More good news on loan approval!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[robivi3]

Just went to Ford and found out that they LOWERED my interst rate to 10.75%!!!!!!!!!!!!! Payments are now 17.00 more than for my 01 GMC!

ONLY 5 MORE LEFT ON THE GMC, at this point I think the BK is behind us. My situation is somewhat different from most in that unemployment or possible is not a factor in any way, so i don't know if that was a factor.

Also Ford Credit has ALOT more online service than GMAC.

[Jarednt1]

I am looking forward to being able to PayOnline with Ford, something I have never been able to do with any of my auto loans.

[robivi3]

I have financed two autos with GMAC and this is my second with Ford, the other were with the CU. My GMAC account has nothing online, nothing is available. With Ford everything from accessories to the owners manual is online.

Just to let you know, I did consider a new Focus for about ten minutes. We looked at them, I refused to sit in it but my very small wife sat in one reluctantly and did not care for it. Wife has always liked Vans and Suburbans and I have always favored Suburbans. My old Corsica was the wife's car until the boys got bigger and then she had to take my truck and i suffered with the Corsy for several years. I am a GM person and have always loved GM's but consider Ford Trucks and rear wheel drive cars excellent. I drove my Mustang 267,000 miles with few problems. I despise all Jap vehicles except the Camry and Corrolla, they are excellent. I know several friends who are mechanics at the a Nissan dealer in Hollywood, none will drive one, they all drive GM, Ford or Dodge. Honda is not the Company that old Soshiro Honda built, the cars fold EASILY in an accident.

I found a low mileage Chevy Tahoe at Sawgrass Ford. I also looked at low mileage explorers but all were going from 19,500 to 24,000.00. Low mileage Expeditions were 26,000.00 and up, which was our need rannge. Then I saw a beautiful 2005 E350 XL Extended 12 Passenger Van with a 18,775.00 price sticker, looked in it, and it met the need perfectly. By the time i got to the dealer at 10 the next morning it had sold. Spent part of the day looking online and calling Ford Dealers (I WILL NEVER BUY FROM AN INDEPENDANT, EVER, dealers here DON'T like shabby, problematic vehicles, they get the creme de la creme at Auction, I've worked in dealerships). I found five of them that were at dealers within 300 miles, I cancelled two or three out because they were the Extended version. All were under 24000 miles, all under 19000.00. I found mine at the Ford Dealer in Plantation. We went to see it, they insisted that i drive it. I did, but i had gone over it with a fine tooth comb, even got up under it and the vehicle was with 22000 miles and absolutely pristine. Ours is a 2006 and the '05 with all our options (XLT plus multiple goodies) KBB for 24,450.00, so in truth i am in the black already. The financing took less than an hour, the total package was EASIER than buying my GMC with perfect credit when i got 5.3 percent. The steps and alarm go in on Wednesday. This was a very pleasant transaction and the salesman at the dealer turns out has sold several vehicles to friends over the years.

In transit we still have some of these Ford Vans from the 80's with over 300,000 miles. We also have a GMC Truck which had 700,000 miles when i transferred to another classification which I STILL see on the road and by now would be around 900,000 miles, the AC still works, yes it's repaired numerous times, but it works.

My GMC Truck has 85000 with only two problems, water got into a hub assembly and damaged a bearing, it FLOODS here when the 'canes hit, and a window motor. Both of these i easily repaired and the GMC's hub assembly is a dirt free stroke of genius, no more bearing packing, three bolts and bang it's in. other than routine maintence my GMC is trouble free. I always use Mobil One Synthetic oil and have had the cooling system, transmission and rear axle serviced at the dealer at the start of every summer. That vehicle will likely get 300,000 without a hitch. That Van is the same, it is tough, heavy, and has basically a modified 351 Engine that will last along time with good care. The Tranny is an E475R which has an excellent rep so long as it is maintained. I don't LEAVE any fluid in any vehicle for five years, the chemicals crystalize as they get older and contaminated from metals, etc... for a 80.00 coolant flush I rather save a head gasket or an Intake O-ring/gasket, not worth the chance. And tranny fluid, don't go there, I spent two years rebuilding Voith & Allison Transmissions, i know transmissions, once a year, period. We used synthetic tranny fluid in those and STILL changed it every 18000 miles.

