Whats stopping people from buying the Falcon?

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I think they should change the lion badge to a sheep

whilst i agree, many would consider me the same except for the blue side. i'm not one eyed when it comes to reviews and such, but i will never own a holden. i don't even look at them when it comes shopping time for cars. even steering away from a falcon is a tough ask. when looking for my fg, i looked at mondeo, but the fact that i couldn't care two hoots about most of the 'techy' stuff meant the falcon won easily.

whilst its fine to critisize holden fans for being sheep, its a bit ironical that many of the people critisizing the sales of falcon compared to commodore don't actually have a falcon in the driveway.

i'm not saying to buy falcon regardless, but maybe thats the reason commodore outsells falcon by so much. its clearly not the best car on the market, but its good enough for most holden supporters.

[FG_Frodza]

They should make the Falcon in 'Straya like how all Holdens are.

[falconnut]

Just saw a ford ad and they didnt even mention the falcon... Hmm i wonder why their sales are at record lows!?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by falconnut

Just saw a ford ad and they didnt even mention the falcon... Hmm i wonder why their sales are at record lows!?

I've seen XR6 Limited Edition for $34,990 drive away
and Territory TX RWD for $39,990 drive away

[z80]

Originally Posted by DJM83

So it really doesnt matter which one she is in then does it if they are both 4 star.
Point is moot.

Err...No mate, the bigger 4 star car wins....

Your Focus versus a Falcon head on, your car always comes off worse.

[302weapon]

What keeps me from buying another Falcon....
Quite simply running costs.

It's the everyday cost of living (which is rising) that's altering my direction.

That to me is the Falcon's biggest enemy, that I simply cannot fit it into my budget .

Where once Falcon may have been family and wallet friendly, now it has met a foe of considerable proportions.

Ford,You want me to buy another Falcon , the only way you're gonna get me to is to make it more "family budget friendly"

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by z80

Err...No mate, the bigger 4 star car wins....

Your Focus versus a Falcon head on, your car always comes off worse.

I talkin about the safety of the occupant not damage to the car.
I think a head on in 2 5 star rated cars both occupants would rate a good chance of survival whilst the cars on th other hand.

[Stagg]

I find that it is true, that the Falcon as a new car is much more expensive than the alternatives out there. That said, there are still people buying new Falcons.

I would assume for the same reason that I would not buy a car manufactured overseas is why people buy either a Commodore or Falcon new, is because of the availability of parts and the minds that are together designing the car to be used in Australia's environment.

When a car (such as the Mazda 3) is designed and manufactured in Japan, it is build specific to what the engineers think is a practical car. The problem there is, in Japan they don't have roads or places like the Hume, Great Eastern, or Simpson Desert. While both Ford and Holden have been manufacturing cars to suit Australian roads since the 40's, I feel more comfortable knowing that my car was a progression from the original 1960 Falcon.

Why people are buying more and more imported cars I believe is because most buyers will only consider the economy and the price. Very few will consider what drive, how much power, where components are made, all the things that don't matter when you buy the car but will matter a lot in the future. While people here on AFF think about every little bit on information when buying a car, any car enthusiast represents a very small percentage of the population. Think about the soccer mum who needs a 4WD to drive the kids around, the dad who just needs a little zippy car to drive to the train station, the person who just retired and now lives in a little unit.

What annoys me as a salesman is ignorance. If people stop buying the Falcon and commodore and they are then no longer available brand new, then what car do you buy if you need a car where you do a lot of driving and replace parts much more often, but cannot source parts cheaply and locally? How often would you see a falcon with 600,000kms on the clock compared to how many Mazda 3's you see with 600,000kms on the clock? How often will taxi drivers need a new car if they can't use Falcons?

To a lesser extent is the appeal of the Falcon. In school, and to a lesser extent now, sedans seem much less of a sports car than a coupe. Personally, my dream car would be the AU 300+ Coupe. If that was released, think about how many people would have bought that instead of the Monaro. It had more power, looked better, and probably sounded better. My opinion is that Ford should make the car look much more like a sports car again. Dodge brouht back the Challenger, Ford brought back the Shelby GT500, even Holden brought back the Monaro. What do you think would happen if Ford brought out an FG Coupe Superbird??

