And it's gone....

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

Thank you. I posted that up hoping someone from Ford may see it. That is a sale that Ford lost. I have wanted a V8 ute for a few years now. Finally decided to do it. I really wanted an XR8 (even with a Boss), but unfortunately Ford don't seem to think they need to do runout deals on them. Its end of financial year, and the dealer i went to offered me a base spec (no options) XR8 for $43,000 on road. (it was built JUL '09).

The commodore is an SSV (think XR8 with luxury pack, technology pack and safety pack) for $40,750 on road. Brand new.

Sorry, Ford, your losing the sales race for a reason. Your product is far superior, just your management of it is appalling.

The dealer even told me they haven't built an XR8 in 2 months.

Ford dealers really don't seem to be helping the situation with poor attitudes like that!

[Boza]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

That wont work...

Ford wont take the ute with FPV doing the sedan, there will be issues with marketing the same product with a different badge. They will have to both be FPV's.. The question is whether it will be the FPV XR8 or the FPV GS.. My guess will be the XR8 as its still better alligned with the market its targetting, todays generations dont know what a GS is.

mate i'm 28 and i know all about the GS hell i even prefer xw-xb GS's over the gt's i dunno why but they appeal more to me but hey thats me

I wanna build an xw gs in the future

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

Ford dealers really don't seem to be helping the situation with poor attitudes like that!

Whats worse is that this would have been the 3rd new I bought from the same dealer. He even tried to tell me "at trade in time the first rego is what determines the age of the vehicle, not the build date". He then tells me he remembers me from the last new I bought there. I have never met that salesman.

2 lies in 5 minutes from a dealer I trusted.

[JBomb3000]

Originally Posted by Balboa

mate i'm 28 and i know all about the GS hell i even prefer xw-xb GS's over the gt's i dunno why but they appeal more to me but hey thats me

I wanna build an xw gs in the future

I'm also in my late twenties and while i have a vague knowledge of what the GS was it carries nowhere near the brand recognition for me as XR8

[Maggot]

your losing the sales race for a reason. Your product is far superior, just your management of it is appalling.


^^^^

this is dead right.. and was the case back in 04 when we went out to buy a new BA, and they couldn't sell us one. We ended up coming home with a VZ and buying a 2nd hand BA a year later.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

IMHO They put the model in an average position with the performance & pricing of the XR6T and decided to not act on it for too long, as a send of the GS should have been the "last Hurrah" for the XR8 badge, not just silently removed it from their website hoping people don't notice.

Going to have a bit of a rant but bugger it - not everybody wants a turbo. I find them boring and I have no interest in owning one. Always wanted a V8, always liked V8's and for as long as I can will always own a V8.

[Boza]

Can someone quickly bring me up to speed on the whole v8/xr8 deal as i know bits and pieces

[TS50]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

Thank you. I posted that up hoping someone from Ford may see it. That is a sale that Ford lost. I have wanted a V8 ute for a few years now. Finally decided to do it. I really wanted an XR8 (even with a Boss), but unfortunately Ford don't seem to think they need to do runout deals on them. Its end of financial year, and the dealer i went to offered me a base spec (no options) XR8 for $43,000 on road. (it was built JUL '09).

The commodore is an SSV (think XR8 with luxury pack, technology pack and safety pack) for $40,750 on road. Brand new.

Sorry, Ford, your losing the sales race for a reason. Your product is far superior, just your management of it is appalling.

The dealer even told me they haven't built an XR8 in 2 months.

Have you thought that the only way Holden can move their ute is by very heavy discounting?
Its easy to give things away, harder to sell a good product and make money out of it

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by Balboa

Can someone quickly bring me up to speed on the whole v8/xr8 deal as i know bits and pieces

Nothing will change from what we have now, except for type of aspiration.

[R-Design]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

Oh and staff have been able to order Sunburst for their lease vehicles prior to public launch.

Well I'm relieved to know that one may be getting around somewhere then.

[jixel 78]

Cant say XR8 has much of a lustre for me. When they were released the XR6 was only .1 of a second slower(EB), and as they seem to be killing them off the hero car still seems to be the XR6. The XR6 still has the aussie engine too, so in my opinion the XR6 is the car that covers alot more bases than the slower (sic) selling XR8. I think SS and XR6 Turbo when I think of family performance cars made in Oz. Not XR8. Plus GS is more of a reminiscant name for V8 buyers IMO. Some friends of mine were thinking of buying a new SS and I said `what about an XR8?` The look I got was akin to dropping my guts in close proximity.`Maybe a GS` she said. I have to say their new SS looks mighty fine.

