Anyone in the market for a new Ford?

[Sean O'Gorman]

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~jimbeamblack/cat.mpg

This car really appeals to the Jeffrey Dahmer in you, apparantly. :confused:

[bdogg187]

Thats rather sickening.

[rabbit]

Wow :eek: :saywhat: :shakehead :laugh:

[nrc]

All cats who walk on cars should be so lucky. :saywhat:

This is what's wrong with America. Very few of the fun small cars make it over here. No Kha, no Puma, no Fiesta. Thank God for the Mini and the Miata.

[Hardpoint]

I love it! :thumbup:

Can you imagine the outrage if that commercial played in the states? There would be mass lynchings at Ford be PETA.

[Ankf00]

Ford did used to sell the Fiesta over here, it just sucked major balls. At least there used to be one down the street from my folks' home in middle school

[oddlycalm]

This is what's wrong with America. Very few of the fun small cars make it over here. No Kha, no Puma, no Fiesta. Thank God for the Mini and the Miata.

Absolutely, and there are cars that would give both a run for their money. The Mini is small in dimension, but it's a lot heavier than other cars with similar dimensions in the overseas markets. That's why even the S version is a bit of a slug. Add to that the runflat tires rough ride and it could be beaten in the market quite easily if some of the better small cars were sold here.

The Miata is a really nice car, and it's gotten refined to the point where everything is absolutely dialed in. Shows what can be done with a lightweight simple package. The chassi stiffness is better in the new version, and so is the cowl shake.


oc

[chop456]

This is what's wrong with America. Very few of the fun small cars make it over here. No Kha, no Puma, no Fiesta. Thank God for the Mini and the Miata.

Or the Polo, or the Lupo, or the A3, or..... :shakehead

I mean, why would anyone want a car that gets 50+mpg and isn't built like a sardine can?

[RaceGrrl]

Ford did used to sell the Fiesta over here, it just sucked major balls. At least there used to be one down the street from my folks' home in middle school

WRONG. The Fiesta that Ford sold in the US back before you were born was German made and was a great little car. Over the years, Richard and I owned four Fiestas and only sold them when we could no longer get reasonably-priced parts for them. In '93, we were looking for a fun little car that felt similar to the Fiesta, and ended up buying the Miata.

I think you're thinking of the Festiva, which was not only fugly, but was a piece of crap.

[Ratattack]

Nice looking car, but jeez, I didn't need to see that right before dinner, even though I hate cats..Should be a warning on that.. :D

[manic mechanic]

WRONG. The Fiesta that Ford sold in the US back before you were born was German made and was a great little car. Over the years, Richard and I owned four Fiestas and only sold them when we could no longer get reasonably-priced parts for them. In '93, we were looking for a fun little car that felt similar to the Fiesta, and ended up buying the Miata.

I think you're thinking of the Festiva, which was not only fugly, but was a piece of crap.

I think you are correct, Grrl...The Festiva was built by Kia for Ford and is still the only car I've ever seen "The Club" sticking out the window of while attached to the steering wheel! :rofl:

manic

[Ziggy]

oddlycalm

Maybe you should go for a ride in a Mini Cooper S with a driver who is not a phossie.

I have a bunch of cars, and to call this one a slug lets me know you read to many issues of Motortrend.

There where some "GenXer's" going to modify a Cooper S on Speed last weekend. They were going on and on about what a crap little car it was. Funny thing was, when it came time to do the modifications, they had a BMW mechanic come to THEIR shop to do the work. Those freakin' ladies should stick to neon license plate frames and K&N airfilters.

You ever get to Indianapolis, get in touch with me. I will take you for a ride and you can tell me what a slug it is after you call your life insurance salesman

Ziggy

[Sean O'Gorman]

All cats who walk on cars should be so lucky. :saywhat:

This is what's wrong with America. Very few of the fun small cars make it over here. No Kha, no Puma, no Fiesta. Thank God for the Mini and the Miata.

