2013 FORD C.MAX and 2013 FORD FUSION

Two new powerful and fuel efficient cars have arrived at Waldorf Ford. The winner of the Hybrid Awards, the Ford C.Max and the stunning Ford Fusion.

Each car boast a wonderful 47 mpg, but some readers are wondering which one is right for them?

The Fusion, starting at  $21,700 places you in the right merge of style and technology. The sleek design, focuses on a mature class, while the fuel economy allows for longer trips, more often, at lower prices.  Unlike certain flashy sports cars, pulling into your neighborhood in a new Ford Fusion will not scream “mid-life crisis” instead this car will articulate refinery, and a lot of fun.

The 5 seat C.MAX boasts an improved aerodynamic design, giving it a unique appearance that will fit in at Chandra’s soccer game and concerts or nightclubs. Such a diverse audience the C.MAX has.  Some have questioned what the C.Max actually is, calling it a Frankenstein car, created from pieces of Volkswagen, Vans, and Sports cars. Ignite the engine, and create the fire, the New Prometheus has given man.

Whatever car you choose, you will be able to go further with Ford.

Brand promoter – are you one?

Yesterday, when I was out and about in a 2013 Explorer, I happened to stop at a local grocery store to pickup some things.  As I was walking into the grocery store a woman I didn’t know stopped me to ask how I liked my Explorer.

Ford Explorer

Have you ever had this happen?  Seems like I am always being asked about whatever vehicle I am driving – whether it is an Explorer, Edge, Fusion or Super Duty.  My answers are always honest about what I like and don’t like, but they do always end up promoting what I am driving.  I guess its because I won’t drive it if I don’t like it….but that is probably the case with most of us.

So what did I tell her you ask?  Well simply that I really liked the Explorer.  It handles well, is roomy and gets decent gas mileage for it’s size.  I encouraged her to take it for a test drive at a local event sponsored by our dealership.  Hopefully she will and we can add another promoter to the Ford family.

It’s fast, it’s beautiful AND it’s STREET LEGAL.

There is a lot of talk recently about the 2013 Shelby GT500.  This car puts out a ridiculous 650 horsepower and 631 foot pounds of torque.  It’s fast, it’s beautiful AND it’s STREET LEGAL.

Mustang, Ford

Fast.  The force behind the speed is the 5.8L V8 Supercharged engine built here in North America.  In fact, it is the most powerful engine ever built in North America.  Almost every part of the power train has been tweaked to help maximize horsepower and to convert that horsepower to speed.  Built with an all aluminum block, a new supercharger, upgraded cooling system, redesigned connecting rods, higher cooling fan capacity and much more…  To help the driver harness all of this power and translate it to sheer speed, Ford developed Launch Control.   Launch control combines brake and engine management to help keep the tires from slipping.  The unique part of Ford’s system is that the driver can adjust engine speed settings to suit their driving style.  Plus they are in control of other settings to help further define their preferences.  All of these things (and more) packaged in the restyled exterior help Shelby GT500 achieve speeds in excess of 200 MPH.

Beautiful.  Now don’t think for one second that just because the car is fast that you need to drive around town with a paper bag over your head so people don’t recognize you, because the car is ugly.  This car is GORGEOUS!  7 different colors, three stripe options, window louvers, side scoops, two wheel choices and more that you can add or take off to suit your taste.

The Recaro seats are a must, in our opinion, if you are going to add the Track package.  2013 brings some modern touches to the Mustang look.  HID headlamps with LED lighting are book ends for the updated billet grille which looks great above the thinner, neater lower air dams.   The rear deck is updated with LED lamps that have a dark, almost tinted look to them.  I swear, the Mustang looks meaner and tougher than it ever has!

