"Got what I wanted!! And SAVED a Bundle.
So let me start by saying I live in The City and drove all the way out here - so you know it had to be for something special. I got such a sweet deal on a super, clean, fine, used car. More than $3K below KBB for the same car for sale in Colma. I swear! These guys are serious on deals.So if saving $3k wasnt enough reason to drive out there get this. This was the lowest pressure sale I could expect. Talk to Jordan and Evo. Jordan knew he had a gem. He sent me the complete history without fear of me doing my own investigation. In this day and age of over information - he was confident this was the right car for me. Right he was. Thanks a million man!This is a good description of how low pressure it was: I first saw the car online, and Jordan had emailed me the info on the car. A few days later he calls me and casually asks if I am still interested - if so, how about a small deposit to hold the car to prevent it from being sold before I had a chance to see it. That was fair, honest and he could gauge how serious I was. After that is was just a matter of making the time to get out there.Here's a another extra reason to buy here. They have a 72 hr/250 mile, no questions asked refund policy. So you can drive away with peace of mind. Take your new wheels to any mechanic. Get the car checked out independently with the confidence that you arent being ripped off. Naturally they gave our new car a car wash, but get this, they even washed my old dirty Honda for me while we waited. Nice touch. The showroom has ample kids area, snack/vending machines, free coffee, and clean bathrooms. I didnt use the service or repair - this review is strictly about buying a car.I think we were out in about 2.5 hours. That included 2 test drives (mine and hers) writing up the paperwork, and getting the financing approved and negotiated, reviewed and signed. If there would be any knock it would be just on the car buying process itself is a bit time consuming. So do yourself a favor, call ahead and make an appointment. They offered a 3 yr extended warranty - which we did buy. Why? It's a Hybrid, it's used and best of all - I can cancel the extended warranty at any time with no penalty. That's about as good as you can get when youre talking used cars. Dont you agree?You will get the best deal on a quality used car at Fairfield Ford. I would buy from them again, given that their inventory is of high quality and also very affordable.Buying a used car is hard enough. So make the experience as easy as possible, and make your deal with these guys. Thanks again!"Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Ford Explorer Nets Awards for Family Friendliness
Competition in the family-vehicle market is intense, but both U.S. News & World Report and Parents magazine agree that the redesigned Ford Explorer is a standout performer. The two publications each recently released 2011 lists of family-friendly rides and the 2011 Ford Explorer was honored by each for its ability to please and protect parents and their kids. The iconic SUV was named the Best Off-Road SUV for Families by U.S. News and listed among the best "big cars" by Parents magazine.
U.S. News chose winners in 20 different vehicle categories based on its car rankings, other safety and reliability ratings and long-term ownership costs. Meanwhile, Parents magazine teamed up with Edmunds.com to choose 15 family-ready vehicles in five categories, ranging from budget cars to big cars. The Ford Explorer was one of three "big cars" to earn accolades, with its safety, efficiency and family-friendly accessories all helping to conquer the competition.
"New Hampshire families have relied on the Explorer for years," said Jim McGovern, general manager of Ford of Londonderry, a Southern New Hampshire Ford dealer. "The new Explorer offers the fuel efficiency of a large sedan with the capability of an SUV and the capacity of a minivan. But above all, it's going to protect the kids, which is the biggest priority for any parent."
Safety was a top priority for the engineers of the Ford Explorer as well, and a resulting Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2011 Top Safety Pick shows their efforts were worth it. The 2011 Ford Explorer scored a top rating of Good in all four of the IIHS' crash-test categories while meeting the minimum requirement of featuring standard electronic stability control. Complementing its structural crash protection, the Explorer is also available with inflating rear safety belts, which reduce risk of injury by distributing the crash force to lessen impact.
The 2011 and 2012 Ford Explorer models currently at Ford dealerships feature three rows of seating, allowing for up to seven passengers. Perfect for long family road trips, occupants can enjoy four standard power outlets as well as overhead reading lights in all three rows. If additional cargo space is needed, the third row can be easily stowed even with an arm full of groceries thanks to the optional PowerFold system that does all the work with the push of a button. There is also a power liftgate available that makes loading and unloading cargo pain-free.
