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@@justinfargas2367 It's a quote from The Matrix movie? I thought it was an analogy to a particle existing in two states until observed. Even though, thank you for the enlightenment.
The biggest mistake any buyer of anything makes is show the salesperson how much they like the item that they are buying. Best thing to do is be very matter of fact or blasé (uninterested) about the item.
Romanian here: we have a strong automotive industry , factories and R&D centers. Almost all major Tier 1 suppliers have R&D centers and we really make some advances shit around here. Why Ford came here ? I don't know, but they bought a Daewoo factory that made cars, and in comunism period the same factory made cars in collaboration with Citroen (named Oltcit)
I made the mistake of buying a NEW Holden Ute for my farm….it’s the only vehicle that I’ve regretted buying. The main concern was the massive amount of money I lost as soon as I drove it off the dealership forecourt. I’ll just stick to buying 3 year old vehicles from now on.
You're pretty much right, Richard. But perhaps I'd word it differently... "Only buy a Brand New car from a Dealership, if you intend keeping the vehicle for 10 or 15 years at least. That way, the initial 30% price hit, driving it off the dealer's lot, is amortised/averaged over so many years, it's effectively nothing to worry about". When I bought my last, "new,-to-me" car, it was 15 years old, and I paid 10% of the original purchase price. It suits my needs and was a price I was happy to pay (allowing for some extra repairs). My mum previously bought a new car at a dealership and has kept it for over 20 years. We don't care about the percentage drop in value, driving it off the dealer's lot back in 2001. We've got a one owner car with known full service history that still looks and runs almost like new (bar a few marks in the paint). To those that say a car can't last 20 years plus, I'd suggest (Japanese built) Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. It's probably going too far to say "they've never built a bad car", but that's almost the case. I sold my last Honda at 31 years old. The 1200cc motor was tired and needed a replacement or reconditioning. It was still my daily driver and the cylinder compressions were down to 65 to 75psi on a compression test, and the 5 digit odometer had been around the clock, several times over. The new owner drove it away thrilled to bits with his purchase, I was sorry to let it go, but "circumstances... !"
I bought a Chevy Vega back in 72. It was great, good looking, fun to drive, fairly good gas mileage. I think it might have been car of the year. Wow, I did great so I thought. At 29,000 miles it was junk.
You just got a like and social media share from a Romanian dude, owning a Ford :) Your analysis is painful, but only sligtly away from the bare truth. It's fair to say there are quite a few here struggling everyday to build a diferent country, but it will take generations to do it, as 50 years of communism left us deeply scared as a society. Keep up the good job on car stuff and, by the way, your content helped a lot in choosing my next set of wheels. No, it's not a Ford :)
I have been thinking if there is a point in me explaining how things are in Romania, or to let it be as you have described it. You know it form main stream media, I know it first hand. I live here for quite a long time. Did you know that: Romania in 1989 was the only country on this fucking planet that had no debt? we are a country with a lot of resources that everybody wants, and wants them for free? we dont have to pay for our kids to go to school, the school is free of charge in Romania, even the universities? we dont have to pay for treatment in public hospitals? the pre and post surgery treatment it is free. (of course you pay like everyone else the taxes). if you have a health problem and you dont have insurance, they treat you still? they dont let you die like a dog on the side of the street. we dont have too many homeless people? we are home owners, we dont rent, we own? 80% of the properties are own by the people, citizens, not landlords. Of course there are people that are not happy with the situation in Romania, I am not one of them. But as I have seen in your blogs, you are not satisfied with the situation in Australia, and trust me, you have nothing to complain about, comparing with us, but everyone sees the life from their perspective (nothing to be blamed about). Where Ford has the factory for Puma, there was a car factory established in the 80”s by Romanian government with the French from Citroen. The car was named Oltcit (from Oltenia - Citroen); Oltenia being the region of the country where the factory was established. Ford’s interest it is not for us to have anything, it is for them to pay us garbage wages and to have huge profits on junk cars. You cannot have a good quality product if you dont invest in quality. People under payed wont deliver you perfect products, come on! Just on opinion.
Named after Brezhnev. An avid car collector. I like the story where the president, I forget which, gave Brezhnev an American car and he was sitting in the driver’s seat at Camp David with the president next to him, and he floors it, the car took off without the Secret Service detail and both world leaders did a few laps.
I really think that when it comes to new cars and manufacturers. It's a hard position to be in. As you put it John I agree. Thank for input. It really makes sense on the marriage with a manufacturer or dealership. Thers is nothing more scary than a bad marriage that comes with a ugly mother in law just to make it feel more like you are jumping in a erupted volcano. Nice work John keep it up.
Hey John, your analysis about Romania is not exactly true. You are missing to mention that Romania is in the EU, which does put a lot of pressure on local government (even though corruption is high). Detaining employees wouldn’t be something that’s possible. I think, the comparison with Argentina is mute and there are enough corporations that run operations in Romania and their employees have a great quality of life. I could make a parallel with another big corporation in Romania, which I can’t mention here, but with which I have personal first hand experience and I would presume that Ford employees have higher salaries and better quality of life than the average Romanian citizen. Of course this doesn’t negate what happened in Argentina and I am not siding with Ford on that nor I am siding with detaining employees. I just think that your comparison is not valid, because it is one sided and you have no data about how such corporations operate in Romania. Also, I think you’ve misrepresented the country of Romania by a huge deal by just talking about the past and the corruption, but not taking into account highly qualified work force. The country has a good track record in car manufacturing with other brands. It is something like a outsourcing hub for big-car corps, i.e. for parts manufacturing or building whole cars. And of course, please feel free to make a lot of fun about my UA-cam handle, Best, P P
Also interesting is that corruption in Hungary is ranked by Transparency International as worse than Romania, and yet they build Audis and Benzes, and soon BMWs too.
Misrepresent the country by a country mile. How do you say that corruption is why Fords made jn Romania are an issue but actually reference no corruption in Ford Romania and then use an entirely different country to point out corruption not even related to Romania??? That’s just dog shit research and analysis.
Romania has been a poor country for a long time and the presence of Corporations like Ford and others can only improve the living standards of Romanians, which has to be a good thing.
Hey John, Riddle this for me... The "safe to buy" new cars from a long term ownership perspective have 6-12 month lead times and low mileage near new ones are asking 20% more than placing an order and waiting, and waiting... Been waiting over 6 months for a Toyota with no end in sight. A married man with one car can only stay a pedestrian for so long before he doubts his manhood. So, what to do?
My choose of the ideal new car!!! Stick shift, hand crank windows, manual locks, very basic radio with CD player, no computer intergration/touch screen, no anti collision sensors, no lane keeping, no automatic breaking, etc., etc., basic anti lock breaks, airbags, and fuel injection(AC would be very nice in Texas) is ok but not necessary... damn that sounds like a 1970's or 80's car, bet it would cost half the price of a modern basic car as well
What did Australia ever do to warrant that? Hard core criminals get better treatment. I remember the Dacia and ARO brands being in Canada in the 1980's. P.O.S. then, and P.O.S. now. (ARO is defunct).
Oh John, mentioning Ford and responsive customer car is the definition of an oxymoron. I used to be a big Ford fan but no longer. The last three cars I have purchased have been Fords. The first of these was an Australian made model and is still driven daily by SWMBO and is in perfect mechanical condition with more the 250,000km. The second one, a Euro model gave me over five years of fautless service before I traded it in on number three, a 2017 Escape AWD with the 2.0L Ecoboost petrol engine. That's when the trouble started. To cut to the chase, the head gasket failed for the second time at around 80,000km. The first time was repaired under warranty which has since expired. I was told told this time, too bad mate, warranty is finished. Call to Ford Customer Service and I reminded them that the factory warranty was irrelevant. The statutory warranty under the Trade Practices Act was the determining factor. After several weeks of back and forth, they agreed that they would provide an updated 2019 version of the engine at no cost to me. The whole saga meant that I was without my car for over three months. It is running fine now, but it is my last Ford. Next time a Toyota, Mazda or Subaru is the likely candidate. John, you might like to look into the whole debacle of head gasket failures on this engine from about 2014 to 2019. It was a global problem and I have since found out that Ford have been regularly replacing the engines in Australia too. No recall or notice to owners, of course. My advice to anyone, is look into your rights and the obligations of the manufacturer. Don't accept their attempt to dismiss you and say it's your problem.
