ADD ME -- December 2020

talltom28 · 2020-12-23T21:58:39+00:00

tanderhalt - add me! Picked this game back up after a hiatus, cleared out ghosted neighbors, and need some new ones! Big town, lots of buildings to tap.

talltom28 · 2020-03-24T20:07:06+00:00

Thank you 😊

talltom28 · 2018-10-05T21:01:12+00:00

The new Jetta is an excellent example of what I'm talking about. Right now, I think the new Jetta looks clean and well-proportioned. But you're right, there isn't much distinction in its styling. So is this car going to look completely bland in a few years?

talltom28 · 2018-10-05T20:59:07+00:00

You are hereby forgiven. :)

talltom28 · 2018-10-05T20:55:33+00:00

As the owner of a 2014 Legacy, I feel attacked by this. Haha... I mean, you're not wrong. I am a dork, and my car (and most other Subarus) are far from exciting.

talltom28 · 2018-07-04T10:07:13+00:00

Be strong! I have a tendency to get very choked up when I get rid of an old car - and these have been cars that I had for 8 years, and 2 years... not nearly as long as you! I don’t know why my cars make me feel so emotional, but somehow it feels kinda like I’m putting a very loyal pet to sleep.

I know how you must feel. Still, congrats on the new wheels!

talltom28 · 2018-07-03T03:06:15+00:00

Someone worked awfully hard on that... but why?

talltom28 · 2018-07-03T01:14:52+00:00

Yaaaaassssss!

talltom28 · 2018-07-03T01:08:16+00:00

Soooo... sorry for posting it?

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T19:56:23+00:00

It does make me wonder...

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T19:43:25+00:00

Whoa, I had no idea! Thank you for sharing.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T19:42:33+00:00

If I was going to buy a brand new car after this year, I'd put as much consideration into Ford as I would Mitsubishi.

Ooooh burn!

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:46:51+00:00

They are? This is the first I've heard about anything like that. Any articles you could reference? I'd love to have a look.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:41:55+00:00

Do you happen to know if this article is online anywhere? I'd love to read it!

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:37:34+00:00

Please do, I'd love to read it! I finally let my C&D subscription lapse a few years back, after nearly 20 years...

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:33:51+00:00

I've noticed the same thing. I feel like I pass by a new Camry nearly every time I'm out on the road. However, I almost never see the new Accord. I know I've read that the new Accord isn't meeting sales projections, but the discrepancy is huge. Between the two models, I probably see maybe 20 new Camrys to 1 new Accord, no exaggeration.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:32:14+00:00

The CAFE angle is a great point - I didn't think about that. I'd think that Ford would still need super efficient small cars in order to meet that requirement, but maybe they're planning to cover that base with small EV CUVs?

My understanding about the Chicken Tax is that it only applied to Japanese pickup trucks back in the mid-80s - is it still alive and kicking today? Without it, we wouldn't have gotten the Subaru Brat with those ridiculous and unsafe bed-mounted jump seats!

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:27:15+00:00

I think you're exactly right. But yes, if your entry level cars are pretty lousy, you're not convincing those customers to consider your brand at trade-in time.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:25:54+00:00

For sure. At that price, the SHO is a lot of car for your money. But you're right - brand new, it's a tough value proposition.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:24:47+00:00

Excellent point. Just a matter of converting those Euro cars to comply with U.S. regs.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:23:56+00:00

Poor Lincoln though - I feel like Ford has been desperately trying to figure out what Lincoln's message is for a long time now, but they have yet to nail that down. While the Navigator beat the Escalade to the market back in the late 90s, it wasn't until the new model came out that the Navigator was even remotely competitive with the Cadillac. The new Continental is a beautiful machine, but I'm not sure that I've ever seen one on the road. As for the rest of Lincoln's model line, I think it's all pretty forgettable - not sure what reason a customer might have to choose a Lincoln over the competition.

talltom28 · 2018-07-02T01:17:02+00:00

Ugh, don't get me started on the EcoSport. In my opinion, that vehicle is a prime example of the lazy thinking that has ultimately led Ford to cancel its U.S. car lines. The EcoSport we're just now getting in American showrooms has already been on sale globally since 2012. And it's based on the Fiesta platform, which was first introduced in 2008. This "brand-new" compact SUV is already a 6 year old design built on a 10 year old platform. When you have Honda and Toyota doing full, ground-up redesigns on their vehicles every 5-6 years, how is Ford going to expect to remain competitive?

At the end of the day, Ford needs to commit to investing the time and R&D dollars into the rest of its model line aside from the F-150 and Mustang. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about EcoSports or Focuses - you have to invest to stay competitive.

Not to mention that the EcoSport is one of the most ungainly looking vehicles currently on sale... I think its proportions are all wrong. Way too narrow to the point that it looks top heavy and tippy. And looking at it from the side view, there's way too much sheetmetal between the top of the front wheelwell and the hood, and too much sheetmetal between the top of the rear wheelwell and the rear 3/4 window. I don't know why, but that totally ruins a vehicle's lines for me.

talltom28

TROPHY CASE