Harry P. Posted June 16, 2014 Author Posted June 16, 2014 Let's be honest: no spare, a few bucks cheaper to make the car. And for every customer that orders that $200 spare tire... ka-CHING! It's all about the $$$, nothing else.
Rob Hall Posted June 16, 2014 Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) On my Jeep I think I've had 6 flats and one blow-out in 14 years, mostly from picking up nails and screws (something about the deep tread pattern of mud/snow SUV tires picks them up). My Mustang has had one flat (ripped open the sidewall on a jagged pothole) in 27 years. No flats with other cars I've had (knock on wood). Edited June 16, 2014 by Rob Hall
Harry P. Posted June 16, 2014 Author Posted June 16, 2014 On my Jeep I think I've had 6 flats and one blow-out in 14 years, mostly from picking up nails and screws All mine were just that... nails or screws.
tim boyd Posted June 16, 2014 Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) Let's be honest: no spare, a few bucks cheaper to make the car. And for every customer that orders that $200 spare tire... ka-CHING! It's all about the $$$, nothing else. ************************************** Harry....that may have been the case years ago, but now, no consumer goods company can get by over the long term with that type of attitude. Trust me on this (I've had to make these types of decisions myself in the past)...it's not about the dollars, its about the tradeoffs of how those dollars are spent. What represents the best use of that hypothetical $200....given what you know about the customer and their preferences/usage/value tradeoffs? Most customers get a better value if that money is spent in other ways on their behalf (increased standard equipment levels, or bigger brakes, or improved acceleration, or larger standard wheel/tire, or the latest safety or fuel economy technology, etc.) than by covering the situation where someone gets a flat tire and cannot (using the alternatives provided) get their vehicle to a place where the tire can be fixed. TB Edited June 16, 2014 by tim boyd
Harry P. Posted June 16, 2014 Author Posted June 16, 2014 Let's be honest: no spare, a few bucks cheaper to make the car. And for every customer that orders that $200 spare tire... ka-CHING! It's all about the $$$, nothing else. ************************************** Harry....that may have been the case years ago, but now, no consumer goods company can get by over the long term with that type of attitude. Uh, Tim... are you familiar with the GM "endless recall" situation? One of the stories I've read (Ok, I can't guarantee it's true, but it's out there) is that GM decided to go with a shorter pin in the ignition lock/switch mechanism, rather than a longer one which would have improved the mechanism's integrity, to save a penny per switch. ONE PENNY. If that story proves to be true, then I guess consumer goods companies still have that attitude. That penny they saved has come back to bite them on the posterior big time.
Harry P. Posted June 16, 2014 Author Posted June 16, 2014 Hey Tim (if you're still here)... by any chance have you driven the Mustang eco-boost model? I'd love to hear your reaction to it.
cobraman Posted June 16, 2014 Posted June 16, 2014 If your financing you probably won't even notice the cost to your payment. Another option would be to just get an aftermarket wheel and a tire. If the same bolt pattern you could find a good used one. The spare tire is almost never on a matching wheel anyway.
tim boyd Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Hey Tim (if you're still here)... by any chance have you driven the Mustang eco-boost model? I'd love to hear your reaction to it. Harry....sorry...had to go pick up Michelle at the airport....no I have not driven any of the new Mustangs yet. I did have a Lincoln MKZ on loan earlier this year with the 2.0L EcoBoost and I was very, very impressed with it. The new Mustang engine is a 2.3L EcoBoost so it is larger and more powerful. You can read the reviews of the new Lincoln MKC which uses a less powerful version of the new 2.3L EcoBoost (the Mustang version will be 300hp plus (they haven't released the final ratings yet). I also had a second leasecar in the family fleet for several years with the 3.7L EcoBoost V6 (an awesome Ford Flex Limited AWD). All I can say is that once you've driven EcoBoost cars and you go back to a regular car, you'll miss the instant throttle response, low end torque, and endless power of the EcoBoost. At least I do. (Cheezzzz....sounds like a commercial????) I ordered my '15 with the 5.0L because I've always been a high performance V8 boy, but the technologies these days are making the other engine options more and more attractive. TB
tim boyd Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Uh, Tim... are you familiar with the GM "endless recall" situation? One of the stories I've read (Ok, I can't guarantee it's true, but it's out there) is that GM decided to go with a shorter pin in the ignition lock/switch mechanism, rather than a longer one which would have improved the mechanism's integrity, to save a penny per switch. ONE PENNY. If that story proves to be true, then I guess consumer goods companies still have that attitude. That penny they saved has come back to bite them on the posterior big time. Actually Harry, that is great example you cite - and we see where that got them (this took place mostly during the pre-bankruptcy era at GM, based on what I've read). The amount of the switch cost I've seen is just a little more, but regardless the cost, it was clearly the wrong tradeoff. TB
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Author Posted June 17, 2014 Harry....sorry...had to go pick up Michelle at the airport....no I have not driven any of the new Mustangs yet. I did have a Lincoln MKZ on loan earlier this year with the 2.0L EcoBoost and I was very, very impressed with it. The new Mustang engine is a 2.3L EcoBoost so it is larger and more powerful. You can read the reviews of the new Lincoln MKC which uses a less powerful version of the new 2.3L EcoBoost (the Mustang version will be 300hp plus (they haven't released the final ratings yet). I also had a second leasecar in the family fleet for several years with the 3.7L EcoBoost V6 (an awesome Ford Flex Limited AWD). All I can say is that once you've driven EcoBoost cars and you go back to a regular car, you'll miss the instant throttle response, low end torque, and endless power of the EcoBoost. At least I do. (Cheezzzz....sounds like a commercial????) I ordered my '15 with the 5.0L because I've always been a high performance V8 boy, but the technologies these days are making the other engine options more and more attractive. TB Thanks, Tim. Yes, from what I've read, a Mustang with eco-boost just might be what I'm looking for. My current Mustang is also the big honkin' V8... but the reality is, I do 99.9% of my driving on normal roads and in normal traffic and at normal speeds, and actually have no realistic need for the V8. And the price I'm paying for the "V8 rumble" these days at the gas pump is pretty steep. I'm thinking that the eco-boost model is the way to go... especially given the $10,000 price difference between it and the GT.
