Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic built
up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after 10
years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
mileage.

I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.

 

tww1491 wrote:

> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic built
> up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
> competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after 10
> years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
> mileage.
>
> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.

I agree with you as far as long-term reliability is concerned. If the media
is talking about initial quality, the argument holds no water; any car can
do well at that. The last 2 incarnations of Malibu, from what I read, had
below average reliability, even despite the last version getting an initial
quality award from JD Power! And the fact that Fusion/Milan is made in
Mexico is cause for concern there.

 

"tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga:

> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and
> reliability with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is
> claimed for GM's new Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers
> flocking to Ford and GM showrooms to buy these automobiles is the
> distrust of things domestic built up over years of disappointment.
> While, the Fusion and others may be competitive when new, the question
> I have is what the car will like after 10 years of ownership -- still
> comparable to an Accord of similar age and mileage.
>
> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
>
>
>

Fords don't come with a locking gas cap/door and no air filtration system.
'nuf said.

 

"tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in message
news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga...
> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic
> built up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
> competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after
> 10 years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
> mileage.
>
> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
>
>
Isn't the Fusion basically a Mazda with a Ford badge? There's your quality
and reliability.

Not sure about 10 years down the road, but I've had my '00 Accord for 7 1/2
years and about 93,000 miles and it still feels and drives like a new car in
almost every respect. I doubt I could say that about any Ford at that age,
even my '66 Mustang.

FWIW

Paul

 

Nobody wrote:

>
> Fords don't come with a locking gas cap/door and no air filtration system.
> 'nuf said.

It is really strange that Ford didn't provide for a cabin air filter on
the Fusion. I've come to expect just about any modern car to have one.
The Mazda 6 offers it and that is the base design from which the
Fusion was built.

 

On Nov 18, 2:15 pm, High Tech Misfit <m...@privacy.net> wrote:

> I agree with you as far as long-term reliability is concerned. If the media
> is talking about initial quality, the argument holds no water; any car can
> do well at that. The last 2 incarnations of Malibu, from what I read, had
> below average reliability, even despite the last version getting an initial
> quality award from JD Power! And the fact that Fusion/Milan is made in
> Mexico is cause for concern there.

Well, not necessarily. My '96 VW Jetta was built in Mexico and was an
excellent car quality-wise. No issues at all, other than problems with
the door bump strips, easily rectified with double-sided tape. And
that was when the car had 90k miles on it. The German-made GTI's had
the same issue.

I like the design of the Fusion, too bad you can't get the V6 with a
manual trans. It's a lot less bland than the previous-generation
Accord. And less ugly than the new generation.

But the point about buyer wariness is right on - after decades of
building for vehicles, Detroit can't just win everyone back
immediately. They need to establish a positive track record. I have to
say, from a styling perspective, the new Detroit cars are much better.
The Fusion, Malibu, Charger, CTS - they are all very cool-looking
cars. OTOH, they still make clunkers like the Sebring, Avenger and
Focus.

Dan D
'07 Ody EX
Central NJ USA

 

"Paul" <pkmueller@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:tC80j.23203$JD.15601@newssvr21.news.prodigy.n et...
>
> "tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in message
> news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga...
>> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
>> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
>> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
>> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic
>> built up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may
>> be competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like
>> after 10 years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar
>> age and mileage.
>>
>> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
>> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
>>
>>
> Isn't the Fusion basically a Mazda with a Ford badge? There's your quality
> and reliability.
>
> Not sure about 10 years down the road, but I've had my '00 Accord for 7
> 1/2 years and about 93,000 miles and it still feels and drives like a new
> car in almost every respect. I doubt I could say that about any Ford at
> that age, even my '66 Mustang.
>
> FWIW
>
> Paul

Speaking of the Mustang, I had a Sunbeam Tiger -- a 65 which had the 260
Ford V8. The Tiger -- for those who are familiar with it -- was a Shelby
inspired Sunbeam Alpine. Mine was slightly modified with a Shelby cam and 4
bbl Holley. Went like blazes. Should have kept it.
>
>

 

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 13:10:54 -0500, "tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote:

>Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
>with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
>Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
>showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic built
>up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
>competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after 10
>years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
>mileage.
>
>I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
>frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.

I have seen the media hype about how the domestics have caught up with
the Japanese before. The first time I can remember was back in the
early 1980s with the Chevy Citation, a car that later became the
poster child for crappy American cars.