The family-friendly capability of the Explorer extends to the driving experience as well. New Hampshire drivers have to keep their kids safe through a wide variety of conditions and the Explorer can handle them all with its available Terrain Management System, which allows the SUV to adjust to any driving surface, from sand to snow to mud.
New for the 2012 Explorer is its available 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, which produces 240 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque even as it gets 28 mpg on the highway, impressive fuel-economy numbers for those concerned about the rising prices at the pump.
"Families can rely on the Explorer no matter the situation," McGovern noted. "It's equally great at hauling the camper or cruising to Boston, and because it's a Ford you know you can count on it for many years to come. Now, with the new EcoBoost technology, you also know you'll be saving more money on gas as well."
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Ford Explorer, Edge get small, turbocharged engines
Next up are the Ford Edge and Explorer, two crossover models that are the first vehicles in North America to be offered with Ford's new 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine. They are arriving in showrooms now.
The Explorer is a full-sized crossover SUV, so it's about the last vehicle where one would expect to find a four-cylinder engine. But it might as well happen:
Ford is on its way to offering turbocharged engines in 90% of its lineup around the world by 2013.
Behind the move: better gas mileage. The two-row Edge with EcoBoost delivers an EPA-rated 21 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. It depends not only on the smaller engine for those numbers, but for other tactics like other engine modifications and shutters that open and close behind the grille depending on speed and conditions for better gas mileage.
"An EcoBoost powertrain puts Edge and Explorer fuel efficiency over the top," said Ford President, The Americas, Mark Fields.
Turbochargers add cost to vehicles, but are far less expensive than hybrids. Plus, automakers have eliminated the dreaded "turbo lag" that dogged turbocharged engines from decades ago.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Ford F-250 Super Duty Breaks Two Speed Records
It's not the kind of hauling that comes to mind when you think of pickup trucks, but a Ford F-250 Super Duty has set two land speed records for diesel and biodiesel trucks, Ford says.
At the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, Hajek Motorsports pushed a modified three-quarter-ton F-250 to a top speed of 171.23 mph, breaking the B production diesel truck record of 166.850 mph that was set by a GMC Duramax. Running on B20 biodiesel, the Super Duty set the unlimited biodiesel land speed record of 182 mph, breaking the previous record of 130.614 mph.
"Racing is part of Ford Motor Company's DNA, so it’s only natural for us to build a race vehicle that demonstrates Ford's leadership in the diesel and biodiesel truck market," said Brent Hajek, Hajek Motorsports owner. "The F-250 is an excellent truck with amazing capabilities. I'm amazed at how, with very few changes from stock, we were able to accomplish this."
Ford engineers worked with Hajek Motorsports to install the few modifications to the F-250's 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8. To improve fuel flow, changes were made to the high-pressure fuel pump, fuel injectors and turbochargers. The compression ratio was increased, too, along with a new rear differential, according to Henry Platts, Ford SVT spokesman.
All the changes boosted the engine’s output by 50 percent over production, said Paul Niessen, Ford's powertrain engineer.
A stock 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 makes 400 horsepower and 800 pounds-feet of torque. In our recent Heavy-Duty Hurt Locker comparison test, the 6.7 Power Stroke (inside an unloaded F-350 dually) ran the quarter-mile in 17.06 seconds at 83.03 mph.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Consumers Drive Ford Focus Electric Simulator, Provide Feedback on New Vehicle In-Dash Displays
Potential customers are getting a chance to help develop the final in-dash display for the Ford Focus Electric through the use of a specially designed driving simulator. The driving simulations and feedback are helping Ford engineers make sure the unique extension of the MyFord Touch® interactive display in the Focus Electric is easy to use and meets the needs of potential owners. The new Ford Focus Electric uses the high-tech driver interface to help drivers optimize range and experience the freedom of fuel-free driving.