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by jixel 78

Cant say XR8 has much of a lustre for me. When they were released the XR6 was only .1 of a second slower(EB), and as they seem to be killing them off the hero car still seems to be the XR6. The XR6 still has the aussie engine too, so in my opinion the XR6 is the car that covers alot more bases than the slower (sic) selling XR8. I think SS and XR6 Turbo when I think of family performance cars made in Oz. Not XR8. Plus GS is more of a reminiscant name for V8 buyers IMO. Some friends of mine were thinking of buying a new SS and I said `what about an XR8?` The look I got was akin to dropping my guts in close proximity.`Maybe a GS` she said. I have to say their new SS looks mighty fine.

hmmm... I think the reason you think the SS is more Australian than XR8 is due to the influence your sheep friends (aka the great unwashed) have over you. It has a motor that is assembled in Australia, unlike the SS', and the rest of the car has more Au content in it, too. You need to equip yourself with some of these facts and try kicking some sense into these sheep.

[Maggot]

Originally Posted by jixel 78

Cant say XR8 has much of a lustre for me. When they were released the XR6 was only .1 of a second slower(EB), and as they seem to be killing them off the hero car still seems to be the XR6. The XR6 still has the aussie engine too, so in my opinion the XR6 is the car that covers alot more bases than the slower (sic) selling XR8. I think SS and XR6 Turbo when I think of family performance cars made in Oz. Not XR8. Plus GS is more of a reminiscant name for V8 buyers IMO. Some friends of mine were thinking of buying a new SS and I said `what about an XR8?` The look I got was akin to dropping my guts in close proximity.`Maybe a GS` she said. I have to say their new SS looks mighty fine.

Thay may have been true up until the ZF autos came out, and in particular the FG models.. but now the AFM holdens are slower and are definately uglier (yes.. opinions vary).

Only problems are that Ford never told anyone about their car.. and that now you can't even buy one!.

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by TS50

Have you thought that the only way Holden can move their ute is by very heavy discounting?
Its easy to give things away, harder to sell a good product and make money out of it

The bold part seems to be more accurate. I agree with you. At the end of the day, You need to pay as little as possible and hope for the least depreciation when trade time comes. Stacking up a standard XR8 against a $2k cheaper fully loaded SS, you would be mistaken to buy the XR8.

The people who have been hurt the most are those who bought a new Commodore in the last few months before the discounting.

How much do you think it would hurt buyers of new (or '09 plated) XR8 utes if did continue with XR nameplate. This for me is the worst part of what Ford are doing.

With no info either way, everyone is guessing.

No new XR8= the last FG's will hold their value well. Ford will lose a large portion of the market, and their fanbase will decline continually.

New XR8= That by the time it comes people (like me) in the market for a new car, will have bought elsewhere in the mean time and will not be buying for another 3-4 years.

If they released the info to the public, told consumers what they were doing, we could make a decision based on relevant and factual information. I may have decided to wait, if it was going to happen in a month or 3.

Holden seem better at playing this game. They play to Fords weaknesses and sheer incompetance. The massive discounts that are happening right now are not a fluke. They are kicking the enemy when they are down. Trouble is Ford seems to lay down a lot.

For me, as a new car buyer, I bought the current model (not the outgoing one) for about $10-$11k below retail. Why would I care?

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

The bold part seems to be more accurate. I agree with you. At the end of the day, You need to pay as little as possible and hope for the least depreciation when trade time comes. Stacking up a standard XR8 against a $2k cheaper fully loaded SS, you would be mistaken to buy the XR8.

The people who have been hurt the most are those who bought a new Commodore in the last few months before the discounting.

How much do you think it would hurt buyers of new (or '09 plated) XR8 utes if did continue with XR nameplate. This for me is the worst part of what Ford are doing.

With no info either way, everyone is guessing.

No new XR8= the last FG's will hold their value well. Ford will lose a large portion of the market, and their fanbase will decline continually.

New XR8= That by the time it comes people (like me) in the market for a new car, will have bought elsewhere in the mean time and will not be buying for another 3-4 years.

If they released the info to the public, told consumers what they were doing, we could make a decision based on relevant and factual information. I may have decided to wait, if it was going to happen in a month or 3.

Holden seem better at playing this game. They play to Fords weaknesses and sheer incompetance. The massive discounts that are happening right now are not a fluke. They are kicking the enemy when they are down. Trouble is Ford seems to lay down a lot.

For me, as a new car buyer, I bought the current model (not the outgoing one) for about $10-$11k below retail. Why would I care?

Current model??

Dont make me laugh, your VE SS ute is not the current model, its the runout one the VE II goes into production next month. Whats the with all the swirl marks too on your ute, id go ballistic if a dealer presented me with a new car in that condition!!