Street legal.  The question is can something this mean looking and fast really be street legal?  YOU BET IT CAN – and it is!  This car will turn heads with its looks and its roar.  It is proof positive that Mustang’s do lead the pack of muscle cars.  In the 1970’s many drag racers were looking for a car like this, something that could run a ¼ mile in 10 – 12 seconds. Now you can get it right off the showroom floor and take it to MIR and post those times…or quicker!

There will be a limited supply of the Shelby GT500 here at Waldorf Ford, in Southern Maryland and nationally.  Don’t let that stop you from coming in to see what we have.  If we don’t have one available, we might just have another Mustang that will fill that need for speed for you.

Putting Regular In Your Premium Car? Think Twice

We hope that you find this information helpful. If you have any questions about which fuel is recommended or required by your Ford vehicle, just give us a call at 800-883-1487. Waldorf Ford is located on Route 301 North in Waldorf MD, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC

Ford hit the trifecta with the 2013 Fusion

So, what do we mean by “Ford hit trifecta with the 2013 Fusion”? The 2013 Fusion has great looks, its fuel efficient and its affordable, with fuel efficiency being the winner.

2013 Ford Fusion

The exterior has an all new look. Sleek and sporty, with lines influenced by European designs. Many of the comments about the design compare the new look to that of an Aston Martin. The interior is also all new. You have more room and the quality of the materials used has been upgraded. Ford also won big with the amount of technology they have incorporated in the Fusion. MyFord touch controls have been made larger and have been made easier to use. They have added Active Park Assistance which will automatically parallel park the Fusion with the driver controlling the brake and throttle. Other additions are Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and lane monitoring systems that help keep you out of harm’s way and finally a driver monitoring system which if it senses you are tired, it will light up a “coffee” icon on the instrument panel. Pretty cool, huh?

When it comes down to what powers the new Fusion, here is where you will see some other big changes. You will be able to choose from a 2.0L 4 cylinder, a 1.6L Ecoboost, a 2.0L Ecoboost, a hybrid and the plug-in hybrid. In fact, Fusion is the first sedan available with a choice of gasoline, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power. Additionally, Fusion will be available with an automatic start-stop system, which shuts off the engine when the vehicle is not in motion to conserve fuel, and then restarts automatically when the gas pedal is pushed.

This is what one reviewer had to say, “The 2012 Fusion will be the first mid-size Ford sedan in recent memory to incorporate a global design/platform with a range of fuel efficient conventional and alternative power choices matched by state-of-the-art driver assist and infotainment systems. All of it goes into a package intended to raise the bar in the medium-priced mid-sized sedan segment with breakout style and dynamics.”

If you want more information on the 2013 Ford Fusion, check us out online at waldorfford.com, or stop by and see us. Waldorf Ford is located on Route 301 North in Waldorf, just 15 minutes South of Washington DC.

How to find a repair shop for your vehicle

Usually if you ask 10 different people the same question you get 10 different answers. That wasn’t the case when I asked 10 people how they would go about picking a repair shop for their vehicle. The overwhelming majority said they would ask their friends and family. The rest said that they would go online to find a shop and read reviews. We were surprised to find that there really weren’t any other answers given.

So, we are guessing that the first way to find a shop is pretty straightforward, so we will take you through some of your online choices that will assist you in finding the right repair shop for your needs.

Google: The frontrunner of search engines. But Google is more than a search engine. It includes mapping, store information and most importantly reviews. Google will also be adding photo tours of locations, though this is new and not widely in use currently. If you want to see what information you can find, just click here to see the Waldorf Ford information.

Yelp: Yelp was started to help connect people with businesses. Their viewers have written over 25 million local reviews. They do not allow businesses to pay to change reviews and they don’t let businesses re-order the reviews. Yelp also posts deals from businesses, posts local events and lets Yelpers talk to each other. Click here to see the Waldorf Ford Yelp page.

Bing: Another widely used search engine. Completely independent of Google, so search results may be different from what you see when you search using Google. The information that Bing provides on the company listings isn’t as detailed as Google, but will get you what you need to make a call. To check out Waldorf Ford’s Bing listing, click here.

