and so.. you are saying there needs to be some magical or mystical device that prevents a vehicle from coming into that market? or leaving that market?
in my search for a f350.. I turned down dozens as they were northern trucks, driven down here and sold.. or transferred down here, and had half the undercarriage, fender wells, and door panels eaten off.
vehicles move inthe secondary market.
making a florida truck, and then it is sold or traded to michigan? and you can't blame the factory for not making it a northern truck.
if you live on a boat.. plan on seeing water at some point.
if you live in a tree.. plan on falling at some point
if you play with pigs, carry soap!
if you drive a vehicle in the north.. plan on fighting rust due to salt!
Im talking selling new.. new man new... Both these $50,000 vehicles were bought new, from their respective dealers in this market. As such they should be protected from this environment. I couldnt care less about the used market .
A vehicle sold in the NEW market in Florida doesnt require the same level of anti-corrosion as one sold in Maine, although extra corrosion protection in Florida sure wouldt hurt. Companies that dont cheap out AND value their reputation like Lexus, apply sufficient corrosion protection for
all the markets in North America. Building a vehicle for a southern market, and selling it NEW in a nothern one is just stupid and pisses customers like me off. So much so, I wont buy another ford, and Ive owned 4.
I suggest a google search of the ford forums, particularly specifying the 2000-2003 F150. Anybody who isnt in Arizona has basically the same issues. Rotten sills. Rotten doors. Rotten cab corners. Rusted and leaking exhaust headers. Rusted driveshafts.. Almost to a T. All these trucks suffer where ford cut corners to save money.
In my immediate family we have two vehicles, both basically the same age, both travel the same roads in the same conditions. One is rotten, and one, the one with WAY more miles isnt. The only difference here is manufacturer and company philosophy.Ford vs Lexus.
The ford in question's door bottoms began to blister at 75k. And still under warranty. It was "fixed" by the dealer however it was a half-assed job and is now blistered again. And lets not forget about the factory chrome that had rust pits at the same mileage. That went to the area rep. He denied it, under two grounds, one, he tried to blame the supplier (although these were factory parts) and two he chalked it up to "Environmental conditions". A complete cop-out.
