Category Archives: Ford

Why Autonomous Cars Are A Pipe Dream

Hey Cool Car Fans,

Each month there are new articles talking about the benefits of the autonomous car and how Silicon Valley is going to change the automotive industry with cars that drive themselves. They are definitely working on these vehicles and want the world to buy into their fascination of putting everyone into a self-driving taxi cab.   Like this article over at TechCrunch entitled: “Business models will drive the future of autonomous vehicles”.

This is actually a great article on the topic of autonomous vehicles and the challenges facing this new technology.  Including such issues about whether people will buy an autonomous vehicle or just pay for a ride share or who will control the software or if cities will tax them or how they will navigate and not run into a trolley to name a few.

Manufacturers and software giants are all jumping on this bandwagon because they see dollar signs and an amazing future of self-driving vehicles.   Which means it’s going to happen eventually, but does it mean that it’s actually a good idea or that it will be successful?  One article I read was so ridiculous that it said that the car of today would be like the horse of the past.

I for one am not buying into the Wall Street carnival barkers trying to raise the stock prices on these companies investing in this new technology.  It reminds me of when we had video cassette recorders that were going to replace Hollywood.  Remember that amazing technology with the dominating company known as Blockbuster?  You would go and rent a movie and then have to return it or get hit with a huge late fee.  That evolved into BETA that was going to replace VHS and before you knew it we had DVD’s and today we stream Netflix and HBO.  They were all going to replace the movie theater, but the last time I checked Hollywood is still earning billions and people are still going to the movies.  The hype didn’t deliver and most of the previous technology has disappeared because the demand was replaced with something easier and better.

WHY IS THE COOL CAR GUY SKEPTICAL

It’s really simple.  What’s the benefit of “riding” in an autonomous car?  People buy things based on benefits.  Is the benefit that you can get car sick looking at your phone while the vehicle drives you around?  Do your kids like to ride in the backseat of your vehicle today?  Does that car above look like something you want to hop in and have Google drive you around?

An autonomous vehicle simply means that a computer or some programmer in India is driving your vehicle instead of you and you’re just a passenger.  How is this any different than taking a taxi cab today with a real person driving you around, while you get to sit in the front or the back seat?  Seriously.  What’s the additional benefit?  The word autonomous?  Oooh.  It sounds so sexy!  I’m not making this up.  They are all scrambling to create an overpriced and glorified taxi cab.  Michigan is building an $80 million autonomous car testing site according to AutoWeek.  What?  Why?  Do they have an $80 million testing site to train taxi cab drivers?  If someone proposed that the first reaction would be “Are you crazy?”.  Well, that’s what you’re doing morons!

An autonomous car will pick you up and take you where you want to go, like Lyft or Uber, but instead of Lyft or Uber having a driver the vehicle drives itself.  Amazing!  Is it going to get you to your destination faster than an Uber or Lyft driver today?  Will traffic tickets no longer be given since all vehicles go the same speed or are they going to be sent to Google or Uber to pay the fine?  What if it gets in an accident?  Who’s liable at that point for the system failure?  The automobile manufacturer?  The software company?  The “rider”?  Do you have to carry insurance or will it be like when you rent a vehicle from a rental car company?   Will all of these ancillary industries go away, so you no longer can rent a car?  Is the car gong to smell better?  Is it going to cost you less money?  Again, what are the actual benefits?  Is anyone asking this most basic of selling questions?  “I want an autonomous car, so that I can text and drive?”  That seems like the only benefit at this point to me.

And there are actually people who are betting on this and trying to tell investors and the rest of us that in the future autonomous cars will replace all of our current vehicles. Really?  If that is true, couldn’t you just sell your car tomorrow and just take Lyft or Uber wherever you want to go?  Why wait for the autonomous car revolution when you can get a ride from Lyft tomorrow?  I use those services quite often going back and forth to picking up a vehicle, but they haven’t replaced my vehicle.  In some cities people do not own a vehicle and they only take a taxi cab.  I had friends in Chicago years ago who lived downtown and they didn’t own a car.  They took a taxi or a limo everywhere they wanted to go.  That’s the market for autonomous cars.