As for XR8 if its going to be an FPV product why would Ford keep it on their website?? I dont see an GT or F6's on the Ford website.. Some of you guys need to think out of the box..

Ps. your going to be dissapointed you didnt wait!! XR8>SS

[04redxr8]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

Current model??

Dont make me laugh, your VE SS ute is not the current model, its the runout one the VE II goes into production next month. Whats the with all the swirl marks too on your ute, id go ballistic if a dealer presented me with a new car in that condition!!

As for XR8 if its going to be an FPV product why would Ford keep it on their website?? I dont see an GT or F6's on the Ford website.. Some of you guys need to think out of the box..

Just how different is the VE SS II?? Will it be a completely new engine that leaves the old for dead??

So people looking for a Holden or Ford V8 now only have an option of Holden?

If your going to look at FPV, you may aswell compare with HSV after all.

If Ford no longer produce a factory V8, and FPV go under, who warrants the motor???

As for my swirl marks, never noticed in the sunlight. Photo was taken at night in the garage, with lights on and using a flash on DSLR camera. Most new cars I have seen have swirl marks (even the new Fords I have owned). I think the light reflection makes it look worse.

[drew`SEVNT5]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

If they released the info to the public, told consumers what they were doing, we could make a decision based on relevant and factual information. I may have decided to wait, if it was going to happen in a month or 3.

Err?


So, with Boss stock sitting around, and the new s*it hot S/C V8 around the corner, trumpet it to the world, effectively killing off any demand for the 'old' boss stock..... meaning the only way you will be able to move them, is to.........



Discount Discount Discount!



And what effect would that have on the depreciation of the car that is already going to take a hit.....to be discounting the shizen out of them is only going to make it worse....

The best situation would be to stop building the 'old' version enough months in advance that you juuuuuust run out as the new one hits...

How is nationwide XR8 stock?

I think it is best they keep there powder dry until the new model is here...

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

Just how different is the VE SS II?? Will it be a completely new engine that leaves the old for dead??

So people looking for a Holden or Ford V8 now only have an option of Holden?

If your going to look at FPV, you may aswell compare with HSV after all.

If Ford no longer produce a factory V8, and FPV go under, who warrants the motor???

As for my swirl marks, never noticed in the sunlight. Photo was taken at night in the garage, with lights on and using a flash on DSLR camera. Most new cars I have seen have swirl marks (even the new Fords I have owned). I think the light reflection makes it look worse.

Well if history repeats it will be 10 - 20 kw quicker then VE. Holden always update their V8's, its usually a given, plus it gets a new dash board that apparently works!! (Ive owned a 6 Litre VE that we bought new 4 years ago, meh).

As for the XR8 thats not a good price, did you even shop it out or just take the one dealers word for it??

[calais]

In reference to 04redXR8

Its clear the dollars were the deal breaker in your case, and as a consumer, thats your perogative.

I will say however, it doesn't appear that you explored your purchase options too well, if it was in fact an XR8 ute that you were after.

Seeing as for the majority of Australians, a car purchase is the second largest investment made an individual, why would you take the first dealers price and then run away to the competition crying that Ford did you wrong?

I know that when I purchased my second brand new car, I spoke to every one of Skodas's 24 dealers across the country to maximise my return on investment. It has paid off, rest assured. I got the car I really wanted at a price I was more than happy to pay, with the accompanying satisfying aftersales service. To me, thats a good deal.

In your case, I hope you are truly happy with your Holden purchase, both now and into the future. Who knows, once the Coyote V8 comes out, and your wanting to trade your Holden in, your Ford dealer might be as accomodating as you were to them.

[OzJavelin]

What's the formal response from Ford Australia when the V8 will be available again? (I see nothing on the website .. but my eyes are painted on). Or are they just relying on their outstanding marketing department, dealer salesforce and aftersales service to keep V8 buyers interested during the hiatus?

[04redxr8]

I didn't really have much time to shop around. I definately tried haggling the price with no success. The Ford dealer also offered the worst price for my trade. The only other Ford dealer in my local area were a waste of time to go to. Been there every other time I bought a new car, and vowed never to return.

With the Holden, was driving past a dealer, stopped in and told them what I wanted. Had a deal done in 15 minutes. I spent over 2 hours at the Ford dealer.

As I also stated, I have bought my 2 previous new utes from the same Ford dealer. A good mate has followed me in a month a 2 later on both occasions and also bought a new ute. I would have thought that this would count for something. It counted for absolutely nothing.

A day or 2 later, I saw Spoolman had put up his thread about the 50th Anniversary XR6T ute. The dealer I spoke to made no mention of this car. It would have been a simple question like "What if we could do a much better deal on an XR6T, would you be interested?" Even though I was looking for an XR8, it would hav been nice to informed of my options.