In '70's Melbourne, Ford dropped my new Cortina off a hoist and refused help me in any way. This was the 'last straw.' Only after weeks, after I threatened going to the Press, where they brought to book. Subsequently the car was declared suitable for my requirements. From then on, the Corina ran well. However:- If you read this. Never even contemplate buying a Ford.
Perhaps the way I'd word the way I see it... "Only buy a Brand New car from a Dealership, if you intend keeping the vehicle for 10 or 15 years at least. That way, the initial 30% price hit, driving it off the dealer's lot, is amortised/averaged over so many years, it's effectively nothing to worry about". When I bought my last, "new,-to-me" car, it was 15 years old, and I paid 10% of the original purchase price. It suits my needs and was a price I was happy to pay (allowing for some extra repairs). My mum previously bought a new car at a dealership and has kept it for over 20 years. We don't care about the percentage drop in value, driving it off the dealer's lot back in 2001. We've got a one owner car with known full service history that still looks and runs almost like new (bar a few marks in the paint). To those that say a car can't last 20 years plus, I'd suggest (Japanese built) Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. It's probably going too far to say "they've never built a bad car", but that's almost the case. I sold my last Honda at 31 years old. The 1200cc motor was tired and needed a replacement or reconditioning. It was still my daily driver and the cylinder compressions were down to 65 to 75psi on a compression test, and the 5 digit odometer had been around the clock, several times over. The new owner drove it away thrilled to bits with his purchase, I was sorry to let it go, but "circumstances... !"
Completely agree. I've never bought a brand new car, probably never will. My current 2008 Outback 2.5xt was bought 12 years and 80k km old. It will be 20+ years old when I sell it, maybe 25+. My last Outback ('97) in NZ was 22 years and 200k km old when I sold it and that was only because I was moving overseas. The one before that I sold at 245k km and 19 years old, only because I got an awesome deal on the next one from a friend who got rich and wanted a new WRX and the old car just gone. I've bought motorcycles new: my road bike is a 1995 BMW R1100RT bought new, coming up for 28 years owned in another 4 months. I've had to replace the fuel pump and fuel lines, and the Hall-effect crankshaft position sensor. That's all so far.
Hi John, Thank you for this advice. I used to be a ford fan. Bought 2nd hand, 9 year old XF in 1995 (70,000km), fitted it with gas and loved it until 2013 when some kid (not mine) wrote it off. Fast forward 2018 inherited a Ford Ecosport 2014 model (10,000km). I now know alot more about transmissions. Ok for elderly people who want shopping trolley with engine not a family. After this experience and car you could not even give me a Ford. I did homework and ended up ordering a sportage and still waiting. The car lust for the sportage is gone but still looking forward to getting it.
Hi John, Dave here from the great white north (Canada). We are thinking of visiting Australia again this winter and we love caravanning. The problem is the costs have gone through the roof for rentals. We plan to visit for 40 days or so. Any thoughts on buying and then selling the caravan after our trip. I love your videos, fun to watch.
Have you had a look at the 2.4 Engined Subaru Outback, I'm interested in your opinion, and another point, how would that engine go with 94 RON and 91 RON fuel? I'm inclined to go with the standard engine, and the wider availability of fuels if travelling.
Great report John. I'll make sure I link it to some of my brain dead workmates that never do any research before they buy a vehicle, or don't realise how they are deceptively advertised. I'll stick with my Subaru lust. I have an Outback XT on order to replace my Forester. I would of preferred a Forester XT, but I have to settle for the Outback XT this time. 😊
What makes you prefer the Forester over the Outback? I'm considering both in a three way tussle with an Outlander. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of a current owner.
@@troyhartley9681 I love my current 2019 Forester, but it just struggles a bit too much when I'm towing my enclosed motorbike trailer with my two race bikes, extra wheels, tyres and all the other gear I need (about 1400Kg) when go interstate for Motorcycle races. I prefer the slightly smaller size and the higher seating position of the Forester to the Outback. I drove some of the competitors prior to buying my Forester, however the Forester just felt the better vehicle to drive to me. I'm sure the Outback will feel even better due to it's slightly better dynamics, apart from the big jump in power. The Subaru's excellent all wheel drive system got me easily out of a couple of low grip situations that I had to park in also with my trailer loaded up.
Until now I never knew that Ford PUMA is made in Romania. I only heard about Ford ECOSPORT. This Puma as I see is the same class with Dacia Sandero Stepway 3 also made in Romania but, at a half of the price... and 1 star NCAP 😁
When i was in Turkey a few weeks back i saw a lot of the Dacia cars. One of the relos had a later model one called a Duster. Not a fan of it. But then again over there most cars looked dodgy.
@@kodtech Either way there is no safety or compliance over there. Seen cars with doors falling off and no windows and windshields. Police dont enforce it. Gipsys driving in tractors and home made buggies and karts.
Bought a Mazda CX-9 a year ago over other similar choices, I.e Kluger, Palisade. Reason: CX-9 paid for on a Saturday, picked up on a Thursday. Others: would still be waiting for delivery.
In 2015 I did my research, considered my needs and bought a Hyundai i30. It did everything I needed it to do, was reliable and the smsll problems that turned up were dealt with by the dealer with no hesitation. But I just didn't like it. Nothing wrong with the car. So now I'm driving a 2011 Citroën C5. I love it. It has also been reliable but...
It's the Ford servicing. In my case they charged me $380 for the yearly service and didn't change the oil. I have never been back to a Ford dealership.
Car made in Romania is made by Romanians Car made in Germany is made by Sirians... So Dacia duster is made by people who went to school for 11 years at least and BMW M3 competition is made by people which run away from starvation and war from Siria. Car made in USA is made by Mexicans Car made in Slovakia is made by Serbians... List goes on
Hi John, long time follower of your channel, my wife has a 7 year old Kia Cerrato and is looking to buy a new car. she's looking at the MG ZST or the Mitsubishi ASX, as she'd like a medium SUV. Would you recommend either of these cars. Thanks in advance
Speaking about Romania, here we have a lot of Dacias that are local Romanian brand, currently part from Renault. That are famous with excellent ratio between price and quality. They are pretty cheap (cheapest cars in europe)... And probably more reliable than ford... So it is all ford, not romanians... :)
Buying a new car from a dealer. I buy 4 to 6 year old cars either at auction or from individuals. That way there is a lot less mystery about what is likely to go wrong with the car and the first buyer gets to eat the depreciation.
You have to be extremely careful about singling out countries for their quality of workmanship, whether it be cars or any other product. Ceausescu's reign in Romania ended more than 32 years ago and you can't really compare that era to what is happening now - yes, people did want to leave the country then but not now. Ford's factory in Romania is a modern, up to date facility and many millions of Euros have been spent in its development. The Puma reportedly is a well made product. Even Miele have a factory there now. Romania is also a member of the EU. You could also mention that the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen products are made in Slovakia, which also was a Communist country. What about Audis and BMW now being made in Mexico, where people are now trying to leave the country? To cite Mazda as a brand to buy after their recent poor customer service problems and court cases relating to engine failures in certain models and refusal to fix cars is a bit rich. - see the ACCC ruling. One thing I do agree with you though is Ford's dismal back-up and service and their reluctance to address the problems with Fiesta and Focus Powershift gearbox problems and in the end Ford had to be dragged kicking and screaming to court and compensate owners and I believe this saga has not yet been finalised.
