I read in a an annual consumer report book for used automobiles that Ford 150 pickups were regarded as disposable vehicles, by both the manufacturer and the buyers. Cheaply made and cheaply sold. I dunno, but that's what I read. This particular series of consumer reports have been scary accurate for whatever cars and trucks I've bought over the years, right down to the passenger seatbelt vibrating with an annoying noise when at a certain speed and with window down to a certain level, the 5th gear slipping right around a certain mileage reached, and the tranny taking a walkabout just as the odometer hit a particular mileage. All different vehicles mind you, but the records of repairs, lawsuits, chronic problems and secret warranties sure touched many makes and models.
That being said, I dropped into my mechanic to arrange for an oil change the other morning. A big blue Ford 150 sat proud as punch with the passenger door wide open. A guy named George was standing talking to the door. I walked up and got straight to the point. "So, what's goin on?" He nodded to the passenger mirror and made a face that spoke clearly of resignation. The big black extendable mirror was fractured, wires splayed out and plastic pieces in odd arrangements, the lone convex mirror staring straight at me. The mess had a Salvador Dali look to it, grotesque and rather artful. I asked if somebody'd clipped him. He hummed and hawed and finally mumbled that his brother's truck caused all the damage. I chuckled that brothers and their trucks ought to watch where they're going. He said he tried to blame it on him but the brother had been sitting in this very passenger seat at the time; that brother's truck was parked and sitting still. "Don't know how I didn't miss the danged thing. It's big enough. It's another Ford." It seems the replacement mirror was over $400, according to our mechanic on the other side of the door wrestling with the door panel. Our mechanic found an after market one for nearly half that cost, but the experience was still painful for George. I quickly changed the subject and asked him "So, other than expensive mirrors, how'd ya like yer truck?" He beamed "I love it!" It seems it's his second new 150, and well on the way to matching the high mileage of the first dependable pickup. I asked about the aluminum frame thing and he said "You know Randy down the road; the Baker farm? He has one and he loves it. S'never driven anything else."
Well now I don't know what to think. Would I drive a Ford 150, or no? What I do know is I'd be danged careful of my mirrors.
