Not everyone likes old Fords.......

On a similar theme, I drove my 39 Ford Woodie over to our local Ford dealership here in Southern Vermont so my mentor, Ken Bailey could show his former colleagues what he had been up to since retiring. Ken retired from the dealership as the service manager at age 75, he was 80 at the time. The shop absolutely emptied, all of the mechanics, technicians, salesmen, and even the secretary came out to admire the Woodie Station Wagon. The owner of the dealership asked how many new Ford's it would take to get my 39 Ford so he could put it in his showroom. I thought he was kidding, it was 1991 and we had just completed a three year frame off restoration. My answer was there was not enough money in all of North America to get that car. Ken told me later that the dealership owner was dead serious and would have given me three new Mustangs for my 39 Woodie. I think I made the right choice at the time. Your 32 should have been praised to the skies for what it represented of American ingenuity and the epitome of Ford pride. I'm sorry those people were so incredibly ignorant.
 
I thinks it's unfair to condemn those at car dealerships who aren't "in to old cars".
After all they come in all shapes and sizes....there's the kids in their 20's who are very good salesmen; often 100% knowledgeable on the product they are selling and there's a vast array to choose from.. There's those who are more interested in modern cars and nothing else; a topic on which I am woefully ignorant ! There's the mechanics; often referred to as technicians who are brought up on computers and substitute those for spanners (wrenches !) and have no interest or knowledge of carburettors and contact breakers and of course why should they but all the same often passionate about cars.

We need to give them all some slack.....

However I am amazed that the sales manager at Gates Ford in Hertford wasn't a little cuter ? Had I been in his shoes I would have wanted that photo to promote the sales of Ford cars; utilising the slogan....."they're built to last ". I'll email it to him and see if it's inappropriate.....

But I'm not him and he's not me.....
 
Dittos on car dealers not being 'car' people. We had a pleasant experience at a local Ford dealership and ended up buying my daughter a used Mercury Milan, but when I tried to chat up the sales man over my '50 Crestliner, he couldn't have cared less.
 
In the 40+ yrs I worked at Ford dealers I've seen the good, bad & ugly that goes on inside places. Like all the older mechanics I worked with over the years the good salespeople, mangers & owners got pushed out or retired. The whole business seemed to change from cars to "make money". I can't stand to walk into a dealership now because I know what's going on in there.
Last dealer I worked for decided to put on a car show which I helped promote and gave them suggestions. Day of the show I brought my 57 and was the 1st car there since I had to work that day anyway. I parked my car up front in a prime spot and went to work. An hour later they told me to move it. What did they park in its place? A salesmans 70's Mopar. Gee, I thought I worked at a Ford dealer.
 
THE INTERNET has advantages and disadvantages. Folk will go to a dealership, try a car, or two, or maybe three and then buy one "on line" from the cheapest supplier.

Maybe that's why many garages have developed the "I couldn't care less" philosophy.

Sad but true and it'll only get worse !
 
You should of told the dick head that with all the recalls in the news lately, you were stopping by to see if any applied to your car.
 
Wow, that's sad. But reality is just that. I've worked at a few Ford dealerships and we had both kinds of people - those who were car people, and those who weren't. Many are just like anyplace else - mercenaries who are only working there for the money.

Real car people at dealerships are the ones to talk to for anything from buying to repairing vehicles.
 
I had a mate who worked as a Panel Beater (body shop repairman and he owned the business). He stopped by a Local Holden Dealer (Australian GM). He was wearing his scruffy clothes and driving his work hack. Well he was looking at this brand new Holden Statesman ( top of Line v8 car). A salesman came out and scoffed at him when he said he was interested in one and was promptly told he wouldn't be able to afford the car. He quietly left.

Next day he went back more tidily dressed but this time rolled up in his mint 79 Anniversary Edition Trans Am ( this was in the late 80's). The same salesman came running out to greet him and was eager to sell him a car. He promptly asked the salesman if he remembered him from the day before and then reminded him that he was person who told he couldn't afford the Statesman. He then added that he had now changed his mind about buying a Holden and that he was going up the road to the FORD Dealership to buy a Ford LTD....which he did.


GB
 
Old car aficionados versus new car consumers is a comparison of a no-profit hobby to profit driven business. I suspect that most of us are not in it for the money while big business is in it for the money. It's a rather poor comparison for judging misplaced interest. If it weren't for Henry Ford pushing profit out of affordable cars all those years back, then old Fords would be as scarce as old Chevies, Dodges, Packards, Essex, and Hupmobile to name a few.
 
In March, we bought a new Edge from Jerry's Ford in Leesburg, Va. I was wearing a Early Ford V8 Club shirt and the general manager introduced himself and after a short conversion, he invited our National Capital RG to hold a car show at their dealership early next year in conjunction with the Grand Opening of there new facility. He said he would clear his front lot and let us fill it up.
 
This just shows to go you that not everyone is into old cars like we Fordbarners. Different strokes for different folks.

But I guarantee you if I would have seen that `32 sitting on a car lot, I would have stopped in. Just in case....
 
motorhead6 said:
i think it may have taken me an hour or so to get it started. :) most new car sales people are not car people; they are more like scavenger for the most part. Now before a lot of car sales people call me on this, i was in sales for several years and very successfully. Most of the people i worked with should have been in a traveling carinval hawking money grabbing fake games. There are exceptions.
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