2008 Ford Expedition Limited on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Auto critic calls out Corvette, Mustang and Cherokee faithful

Most automotive purists fear change, but not without reason. Change, after all, did kill big-block V8s, along with most station wagons and manual transmissions. But change has also brought with it far more performance, safety and fuel economy - not to mention ridding the world of shag carpet interiors, bias-ply tires and those horrible motorized seatbelts of the early '90s.
By this time next year, the Chevy Corvette, Jeep Cherokee and next-generation Ford Mustang will all be on sale and will all, in some way, have angered or offended purists. To those critics, Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is preemptively telling them to stop complaining - at least until they've all been driven. From the Corvette's square taillights and the Cherokee's radical nose to whatever pony car purists will harp on the 2015 Mustang for, Phelan's column points out the positives of automotive evolution and the negatives of staying the course for too long. That's fair enough, but do you think Phelan is on point, or all wet? Head on over to the Detroit Free Press to read his words, then have your say in Comments.

Woman reunited with stolen Mustang after 28 years

An enthusiast Christmas story: Salinas, California resident Lynda Alsip bought a 1967 Ford Mustang in 1984 when she was 17 years old, having saved $800 after a summer of toil at a grocery store. She got a vanity plate that read "LYNDA67," for the year she was born, but she only got to enjoy the car for two years: in 1986, after a night out, someone stole it from her apartment complex. She hadn't seen it since. Then a man – another Salinas resident – tried to register the car at the DMV this year. He said he bought it as a project car in 1991, yet the DMV couldn't find any record of it. The DMV office sent the case of the untraceable car to the California Highway Patrol, where Officer Christopher Menchen dug into the records, and his search paid off. The officer located Alsip's stolen record report from 1986 and connected the Mustang to it's registered owner in 1986, who was Alsip's mother. The CHP found the forest green Mustang in the man's garage, and they figure it's been there since 1991. After waiting through the still-ongoing three-month investigation, the CHP reunited Alsip – now a wife and a mother of two – with her car on December 22. It's undriveable, but her original vanity plate is back on and she plans to restore it. The video above has the story. News Source: USA Today, NBC Bay Area Government/Legal Ford Coupe Classics Videos California stolen car 1967 ford mustang

Who sold the most heavy-duty pickups in 2012? PickupTrucks.com investigates

Domestic manufacturers enjoyed a good year for heavy-duty pickup sales in 2012. PickupTrucks.com has taken a close look at exactly how those sales broke down between each manufacturer and between three-quarter and one-ton pickups. Ford sold some 67,786 F-250 Super Duty models last year with the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD falling just behind at 56,359 units. The Ram 2500 HD came in third at 41,918, while the GMC Sierra 2500 HD earned itself fourth place with 27,616 deliveries. While Ford held onto the top spot in the one-ton market, Ram easily nailed down second place by selling more 3500 HD models last year than General Motors sold Silverado 3500 HD and Sierra 3500 HD trucks combined.
So, did GM manage to sell more trucks than Ford with its two brands? Very nearly. Ford sold a total of 119,338 heavy-duty pickups to GM's 111,555. Ram, meanwhile, moved a distant 77,583. But perhaps more interesting is the diesel take rate in this segment. PickupTrucks.com says 80 percent of all domestic one-ton trucks roll from the dealer lot with a turbo-diesel under the hood. Head over to the site for a closer look at the breakdown.