On another non "voluminous" leg South Florida is a great place to get good auto's fairly cheap. Carfaxed my Van and it went straight from the manufacturer to the Rental company in Orlando, was used for six months and then sold at auction to the Ford dealer. City driving puts it under load and is fine for a break in, GM recommended it in my GMC manual and that's how we used to break in Bus Engines, four hours with the tech on the road to seat things and get a little power and cut it loose for revenue for break in. You won't Katrina victims on a dealers lot here, they don't need the headache when there are trouble free Disney vehicles to sell, that's what my old Corsy started out as (but not my Truck, 14 miles when i got her)

[13inOR]

We just bought a 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor suv, and had previously only owned mostly GMs but one Ford. It got fabulous user reviews and did very well in Consumer Reports. We absolutely love it after having it for 6 weeks or so. The warranty is 100k so no car repair worries for a long while.

This particular one had 16k miles on it and carfax showed it was a rental also.
It is in perfect condition and we got a good price. Hope you enjoy your new van too!

[robivi3]

That is a WARRANTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not into japanese cars but that is a $$$$$$$$$$ feature. best of luck and hope you enjoy it! The car won't be broken in for a long time so you played it smart by letting someone else eat the devaluation.

[13inOR]

Yep, thats what we figured. Never owned Japanese before but we absolutely love everything about this rig, definitely saved tons over brand, brand new.
And the warranty ROCKS!

[robivi3]

Vehicles basically fall to preference. I have always loved GM and Ford. In my travels and time at dealers I found myself witha strong dislike of Chrysler products and a love for Toyota, GM and Ford though a Tundra won't do what a GM or ford will do, it isn't built for it. But I know a friend that has a Toyota T100 with nearly 300,000 trouble free miles and some rough, not towing, usage. it is really a matter of preference. some fella's love Dodge trucks, I don't. I've got a buddy who every time we get in a co-workers dodge he brings a bag with two holes cut in it (all in fun) 'cause he doesn't want folks to see him in a Dodge (and because the owner smokes), but then the other guy gets in his Chevy 3500 Duramax and starts yelling in Spanish about "los Gummie Bears" in the back to which the owner yells back ijn Spanish that if you don't quit smelling of smoke you'll have to ride in the back (you don't want to ride there, he goes to Alabama to go deer hunting and the Glades for boar so i assume they end up there.

[SinkingFast]

Congrats on the new ride, Robivi!!

I am jealous!! I miss my truck dearly!! But with the months we've had lately, I don't miss the payment. Don't know how we woulda made it anyway.

I just like the look of the Dodge Ram trucks. I owned a Durango for years because it had that look from the front. But that sucker was a lemon from the get go. We were just lucky we bought the extended warranty from the start. I got stuck out, away from home more than once in that thing. Transmission worked on a couple times. Water pump replaced. Transfer case worked on 3 times I think. Some sort of brake issue that never did get resolved. Dang front brakes would HUM in the summer or when the weather was warm. Not in the winter. Just the summer.

The Durango rolled over 100K miles last spring and we were running 600 mile trips, each way, like clockwork between new place and old. I was not gonna be left sitting in the middle of no where if that thing died on me and no warranty to fix it. So I traded for a Ram Pick-up. Quad cab. The only option I really wish it had that it didn't and I learned about later was parking sensors. Ram Quad Cabs are HUGE and burdensome to park in some parking lots. I got hemmed in more than once in parking lots with narrow parking spots and narrow drive lanes. I hate rocking back and forth to get swung around enough to clear a car when I want to leave.

Guess after the BK, I'll be giving Ford some serious looks. Especially since they are so BK friendly. I just hope our beaters hold together until then.