When I think of Ford, I hear that most American sound: 8 pistons moving back and forth.

It kind of reminds me of the old days when cars would pump out lots of emissions. Henry Ford created The Ford Motor Company in 1903, The headquartered is located in Detroit, Michigan. The Ford brand has been a major brand in America ever since the Model T was made in 1908. The company has been family owned up until the’ 80s when the company entered the stock market. However the Ford family still owns the majority of the stock.
Ford has created some of the most classic “American” cars.  From the Model T (1908), Thunderbird (1955), Mustang (1964), Bronco (1966), Pinto (1971), Crown Victoria (1991), and the Explorer (1991). That’s just the tip of the iceberg! If I named all the cars that Ford has made that have had an impact on American life then I would be writing a book! Don’t get me wrong, General Motors, has made some ok cars, but they aren’t as widely known as the great American brand. That honor goes to Ford.

The cars you can buy from companies like General Motors and Chrysler often have many problems or are designed to break down right as a new model is coming out. Ford keeps that good new car smell. I can tell you I spent a lot of money on pinecone air freshener for our Oldsmobile, but I’ve never had to buy a freshener for my Ford.

That being said, Ford makes its vehicle for the working man. One of those great things are the seats! I wish I was able to buy a Ford seat for my living room! The lumbar support is amazing! It seriously makes me feel 10 years younger.

Now in GM, I don’t understand all those weird on demand stuff or those really complicated radios. I just want a radio with a tape and CD holder! Yet GM thinks it would be fun to make a map into the radio! Well GM, that just is so unAmerican! They aren’t created with all those extra gadgets, but Ford invests in better engine performance which sets them aside from their competitors.

Cars have changed significantly since my parents and their parents were kids. Andy Rooney from 60 minutes points out that back in the day the majority of cars were different American brands on the road. Today, I see mainly foreign cars on the road, but out of the big three companies, Ford is the number one American brand I see on the road. The reason for that many be the fact that during the 2009 United States Government bailout of the US auto industries Ford was the only company out of GM and Chrysler not to take a Federal loan. Instead they downgraded all their stock to junk and discontinued the Mercury brand. GM and Chrysler booth took major loans from the government. GM had to discontinue six brands because the Fed made that a term in the loan. GM’s main mission throughout the 20th century was the make all brands part of the GM company. At one point GM owned major brands such as Chevy, GMC, Buick, Cadillac Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saturn, and Pontiac. Yet they were forced to discontinue Oldsmobile, Hummer, Saturn, and Pontiac.

I miss driving by Oldsmobile dealerships and looking over at my family and saying “Hey look oldsmobiles are in early this year”.

GM cars have been terrible for a long time. I think if GM would have let all the companies stay independent, Americans cars would be the majority of cars on the streets today. We would have seen different ideas and great American brands like Oldsmobile could had survived. Ford took this approach by making their Lincoln Brand an independent company in 2012. This is exactly what the American auto industry needed. I applaud Ford for this decision.

The other side may say that GM has a higher profit than Ford, or that Ford stands for “Fix Or Repair Daily.” Some even argue that Ford has more recalls than any other company. Yes, GM historically has made more money, but recently they have reported a large profit loss. while Ford has reported gains. You can make any acronyms that you want for a brand, but in reality, in my life time Ford cars and trucks run longer than most GM vehicles. Yes, Ford has recalled the most vehicles out of the big three companies. However, I believe this is the Ford standard. Ford has recalled cars because of reasons, such as the material is not good quality or new tech will make the vehicle safer. They value their cars and don’t take short cuts.

Lastly, I would just like to say I would buy a GM or Chrysler any day over a foreign car. Yet today I am very excited for the future of Ford. The Bronco and Ranger are set to be released in 2019 and 2020. These cars, I believe, will set the Ford standard higher than GM and Chrysler. Everyone should be able to smell those fumes and be able to hear the pistons moving back and forth.