Romania is not an auto-making powerhouse country - fact. Romania is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe today - fact. Romania is #5 globally, today, for diaspora - fact. Obvious conclusion: Ford is making cars there because it's cheap, and probably amenable to bending the rules. Ford has form for choosing to operate in profoundly corrupt countries - fact. Was that 'extremely careful' enough for you? Mazda is much better than Ford at customer support. I did not say Ford was the only carmaker doing this. The fact was, I answered a question posed about the Puma. I addressed that.
@@AutoExpertJC The fact that it's the cheap workforce which attracted Ford's investment in Romania is incontestable. As for your speculation about corruption having anything to do with it, then why didn't they go to Serbia, Bulgaria or some other country in Europe which has even cheaper labour and even more corruption? Why did Mercedes, Audi and BMW decide to build cars in Hungary? I'd argue it has much more to do with the fact that both are EU countries (though as a side note, surprisingly, Hungary is perceived as even more corrupt than Romania according to Transparency International).
@@AutoExpertJCorry but your research and analysis was absolute dog shit. Your so called ‘fact’ is nothing but bs as there are multiple sources on corruption which has Romania in the middle of the pack - although corruption is an issue (like it is in most countries), it’s not how you depict it to be. For example they are saying that Hungary is the most corrupt in the EU although it has many car manufactures - I’d say that the ranking has more to do with it’s stance on Russia/Ukraine and it’s politics rather than actual corruption. So then why didn’t Ford go to those more corrupt counties then? You also ignore completely why many companies have now gone to Romania: large manufacturing sector (many car parts are made in Romania - also considered to be the 8th most attractive manufacturing country in Europe ), better tax regime, affordable wages, improved infrastructure, good location between Europe and Middle East/Asian, educate population, large IT sector and the fact that it has its own oil and natural gas (plus all the pipelines coming from the caucuses). But fuck all that I guess, you just needed to do a five second google search to cherry pick what suited your agenda and preconceptions of the country. You couldn’t even point to actual corruption at Ford Romania to prove your point and had to use and entirely different country at an entirely different point in time. You also mention the dispora but do not mention how that affects Ford Romania - also you don’t put any of it into context at all. So in summary you can see the dog shit journalistic skills you developed in the mainstream media haven’t left you - makes me now really have to reconsider alot of what you have said in the past as to whether it is reliable and credible.
@@AutoExpertJC Ford took over Daewoo factory in Romania, which in turn was an old factory building cars since 1970 under Citroen license. There is a 50 year tradition on building cars (Fact). Also the workforce is not so cheap, the salaries are on par with other center and eastern EU countries. Also Renault has the design and testing center in Romania (apart form the Dacia factory) where salaries are on par with those in France. We are #5 globally for diaspora because between 2007 and 2012 a lot of people left to Western Europe because of the financial crisis and after EU admission in 2007 it was easy for us to move to west. Not the case anymore (that's also a fact). Corruption- yes we have it, but Ford has nothing to do with it. Here corruption is about political people that funnels the public money to their pockets (e.g. the mayor of a town awards a contract for cleaning the streets to his son's company). Fortunately for us, we are EU member, and Ford must obey the EU regulations. Conclusion: Ford makes cars here because they took over an existing factory with skilled workforce and somewhat cheeper that the Western Europe workforce, have easy acces to Easter Europe market and also 15 years ago they got some government incentives (again under EU rules).
I as looking to buy a new Mazda 3, or Lexus IS 250 or a Golf R. Then I decided to visit some car yards. The first yard was a used Toyota dealership that had a 2022 Subaru WRX with 531 kms on the clock for a few thousand less than the list price so I bought it. I really love this car & can’t find a single thing I don’t like. The only mods I’ll make will be cosmetic, body kit stiff & possibly lower it a tad. But that’s it. No access port tunes or exhaust “upgrades “.
Nothing to say about the car comments but @11:05 there is a historical inaccuracy. It was the 25th of December, not the 22nd so... Merry Christmas indeed.
GM and Ford supplied rucks to the Wehrmacht in WWII. Honda made piston rings for Misubishi, who made zeros of course. Subaru is from Fuji Heavy Industries, the rename of Nakajima who made medium bombers. There was some degree of slave labor in all of those operations.
Hi John, let’s not forget 1932 when good old Henry Ford had a number of workers shot and killed for taking part in the great Hunger March and strikes against working conditions in his factories, or Adolf Hitler conscripting people and prisoners of war to work in the VW factories. It just goes to show that history repeats. Cheers mate, Neil.
like the Ceaucescus, you’d like to see some dealers face a firing squad, staffed by volunteers of former customers. BTW the Ceaucescu’s firing squad didn’t stop shooting until the magazine was empty. They were full of holes.
Nicolae Ceausescu (Chi-chess-Koo) was the dictator you referred to. A decidedly un-nice person, so I believe. December 1989 was a jolly good Christmas for many Romanians.
I have a comment as a Romanian. First of all, I do agree Ford does crap quality. I know somebody working in a Ford service and they more or less told me their engines are consumables. They are not meant to last. However blasting a nation because of their past is plain wrong. Every nation on earth has it's dark times. For instance in Australia they used to take away aboriginal children and give them to the church or government to raise. This is also called ethnic cleansing. Just how we got rid of a dictator (set by russians) 30 years ago, Australia got rid of their practices about 40 years ago. Is that recent enough for you? And it's an easy argument to make with most developed/democratic nations. What's important is that these things get uncovered, that they stop, and if possible (not too late) the responsible people are punished. Now on the topic of corruption, there are 3 things which need to be said: 1. Because the government of a country is corrupt, it doesn't mean the goods made by a private company in the country are of bad quality. That quality depends on the standard set by that company, not by unrelated government workers 2. Romania is recognized as one of the most corrupt country in the European Union, however when ranked world-wide you are going to find out the EU is a good place to be in. 3. Measuring corruption is hard and depends on what where you draw the line between legal and illegal. The easiest to measure is the small one: bribes payed to the doctors, small gifts given for services which should be free in public institutions just to make things move faster, etc. We have plenty of that. But the real corruption is hard to spot and measure. The kind of corruption that ends up in fixing diesel emissions world-wide. Or the kind some developed countries legalize like "lobbying" in US. It's easy to say you are not corrupt, and then allow corporations/individuals to make huge political contributions for favors. Overall I'm quite disappointed in you. I've been watching your channel for a long time and held much respect on your opinions. Today you really messed up...
Cardogen is right - your comparisons are pathetic excuses. EG - we might be corrupt but we have nice neighbours which make us look nicer st a distance. And the dill from Ireland!? … the less said as about his comment the better
I have a dilemma. We need a large SUV. We are deciding between a Ford Everest Platinum and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Thoughts? I am expecting it to be “It’s a decision between two piles of shit, one the epitome of shit and the other slightly less than the epitome of shit”? My previous cars and current car is a Holden. I have nowhere to go as far as brand and wish Holden were still around 😞
John, is it possible to be a first level automotive journalist as well as an entertainment personality? There's only one. Cannot wait for your unbiased expansion into everything __ __. Shall not name the group. But you're the best. Hurry up, please.
In saying that, you fuelled my lust for Kia, a brand I'd never considered until I'd seen your reviews and being in one, when I visited 'straya. I gotta say, I love my nearly new Sportage GTlineS. So there's that ;)
I would suggest something a little left field, a Suzuki Vitara. Its in the same class, costs less than a Puma and a Mazda3, the turbo is fun to drive,the boot is actually more useable than its competitors, the NA engine is rock solid and not boring, gives less problems overall long term and the depreciation is there but its not the worst(check the guys at ReDriven, they did a video on it). On the Ford matter, i have my own reasons for not being a fan, onsite union busting aside, but they are more on the Ford of today and the technical aspects of their vehicles( plus they really suck at globalization which feeds into reason a) and not the politics of it. If we start playing the who has the biggest skeletons in their closet we probably would buy cars or chips for that matter. Leave those excuses for Politicians or persons who wish they were Politicians. Im not saying that onsite jail cells is just something you excuse, but I highly doubt in Michigan they were patting themselves on the back about this and contemplating how to export it, it does however go back to my earlier point of them sucking at globalization and management overseas.
