Got a mailer offering an "owner loyalty bonus" from Ford today, at least they haven't forgotten that I bought a Ranger from them 15 years ago. The little Ranger hauler still sits ready in the driveway with the 8 by 12 trailer, ready to head off and haul home any bargains. Weather was nice today, was bored and in need of internet access, so I rode off to the Ford dealer whose address was imprinted in the flier.
Now Ford killed the Ranger off for christmas, figuring I and the rest of their happy Ranger customers would just move upmarket and buy an F150. They should know better... At 62 years old the marketers think I should be buying a loaded Buick sedan, but I'm driving the old Ranger with steel wheels and hub caps and an '03 VW Golf TDI. Given that the cheapest "replacement" the dealer had was at $30k an all dolled up F150 4 door, my buying (mis)behavior ain't too likely to change. I looked about the lot for a cheaper hauler... Not an Escape in sight, $40k Explorers, etc.. The smallest (and cheapest) car Ford will let you tow a trailer with is a Taurus, and the cheapest of two on the lot stickered for $33K. Don't need trailer towing ability? The lone Focus was a "mere" $20k, and for $17k Ford offered a Mexican made Fiesta, but you'll have to shift for yourself.
Now a couple rows of the lot we're populated with Fiat/Mopar's offerings, which may help explain the limited selection and high prices... In this medium sized town after all the dealer closings the Ford dealer has all the Mopar brands too, and the Chevy dealer has all the GM brands, and that's it. Nearest "competing" dealers are 40 miles away, and there's no more competition there. The Mopar side of the lot offered a stripped single cab 2 wheel drive Ram "Tradesman" pickup for a "mere" $25K. No wonder the dealers used car lot offered a bigger inventory...
Surrounding this dealer are apartment complexes, and that's the more upmarket housing in this town. Yup, there's a core of old single family homes "downtown" and in the arrested (since the housing crash) developments on the edge of town. But the few building permits being pulled are overwhelmingly for apartment complexes, as rents escalate. Median wage for even a halfway skilled job at the U or driving truck is $12 an hour, and they demand HazMat and doubles endorsements in this "Right to work" (for less) state.
That's the nicer housing- On the edge of town are the trailer "parks", and they ain't purty. Sagging old single wides sporting duct tape weatherstripping and worse in long rows, used up cars in the driveway. Pay your exhorbitant rent on the first of the month, and no car repairs allowed on the premises, under swift penalty of eviction.Just like my tin shack on wheels on the edge of the Everglades- my neighbor did a brake job at night so the owner wouldn't catch him and evict him for violating the lease. Yup, $450 a month for a 30 by 60 slab and no car repairs or motorcycles allowed. Fortunately I've got an old lease at a much better rate and can keep motorcycles and fix stuff with impunity.
And so we "celebrate" Labor Day in 2012- sneaking car repairs at night, growing vegies on abandoned land because we don't have any land of our own anymore, and duct taping our lives together 'cause we can't afford permanent repairs. BTW, I own a few shares of Ford stock, though I'm starting to wonder why. Years ago Henry Ford cleverly increased his worker's pay, which made him no friends at the Chamber of Congress. But 'ol Henry had the last laugh, as the workers spent their increased pay buying Fords. Sadly, we don't have many execs of Henry Ford's wisdom running corporations anymore.
(crossposted from www.GearheadGrrrl.com )