WHERE ARE HUMMER, SUZUKI, PONTIAC, OLDSMOBILE, SATURN, ETC.

Finally, here is what Google, Uber, Lyft, Tesla and even Ford and the other car manufacturers are apparently forgetting and missing when it comes to selling vehicles.  Hummer was a successful brand for a while, so were Saturn, Suzuki, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.  Don’t forget that Chevrolet and GM needed to be bailed out for their bad decisions in the past and even filed bankruptcy.  Many of these car companies trade hands like a deck of playing cards because the market is saturated from a manufacturing standpoint and the marketplace is extremely fickle.

The automobile industry is crazy at times.  How many vehicles are hot for a period of time and then they stop selling?  And everyone is scrambling to create a self driving car without actually knowing if the market even wants it.

I have yet to have one person tell me that they cannot wait for an autonomous car.  I have had people tell me they are still waiting for a landspeeder!  And you will notice that Luke Skywalker was actually driving the landspeeder in Star Wars and it wasn’t driving itself.
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Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy
John is an auto consultant who owns CoolCarGuy.com that is a licensed car dealership in Lone Tree, CO.  He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

Cool Car Shot – Robbie’s 2003 Mustang GT

GT1Hey Cool Car Fans,

Yesterday, I had a guy send me photos of his 2003 Mustang GT that he asked me to help him trade on another Mustang that I have on consignment.

The photos were very well done and his 2003 Mustang GT looked extremely clean and in great shape, so I decided to post them here at CoolCarGuy.com for you to check out.

Here’s a run down on the 2003 Mustang GT and this one in particular…

2003 Mustang GT 4.6L 260 hp V8
GT premium package with bullet/mach 1 interior package

GT3Grey leather interior
5-Speed Manual

Overdrive
46k miles
Low jack
Extended transferable warranty
Straight piped exhaust
Lowered 2 inches
Mach 1000 audio system with factory amps and 2 10 inch subs that came from the factory
Custom billet grille

If you’re interested in checking out this vehicle let me know and I’ll track Robbie down and see what he wants for it.

GT2

This could be a great vehicle for someone who is looking for a great Mustang without having to pay a fortune for a new one or the older 1960’s body style.

It’s well equipped and the price range on these varies dramatically depending on condition and features.  In this case, he has a killer sound system built into the trunk of the vehicle.  You can see it in the photo below, so that’s one less expense you’ll have to spend on tricking this vehicle out.

The Mustang also gets pretty good gas mileage for the amount of horsepower that it’s pushing.   You should expect around 18 in the city and 24 – 26 on the highway.  It’s hard to find that kind of fuel economy in a

GT4

performance vehicle, but this 4.6l V8 delivers pretty good gas mileage for the amount of power under the hood.  It looks great too!

You can always reach me using the Contact link on the top right hand side of this page.
_________________________________________________________________________

John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with his license at a car dealership in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.com or Twitter @coolcarguy

The Cool Car Guy’s Take On The Fuel-Efficient Chevy Cobalt

08Cobalt

Hey Cool Car Fans,

A client and friend of mine, Dawn, called me a week ago to ask me about getting the right vehicle for her 20 year old daughter Jennifer.

It needed to be fuel efficient, safe and affordable. Jennifer likes to snowboard, so the vehicle had to have the ability to get up the Rocky Mountains without having to hang out in the slow lane. Front-wheel drive would be fine based on the price point they wanted to stay around.
08Cobalt2
The first two vehicles that came to mind were the 2007 Chevy Cobalt LT or the 2007 Ford Focus SE in a four door sedan. That may come as a surprise, if you are an avid reader of Consumer Reports, since about the only vehicles that publication recommends are Toyota’s and Honda’s, which is why I’m not renewing my subscription with them. I just can’t take the bias anymore of Consumer Reports for Honda and Toyota when I buy, sell, trade and lease vehicles everyday in every make, every model and every price point.

08Cobalt3I spend around $50,000 a year repairing vehicles, from putting in new batteries, new tires, brakes, to major repairs. I have had to put money into rebuilding a transmission on a Lexus with 110,000 miles and I’ve seen Ford Explorers with 225,000 miles that were still running without serious issues. So for me, the bias is out the window, except that there are a few select vehicles (Land Rover, early 2000 – 2003 VW Passats) and a few others that you will spend way more money on average repairing them than other models. I like to tell people that there are some vehicles you want to own and others you definitely want to lease.