Dave Van Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 A Smart 451 has different size tires on the back than on the front axle. Also they are uni directional. So which spare would you carry?? Miss it until you need it....yep....it happens.......but when we hit road debris in NC and destroyed a tire.....we had a roll back on site in a few minutes.....we were down about 2.5 hours....but what would have happened if we were driving a current Vette???? No spare there either. And while we do use our Smart as a road car....they are intended as a city car.....theory being help is always near.....
freakshow12 Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Hey Tim, I thought a guy with deep roots like you would have a 13/14 Shelby. I believe you signed the certificate on my 97 cobra too
tim boyd Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Hey Tim, I thought a guy with deep roots like you would have a 13/14 Shelby. I believe you signed the certificate on my 97 cobra too Fred...yeah, that is my signature on your SVT Cobra certificate. I signed all the certificates for SVT products from mid-1995 through 1998 model years, the period when I was the Team Leader for SVT at Ford. I certainly considered a '13 Shelby, but the GT 5.0L is such a powerful car these days that it best met my needs (I need to use my car year 'round and the winters around here are pretty tough). Using a Shelby in the winter here seems almost sacrilegious. I had planned to buy my '13 when the lease ran out, but some idiot backed into the front fender and so I decided to let it go and order the '15 instead. I'm very excited about it, for all the reasons people have mentioned above. Best regards...TIM
PeeBee Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Just my 2 cents regarding spare tires (or the lack thereof) in new cars: I live in the northeast. You all may have heard about the long, horrific winter we had this year. This, combined with vanishing infrastructure funding (bridge and highway repair and maintenance in particular), and voila! I drive into Manhattan 3-4 days a week from my house in Connecticut and I can tell you that this spring flat tires, and flying hubcaps, were epidemic. Luckily, I avoided such misfortune (I probably look like a drunk going down the road, avoiding all the potholes and piles of asphalt patches), but I certainly would not travel around this part of the country without a spare. Our roads and bridges are rapidly deteriorating, and you all may know what history says is a sure sign of a country in decline... PB.
charlie8575 Posted June 17, 2014 Posted June 17, 2014 Just my 2 cents regarding spare tires (or the lack thereof) in new cars: I live in the northeast. You all may have heard about the long, horrific winter we had this year. This, combined with vanishing infrastructure funding (bridge and highway repair and maintenance in particular), and voila! I drive into Manhattan 3-4 days a week from my house in Connecticut and I can tell you that this spring flat tires, and flying hubcaps, were epidemic. Luckily, I avoided such misfortune (I probably look like a drunk going down the road, avoiding all the potholes and piles of asphalt patches), but I certainly would not travel around this part of the country without a spare. Our roads and bridges are rapidly deteriorating, and you all may know what history says is a sure sign of a country in decline... PB. Yeah, what he said. Charlie Larkin
Joe Handley Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 Harry, is that new Mustang in your garage yet ? Give him a little time yet, we haven't finished with winter yet
Joe Handley Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I decided to wait until spring, Hope it doesn't take much longer to get here!
mikemodeler Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I decided to wait until spring, At the rate winter is going in Chicago, you might get yours on model year closeout! LOL !
Erik548 Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 trade it in, you will discover something called the ability to turn
Deano Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I decided to wait until spring, Soooo ... it YOUR fault that winter's hangin' on so tight!
ratdoggy Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 I know the feeling Harry, when my Sister was looking for her Challenger Riverfront had an all black inside and out, V-6/9-Speed/AWD 2015 200S on the lot and all I could think was I wish I could afford to bring it home and park it next to my 2012 200 Touring and XJ......not like we have the room for that too though. I just bought a 200C with a V-6. It's a quick car. I did like the S but the wife liked the C
Joe Handley Posted March 5, 2015 Posted March 5, 2015 At the rate winter is going in Chicago, you might get yours on model year closeout! LOL ! Saddly, quoting for truth......
10thumbs Posted March 7, 2015 Posted March 7, 2015 Occasionally here in Europe I see a newer type Camaro, Mustang and Challenger. I think they look pretty good for an American car of this old muscle car category. I just think personally they all look too heavy, and overweight. They sound good, and have good performance, but the aggressive look they exude is a bit too much in my opinion. They just look plain fat and lethargic in my opinion.
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