The official rules for the “Cash for Clunkers” aka C.A.R.S. program come out within days and it’s about time!  Since the program was first announced months ago many consumers have been waiting hoping that their old ‘clunker’ will be worth $4500 towards that new car they have been dreaming about.

The rules can get a little tricky… especially if you want to trade in a truck on a new truck, but dealerships can help you determine whether or not your ‘clunker’ will qualify and on what vehicles you get the most money.

Ford has even set up a great user friendly site that will show you how much money you can get depending on what you want to buy!  Check out www.letfordrecycleyourride.com  for more details.  But let me warn you up front… be as accurate as you can on you car, because just 1 mpg can decide whether you get $4500 or $0!!  If you aren’t sure of what to do, contact the dealership and let us do the research for you.

So if you are still driving around that 1987 Supra and have been debating about whether or not it is time to get a new car…  don’t wait!!  The funds for this program will run out and so will qualified dealership inventory, so don’t delay in getting all the  information you need to make an educated decision and hopefully get an awesome down payment on that new car!

Over 4,000 people applied to test drive the Ford Fiesta well before the official American launch.  But only 100 were chosen to be Agents of the Fiesta Movement.  100 agents will be spending six months behind the wheel of their own Fiesta, sharing their experiences, and completing monthly missions to show everybody what experiencing the Ford Fiesta is all about, way before the cars launch here in the U.S. in 2010.

Check out www.fiestamovement.com where all the agents’ content across the web is pulled to let you follow the Movement in one convenient place.  And then each month will highlight different themed missions, from travel, adventure, and social activism to technology, style & design, and entertainment.

So browse the agents, pick your favorites and follow them on their journey with the Fiesta Movement.  And keep your eyes open… a new Fiesta might drive right next to you on your way home.

Available in less than a month the voice activated SYNC system, exclusively featured in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, will be getting some upgraded features*!!  SYNC is adding two new features: 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report (VHR).

These additions are just a couple more reasons for customers to select SYNC-equipped Ford and Lincoln Mercury vehicles.  Even current SYNC customers who don’t currently have these new features can take advantage of them by having a Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership install a vehicle software upgrade.

911 Assist: Using your mobile phone, 911 Assist puts you directly in touch with a 911operator- bypassing intermediary call centers- and if you’re unable to speak, delivers an emergency message to the operator.  A fast, simple, direct connection with 911:

• Triggered by airbag deployment or on certain vehicles emergency fuel pump shut-off
• Give occupants the option to cancel the call before dialing
• Allows hands-free communication with the 911 operator
• NO subscription fees (unlike OnStar)
• NO buttons or voice commands

Vehicle Health Report:Wondering if your vehicle’s operating systems are OK? Just say “Vehicle Health” and receive a personalized, online report of your vehicle.  Vehicle Health Report shows you what your vehicle, the dealer and Ford Motor Company have to say about your vehicle’s health:

• Vehicle Diagnostics and Scheduled Maintenance
• Un-serviced maintenance and wear items from your preferred dealer
• Recall information
• Schedule service online

If you wanna know more about SYNC and all of its great features go to www.syncmyride.com

*Available on select models in select markets.  Most SYNC owners can upgrade to this service.  Customer responsible for dealer installation charges which may vary.  Vehicle health report only available in the United States.

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 6, 2008 –Ford Motor Company is introducing an innovative new technology – called MyKey – designed to help parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety-belt usage.

Ford’s MyKey feature – which debuts next year as standard equipment on the 2010 Focus coupe and will quickly become standard on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models – allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume.  MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour.

“Ford not only offers industry-leading crash protection and crash avoidance systems, we also are committed to developing new technologies such as MyKey that encourage safer driving behavior,” said Susan Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.  ”MyKey can help promote safer driving, particularly among teens, by encouraging seat belt use, limiting speed and reducing distractions.”

MyKey is appealing to parents of teen drivers, including 75 percent who like the speed-limiting feature, 72 percent who like the more insistent safety-belt reminder, and 63 percent who like the audio limit feature, according to a recent Harris Interactive Survey conducted for Ford.

About 50 percent of those who would consider purchasing MyKey also said they would allow their children to use the family vehicle more often if it were equipped with the new technology.  The added seat time can help teens build their driving skills in a more controlled setting, complementing graduated licensing laws that give young drivers more driving freedom as they get older.

More than half of parents surveyed worry that their teen-age children are driving at unsafe speeds, talking on hand-held cell phones or texting while driving, or otherwise driving distracted.  More than a third of parents also are concerned that their teens do not always buckle their safety belts when driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teens are more likely to take risks such as speeding – a contributing factor in 30 percent of all fatal crashes. Teens also are less likely to wear safety belts than older drivers.

Teens surveyed by Harris said they are largely open to MyKey if it means they will have more freedom to drive.  Initially, 67 percent of teens polled said they wouldn’t want MyKey features.  However, if using MyKey would lead to greater driving privileges, only 36 percent would object to the technology.

“We’ve upgraded an existing, proven technology – the SecuriLock passive anti-theft system – with some simple software upgrades to develop a new unique feature that we believe will resonate with customers,” said Jim Buczkowski, director, Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering – the same team that developed SYNC in partnership with Microsoft.  ”We also developed MyKey’s functions in such a way to quickly spread it across multiple vehicle lines, giving us the ability to go mass market in the spirit of other Ford innovations such as safety belts, stability control and SYNC.”