08Cobalt4When you get into these little late model four banger engines though, you shouldn’t have any more problems with a Ford or Chevy than a Toyota or Honda. Yahoo Auto’s pointed this out today in an article called Top 13 Most Fuel-Efficient Cars. You can get a Chevy Cobalt that gets similar fuel economy to a Toyota Corolla for about $4,000 less than a Corolla. According to the Yahoo Auto’s article, it would take about 8 years in fuel savings to make up that difference in price, if you were to purchase the vehicle just for the fuel economy of the Corolla.

What’s great is that if you purchase one used with a few miles on it the savings is even greater because you still have warranty available from the manufacturer without going new. These vehicles are affordable in the used car market because they show up in the rental car fleets and in other fleet leasing situations, which causes them to depreciate quicker. However, you’re not going to save a bundle on small cars right now compared to what we are seeing in the truck and SUV market that are extremely soft.

The supply and demand issue though still allows someone to get a great deal on a vehicle that is still under warranty, like the one I’m delivering next week has around 28,000 miles on it and the manufacturer’s warranty from Chevrolet is still intact for $11,000, which is over $4,000 less than a new one.

What about Fuel Economy? With gasoline prices almost $4.00 a gallon now, that’s a big issue for most people. The Chevy Cobalt LT has a 2.2L 148 hp I4 engine with plenty of power to get up the mountains, but still gets 31 – 33 Highway (mpg) and 22 – 24 City (mpg) for scooting around town. The LT comes in a four-speed automatic transmission with power windows and locks, a/c and driver, passenger and side airbags to boot.

The bottom line is that if you’re looking for a decent gas mileage vehicle at a great price that still has warranty left on it, don’t be afraid on looking at Chevy, Ford or some of the other brands outside of the Toyota and Honda crowd. You can save money on fuel and on the price of the vehicle, while still getting a great deal of bang for the buck!

Financing is available with approved credit. I have access to 40 credit unions and 20 lending sources to help you get qualified, so don’t be afraid to contact me if you have a few credit challenges.
_________________________________________________________________________ John Boyd

Auto Consultant – John Boyd: The Cool Car Guy

John is an auto consultant with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle! jboyd@coolcarguy.comStaunton Hill movie

Cool Car Guy – Cool Car Shot – 1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra

Hey Cool Car Fans,

Mustang Cobra 2Here are some cool photos of a 1998 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra that came into JFR & Associates as a consignment and that I delivered to a client last week.

ENGINE: 4.6-liter 32-valve V-8
HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 305 hp @ 5,800 rpm/300 ft-lbs @ 4,800 rpm
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed manual
FUEL ECONOMY: 18 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, 17.6 mpg test
WHEELBASE: 101.3 in.
OVERALL LENGTH: 182.5 in.
OVERALL HEIGHT: 53.3 in.
OVERALL WIDTH: 71.8 in.
Mustang Cobra 3CURB WEIGHT: 3,506 lbs
FUEL CAPACITY: 15.7 gal.
LUGGAGE CAPACITY: 7.7 cu. ft.
TIRES: 245/45ZR17

INSTRUMENTS: Speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, water temperature, oil pressure,
battery voltage, digital clock.
EQUIPMENT: Power windows, power door locks, power mirrors, cruise control,
air conditioner, AM-FM stereo radio with cassette, anti-lock braking,
dual air bags.
ORIGINAL MSRP: $28,660

There are cool Mustangs and there are really cool Mustangs. Mustang Cobra 7The Mustang came back with it’s sporty look in 1995, but most of the vehicles at that time were V6 motors and the smaller Pony versions like I featured in a post a couple months ago. The Mustang GT, came with a 4.6-liter V-8 that had 225 horsepower under the hood in the late nineties, the same number of horses as are in my smaller four-cylinder 2007 Subaru WRX turbo.