You can never go wrong with John when it comes to buying a car. I bought 3 cars based on John's recommendation lasr few years they are all good choice. No headache at all. Thanks John 😊😊😊
John, you say VW is bad (actually I agree), but human rights abuse like this is unconscionable. It’s put me off FORD for life. Thanks for the heads up.👍
@@AutoExpertJC BMW used slave labour as well during WW2 but compensation has been paid out for years and is probably still continuing. But do buyers refuse to buy their cars now - I don't think so. It's like Australians not wanting to buy Japanese cars in Australia back in the 60s and 70s because of attitudes to Japan and its people after WW2.
Love how he states auto journalists are in some way biased and then goes on to promote a VPN service by reading a script, something thats completely unrelated to the subject matter of his channel! The pot calls the kettle black! 😁
Considering Hitler thought the World of Henry Ford it's no wonder the company strays from ethical behaviour. Buying Romanian built, import a Dacia!! James May swears by (at) them.
There is only one reason for off shoring car manufacturing. That is to escape the clutches of the United Auto Workers Union. When GM went bankrupt in 2008 or so, their labor rate was $72/hour. That is the full compensation package with medical and pension benefits. They killed GM and Chrysler. Ford survived just so but even now the UAW is on strike at Ford or on the verge of a strike. With proper management, leadership and quality control I don't see a problem.
i have never owned a Ford, never wanted to own a Ford, and now will never own a Ford.........Fords have always been rubbish in my opinion, their customer service has always been much the same rubbish.
I have driven a Ford company car for two years, which was a management decision to switch from Toyota to Ford. The XF panel van was delivered with the Ford Grill badge upside down (the sales guy shrunk in dismay when it was pointed out to him), four different keys, one for the Ignition, one for the drivers door, one for the Bard doors on rear and one for the glovebox, no key for the passenger door, leaking fuel tank, howling diff which exploded after three months, temp sensor blew off after five months. When the van went in for its first service I gave them a list of 80 different problems and the dealer's comment was that that was not possible. The XF van was a total lemon, after two years the company switched back to Toyota with no further problem. Buy a FORD, never.....FORD: First On Rubbish Dump....
@@peterrech2307 A friend of mine owned an XF Falcon. The rear of the crank shaft was eccentric. It ate rear seals for breakfast. I kid you not, my mate had the transmission out every six months to replace the rear seal. He could do the job in about an hour, he got that good at it. But he wasn't the only one. It was a common problem in that model.
I want an EV - to replace my 350,000 km 2008 4x4 RC Colorado (DMax). I want to be able to do a lot of what I do with the 4x4. But so far there's not many that will tow an 1800kg camper trailer. And none that will let me drive the Tanami track without re-fuelling. But soild state batteries are on the way (1000km range) and the charging infrastructure is getting better. And EV utes are on the way. So I'm OK waiting.
@@matthewwood4756 their reputation for unreliability is well-earned. I'm extremely pleased to read that you have had a pleasant experience to this point, I hope it stays that way.
Was going to pass on this one - you've covered this subject matter and I'm not car buying 🙃 But, 'ullo 'ullo 'ullo - a lesson in some terribly inconvenient history of the same flavour as I'm getting from Colonel Douglas Macgregor right now.
For some reason it's worked it's way into my mind that I'll never buy another Ford. Nice to see that subliminal reality supported by some facts that I didn't know.
John, we are the same race as you are. We are not gypsies, just so you know. Gypsies / Roma are a minority in Romania and they are about 8% of the population. You can argue that not all of them are the same race as you are, but even from that 8%, some have the same skin color as you do.
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Careful John - Telling the truth to corporate power in Australia is frowned upon. Absolutely love your work.
Exactly, especially US based
How DARE he tell the truth. How dare he.
Yes, make sure your fire insurance is up to date.
John Cadogan creates The Schrodinger Waste Bin. With out the camera, we know not if the bin exists, or not.
There is no bin?
Then you'll see, that it is not the bin that bends, it is only yourself.
LOL. It only exists when you are looking at it. That's hilarious!
@@AbbStar1989 it's that stupid quote about the spoon from The Matrix movie. I thought slightly appropriate.
And Chow chess Que famously built a road that transcended the kind of itch you get from scratching your Nurburgring. 🚑🚑🚑🚑
@@justinfargas2367 It's a quote from The Matrix movie? I thought it was an analogy to a particle existing in two states until observed.
Even though, thank you for the enlightenment.
Good on you John , It's great to hear from someone who knows his field and isn't afraid
The biggest mistake any buyer of anything makes is show the salesperson how much they like the item that they are buying. Best thing to do is be very matter of fact or blasé (uninterested) about the item.
Romanian here: we have a strong automotive industry , factories and R&D centers. Almost all major Tier 1 suppliers have R&D centers and we really make some advances shit around here. Why Ford came here ? I don't know, but they bought a Daewoo factory that made cars, and in comunism period the same factory made cars in collaboration with Citroen (named Oltcit)
The Dacia Duster is a big hit in UK. Solid car
I made the mistake of buying a NEW Holden Ute for my farm….it’s the only vehicle that I’ve regretted buying. The main concern was the massive amount of money I lost as soon as I drove it off the dealership forecourt. I’ll just stick to buying 3 year old vehicles from now on.
Yeah - Holden's massive fleet discounts to corporate buyers was famous for throwing full retail purchasers under the bus at trade-in time.
You're pretty much right, Richard. But perhaps I'd word it differently... "Only buy a Brand New car from a Dealership, if you intend keeping the vehicle for 10 or 15 years at least. That way, the initial 30% price hit, driving it off the dealer's lot, is amortised/averaged over so many years, it's effectively nothing to worry about". When I bought my last, "new,-to-me" car, it was 15 years old, and I paid 10% of the original purchase price. It suits my needs and was a price I was happy to pay (allowing for some extra repairs). My mum previously bought a new car at a dealership and has kept it for over 20 years. We don't care about the percentage drop in value, driving it off the dealer's lot back in 2001. We've got a one owner car with known full service history that still looks and runs almost like new (bar a few marks in the paint). To those that say a car can't last 20 years plus, I'd suggest (Japanese built) Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. It's probably going too far to say "they've never built a bad car", but that's almost the case. I sold my last Honda at 31 years old. The 1200cc motor was tired and needed a replacement or reconditioning. It was still my daily driver and the cylinder compressions were down to 65 to 75psi on a compression test, and the 5 digit odometer had been around the clock, several times over. The new owner drove it away thrilled to bits with his purchase, I was sorry to let it go, but "circumstances... !"
That aplied years ago but now buy a 3yo Hilux with 10to 20% increase
@@robertceroli3512 did I say Hilux?
@@KiwiCatherineJemma hope you’re getting payed for this.
I bought a Chevy Vega back in 72. It was great, good looking, fun to drive, fairly good gas mileage. I think it might have been car of the year. Wow, I did great so I thought. At 29,000 miles it was junk.
You just got a like and social media share from a Romanian dude, owning a Ford :)
Your analysis is painful, but only sligtly away from the bare truth. It's fair to say there are quite a few here struggling everyday to build a diferent country, but it will take generations to do it, as 50 years of communism left us deeply scared as a society.