[JG34JA]

Originally Posted by 302weapon

What keeps me from buying another Falcon....
Quite simply running costs.

It's the everyday cost of living (which is rising) that's altering my direction.

That to me is the Falcon's biggest enemy, that I simply cannot fit it into my budget .

Where once Falcon may have been family and wallet friendly, now it has met a foe of considerable proportions.

Ford,You want me to buy another Falcon , the only way you're gonna get me to is to make it more "family budget friendly"

EcoLPi.

[Johnno246]

Fords marketing strategy for the Falcon has fallen by the wayside. Holden however with their Commodore have eye catching advertisements all the time with catchy themes and sounds. I think Ford should concentrate on getting the product awareness out there again. The Falcon is cheap i.e XR6 6 speed auto for $34,990.00 driveaway and full of technology, space and performance is good for a NA car.

[jpd80]

I have a feeling that Ecoboost Falcon is going to park it's fuel economy
credentials right next to the new Camry 2.5......


Mondeo 1.6 EB with stop start gets 5.5 l/100 km, very diesel like...
Could a future Falcon with 2.0 EB and stop start get 6.5 l/100 km?

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Johnno246

Fords marketing strategy for the Falcon has fallen by the wayside. Holden however with their Commodore have eye catching advertisements all the time with catchy themes and sounds. I think Ford should concentrate on getting the product awareness out there again. The Falcon is cheap i.e XR6 6 speed auto for $34,990.00 driveaway and full of technology, space and performance is good for a NA car.

nearly all the ads i see holden running at the moment are trying to get rid of 2011 plate stock. mind you, they are only offering $500 off. i'd buy a brand new one for the extra $500. won't mean much now, but in 3 years time when you go to sell, you'll make that $500 back and then some.

you probably won't get a new xr6 for $35k drive away either. more than likely late 2011 plate as well.

this brings me to another point.... Resale.

if you consider that a 09 xr6 6sp is still fetching $20k+ and as much as $22k+ for some, and that they were probably sold for around $36k, the resale is nowhere near as bad as what redbook makes out. pretty sure redbook goes on list price for the new price, which makes resale look ordinary, but its actually not that bad.

a point jpd80 made in another thread, with the falcon sales actually lower, it should dry up the second hand market further and help resale even further still.

[csv8]

Falcon has less to offer for the price, specs are down,,compared to the Mondeo..Mondeo has more kit for the price, than Falcon...Ford need to up spec the Falcon for the same price...

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by prydey

if you consider that a 09 xr6 6sp is still fetching $20k+ and as much as $22k+ for some, and that they were probably sold for around $36k, the resale is nowhere near as bad as what redbook makes out. pretty sure redbook goes on list price for the new price, which makes resale look ordinary, but its actually not that bad.

a point jpd80 made in another thread, with the falcon sales actually lower, it should dry up the second hand market further and help resale even further still.

It's true and it's also why Ford has released the FG2 with substantial RRP cuts. The FG2 XR6 is now available for under $40k. The resale value will look much better. 10% better.

They even said in there press release that the previous asking price meant that when people used a car website to check for cars and put a $40k limit on it, the Falcon didn't come up. By putting XT, G6 & XR6 under the $40k RRP they have now opened much more opportunity.

[prydey]

so a 3yr old xr6 resale is above 50% at the moment. can't complain about that.

[jpd80]

It's all about balance, sure FG II XR6 Buyers are paying a bit more for their cars but the upside is
that with higher RRPs fewer cars are sold but resale values become much better come trade in time
so maybe Ford starts getting a bit more repeat sales from the retail sector while fleets using EcoLPI
will add nice delineation between retail and fleet vehicles further preserving that higher value.

Time will tell if this strategy coupled with Ecoboost sales grow sales in different directions,
Ford has to change and draw in new buyers to replace those long since departed.
Every night, I say a little prayer that every taxi in Australia will become a G6E LPI.....