The last online resource we’ll cover is Yellow Pages.

Yellow Pages: The online replacement for the yellow pages section in the printed phone book. With so many people abandoning print it only made sense for them to publish online using the same name. It’s well organized and includes reviews. Business can buy premier listings that put them at the top of your search results. Click here for Waldorf Ford’s Yellow Pages listing.

That pretty much covers where you can find a repair shop online. Just go to any of these resources, enter the area you want to find service in and then enter “repair shop“, “auto repair“, “oil change”, “transmission repair”, etc. We are confident that you will find many places to choose from. Of course we hope that Waldorf Ford will be your pick from these lists. If you want to talk to one of our service advisors regarding servicing your vehicle, just give us a call at 301-843-2400 and ask for Ford Service. Or check us out online at Waldorfford.com. Waldorf Ford is located on Route 301 North in Waldorf, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC.

Coming Late 2012 is the 2013 Focus ST – did you say HOT RIDE!

This racing inspired model is going to turn heads for sure. Now, don’t think this is just another wanna be, the development was overseen by Ford’s director of Global Performance Vehicles, Jost Capito. Before coming to Ford, Jost was the head of Red Bull Sauber’s F1 program, headed Porche’s racing efforts and in 1985 won the Paris-Dakar race truck category. So we are thinking this guy knows a little bit about racing.

The Focus ST will come with a 2 liter ecoboost engine putting out 247 horsepower and a 6 speed manual transmission. Also Ford has added high performance brakes and a sport tuned suspension. The exhaust has also been upgraded and tuned to give this racer a throatier sound. Finally, the ST will have lower springs and stiffer shock absorbers which allowed Ford to lower the center of gravity and giving it a meaner stance.

Driving the 2013 Ford Focus ST Video

The look of the ST is different too. It will have a unique black honeycomb grille and a larger rear spoiler for better high speed stability. The colors are unique to ST as well; performance blue, race red, white and tangerine scream, the signature color for ST.

Inside you will have the benefit of adding Recaro race inspired seating and specially designed sport pedals. They even redesigned the rear seating to give more stability to those passengers during vigorous driving maneuvers.

So, stay tuned for more news on Focus ST. If you want to find out when we expect them to start arriving here at Waldorf Ford, check us out online at waldorfford.com or stop by and see us. We are located on Route 301 North in Waldorf, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC.

Shopping for a new vehicle

There comes a point in most everyone’s life that they need to replace their current vehicle. I don’t know about you, but looking for a replacement normally isn’t something I get too excited about. Narrowing down the choices, finding what I want, are just two of the decisions that need to be made. Then it’s – who do I buy it from, negotiating a price, do I want a extended warranty or accessories are more choices. Then its on to financing, do I use my own bank or the dealer, 60 months or 72 months – ARGHH! My head is spinning just thinking about it all.

Our previous blog post “Things to consider when car shopping” had some good pointers on choosing the vehicle, but then comes the question, how do you find it? Some of the obvious places to look are the major auto classified websites like AutoTrader, Edmunds, and Kelley Blue Book. These sites not only list vehicles for sale for lots of dealers in your areas, they also have vehicle and dealer reviews. They can be a big help in locating what you are looking for. You should also look at your local dealers website. You can use Google to find them or if you saw a vehicle they had listed on one of the classified sites, you can access them through there. You can also check your local newspaper and see if they have their website advertised there (I know at Waldorf Ford we have it listed on every page of the advertising catalog we do every other week that goes in the mail and newspaper).

Catalog banner

Catalog banner

Once you have located the vehicle, just submit a quote to continue your journey to a new car purchase. Stay tuned for future articles to help you through the actual purchase of your next vehicle. As always, when you are ready to buy your new car, we hope that Waldorf Ford will be on your short list of places to shop. We are located on Route 301 north in Waldorf MD, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC.