Thank you, finally someone else bringing this up. I notice it all the time when a 165 hp pocket rocket comes out, and it weighs 2600 lbs. So sad. I've driven 80s Accords that are smaller than the current Civics. As a driver I love the low to the ground feeling I get from old Civics, Corollas, etc. and the light weight that helps you toss it around. As much as I like the Mini, its still a bit too heavy for what I'd ideally like, so that means theres really nothing out there that appeals to me. Good thing I'm not getting tired of my car yet. :)

[Ziggy]

My Mini weighs just over a ton.

My Plymouth 'Cuda weighs 3400 lbs.

The Mini has leather seats, every gizmo you could use in daily life. I would like to race each car agaist each other. It would be a pretty close contest, as both run a 1/4 around 13.6 seconds. The brakes and handling or the Cooper makes the Plymouth seem like a Radio Flyer

What sort of performance cars have you owned?

Ziggy

[pinniped]

oddlycalm

Those freakin' ladies should stick to neon license plate frames and K&N airfilters.

Ziggy

:rofl:

[Sean O'Gorman]

My Mini weighs just over a ton.

My Plymouth 'Cuda weighs 3400 lbs.

The Mini has leather seats, every gizmo you could use in daily life. I would like to race each car agaist each other. It would be a pretty close contest, as both run a 1/4 around 13.6 seconds. The brakes and handling or the Cooper makes the Plymouth seem like a Radio Flyer

What sort of performance cars have you owned?

Ziggy

When I'm talking about weight, I'm talking about power/leather/heated seats, cruise control, extra sound deadening material, etc. A mini gives up probably 400 lbs to an '88-91 Civic Si, which is the kind of car I wish was still around. The current Si is a pig, and the market has reacted...dealers cannot give that thing away.

[Ankf00]

it must have been a festiva then, it was red and fugly

[oddlycalm]

Maybe you should go for a ride in a Mini Cooper S with a driver who is not a phossie.

I have a bunch of cars, and to call this one a slug lets me know you read to many issues of Motortrend.

Motortrend? :eek: Geeeeeezuz, Ziggy you really know how to hurt a guy. :laugh: :rofl:

Let me explain. I like the S a lot, but at a very optimistic claimed weight of 2700lbs. it is a bit heavy for it's physical dimensions (like all BMW's) and the run-flat tires ride and perform awful like they do on any car. The stock S is so much slower in straight line and cornering than my M3, both on and off the track, that it feels to me, well, sluggish. More to the point, is that it doesn't measure up well to the stock Acura RSX Type S 6spd.

One of the M3 owners also owns the Acura S type and brings it to our track events, and I have driven both it and the dealers stock Mini Cooper S as well on both street and track. All I can tell ya is that having 25% more power at the wheels make a real noticable difference. Both cars weigh about the same.

I have also driven a Cooper S our sponsoring dealer brought out for track day that had the John Cooper option installed and had Michelen Pilot Sports fitted. The point I'm trying to make, and perhaps I didn't make it well, is that this is what the S should have been from the factory. At 200hp and with good tires and a few excess pounds lost, this is a truly great car.

The rub is that it costs $30K after one adds what the factory should have provided stock and the RSX-S with the 200hp motor can be had for less than $22K out the door. The Mini looks much cooler, and interior is a huge amount better the RSX, but in terms of straight out performance...?

oc

[Brickman]

Besides all that.... how many Minis have been bought back by dealerships because of can't fix it problems? Been a few...

[jcollins28]

Besides all that.... how many Minis have been bought back by dealerships because of can't fix it problems? Been a few...


As if Bill Ford does not have enough heat from the tree hugers. I'm sure PETA and all the rest of the animal rights groups are loving this.

[Corner5]

That was brutal and I lived in Milwaukee during the Dahmer era! :eek:

My sister's cat always jumps and sits on my car when I visit her.Now I have a sun roof too. Thanks for burning that image on my brain forever. :saywhat:

[RaceGrrl]

Evidently Ford wasn't too happy about this clip. At least they SAY they're not happy with it, but it seemed to work.

Story here (http://apnews.myway.com//article/20040418/D821GNL80.html)