Keep up the good job on car stuff and, by the way, your content helped a lot in choosing my next set of wheels. No, it's not a Ford :)
At least they could give us the Dacia Duster or the Sandero. I won't be surprised if the Puma is made on the same production line.
I have been thinking if there is a point in me explaining how things are in Romania, or to let it be as you have described it.
You know it form main stream media, I know it first hand. I live here for quite a long time.
Did you know that:
Romania in 1989 was the only country on this fucking planet that had no debt?
we are a country with a lot of resources that everybody wants, and wants them for free?
we dont have to pay for our kids to go to school, the school is free of charge in Romania, even the universities?
we dont have to pay for treatment in public hospitals? the pre and post surgery treatment it is free. (of course you pay like everyone else the taxes).
if you have a health problem and you dont have insurance, they treat you still? they dont let you die like a dog on the side of the street.
we dont have too many homeless people?
we are home owners, we dont rent, we own? 80% of the properties are own by the people, citizens, not landlords.
Of course there are people that are not happy with the situation in Romania, I am not one of them.
But as I have seen in your blogs, you are not satisfied with the situation in Australia, and trust me, you have nothing to complain about, comparing with us, but everyone sees the life from their perspective (nothing to be blamed about).
Where Ford has the factory for Puma, there was a car factory established in the 80”s by Romanian government with the French from Citroen. The car was named Oltcit (from Oltenia - Citroen); Oltenia being the region of the country where the factory was established. Ford’s interest it is not for us to have anything, it is for them to pay us garbage wages and to have huge profits on junk cars. You cannot have a good quality product if you dont invest in quality. People under payed wont deliver you perfect products, come on!
Just on opinion.
I have spent a few months in Argentina back in the day. It rings so true
Named after Brezhnev. An avid car collector.
I like the story where the president, I forget which, gave Brezhnev an American car and he was sitting in the driver’s seat at Camp David with the president next to him, and he floors it, the car took off without the Secret Service detail and both world leaders did a few laps.
I really think that when it comes to new cars and manufacturers. It's a hard position to be in. As you put it John I agree. Thank for input. It really makes sense on the marriage with a manufacturer or dealership. Thers is nothing more scary than a bad marriage that comes with a ugly mother in law just to make it feel more like you are jumping in a erupted volcano. Nice work John keep it up.
Hey John,
your analysis about Romania is not exactly true. You are missing to mention that Romania is in the EU, which does put a lot of pressure on local government (even though corruption is high). Detaining employees wouldn’t be something that’s possible. I think, the comparison with Argentina is mute and there are enough corporations that run operations in Romania and their employees have a great quality of life. I could make a parallel with another big corporation in Romania, which I can’t mention here, but with which I have personal first hand experience and I would presume that Ford employees have higher salaries and better quality of life than the average Romanian citizen.
Of course this doesn’t negate what happened in Argentina and I am not siding with Ford on that nor I am siding with detaining employees.
I just think that your comparison is not valid, because it is one sided and you have no data about how such corporations operate in Romania.
Also, I think you’ve misrepresented the country of Romania by a huge deal by just talking about the past and the corruption, but not taking into account highly qualified work force. The country has a good track record in car manufacturing with other brands. It is something like a outsourcing hub for big-car corps, i.e. for parts manufacturing or building whole cars.
And of course, please feel free to make a lot of fun about my UA-cam handle,
Best,
P P
Also interesting is that corruption in Hungary is ranked by Transparency International as worse than Romania, and yet they build Audis and Benzes, and soon BMWs too.
Misrepresent the country by a country mile. How do you say that corruption is why Fords made jn Romania are an issue but actually reference no corruption in Ford Romania and then use an entirely different country to point out corruption not even related to Romania??? That’s just dog shit research and analysis.
Romania has been a poor country for a long time and the presence of Corporations like Ford and others can only improve the living standards of Romanians, which has to be a good thing.
Hey John, Riddle this for me... The "safe to buy" new cars from a long term ownership perspective have 6-12 month lead times and low mileage near new ones are asking 20% more than placing an order and waiting, and waiting... Been waiting over 6 months for a Toyota with no end in sight. A married man with one car can only stay a pedestrian for so long before he doubts his manhood. So, what to do?
My choose of the ideal new car!!! Stick shift, hand crank windows, manual locks, very basic radio with CD player, no computer intergration/touch screen, no anti collision sensors, no lane keeping, no automatic breaking, etc., etc., basic anti lock breaks, airbags, and fuel injection(AC would be very nice in Texas) is ok but not necessary... damn that sounds like a 1970's or 80's car, bet it would cost half the price of a modern basic car as well
Dacia , a sub brand of Renault is also built in Romania and it will be available in Australia soon.
John could get one for us, cheap.
What did Australia ever do to warrant that? Hard core criminals get better treatment. I remember the Dacia and ARO brands being in Canada in the 1980's. P.O.S. then, and P.O.S. now. (ARO is defunct).
@@tonyjourneyman1944 A dollar and 49 cents is cheap. but the Dacia is not worth that amount.
@@garfieldsmith332 And yet somehow, Sandero today is the best selling car in Europe.
@@garfieldsmith332they are a solid car and the backbone of the working man in the English countryside.
I would never buy a new car again, especially expensive cars.
You will never get anywhere back to what you bought it for.
The biggest scam out there.
Oh John, mentioning Ford and responsive customer car is the definition of an oxymoron.
I used to be a big Ford fan but no longer. The last three cars I have purchased have been Fords. The first of these was an Australian made model and is still driven daily by SWMBO and is in perfect mechanical condition with more the 250,000km. The second one, a Euro model gave me over five years of fautless service before I traded it in on number three, a 2017 Escape AWD with the 2.0L Ecoboost petrol engine. That's when the trouble started.
To cut to the chase, the head gasket failed for the second time at around 80,000km. The first time was repaired under warranty which has since expired. I was told told this time, too bad mate, warranty is finished.
Call to Ford Customer Service and I reminded them that the factory warranty was irrelevant. The statutory warranty under the Trade Practices Act was the determining factor.
After several weeks of back and forth, they agreed that they would provide an updated 2019 version of the engine at no cost to me. The whole saga meant that I was without my car for over three months. It is running fine now, but it is my last Ford. Next time a Toyota, Mazda or Subaru is the likely candidate.
John, you might like to look into the whole debacle of head gasket failures on this engine from about 2014 to 2019. It was a global problem and I have since found out that Ford have been regularly replacing the engines in Australia too. No recall or notice to owners, of course.
My advice to anyone, is look into your rights and the obligations of the manufacturer. Don't accept their attempt to dismiss you and say it's your problem.
Wow, had no idea about the Ford Argentina story. Great upload as ever.
Really?
Always love the no BS approach JC.
In '70's Melbourne, Ford dropped my new Cortina off a hoist and refused help me in any way. This was the 'last straw.' Only after weeks, after I threatened going to the Press, where they brought to book. Subsequently the car was declared suitable for my requirements. From then on, the Corina ran well. However:- If you read this. Never even contemplate buying a Ford.
Perhaps the way I'd word the way I see it... "Only buy a Brand New car from a Dealership, if you intend keeping the vehicle for 10 or 15 years at least. That way, the initial 30% price hit, driving it off the dealer's lot, is amortised/averaged over so many years, it's effectively nothing to worry about". When I bought my last, "new,-to-me" car, it was 15 years old, and I paid 10% of the original purchase price. It suits my needs and was a price I was happy to pay (allowing for some extra repairs). My mum previously bought a new car at a dealership and has kept it for over 20 years. We don't care about the percentage drop in value, driving it off the dealer's lot back in 2001. We've got a one owner car with known full service history that still looks and runs almost like new (bar a few marks in the paint). To those that say a car can't last 20 years plus, I'd suggest (Japanese built) Toyota, Suzuki or Honda. It's probably going too far to say "they've never built a bad car", but that's almost the case. I sold my last Honda at 31 years old. The 1200cc motor was tired and needed a replacement or reconditioning. It was still my daily driver and the cylinder compressions were down to 65 to 75psi on a compression test, and the 5 digit odometer had been around the clock, several times over. The new owner drove it away thrilled to bits with his purchase, I was sorry to let it go, but "circumstances... !"
