2nd May 2012, 15:20
As a former car dealership employee, I am still laughing over this review!! Gee, if people only knew what their nice, shiny new cars went through before being handed over to them!! There was more tire smoke on and around our dealership than at a Mustang "burnout" contest!! We actually had cars that had been damaged by accidents on the lot. Of course the buyers never had a clue. They were hurriedly sneaked into the body shop and repaired.
I love the idea that newer cars require a slow, gentle break-in period. Baloney!! Our cars were red-lined with only 10 miles on the odometer. Modern cars don't require break-in periods. It's actually BAD for them. When I buy a new car, I KNOW it has most likely been horribly abused before I got it. It doesn't worry me in the least. Modern cars are so well-built (especially domestics) that they are virtually indestructible.
As for driving the Fusion 100mph, it is much safer at 100mph than most imports are at 60. Of course it is illegal, but as far as safety is concerned, I feel much safer on the road with competent drivers in well-built cars driving 100, than in town with poor drivers in flimsy imports driving 40.
2nd May 2012, 20:39
You don't have to worry about sharing the road with me unless you just happen to be on that deserted stretch of HIGHWAY late of night when I may push my car a little. As I have no interest in prematurely wearing out my new car, you can be assured that doesn't happen that often.
If you don't see the issue I have with Ford, then please purchase your next vehicle from a rental used car lot. There is a big difference between strangers treating a new car in shipment like a Hertz rental, and the actual owner pushing its limits to see what it can do.
No offense, but just because I pushed my car a couple of times on an empty road doesn't make me a teenager with a shiny new license. 99.9% of people exceed the speed limit at some point in their lives, and there are far more dangerous things drivers do behind the wheel. I can honestly say that I've never gotten behind the wheel drunk, can you?
3rd May 2012, 15:15
Funny how people can attempt to justify dangerous behavior, and driving at 100MPH is in my opinion very dangerous behavior. Oh and by the way, I'm sure you did not mean to be offensive with your question about driving drunk, however I do not drink, and drinking is against the teachings of my religion. Driving 100MPH is just plain against the law.
5th May 2012, 14:46
I don't understand the line in the previous comment "If you don't see the issue I have with Ford, please purchase your next vehicle from a rental used car lot". Uhhh... what has that got to do with it?? As a mechanic and car enthusiast, I strongly recommend used rental cars over privately owned or leased used vehicles any day. They are serviced regularly, and the demographic using rental cars is generally families on vacation or business men, a thousand of which do less harm to a car than 30 minutes in the hands of a teenager.
Our family has purchased three former rental cars; a Toyota, a Buick and a Pontiac. All were flawless. The Buick was driven 277,000 miles without a single repair. All were immaculate, well-equipped with virtually every option, and all gave every indication of being very well cared for.
One encounters many myths regarding cars, such as the myth that imports are more reliable (not true), cars run as well on regular as on premium (violates the laws of physics), and that rental cars are a bad buy. Just as I have never found any of our imports to be superior in any way to a domestic. I have never known a single person who had problems with former rental cars. This is probably the biggest myth out there. Just go back and read comment 15:20 about how NEW cars are treated before you buy them!!
6th May 2012, 13:12
Well said regarding rental cars.
As for how some dealership employees treat the new cars on the lot, I would like to remind folks that your car could receive the same abuse while in for service.
I brought my new 2004 Jeep Liberty in to the selling dealer for service shortly after purchasing it new, it was a nice day, so I was browsing the lot when I heard a loud "burn out" and turned around to see my Liberty come flying out of the service doors at an unbelievable speed, then cornered so fast I thought the young dealership employee was going to roll my new pride & joy (I take care of my cars, and certainly don't appreciate anybody beating on them).
I did complain to the dealership about the employee, and reported to Chrysler what I witnessed at dealership. Thankfully, that dealership is now out of business, and I found a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep Dealership two towns away from where I live, that I couldn't be happier with.
Some dealerships are superb, some not so good, but remember, all it takes is one bad employee to ruin a dealer's reputation.
6th May 2012, 19:19
I'm a little lost... thought this guy was complaining about the people that shipped the car, not the dealership???
7th May 2012, 06:06
If you are really lost, read the comments again slowly, and you should see how we got from there to here...
16th May 2012, 11:00
Just a suggestion - perhaps if one didn't make assumptions as to who posted what, the thread would be easier to follow.
3rd Jul 2012, 13:05
Good review. There's nothing wrong with wringing a car out on a lonely stretch of highway if there's no one around. I mean, you have to have a little fun every now and then, right? Apparently some people don't think so, LOL.
1st Oct 2012, 06:49
If you are so irresponsible that you think driving 100 mph on a public road is a little fun, you should turn in your license and take the bus. IMO you have no business on the road. PERIOD!
1st Oct 2012, 17:36
Driving any car should be fun, and people who don't properly test drive cars often end up very disappointed. I demand the freedom to give any car I consider buying a thorough test drive. That will include several flat-out acceleration tests, panic braking, very fast curves and bursts of speed up to or exceeding 100 miles per hour. I do this with or without the salesman along, and if I am denied the option to do so, I take my business to another dealership. Driving 100 mph on any modern freeway is totally safe and endangers no one. Car buyers who don't properly test drive a potential purchase have no one but themselves to blame if they are disappointed after their purchase.
2nd May 2012, 10:47
And you're saying you have never done this before? When obtaining a new car or even a used car, I would like to see how the car reacts at higher speeds. You want EVERYONE to just putt putt around? No. I do the speed limit, and rarely do 100 mph if ever, but I'm just saying.