[stevz]

Originally Posted by phillyc

They even said in there press release that the previous asking price meant that when people used a car website to check for cars and put a $40k limit on it, the Falcon didn't come up. By putting XT, G6 & XR6 under the $40k RRP they have now opened much more opportunity.

Do they really think people are that stupid?

[MelsGolf]

Originally Posted by stevz

Do they really think people are that stupid?

People buy Commodores dont they?

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by MelsGolf

People buy Commodores dont they?

Zing!

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I have a feeling that Ecoboost Falcon is going to park it's fuel economy
credentials right next to the new Camry 2.5......


Mondeo 1.6 EB with stop start gets 5.5 l/100 km, very diesel like...
Could a future Falcon with 2.0 EB and stop start get 6.5 l/100 km?

As long as one can turn off stop/start.

[buickman]

Originally Posted by Stagg1991

I find that it is true, that the Falcon as a new car is much more expensive than the alternatives out there. That said, there are still people buying new Falcons.

I would assume for the same reason that I would not buy a car manufactured overseas is why people buy either a Commodore or Falcon new, is because of the availability of parts and the minds that are together designing the car to be used in Australia's environment.

When a car (such as the Mazda 3) is designed and manufactured in Japan, it is build specific to what the engineers think is a practical car. The problem there is, in Japan they don't have roads or places like the Hume, Great Eastern, or Simpson Desert. While both Ford and Holden have been manufacturing cars to suit Australian roads since the 40's, I feel more comfortable knowing that my car was a progression from the original 1960 Falcon.

Why people are buying more and more imported cars I believe is because most buyers will only consider the economy and the price. Very few will consider what drive, how much power, where components are made, all the things that don't matter when you buy the car but will matter a lot in the future. While people here on AFF think about every little bit on information when buying a car, any car enthusiast represents a very small percentage of the population. Think about the soccer mum who needs a 4WD to drive the kids around, the dad who just needs a little zippy car to drive to the train station, the person who just retired and now lives in a little unit.

What annoys me as a salesman is ignorance. If people stop buying the Falcon and commodore and they are then no longer available brand new, then what car do you buy if you need a car where you do a lot of driving and replace parts much more often, but cannot source parts cheaply and locally? How often would you see a falcon with 600,000kms on the clock compared to how many Mazda 3's you see with 600,000kms on the clock? How often will taxi drivers need a new car if they can't use Falcons?

To a lesser extent is the appeal of the Falcon. In school, and to a lesser extent now, sedans seem much less of a sports car than a coupe. Personally, my dream car would be the AU 300+ Coupe. If that was released, think about how many people would have bought that instead of the Monaro. It had more power, looked better, and probably sounded better. My opinion is that Ford should make the car look much more like a sports car again. Dodge brouht back the Challenger, Ford brought back the Shelby GT500, even Holden brought back the Monaro. What do you think would happen if Ford brought out an FG Coupe Superbird??

The Mazda 3 is a great car to drive and that is one reason they sold so well and it would have no issues driving up the Hume.
Most buyers including myself mainly buy them for their wives and Daughters. I prefer to drive the wife’s Mazda 3 in heavy traffic or going shopping in than my FG XR6 only the Ford is more comfortable because it is a bigger car with more power which a lot of women don't want.
Travellers nowadays take an air ride interstate and hire a car and for the around Australia trips you would get a larger 4WD type vehicle.
Times have changed since I was a boy in the 60's when 3 makes mainly ruled the car sales as in Holden Falcon and Valiant It is hard for me to buy a small imported car for myself .
Reason I purchased a new Falcon which I don’t really need a car of that size for daily use is because I have been brought up with Aussie family cars which makes it hard not prefer them over small car imports.
Nostalgia and brand loyalty is hard to get away from if it is been with you over many years and you are a car enthusiast.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Buntz93ED

As long as one can turn off stop/start.

Why, have you driven stop start?