Completely agree. I've never bought a brand new car, probably never will. My current 2008 Outback 2.5xt was bought 12 years and 80k km old. It will be 20+ years old when I sell it, maybe 25+. My last Outback ('97) in NZ was 22 years and 200k km old when I sold it and that was only because I was moving overseas. The one before that I sold at 245k km and 19 years old, only because I got an awesome deal on the next one from a friend who got rich and wanted a new WRX and the old car just gone. I've bought motorcycles new: my road bike is a 1995 BMW R1100RT bought new, coming up for 28 years owned in another 4 months. I've had to replace the fuel pump and fuel lines, and the Hall-effect crankshaft position sensor. That's all so far.
Hi John,
Thank you for this advice.
I used to be a ford fan.
Bought 2nd hand, 9 year old XF in 1995 (70,000km), fitted it with gas and loved it until 2013 when some kid (not mine) wrote it off.
Fast forward 2018 inherited a Ford Ecosport 2014 model (10,000km). I now know alot more about transmissions.
Ok for elderly people who want shopping trolley with engine not a family.
After this experience and car you could not even give me a Ford.
I did homework and ended up ordering a sportage and still waiting. The car lust for the sportage is gone but still looking forward to getting it.
Hi John, Dave here from the great white north (Canada). We are thinking of visiting Australia again this winter and we love caravanning. The problem is the costs have gone through the roof for rentals. We plan to visit for 40 days or so. Any thoughts on buying and then selling the caravan after our trip. I love your videos, fun to watch.
Almost impossible to sell second hand ones, people only want new
Buying a LVolkswagent? Or is it LMercedest?
Have you had a look at the 2.4 Engined Subaru Outback, I'm interested in your opinion, and another point, how would that engine go with 94 RON and 91 RON fuel? I'm inclined to go with the standard engine, and the wider availability of fuels if travelling.
Great report John. I'll make sure I link it to some of my brain dead workmates that never do any research before they buy a vehicle, or don't realise how they are deceptively advertised. I'll stick with my Subaru lust. I have an Outback XT on order to replace my Forester. I would of preferred a Forester XT, but I have to settle for the Outback XT this time. 😊
What makes you prefer the Forester over the Outback? I'm considering both in a three way tussle with an Outlander. I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of a current owner.
@@troyhartley9681 I love my current 2019 Forester, but it just struggles a bit too much when I'm towing my enclosed motorbike trailer with my two race bikes, extra wheels, tyres and all the other gear I need (about 1400Kg) when go interstate for Motorcycle races. I prefer the slightly smaller size and the higher seating position of the Forester to the Outback. I drove some of the competitors prior to buying my Forester, however the Forester just felt the better vehicle to drive to me. I'm sure the Outback will feel even better due to it's slightly better dynamics, apart from the big jump in power. The Subaru's excellent all wheel drive system got me easily out of a couple of low grip situations that I had to park in also with my trailer loaded up.
@@adamhend3211 Thanks for your insight. That's good to know.
Until now I never knew that Ford PUMA is made in Romania. I only heard about Ford ECOSPORT. This Puma as I see is the same class with Dacia Sandero Stepway 3 also made in Romania but, at a half of the price... and 1 star NCAP 😁
When i was in Turkey a few weeks back i saw a lot of the Dacia cars. One of the relos had a later model one called a Duster. Not a fan of it. But then again over there most cars looked dodgy.
@@axeya366 Interesting. I just found out that the Ford Romanian factory was bought last year by Ford Otosan (Turkey)... from better to the best! 🤣
@@kodtech Either way there is no safety or compliance over there. Seen cars with doors falling off and no windows and windshields. Police dont enforce it. Gipsys driving in tractors and home made buggies and karts.
Bought a Mazda CX-9 a year ago over other similar choices, I.e Kluger, Palisade. Reason: CX-9 paid for on a Saturday, picked up on a Thursday. Others: would still be waiting for delivery.
Puma, Argentina, Rugby. Ford made those XP (1965 or so?) Falcons until 1991 in Argentina!
You'd know about Romania...had you paid attention at School. Rightio...back to the video.
In 2015 I did my research, considered my needs and bought a Hyundai i30. It did everything I needed it to do, was reliable and the smsll problems that turned up were dealt with by the dealer with no hesitation. But I just didn't like it. Nothing wrong with the car. So now I'm driving a 2011 Citroën C5. I love it. It has also been reliable but...
It's the Ford servicing. In my case they charged me $380 for the yearly service and didn't change the oil. I have never been back to a Ford dealership.
Car made in Romania is made by Romanians
Car made in Germany is made by Sirians...
So Dacia duster is made by people who went to school for 11 years at least and BMW M3 competition is made by people which run away from starvation and war from Siria.
Car made in USA is made by Mexicans
Car made in Slovakia is made by Serbians...
List goes on
Hi John, long time follower of your channel, my wife has a 7 year old Kia Cerrato and is looking to buy a new car. she's looking at the MG ZST or the Mitsubishi ASX, as she'd like a medium SUV. Would you recommend either of these cars. Thanks in advance
I had a chuckle at the "Identify as a big cat line."
My car was built in the city of Vysoké Mýto and is known as the TPCA (Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile) plant. Is that good or bad?
Speaking about Romania, here we have a lot of Dacias that are local Romanian brand, currently part from Renault. That are famous with excellent ratio between price and quality. They are pretty cheap (cheapest cars in europe)... And probably more reliable than ford... So it is all ford, not romanians... :)
Buying a new car from a dealer. I buy 4 to 6 year old cars either at auction or from individuals. That way there is a lot less mystery about what is likely to go wrong with the car and the first buyer gets to eat the depreciation.
Hey @John Cadogan, what do you think of the new Subaru BRZ? Purely as a weekend sports car.
::glowing review:: They're a great impractical little sports car. Would love one, but there's only room for the Outback in the garage...
Hey John, could you set up another camera for your bin throws. Then splice them in.
There is no bin...
@@AutoExpertJC pity.
I remember a certain car company having close relations with Axis Powers way back when.
You have to be extremely careful about singling out countries for their quality of workmanship, whether it be cars or any other product. Ceausescu's reign in Romania ended more than 32 years ago and you can't really compare that era to what is happening now - yes, people did want to leave the country then but not now. Ford's factory in Romania is a modern, up to date facility and many millions of Euros have been spent in its development. The Puma reportedly is a well made product. Even Miele have a factory there now. Romania is also a member of the EU. You could also mention that the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen products are made in Slovakia, which also was a Communist country. What about Audis and BMW now being made in Mexico, where people are now trying to leave the country? To cite Mazda as a brand to buy after their recent poor customer service problems and court cases relating to engine failures in certain models and refusal to fix cars is a bit rich. - see the ACCC ruling.
One thing I do agree with you though is Ford's dismal back-up and service and their reluctance to address the problems with Fiesta and Focus Powershift gearbox problems and in the end Ford had to be dragged kicking and screaming to court and compensate owners and I believe this saga has not yet been finalised.
As a Romanian who has not left the country, thank you for your comment. John was uncharacteristically and unfairly speculating...
Romania is not an auto-making powerhouse country - fact.
Romania is one of the most corrupt countries in Europe today - fact.
Romania is #5 globally, today, for diaspora - fact.
Obvious conclusion: Ford is making cars there because it's cheap, and probably amenable to bending the rules.
Ford has form for choosing to operate in profoundly corrupt countries - fact.
Was that 'extremely careful' enough for you?
Mazda is much better than Ford at customer support.