Its good to see we agree that the price was not good for the ute in question, even if thats all we agree on.

@ Calais, I have bought 2 new cars from that dealer. I would have expected to be look after a lot better than I was. It was that point I decided to not buy a new car. It was the next day that I was passing a Holden dealer, that I bought mine.

Have owned new Fords and Holdens in the past, I would say with warranty, I would rather have a major issue with a Ford than minor one with a Holden.

BFIIPursuit, what happened with your dash??

[cosmo20btt]

Originally Posted by 04redxr8

Whats worse is that this would have been the 3rd new I bought from the same dealer. He even tried to tell me "at trade in time the first rego is what determines the age of the vehicle, not the build date". He then tells me he remembers me from the last new I bought there. I have never met that salesman.

2 lies in 5 minutes from a dealer I trusted.

From a dealers point of view he would consider himself correct as they do not care when the car was made, but when it was sold new that matters, because cars could have been sitting around in waiting lots so they are not making up the KLMs.

[jixel 78]

Originally Posted by Falc'man

hmmm... I think the reason you think the SS is more Australian than XR8 is due to the influence your sheep friends (aka the great unwashed) have over you. It has a motor that is assembled in Australia, unlike the SS', and the rest of the car has more Au content in it, too. You need to equip yourself with some of these facts and try kicking some sense into these sheep.

Nobody has an influence, I can think for myself, I know the Fords are a better car, I drive them every day. The Commodore is a bloody good looker. Thats what sells them, Ford knows that, and my point is the XR8 has always been a slow seller. People dont give a rats about control blade suspension or quad cams. They want a looker and the Commodore has been well marketed to that demographic. So has the XR6, so that will be much more important to Ford, more so than the XR8.

[irlewy86]

I don't see what the great problem is with Ford not having an XR8. The badges will still be the same size, if you want a Ford you'll just have to be like the "Chevy" rebadgers.

[Airmon]

So we're basing this argument off the fact that the XR8 isn't on the website?

Forgive me if all this appears like a huge overreaction on this threads part.
If you are that worried pick up the phone and call a Ford dealer.

[seduced_xr]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

Theres still XR8s in stock but i believe Ford has removed it due to the legalities regarding EURO 4 and suggesting your still building a car that in fact is no longer in production / can be produced.

You will also note that Territory Turbo Ghia is also gone! But Falcon wagon is still there?? lol!

the TTG is no longer there because its no longer made.

[JPFS1]

Originally Posted by Airmon

So we're basing this argument off the fact that the XR8 isn't on the website?

Forgive me if all this appears like a huge overreaction on this threads part.
If you are that worried pick up the phone and call a Ford dealer.

I started this thread to highlight the fact that Ford are happy to pull a model out from under you, and not communicate or assure customers that it will either be available in the future or not.

I understand that when you only have pieces of a puzzle, that questions are raised and speculation runs rife. But considering there's no outgoing model to worry about, why not start a campaign to keep buyers on your side so at least they don't take a walk over the road to a competitor?

The lack of communication and ambiguity is a sign that Ford don't know how XR8 will be positioned themselves yet!

Where other members take the topic is their choice.

[flappist]

The XR8 may be gone or it may still be around but one thing is for sure.....

If you do not want the XR8 to join:

Panelvan
LTD
Fairlane
Wagon
RTV
Landau
Hardtop

THEN BUY ONE.........

Not a second hand one but a NEW one.

FORD are in business to make money not cars and building genericly unpopular vehicles just to "fill out the range" or "for a small enthusiast group" is a recipe for disaster.

I understand that many cannot afford a new XR8 and many of those who can have bought a GT instead but the real world is not a fair or just place and after all, there is no substitute for sales.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

I started this thread to highlight the fact that Ford are happy to pull a model out from under you, and not communicate or assure customers that it will either be available in the future or not.

I understand that when you only have pieces of a puzzle, that questions are raised and speculation runs rife. But considering there's no outgoing model to worry about, why not start a campaign to keep buyers on your side so at least they don't take a walk over the road to a competitor?

The lack of communication and ambiguity is a sign that Ford don't know how XR8 will be positioned themselves yet!

Where other members take the topic is their choice.

For me it would have been just as easy for Ford to have used the 6.2 SOHC
and got an easy 450 hp and 450 lbft without too much engineering enterprise.
Trust Ford to take the high moral ground and over complicate a simple plan.

Now we have a complicated interlude where Ford and the XR8 seems lost in a sea of figures
while the SS powers on with sales from $41,990 drive away, I'd say Ford better find their feet fast...

[JPFS1]

Too true Flappist!