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by buickman

The Mazda 3 is a great car to drive and that is one reason they sold so well and it would have no issues driving up the Hume.
Most buyers including myself mainly buy them for their wives and Daughters. I prefer to drive the wife’s Mazda 3 in heavy traffic or going shopping in than my FG XR6 only the Ford is more comfortable because it is a bigger car with more power which a lot of women don't want.
Travellers nowadays take an air ride interstate and hire a car and for the around Australia trips you would get a larger 4WD type vehicle.
Times have changed since I was a boy in the 60's when 3 makes mainly ruled the car sales as in Holden Falcon and Valiant It is hard for me to buy a small imported car for myself .
Reason I purchased a new Falcon which I don’t really need a car of that size for daily use is because I have been brought up with Aussie family cars which makes it hard not prefer them over small car imports.
Nostalgia and brand loyalty is hard to get away from if it is been with you over many years and you are a car enthusiast.

Was there a reason you chose Mazda 3 over Focus, Cruze and Lancer?

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Why, have you driven stop start?

I have. In a new VW Passat diesel. It's the work of the devil. Doesn't work till the engine has warmed up, but once it has, every time you slow down in slow moving traffic, the engine will turn off - combine that with the throttle lag, DSG hesitation and turbo lag on that car, and it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by jpd80

It's all about balance, sure FG II XR6 Buyers are paying a bit more for their cars but the upside is
that with higher RRPs fewer cars are sold but resale values become much better come trade in time
so maybe Ford starts getting a bit more repeat sales from the retail sector while fleets using EcoLPI
will add nice delineation between retail and fleet vehicles further preserving that higher value.

Time will tell if this strategy coupled with Ecoboost sales grow sales in different directions,
Ford has to change and draw in new buyers to replace those long since departed.
Every night, I say a little prayer that every taxi in Australia will become a G6E LPI.....

You bring up an interesting point & something I've been thinking about for a while now.. I live in Sydney (which just happens to be the biggest city in Australia) & 99% of Taxis are still Falcons in Sydney.. With the continued drop in Falcon sales, there has to be a point where 2nd hand Falcons ran out for Taxis companies to buy. They have to start buying new soon I'd say as they don’t seem to be switching (in Sydney at least) away from Falcon??

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

You bring up an interesting point & something I've been thinking about for a while now.. I live in Sydney (which just happens to be the biggest city in Australia) & 99% of Taxis are still Falcons in Sydney.. With the continued drop in Falcon sales, there has to be a point where 2nd hand Falcons ran out for Taxis companies to buy. They have to start buying new soon I'd say as they don’t seem to be switching (in Sydney at least) away from Falcon??

I can't remember the last time I saw a Falcon taxi in Brisbane. They're all Prius/Hybrid Camry/Passat Wagon diesel now.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Nic85

I have. In a new VW Passat diesel. It's the work of the devil. Doesn't work till the engine has warmed up, but once it has, every time you slow down in slow moving traffic, the engine will turn off - combine that with the throttle lag, DSG hesitation and turbo lag on that car, and it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.

So in short, because the VW system is rubbish, the Ford system must be as well...

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Nic85

I can't remember the last time I saw a Falcon taxi in Brisbane. They're all Prius/Hybrid Camry/Passat Wagon diesel now.

Huh?
every other one out at the airport is a Falcon Stationwagon....
I had the pleasure of riding home in a new EcoLPI taxi.....

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

You bring up an interesting point & something I've been thinking about for a while now.. I live in Sydney (which just happens to be the biggest city in Australia) & 99% of Taxis are still Falcons in Sydney.. With the continued drop in Falcon sales, there has to be a point where 2nd hand Falcons ran out for Taxis companies to buy. They have to start buying new soon I'd say as they don’t seem to be switching (in Sydney at least) away from Falcon??

I was there in december coming back from a cruise to New Zealand and there
were a couple of G6E EcoLPIs at the terminal, nice to see a few new Fords filtering through.

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by jpd80

So in short, because the VW system is rubbish, the Ford system must be as well...

Who knows what the Ford system will be like, it might be the same, it might not.

I didn't say anything about the Ford system, I simply commented on the VW car I drove with the system installed. Didn't you ask the question?

Originally Posted by jpd80

Huh?
every other one out at the airport is a Falcon Stationwagon....
I had the pleasure of riding home in a new EcoLPI taxi.....

I work in Newstead and never see them here. Are they the Black & White cab company ones? Or a different company?