Waldorf Ford Preowned and Ford Certified Preowned vehicles

Did you know that we are a Ford Certified Preowned dealer? Well, we are! We became a FCPO (Ford Certified Pre Owned) dealer because of the great benefits it has for our customers. It allows you to drive home in a late model Ford with peace of mind. Here are some of the benefits of the program:

Every FCPO vehicle goes through a rigorous and thorough 172 point inspection. We check the VIN, make sure all service recalls are performed, run a vehicle history report and perform any necessary scheduled maintenance. While its in the shop, the engine is tested and 35 items under the hood are checked and if necessary brought into spec. Then we take it for a Road test to make sure it runs and drives properly. The exterior and interior are both gone over with a fine toothed comb and any necessary repairs are performed. We check the frame, exhaust, tires, brakes and lots more! When we are done the vehicle is practically new!

The benefits of FCPO don’t end with the 172 point inspection. Every FCPO vehicle comes with peace-of-mind warranty coverage. The comprehensive limited warranty covers more than 500 components for 12 months/12,000 miles (whichever comes first) and the fully transferable powertrain limited warranty covers you for 7 years /100,000 miles. You can also choose to extend the warranty when you purchase your vehicle for extra assurance.

Wait, it doesn’t stop there either. FCPO vehicles also come with 24-hour roadside assistance. Complimentary roadside assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Available services include:

* Towing assistance of up to $100 for warranty and non-warranty problems, including accidents (excludes impound and repossession)
* Travel expense reimbursement of up to $500, for up to 3 days lodging, meals and rental vehicle for travel expenses accrued when the breakdown occurs more than 100 miles from home
* Destination expense assistance of up to $75 for emergency transportation to the immediate destination
* Rental car reimbursement of up to $30 per day for up to 5 days
* Fuel delivery if the vehicle runs out of fuel — up to 2 gallons at no charge
* Flat-tire changes on site
* Jump starts for dead batteries
* Lockout assistance of up to $50 to unlock vehicle doors
* Service throughout the 50 United States and Canada

Not every vehicle has what it takes to become Ford Certified. Each Ford must be less than 6 years old and have less than 80,000 miles on the odometer. Additionally, the vehicle must pass the check of the vehicle history report.

Finally, when you purchase a FCPO you may be eligible for a special interest rate, which can be as low as 1.9% APR.

If you have any questions about the Ford Certified Preowned Program, check us out online at waldorfford.com or stop by and see us. Waldorf Ford is located on Route 301 North in Waldorf, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC.

How many ways can I customize a Mustang?

“Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.” Henry Ford.

The thinking at Ford Motor Company has changed a lot since 1906 when Henry Ford made the above quote. Imagine today telling a potential Mustang owner (or any other Ford model) that they can only get their car in black?

If the amount of customization is any indication, This year promises to be a spectacular year for the classic car. For the V6 model ONLY there are 9 color choices, 8 body kits, 5 different decklids, 8 grilles, 4 hoods, 4 louvers, 8 roof choices, you can get it with or without side scoops, 3 side skirts, 8 different spoilers, and 22 different wheels – YES, 22 WHEELS! That isn’t it either, there are choices for door handles, door trim, fuel doors, headlights, hoodpins, side mirrors and 23 choices for stripes and decals. What is even more amazing is that this is JUST THE EXTERIOR! Finally the icing on the cake is that you still have 3 other trim levels to choose from and customizations for all of those!

So, when you are ready to take the plunge and start shopping for a 2013 Mustang, and you start feeling a little overwhelmed by the choices, stop in and see us at Waldorf Ford. We will be happy to sit down and go through it all with you and help you make your PERFECT Mustang. Waldorf Ford is located on Route 301 North in Waldorf, just 15 minutes south of Washington DC. Call 800-883-1487.

P.S. This is MY Perfect Mustang

My Perfect Mustang

My Perfect Mustang