Maybe Ford and GM have caught up with Honda and Toyota, but how would
we know for at least six or seven years? The problem is that they are
using the same old media hype and no one is going to believe them. It
took years for Honda and Toyota to overcome the public perception that
anything from Japan must be crappy. If GM and Ford have truly caught
up, they should just shut up and let the 7 - 10 year reliability
records do the talking. Of course, they may be out of business by
then.

 

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:37:14 -0800 (PST), Dano58
<dan.dibiase@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Nov 18, 2:15 pm, High Tech Misfit <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>> I agree with you as far as long-term reliability is concerned. If the media
>> is talking about initial quality, the argument holds no water; any car can
>> do well at that. The last 2 incarnations of Malibu, from what I read, had
>> below average reliability, even despite the last version getting an initial
>> quality award from JD Power! And the fact that Fusion/Milan is made in
>> Mexico is cause for concern there.
>
>Well, not necessarily. My '96 VW Jetta was built in Mexico and was an
>excellent car quality-wise. No issues at all, other than problems with
>the door bump strips, easily rectified with double-sided tape. And
>that was when the car had 90k miles on it. The German-made GTI's had
>the same issue.
>
>I like the design of the Fusion, too bad you can't get the V6 with a
>manual trans. It's a lot less bland than the previous-generation
>Accord. And less ugly than the new generation.
>
>But the point about buyer wariness is right on - after decades of
>building for vehicles, Detroit can't just win everyone back
>immediately. They need to establish a positive track record. I have to
>say, from a styling perspective, the new Detroit cars are much better.
>The Fusion, Malibu, Charger, CTS - they are all very cool-looking
>cars. OTOH, they still make clunkers like the Sebring, Avenger and
>Focus.
>
>Dan D
>'07 Ody EX
>Central NJ USA

Styling seems to be a very much North America vs the rest of the
world. Cars 'styled' for the North American market are generally
considered hideous elsewhere.

 

"Paul" <pkmueller@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:tC80j.23203$JD.15601@newssvr21.news.prodigy.n et...
>
> "tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in message
> news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga...
>> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
>> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
>> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
>> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic
>> built up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may
>> be competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like
>> after 10 years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar
>> age and mileage.
>>
>> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
>> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
>>
>>
> Isn't the Fusion basically a Mazda with a Ford badge? There's your quality
> and reliability.

Actually, I think you have it just bassackwards!

> Not sure about 10 years down the road, but I've had my '00 Accord for 7
> 1/2 years and about 93,000 miles and it still feels and drives like a new
> car in almost every respect. I doubt I could say that about any Ford at
> that age, even my '66 Mustang.
I have a 1982 F250 that has seen some hard use (not abuse) and I did rebuild
the 300 I6 at 145k or thereabouts but other than that just the normal wear
items like brakes belts, etc. It will fire right up even after sitting out
thru an Alaskan night without benefit of any heaters (as long as it doesnt
get down below -30. My Honda Civic would not do that....
>
> FWIW
Just as much as mine.
>
> Paul

DaveD
>
>

 

"tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in message
news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga...
> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic
> built up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
> competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after
> 10 years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
> mileage.
>
> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.

Havent had my Fusion long enuf to make any good comparisons yet. However, I
did notice that the appointments, trim fit, etc., will compare with any
Toyoater, Honda, etc. Perhaps Ford took a page from Jaguar's book.

DaveD
>
>
>

 

"Nobody" <nobody@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:Xns99ECD87EF9EE3IDTOKENnobodyIDTOKEN@66.250.1 46.128...
> "tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga:
>
>> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and
>> reliability with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is
>> claimed for GM's new Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers
>> flocking to Ford and GM showrooms to buy these automobiles is the
>> distrust of things domestic built up over years of disappointment.
>> While, the Fusion and others may be competitive when new, the question
>> I have is what the car will like after 10 years of ownership -- still
>> comparable to an Accord of similar age and mileage.
>>
>> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
>> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.
>>
>>
>>
>
> Fords don't come with a locking gas cap/door

And this is a bad thing? I hate locking gas caps. The inside latch is just
an unessesary pain in the ***. Ford used to inflict that ticky tack stuff on
me, but they finally got wise and dropped it. I have not once missed having
to go back to the inside of the car to trip the stupid gas door. And I sure
as heck don't want a key on the gas door or cap.

> and no air filtration system.

Two of my last three Fords did have cabin filters. My current Nissan
Frontier has one. I haven't detected any advantage to the cabin filters. If
they were optional, I wouldn't order them. The replacement cabin filters are
more expensive than the engine air filters - makes no sense to me. The
cabin filter in the Nissan is totally worthless. I spend a lot of time on
dirt roads and in fields, and the Nissan filter doesn't appear to stop
anything. The inside of the truck is coated with dust. And there is a group
of trees I regularly pass with some sort of nasty pollen that the filters
never stop.