I did not say Ford was the only carmaker doing this. The fact was, I answered a question posed about the Puma. I addressed that.
@@AutoExpertJC The fact that it's the cheap workforce which attracted Ford's investment in Romania is incontestable. As for your speculation about corruption having anything to do with it, then why didn't they go to Serbia, Bulgaria or some other country in Europe which has even cheaper labour and even more corruption?
Why did Mercedes, Audi and BMW decide to build cars in Hungary?
I'd argue it has much more to do with the fact that both are EU countries (though as a side note, surprisingly, Hungary is perceived as even more corrupt than Romania according to Transparency International).
@@AutoExpertJCorry but your research and analysis was absolute dog shit. Your so called ‘fact’ is nothing but bs as there are multiple sources on corruption which has Romania in the middle of the pack - although corruption is an issue (like it is in most countries), it’s not how you depict it to be. For example they are saying that Hungary is the most corrupt in the EU although it has many car manufactures - I’d say that the ranking has more to do with it’s stance on Russia/Ukraine and it’s politics rather than actual corruption. So then why didn’t Ford go to those more corrupt counties then? You also ignore completely why many companies have now gone to Romania: large manufacturing sector (many car parts are made in Romania - also considered to be the 8th most attractive manufacturing country in Europe ), better tax regime, affordable wages, improved infrastructure, good location between Europe and Middle East/Asian, educate population, large IT sector and the fact that it has its own oil and natural gas (plus all the pipelines coming from the caucuses). But fuck all that I guess, you just needed to do a five second google search to cherry pick what suited your agenda and preconceptions of the country. You couldn’t even point to actual corruption at Ford Romania to prove your point and had to use and entirely different country at an entirely different point in time. You also mention the dispora but do not mention how that affects Ford Romania - also you don’t put any of it into context at all. So in summary you can see the dog shit journalistic skills you developed in the mainstream media haven’t left you - makes me now really have to reconsider alot of what you have said in the past as to whether it is reliable and credible.
@@AutoExpertJC Ford took over Daewoo factory in Romania, which in turn was an old factory building cars since 1970 under Citroen license. There is a 50 year tradition on building cars (Fact). Also the workforce is not so cheap, the salaries are on par with other center and eastern EU countries. Also Renault has the design and testing center in Romania (apart form the Dacia factory) where salaries are on par with those in France.
We are #5 globally for diaspora because between 2007 and 2012 a lot of people left to Western Europe because of the financial crisis and after EU admission in 2007 it was easy for us to move to west. Not the case anymore (that's also a fact).
Corruption- yes we have it, but Ford has nothing to do with it. Here corruption is about political people that funnels the public money to their pockets (e.g. the mayor of a town awards a contract for cleaning the streets to his son's company). Fortunately for us, we are EU member, and Ford must obey the EU regulations.
Conclusion: Ford makes cars here because they took over an existing factory with skilled workforce and somewhat cheeper that the Western Europe workforce, have easy acces to Easter Europe market and also 15 years ago they got some government incentives (again under EU rules).
Awesome job John love your work
Hi John
I just paid off my first car loan and early .now would like to get a new Tiguan R .Can you help choose a good deal /finance ?
Same with Caravans, Green Rv Sunshine Coast, have there Traps set.
I as looking to buy a new Mazda 3, or Lexus IS 250 or a Golf R. Then I decided to visit some car yards. The first yard was a used Toyota dealership that had a 2022 Subaru WRX with 531 kms on the clock for a few thousand less than the list price so I bought it. I really love this car & can’t find a single thing I don’t like. The only mods I’ll make will be cosmetic, body kit stiff & possibly lower it a tad. But that’s it. No access port tunes or exhaust “upgrades “.
No exhaust..... , all turbo 4s need an aftermarket exhaust to come alive otherwise its like fanging a Tesla.
@@axeya366 have you fanged a Tesla? Something tells me no.
Nothing to say about the car comments but @11:05 there is a historical inaccuracy. It was the 25th of December, not the 22nd so... Merry Christmas indeed.
You guys don't get Dacia and Renault vehicles from Romania Down Under?
GM and Ford supplied rucks to the Wehrmacht in WWII. Honda made piston rings for Misubishi, who made zeros of course. Subaru is from Fuji Heavy Industries, the rename of Nakajima who made medium bombers. There was some degree of slave labor in all of those operations.
Hi John, let’s not forget 1932 when good old Henry Ford had a number of workers shot and killed for taking part in the great Hunger March and strikes against working conditions in his factories, or Adolf Hitler conscripting people and prisoners of war to work in the VW factories. It just goes to show that history repeats. Cheers mate, Neil.
like the Ceaucescus, you’d like to see some dealers face a firing squad, staffed by volunteers of former customers.
BTW the Ceaucescu’s firing squad didn’t stop shooting until the magazine was empty. They were full of holes.
Genocide by starvation is bound to engender strong, critical feelings...
The puma comentary and humor cracked me up😂😂😂
Thanks for the heads up John - I won’t be buying my next car in Argentina😅
Well, dacia, makita and ford all manufacturer in Romania. Its nothing to do with it being corrupt. Low taxes and its in Europe, so no import problems.
Corruption certainly helps set things up.
@AutoExpertJC probably, may be brown envelopes. Can't get more corrupt than Brussels. They haven't signed off the books for years.
fords biggest problem is the ecoboom engine it's made to self destruct, internal timing belt that would cost mega to replace.
Where's the 'R' in Cadogan, I pronounce it every time. Love your work with wit and kit.
Thank you, Kevin.
John CARdogan
I bought a Ford once that was 23 years old, never again there was no customer service only lies and excuses.
Due diligence on car purchase is as important as the lust for the car . 😊
Nicolae Ceausescu (Chi-chess-Koo) was the dictator you referred to. A decidedly un-nice person, so I believe. December 1989 was a jolly good Christmas for many Romanians.
I have a comment as a Romanian.
First of all, I do agree Ford does crap quality. I know somebody working in a Ford service and they more or less told me their engines are consumables. They are not meant to last.
However blasting a nation because of their past is plain wrong. Every nation on earth has it's dark times. For instance in Australia they used to take away aboriginal children and give them to the church or government to raise. This is also called ethnic cleansing. Just how we got rid of a dictator (set by russians) 30 years ago, Australia got rid of their practices about 40 years ago. Is that recent enough for you? And it's an easy argument to make with most developed/democratic nations. What's important is that these things get uncovered, that they stop, and if possible (not too late) the responsible people are punished.
Now on the topic of corruption, there are 3 things which need to be said:
1. Because the government of a country is corrupt, it doesn't mean the goods made by a private company in the country are of bad quality. That quality depends on the standard set by that company, not by unrelated government workers
2. Romania is recognized as one of the most corrupt country in the European Union, however when ranked world-wide you are going to find out the EU is a good place to be in.
3. Measuring corruption is hard and depends on what where you draw the line between legal and illegal. The easiest to measure is the small one: bribes payed to the doctors, small gifts given for services which should be free in public institutions just to make things move faster, etc. We have plenty of that. But the real corruption is hard to spot and measure. The kind of corruption that ends up in fixing diesel emissions world-wide. Or the kind some developed countries legalize like "lobbying" in US. It's easy to say you are not corrupt, and then allow corporations/individuals to make huge political contributions for favors.
Overall I'm quite disappointed in you. I've been watching your channel for a long time and held much respect on your opinions. Today you really messed up...
Well said. Greetings from your EU cousins in Ireland 🇮🇪 🇷🇴 🇪🇺
Cardogen is right - your comparisons are pathetic excuses. EG - we might be corrupt but we have nice neighbours which make us look nicer st a distance. And the dill from Ireland!? … the less said as about his comment the better
Yet another positive uplifting video.
Ethics matter just like facts, thanks for this informative report John. Keep it up.