Holding the key

The MyKey system allows the parent to program any key through the vehicle message center, which updates the SecuriLock™ passive anti-theft system.  When the MyKey is inserted into the ignition, the system reads the transponder chip in the key and immediately identifies the MyKey code, which enables certain default driving modes, including:

• Persistent Ford Beltminder™ with audio mute.  Ford’s Beltminder system typically provides a six-second reminder chime every minute for five minutes.  With MyKey, the Beltminder chime continues at the regular interval and the audio system is muted until the safety belt is buckled. A message center display “Buckle Up to Unmute Radio” also appears on the instrument cluster.
   
• Earlier low-fuel warning.  Rather than a warning at 50 miles to empty, MyKey provides a warning at 75 miles to empty.
    
• If MyKey is in the ignition, features such as Park Aid and BLISTM (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross Traffic Alert cannot be deactivated.

Additional MyKey features that can be programmed through the vehicle’s message center setup menu:

• Limited top speed of 80 mph
• Traction control system, that limits tire spin, cannot be deactivated
• Limited audio volume to 44 percent of total volume
• A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph

Using MyKey to teach teens to avoid speeding can provide an added benefit – improved fuel economy.  Ford research shows that driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph consumes 15 percent less fuel, and mastering other eco-driving habits such as avoiding jackrabbit starts and excessive idling can help improve fuel economy by more than 50 percent.

If you have been looking for a new sedan and haven’t taken a look at the Ford Fusion, you need to look again. In fact, the Fusion even outperformed the Camry and Altima in Quality.  The latest results from the 2008 model year Global Quality Research System report showed that the Fusion leads the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Altima in quality.  The results were based on overall customer satisfaction ratings at three months in service for ‘Things Gone Wrong’ in 2008 model year vehicles registered in the fall of 2007.  The report found that…

• 81% of Fusion owners are completely satisfied with their overall ownership experience, compared to 79% for Camry and only 77% for Altima
• After 3 months of ownership, 87% of Fusion owners were completely satisfied with overall transmission operation, whereas only 84% of Camry and Altima owners felt the same
• The Fusion also had the highest satisfaction rating for trunk/cargo capacity than any car in its class

With new package upgrades and outstanding quality, its time to put Fusion on your consideration list for your next new car.   If you have any questions or would like more information on the new 2009 Ford Fusion feel free to call us toll free at (877) 883-5386.

Many people have already fallen in love with the Ford SYNC system, but soon the system will have even more to get excited about!  For those of you that aren’t familiar with SYNC, it is Ford’s voice activated fully integrated entertainment and communications system.  The system allows drivers the ability to control their Bluetooth enabled cell phones and virtually any digital media player, with simple voice activated commands or the buttons on their stereo.  It was introduced in the fall of 2007 in select vehicle lines, and it is already on pace to hit the 1 million mark by early 2009!  And by the end of 2008 the system should be available in almost every 2009 Ford vehicle.  But that isn’t the only upgrade to SYNC.  This fall there will be two additional upgrades , 911 Assist and Vehicle Health Report. 

911 Assist- If an airbag deploys, the 911 Assist quickly helps place a call to the local 911 emergency operator. (A properly paired, turned on and connected mobile phone must be set up and in the vehicle).  There’s even a 10-second delay before the call is placed, allowing the occupant a chance to cancel the call if 911 isn’t needed.

Vehicle Health Report- Consider it preventative medicine for your vehicle.  SYNC will be able to gather vehicle mileage and diagnostic information and send it to Ford via the paired phone for analysis.  Then a text message regarding any critical concerns can be sent to the owner immediately.  Owners can also review the complete report including, vehicle diagnostics, maintenance, recalls, and multipoint inspection items on syncmyride.com

For more information on SYNC upgrades go to www.syncmyride.com

For those of you who have been wondering when you were going to see the Ford Flex in person, the wait is over!  Beginning in July they began to hit the dealership lots.  There aren’t too many out there just yet but they are worth tracking one down.  The unique styling of it definately makes it stand out from the crowd and it even features comfortable seating for up to 7 people!  At Landmark we now have two of them on the lot.  One with the solid painting scheme and one with a two-toned roof.  If you are looking at getting a new vehicle, then this is one you definately need to put on your list.  You will be amazed at how much space is on the inside and how comfortably it drives.  Go to http://www.fordvehicles.com/crossovers/flex/?v=html and see all of its great features.

Now until June 30th Ford has brought back the Employee Pricing on all F-150s, F-250s, and F-350s (except chassis cabs and the Harley Davidson models).  Plus you get to keep all the rebates and bonus cash money!  So if you were looking at getting a new truck then the price won’t be any better than it is now.  Stop on by our dealership or call us at (503) 639-1131 and we can help you find the truck you’ve been looking for.

Have you seen those Ford F-150 commercials that show the truck being swung around by the tow hooks, have 1000 lbs dropped into the bed by a helicopter or even the one where the braking power is shown stopping a plane?  Think that it was all staged and that it wasn’t really done?  Watch this link and see how the commercials were made and see the truth behind the F-150 commericals.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/f150behindthescenes/

Ever wonder what it takes to be Ford Tough?  There are rules that need to be followed and abided by and that is why there is B.F.T.  Built Ford Tough is a mantra for truck and owner alike. F-Series leaves no room for compromise. Its reputation for toughness has been earned on the farms, work sites and roads across America. So, if you’re going to drive the toughest truck, then you’ve got a responsibility to man-up and do your part. There’s a code of conduct when you’re behind the wheel of an F-Series. They’re here to enforce it. They’re here to protect and serve the brand.

Check out the following videos to see what they stand for.

and then check out www.bftrules.com to see more rules being enforced.