Ed

> 'nuf said.

 

"tww1491" <twaugh5@***.net> wrote in message
news:nc%%i.188$sM1.91@newsfe16.lga...
> Supposedly, Ford has made a huge step forward in quality and reliability
> with the new Fusion and Mercury Milan. The same is claimed for GM's new
> Malibu. The impediment (says the media) to buyers flocking to Ford and GM
> showrooms to buy these automobiles is the distrust of things domestic
> built up over years of disappointment. While, the Fusion and others may be
> competitive when new, the question I have is what the car will like after
> 10 years of ownership -- still comparable to an Accord of similar age and
> mileage.
>
> I guess I don't see the Fusion in the same light as I see my Accord,
> frankly. But, I may be wrong. Any imput out there.

I own a 2007 Fusion. My Sister has a 1997 Civic. My son has a 2005 Accord.
None have required any major repairs. The Fusion is 1 year old and has over
18,000 miles. I prefer the Fusion to the other two vehicles, but it is a
personal thing. My family has owned Fords for man years. My old 1992 F150
was still going strong after 14 years when I traded it on a 2006 Nissan
Frontier.The F150 was in much better condition when I traded it than my
sisters 10 year old Civic. Her Civic runs fine, but it is a sad looking
thing - faded paint, paint off the bumpers in spots, interior faded, plastic
parts very brittle, engine uses oil, engine compartment is coated with oil,
etc. - but it still runs. She is happy. In the 11 years she has owned it, it
has needed two mufflers and one set of plug wires. That is all. Of course I
think the clutch is due to fail any day now. I consider Fords and Hondas to
be on a par as far as reliability. If you are going to abuse the vehcile,
I'd give the edge to a Ford. If you are going to take good care of the
vehicle, the Honda will hold it's resale value better. I generally find the
drivers layout better in Fords, but I am a tall/big guy. Just my opinion.

Ed

 

"Paul" <pkmueller@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:tC80j.23203$JD.15601@newssvr21.news.prodigy.n et...

[SNIP]

> Isn't the Fusion basically a Mazda with a Ford badge? There's your quality
> and reliability.

Not really. It is definitely based on the Mazda 6 design, but it has a
longer wheelbase, a completely different body structure, and a completely
different interior. The V6 is a Ford design built in a Ford plant (also used
in US built Mazdas). The automatic used with the V6 is a Aisin-Warner 6
speed from the same family as the Camry 6 speed. The four cylinder engine is
a Mazda design, but built by Ford in a Ford plant. The manual transmission
is a Mazda item. The 4 cylinder automatic is a Ford design. Of course since
Ford controls Mazda, it is a Ford design either way.

> Not sure about 10 years down the road, but I've had my '00 Accord for 7
> 1/2 years and about 93,000 miles and it still feels and drives like a new
> car in almost every respect. I doubt I could say that about any Ford at
> that age, even my '66 Mustang.

When did you last own a Ford? How reliable do you think a 1966 Honda was?
All cars are much better now, than even 10 years ago. Over the years I have
owned Fords, Mazdas, Audis, Plymouths, Toyotas, and an assortment of British
cars. Family members have owned Hondas (3), VWs (2), Mazdas, etc. Currently
my SO has a Toyota RAV4, her Daughter a VW Jetta, and her son has a Honda
Civic. My older Sister has a Civic. My younger Sister has an Escape. One of
my Sons has an Accord. The other Son has a Mustang. My Mother has a
Freestyle and a Ranger. I have a Fusion and a Nissan Frontier. None of these
vehicles is especially unreliable. In general everyone seems happy with what
they have (well except for my SO's daughter, she wants to ditch the VW).
I've never had an especially unreliable Ford. Can't say the same about
Toyotas or Audis or Plymouths. My Sister has had good luck with the two
Hondas she owned, if you don't count the rust, and weak doors of her 1980
Accord. Personally I'll consider almost any vehicle that isn't built by Land
Rover, VW/Audi, or BMW. I wouldn't put one of the Korean models high on the
list, but I would consider them.

Ed

 

Chevrolet has finally belted out a home run with the new Malibu. Most
reviews are ecstatic, and suggest that the Malibu clearly outshines its
competitors in many areas. Before anyone rips the Malibu (or domestic
cars in general) I suggest you have a look at this new Chevy first. It
just might change your perception. On the other hand, the new Accord's
reviews have been lukewarm at best. I don't see the new Accord as a
major hit in any respect, compared to the Malibu. EZ