The ride to have for 1998 was the SVT Mustang Cobra, which you can see pictured here. SVT was the Special Vehicle Team that was created from the older Special Vehicle Operations that created the SVO Mustangs. Under the hood of this cool car is a 305 horsepower version of the Mustang Cobra 54.6 liter V-8 engine with 32 valves and a growl that makes the driver get excited that the vehicle is ready to burn up the pavement.

There is plenty of power under this baby and you find that out when you shift into first gear with the short throw gear shifter and feel the power as the Cobra explodes off the line. It’s a really fun car to drive and the yellow body gets this baby noticed. Second gear will put the new owner over most of the speed limits in the local Littleton neighborhoods and third gear is great for cruising around. Fourth and fifth gears will provide any additional power he could possibly need and still have plenty of RPM’s left for getting out of any tight situation requiring additional acceleration.

Mustang Cobra 1Not only did this sweet convertible come with a cool factor from the factory, but the original owner had equipped it with a $4,000 sound system, so that they could hear their favorite music with the top down at any speed. As I recall, it even has a remote control for the sound system, so that they could park the Mustang outside and provide the music for any outdoor event with the ignition turned to the accessory position.

It gets even better though, since the original owner also put a $5500 supercharger in it to boost the HP up to 410 instead of the 305 horsepower it normally came with making this a much more custom Mustang Cobra and a future classic.

The 1998 Mustang SVT Cobra is an extremely cool car with a great look and was a total blast to drive. The new owner will love it!

What do you think?

Cool Car Guy Rating:
***** – Extremely Cool

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John BoydAuto Consultant – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy” Subway download
John is an auto broker with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com

Cool Car Guy – “Cool Car Shot” – 2006 Ford Mustang Pony

Hey Cool Car Fans,

Mustang Pony 6These are photos of a very cool 2006 Ford Mustang Pony that came into JFR & Associates recently on trade. It’s not the major hot rod of some of the other Mustang’s I’ve had my hands on this past year, but it’s a beauty. After all, the Pony version is a V6 coupe instead of the powerful V8 monster of the Shelby or GT, but it’s still a very cool car.

Ford describes the V6 Pony Package as being “unmistakably Mustang”. By allowing buyers to customize their ride with the distinctive “Pony Package” as an all-new option on the V6 Mustang Premium. This striking package, available on both the coupe and convertible, includes:

Pony 1Pony grille with chrome bezel and fog lamps, rear spoiler, 17″” painted cast aluminum wheel w/bright machined rim, Z-branded A/S tires & tri-bar pony center cap. It’s only an $1,195 option, but it adds some character to the Mustang for sure. This baby has the cool blue and white paint job to go along with it and really low miles.

The Specifications

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby dvd

Body Style Coupe
Mileage 3,617
Exterior Color Dark Blue with Gray Leather
Interior Color Gray
Engine 6 Cylinder Gasoline
Pony 2 Transmission 5 Speed Manual
Drive Type 2 wheel drive – rear
Fuel Type Gasoline
Stereo AM/FM Compact Disc Playr
Doors Two Door
Engine 4.0L 210 hp V6
Valves 12/SOHC
Fuel Economy 19 city/28 hwy
VIN 1ZVFT80N965170636

Installed Features

Backdraft psp

Pony 4* Driver Air Bag
* Air Conditioning
* Alloy Wheels
* Cruise Control
* Passenger Air Bag

* Rear Window Defroster
* Leather Seats
* Power Door Locks
* Power Mirrors
* Power Windows
* Power Steering
* Tinted Glass
* Tilt Wheel

Pony 3Warranty Information

Basic (mo.) 36
Basic (mi.) 36,000
Powertrain (mo.) 60
Powertrain (mi.) 60,000
If you’re looking for a fun to drive coupe that is a classic Ford the 2006 Ford Mustang Pony could be your ride, especially with this cool paint job.

What do you think?

Cool Car Guy Rating:
*** – Pretty Cool

_________________________________________________________________________
John BoydAuto Consultant – John Boyd “The Cool Car Guy”
John is an automotive consultant with JFR & Associates in Denver, Colorado. He can help you save time and money on any make or model, new or used, lease or purchase – nationwide! Call or email John about your next vehicle!
jboyd@coolcarguy.com