things have changed.

They also had hi-tech safety innovations like seatbelts and collapsible steering columns in order to convince people they could be as safe as larger cars. What goes around...

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by prydey

some people use the argument that because the falcon doesn't suit their needs, it is therefore rubbish.

what is rubbish is that line of argument.

Yeah i can understand that, it is a poor argument.
Nup im sure its a good car, sure it has some issues (We only see the bad cases on here though) and with my own eyes ive seen several, and im only comparing it to what i own now.
UUmmm in my case it would have met my needs, but i found something else that did.

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

Another theory that popped into my head recently was that so many people - probably most people, know and care little about cars, yet they'll want to project an image with the car they drive. These people probably view the Falcadore as just too old fashioned. It was the car their parents drove, so they'll want something they percieve to be better, more unique, or whatever it may be. Of course the irony is they pass up the more uniquely engineered and capable aussie car for what is often a run-of-the-mill korean s***box.

YES!! That is absolutley perfect. I work in the Docklands in Melbourne, and the type of mainstay Australian has changed. The "Y" generation (of which I am unfortuantly part of) has in my view, become softer and more "socially / envornmentally aware".

The funny thing is that most peoples arguments for not buying a larger car is the perception of more fuel usage. My argument would be that you can put your Ford on gas and actually decrease your fuel bill.

As stated above, my generations parents would have possibly had a Ford / Holden growing up and we don't want to drive the same car. The social demographic has become a bunch of latte sipping yuppies driving around in their Kia's and Hyandias. Yet, they will be first to jump up and down as more Aussie companies move overseas or shut down.

I'm getting tired of seeing so many Korean S*** Boxes on our roads.

[Wretched]

What's stopping people from buying the Falcon?
What are the reasons people should buy it?

The Territory is proof enough within the Ford camp that the market is shifting away from large sedans, actually the whole Ford range is proof of it. There are so many other cars out there that cater to the different needs of buyers. I think it is a good thing that we have such a variety of vehicles to choose from and even just within Ford.

[Brazen]

Petrol consumption is WAY overblown. Otherwise people wouldnt be shifting into SUVs.

Purchase price and lifestyle wants/needs appear to drive the purchasing decisions now. Falcons and Commodores are great cars, but there are a lot of other great cars out there too.

I drove a new model Kia Rio with the 103kw 1.6 direct injected engine and 6 speed manual. It had iPhone syncing, phone bluetooth, 6 airbags, alloys, leather steering wheel, cruise, power everything etc etc for about 20 grand. It drive and handles really well too and averaged about 5.6l/100km. Sure it wont tow and handle a family of five but its a decent car.

In the past you had to spend Falcon money to get something decent, nowadays you can walk into a showroom for 20 grand and get something decent. Shoppers are just responding to that.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Petrol consumption is WAY overblown. Otherwise people wouldnt be shifting into SUVs.

Seeing as half the SUV's bought are diesels then fuel consumption is looked at (even if the premium pretty much makes the savings quite minimal).

[Road_Warrior]

Perhaps it could be, that people are prepared to suffer a bit more fuel consumption in a vehicle that offers more utility and user-friendliness (an SUV) than in a large sedan which, for all intents and purposes, has limited uses compared with an SUV.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Petrol consumption is WAY overblown. Otherwise people wouldnt be shifting into SUVs.

Purchase price and lifestyle wants/needs appear to drive the purchasing decisions now. Falcons and Commodores are great cars, but there are a lot of other great cars out there too.

I drove a new model Kia Rio with the 103kw 1.6 direct injected engine and 6 speed manual. It had iPhone syncing, phone bluetooth, 6 airbags, alloys, leather steering wheel, cruise, power everything etc etc for about 20 grand. It drive and handles really well too and averaged about 5.6l/100km. Sure it wont tow and handle a family of five but its a decent car.

In the past you had to spend Falcon money to get something decent, nowadays you can walk into a showroom for 20 grand and get something decent. Shoppers are just responding to that.

hehehe... I do have to laugh at this post... You say fuel consumption is overblown and then go on to use fuel consumption as a positive for a Kia Rio!!!

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by prydey

what is your experience with the latest falcons?

what is your experience with the competition of the latest falcon? you have obviously been in both recently to make such claims!

do you consider the honda accord to be a big, heavy, thirsty sedan?

Best mate/work mate has a G6ET, and before that had a run of XT/G6 company cars. I end up behind the drivers seat a few times a week, depending on what is going on at work (i drive his, he drives mine, whatever need be)

I myself had a VE work car whilst owning my XR6T

And yes, the Accord V6 is a heavy, thirsty sedan. Just like the Commo and Falcon. Accord Euro, no. Mazda 6, no. Mondeo, no. Passat, no. Octavia, no.

All well and good spruiking 'rooly good' fuel numbers for a Falcon that lives on a traffic free freeway all day, but get into traffic, or actually do more than drive like a nanna, and watch the fuel go up up up.

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by Falc'man

Right on cue.

I aim to please.


That said, I don't see what is factually wrong with stating that not everyone wants a Falcodore, when there is a whole world of other cars, that some people may consider more exciting/stylish/better built/fuel economical/whatever suits there life than the basic big sedan. The blueprint for the Falcadoor type car is the same as it has always been: big, not particularly smart, basic... It just has a few more trinkets... And if it suits you, great, go buy one.

However, small/medium/suv cars aren't the embarassing old pie-boxes that they were back in the day... They have moved on, become more desirable, and are reaping the sales rewards.

We aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto... If large, traditional RWD sedans were what people wanted, people would buy them.