Brilliant, simply brilliant. Love your work bud.
Thanks, Spiney.
Shit!! For a minute there I thought you were talking about the Puma!!
I have a dilemma. We need a large SUV. We are deciding between a Ford Everest Platinum and a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Thoughts?
I am expecting it to be “It’s a decision between two piles of shit, one the epitome of shit and the other slightly less than the epitome of shit”?
My previous cars and current car is a Holden. I have nowhere to go as far as brand and wish Holden were still around 😞
I always thought it was buying a Holden, but you can't do that anymore.
Hey John, how do you know about the Spa thing😂?
John, is it possible to be a first level automotive journalist as well as an entertainment personality? There's only one. Cannot wait for your unbiased expansion into everything __ __. Shall not name the group. But you're the best. Hurry up, please.
Interesting - ford acquired the former daewoo factory from the Romanian government in 2008.
What about the situation where a car manufacturer has people kidnapped and tortured BUT does really good in and out of warranty support? 🤔
If this spins has the 1 litre e boost engine have a look at I do cars stripping it. Absolute rubbish
Dacia which are being sold by Renault are also Romanian
Wait a minute... Lust leads to poor decisions? Wow, who knew?
'I've never seen a Mercedes Benz Vag! Hope it remains that way'! I goddamned nearly wet myself!
In saying that, you fuelled my lust for Kia, a brand I'd never considered until I'd seen your reviews and being in one, when I visited 'straya. I gotta say, I love my nearly new Sportage GTlineS. So there's that ;)
I would suggest something a little left field, a Suzuki Vitara. Its in the same class, costs less than a Puma and a Mazda3, the turbo is fun to drive,the boot is actually more useable than its competitors, the NA engine is rock solid and not boring, gives less problems overall long term and the depreciation is there but its not the worst(check the guys at ReDriven, they did a video on it).
On the Ford matter, i have my own reasons for not being a fan, onsite union busting aside, but they are more on the Ford of today and the technical aspects of their vehicles( plus they really suck at globalization which feeds into reason a) and not the politics of it. If we start playing the who has the biggest skeletons in their closet we probably would buy cars or chips for that matter. Leave those excuses for Politicians or persons who wish they were Politicians. Im not saying that onsite jail cells is just something you excuse, but I highly doubt in Michigan they were patting themselves on the back about this and contemplating how to export it, it does however go back to my earlier point of them sucking at globalization and management overseas.
What were some of those dead set pigs to drive in the 70s and 80s? I am genuinely curious to know.
The Austin Allegro has got to be one of them. They were horrible.
You nail the voice impressions 😂
What say Ford changed the name of the Ranger back to Courier.... What would that do for the lust factor?
Rangers lead the way...
I’d just call it the Ford Ranger Store, Jazz it up a bit and give a more JDM vibe.
The BBC? Credible?
You can never go wrong with John when it comes to buying a car. I bought 3 cars based on John's recommendation lasr few years they are all good choice. No headache at all. Thanks John 😊😊😊
Is this a paid sponsorship @chrischo
@@MegaPixie666 haha not at all .
Cheque's in the mail mate...
Did I interpret this correctly in that Subaru is the best of the 10 evils?
Most people buy a car on the way it looks, budget, and the sale is based on either commonsense or ego.
John, you say VW is bad (actually I agree), but human rights abuse like this is unconscionable.
It’s put me off FORD for life.
Thanks for the heads up.👍
Google 'Mercedes slave labour WWII' and prepare to be equally amazed.
@@AutoExpertJC BMW used slave labour as well during WW2 but compensation has been paid out for years and is probably still continuing. But do buyers refuse to buy their cars now - I don't think so. It's like Australians not wanting to buy Japanese cars in Australia back in the 60s and 70s because of attitudes to Japan and its people after WW2.
😂 as soon as you started talking about Romania I was waiting for the Argentina bit! Thank you! Cheers from the other ass of the world!
heard that Mercedes vags break down after a few miles and need rebuilding...and more expensive than any other vag
Love how he states auto journalists are in some way biased and then goes on to promote a VPN service by reading a script, something thats completely unrelated to the subject matter of his channel! The pot calls the kettle black! 😁
Really? Tiffany? I suppose there was wine and rose pettals, soft music perhaps... Mate, good form. Oh thanks for the review, good heads up.
Considering Hitler thought the World of Henry Ford it's no wonder the company strays from ethical behaviour. Buying Romanian built, import a Dacia!! James May swears by (at) them.
Romania was allied with Germany in WWII....
Henry Ford was a based Giga-Chad. He used to give away a copy of his ultra-based book with every model T.
There is only one reason for off shoring car manufacturing. That is to escape the clutches of the United Auto Workers Union. When GM went bankrupt in 2008 or so, their labor rate was $72/hour. That is the full compensation package with medical and pension benefits. They killed GM and Chrysler. Ford survived just so but even now the UAW is on strike at Ford or on the verge of a strike. With proper management, leadership and quality control I don't see a problem.
i have never owned a Ford, never wanted to own a Ford, and now will never own a Ford.........Fords have always been rubbish in my opinion, their customer service has always been much the same rubbish.
I have driven a Ford company car for two years, which was a management decision to switch from Toyota to Ford. The XF panel van was delivered with the Ford Grill badge upside down (the sales guy shrunk in dismay when it was pointed out to him), four different keys, one for the Ignition, one for the drivers door, one for the Bard doors on rear and one for the glovebox, no key for the passenger door, leaking fuel tank, howling diff which exploded after three months, temp sensor blew off after five months. When the van went in for its first service I gave them a list of 80 different problems and the dealer's comment was that that was not possible. The XF van was a total lemon, after two years the company switched back to Toyota with no further problem. Buy a FORD, never.....FORD: First On Rubbish Dump....
@@peterrech2307 A friend of mine owned an XF Falcon. The rear of the crank shaft was eccentric. It ate rear seals for breakfast. I kid you not, my mate had the transmission out every six months to replace the rear seal. He could do the job in about an hour, he got that good at it. But he wasn't the only one. It was a common problem in that model.
I want an EV - to replace my 350,000 km 2008 4x4 RC Colorado (DMax). I want to be able to do a lot of what I do with the 4x4.
But so far there's not many that will tow an 1800kg camper trailer. And none that will let me drive the Tanami track without re-fuelling. But soild state batteries are on the way (1000km range) and the charging infrastructure is getting better. And EV utes are on the way. So I'm OK waiting.
Hey John, what do you think of the B9.5 Audi S4?
It's an Audi.
@@tomparker5000 - thanks for your pointless reply 🙄
Awesome to drive; poor ownership choice.
@@AutoExpertJC - thanks John. My (8V) S3 has been perfectly reliable with no issues…has 125k on it now, so I’m looking to upgrade.
@@matthewwood4756 their reputation for unreliability is well-earned. I'm extremely pleased to read that you have had a pleasant experience to this point, I hope it stays that way.
I thought that the puma was a nice little engine !
Was going to pass on this one - you've covered this subject matter and I'm not car buying 🙃
But, 'ullo 'ullo 'ullo - a lesson in some terribly inconvenient history of the same flavour as I'm getting from Colonel Douglas Macgregor right now.
Wow this is an amazing video.
Yeah, but then ... I am amazing generally. So, not really a surprise development.
For some reason it's worked it's way into my mind that I'll never buy another Ford. Nice to see that subliminal reality supported by some facts that I didn't know.
The BBC is a creditable news outlet? What rock have you been living under?
I agree BBC woke.
John is an Auto Expert …not a media company expert. BBC is not credible anymore
John, we are the same race as you are. We are not gypsies, just so you know. Gypsies / Roma are a minority in Romania and they are about 8% of the population. You can argue that not all of them are the same race as you are, but even from that 8%, some have the same skin color as you do.
Vlad Drakula is also from Romania btw