When stepping into the simulator, a user sees exactly the same information that would appear in the real Ford Focus Electric, including two 4.2-inch full-color LCD screens flanking the speedometer in the center. These screens provide details on battery state of charge, distance to charge point, the corresponding budget and expected range surplus.
"These screens are an integral part of Focus Electric and we thought the best way to make sure they would do their job is to have people come in and try them out for themselves," said Paul Aldighieri, HMI engineer. "The only true way to get a feel for what the screens are telling the driver is by actually getting behind the wheel."
Since last year, nearly 30 drivers have participated in the simulator exercise, an 11-mile circuit that traverses a variety of terrain that a typical drive would include. Hills, city streets, country roads and flat lands make up the circuit.
The studies evaluated how well participants comprehended the gauge concepts and validated the gauge design. Feedback showed the core behaviors of the system were well understood, and the engineering team received feedback on how to improve the interface. The team incorporated the feedback and received high acceptance levels for the new graphics.
For example, the original Brake Coach showed the absolute amount of energy that was captured and sent back to the battery, as well as the energy lost due to friction. Participants provided feedback that this was too complex to understand and the indication of the energy lost to friction was not well understood.
Engineers simplified the program to show just the relative proportion of energy captured out of what was available to be captured. This gave the drivers a score that was easier to understand and was shown to be more motivational.
Additionally, engineers received feedback on alternatives for the terminology used to represent what eventually became the charge point, budget and surplus screens.
The team also brought in members of the Michigan Electric Auto Association, a group of electric vehicle enthusiasts, to validate the driver information. The concepts were well received by the group, who considered the information thoughtful, particularly for people who are not familiar with the electric vehicle experience.
Specifically, the butterflies, which are used to graphically represent the additional range beyond one's charge destination, were considered to be an appropriate emotive theme. One theme that was being pursued – a circuit board – was poorly received. It was seen as cold, unattractive and not exciting; it was dropped.
"Butterflies are a safe image that doesn't alienate people," said Aldighieri. "Not everyone thinks windmills and solar panels are desirable."
Graphically representing surplus mileage beyond charge point destination was identified by this group as a benefit. One guest indicated he had recently gone to the movies with some friends in his electric car. After the movies, one of his friends asked if they could go out for ice cream; this particular guest had to discourage that as he had not accounted for it in planning the evening's travels. After seeing Ford's surplus gauge, he thought this would have given him better data to consider adding on a spontaneous stop to get ice cream.
Making efficiency fun
MyFord Touch on the all-new Focus Electric offers drivers unique features that provide easy-to-understand information about range, destinations and charge points.
For those who want more in-depth information, the cluster's MyView feature offers greater personalization choices. Using five-way buttons on the steering wheel, Focus Electric owners can configure their own custom information screen in the left display. MyView gives owners the ability to choose trip budgets and range views and decide whether or not to display associated text with each screen.
The system also helps coach drivers to optimize their use of the vehicle's regenerative brakes to recapture kinetic energy and send it back to the battery. Brake Coach gives drivers feedback on their braking performance – and the effect it has on their range – once the car comes to a complete stop after a braking event.
The right-hand display screen in Focus Electric also uses blue butterflies to graphically represent the additional range beyond one's charge point destination – the more there are, the greater the range. To reinforce the message, at the end of each trip a display screen provides distance driven, miles gained through regenerative braking, energy consumed and comparative gasoline saved by driving electric.
Power of choice
Electrification is an important piece of Ford's overall product sustainability strategy, which includes the launch of five electrified vehicles in North America by 2012 and in Europe by 2013. Ford launched the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van in 2010 and will launch the all-new Focus Electric later this year. In 2012, these models will be joined in North America by the new C-MAX Hybrid, a second next-generation lithium-ion battery hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. This diverse range of electrified vehicles allows Ford to meet a variety of consumer driving needs.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Julie, we would like to thank you for sharing your experience.
"Just purchased a used car for an awesome price, well below KBB. No pressure sales & excellent customer service. We were offered a great price for our trade in. They kept our payments right where we wanted them. It is a shame that we are moving out of state in a few months because I would love to do all future business with this dealership. All around, it was a great experience!"
Friday, August 12, 2011
Duke, thank you for this stellar review. We are honored to have you as a customer.
"One of the best buying experiences to date (25 years of buying new cars.) Salesman Luis understood what I was looking for, explained all the options, let me take time and decide and offered a very favorable trade in price. I went to this dealership, which is not the closest Ford dealer (about 40 miles away) as their website accurately displayed available cars. I went the next day to take a look at the car and to my surprise, left that day with a new vehicle. Will continue to take back for service, as the first service experience was followed with several calls checking to see my satisfaction. Between my purchase and first service, I had no less than 5 followup calls from different parts of the dealership. When price no longer differentiates, service does and they have made that happen for me."
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Ford to launch game-like ride and drive program for 2012 Focus
Later this month, Ford plans to launch a nationwide tour that will allow consumers to test drive a 2012 Focus through a video game-like course designed to highlight the vehicle's technology and handling.
Each Focus used for the "Start More Than a Car. Get More Than a Test Drive" event will be outfitted with a laser on the bottom of the car. Several bull's-eye targets are located throughout the course and the driver's goal will be to pass over the center of each target -- the closer to the middle they are, the more points they earn.
If they drive directly over the target, drivers will hear the blaring sound of a guitar or the cheers of a roaring crowd through the car's speakers. But, if they miss the mark drivers will be met with disappointed groans or sighs.
Lipstick camera
Every Focus also is equipped with a small lipstick camera near the rear view mirror that captures the driver's every move around the course. After completing the challenge, each participant will be e-mailed a video of their trip around the course that they'll then be able to share and post to their Facebook or Twitter accounts.
It's the latest attempt by Ford to get more U.S. consumers -- particularly younger drivers who would consider a European or Asian compact model first -- behind the wheel of the redesigned Focus.
The participant's videos will allow Ford to get the "absolute bang for the buck," as ride and drives tend to be some of the most expensive types of advertising, said Lew Echlin, Ford global car marketing manager.
"It's something that's uniquely memorable and it's an experience that's uniquely sharable," Echlin said. "The customer not only remembers it from the event and had an impact from the event, but they get that reminder two or three days later and they share it with others."
Social media campaigns are nothing new for Ford. The automaker has used sites like Facebook and YouTube to promote vehicles like the Fiesta and Focus to younger audiences months before they go on sale.
Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president for global marketing, sales and service, said this week social media sites allow customers to share their experiences with one another -- citing Apple computers as an ideal model.
"If you own an Apple who are you going to ask first? You're going to go online to ask another Apple owner," Farley said at the Management Briefing Seminars this week in Traverse City, Mich. "They know a lot more than even the company and they're more accessible and able to help."
Several hundred people have already participated in pilots of the program the past few weeks in the Detroit area. Of those who took part, 86 percent shared their videos with others and, on average, each individual video was viewed 18 times in its entirety, Echlin said.
The tour will open on Aug. 22 in Chicago and will continue to 22 cities through December. Echlin wouldn't elaborate on where else the program was headed, but ultimately, by the end of the year Ford hopes that a total of 100,000 people get to test drive the Focus -- with half of that amount coming from "Start More Than a Car. Get More Than a Test Drive."
Test drives will be held at corporate facilities, college campuses and big box retail stores. Echlin said those locations were specifically chosen because they'll be able to market the event fairly easily to employees, students and shoppers.
"We have an opportunity to promote that a ride and drive is going to be there for a week before to a relatively captive audience," Echlin said.
Ford sold 14,889 Focus models last month and 112,913 through the first seven months of 2011, making it the automaker's second-highest selling car behind the Fusion.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Join us for the Ford Fairfield Summer Safety Event
Monday, August 1, 2011
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