The Mustang is one of the most popular and recognized Ford vehicles in the world. That’s probably why car thieves are always trying to get their grubby hands on one. But can you imagine having your car stolen and then finding it 38 years later?

That’s exactly what happened with Eugene Brakke of southern California. He parked his honey-gold 1965 Ford Mustang in front of his Burbank factory one day and never saw it again . . . util last week.

The phone rang, and the voice on the other end was a detective from the San Diego Police Department saying, “We found your car.”

Unfortunately, though, the car fell into the hands of a young girl graduating from high school. Her father bought it for her at a local car dealer for less than $1,200. It was her dream car, and she kept it for more than 35 years. She put thousands of dollars into repairs, including rebuilding the engine recently for $4,000 and some other work to keep it running smoothly.

But when a neighbor pointed out the mismatched tags, she became uneasy. After investigating for months, she learned the car was stolen. She contacted the San Diego Police Department, who then informed her that it was stolen in 1970. The bummer was that the car legally belonged to Eugene Brakke if he wanted to push the issue.

Apparently, he does. The 80-year-old plans on picking up the car when he feels like “fighting the traffic.” When he gets it, he wants to restore the honey-gold color it sported when he bought it instead of the pale blue color that it has now.

I guess the woman who cared for the car and had it through her all-important young adult years is out of luck. If I were in Mr. Brakke’s shoes, I think the right thing to do would be to let her keep it. Don’t you agree?

There are probably not many people who don’t know what their “Check Engine” lights look like. This little mystery light has probably come on in almost every car ever made at one point or another. And the funny thing is that many mechanics are just as stumped as you are when you take your car in to see why the light came on in the first place.

Of course, there are the obvious reasons: you let the engine run too low on oil, there’s a short in the dashboard lights or any one of many other reasons. And many car owners experience the horror story of paying hundreds of dollars to fix the problem only to have the light come back on within hours of leaving the service station.

If you check your dash, though, you’ll notice that the warning lights are color-coded. The “Check Engine” light is yellow, which means that there’s nothing seriously wrong yet. But it’s in your best interest to get the car checked as soon as possible. The red lights are the ones that mean something serious is wrong and you need to pull over right away and turn off the car. By this time, though, the damage is probably done already.

But if you have a certified Ford, you don’t have to worry about any costs associated with the “Check Engine” light. As long as you keep up with the vehicle’s preventative maintenance such as oil changes, tune ups and other services, you won’t have out-of-pocket costs when the yellow light comes on. Think of how much peace of mind that brings to car ownership and visit a Ford dealer today.

If you’ve seen the Ford Flex, you’ve probably noticed that the top is fairly plain. It’s a perfect place to express yourself! That’s what Ford officials were thinking when they introduced the “Cool Lid” project with artist Tristan Eaton at the New York International Auto Show earlier this month.

The project includes a one-of-a-kind painting on the rooftop of the Ford Flex. To showcase this feature, Ford displayed a painted rooftop propped up on its side next to a plain rooftop to give visitors an idea of the difference. It also showed how cool and expressive the painted tops were compared to the plain, boring ones.

Tristan Eaton, the creator of the painted rooftops, is a 29-year-old artist who founded ThunderDog Studios, a creative agency and toy brand in the New York area. Before designing the eye-catching rooftops for the Ford Flex, he created several artistic pieces for city streets, galleries and several other venues that were proud to display his talents. Two other vehicle customizers, Chip Foose and Funkmaster Flex, have also created unique rooftops for the Ford Flex models.

These Ford vehicles will be available at dealers across the nation in summer 2008. It’s a crossover model that combines the efficiency and compactness of a smaller vehicle with the usability and flexibility of a larger SUV-type vehicle. Unfortunately, the unique rooftops won’t be available with the models sold at the dealerships. If you want to have a uniquely-painted rooftop, you’ll have to commission an artist to do it or try to do it yourself.

You wanted more tips for saving gas, you got ‘em. Here are three more easy ways to save fuel when driving your certified Ford.

• Don’t act like you’re in NASCAR. If you’ve noticed fingernails embedded in your seats or on the inside door handles, you might be scaring people who ride with you.  You’ve probably even caused a few other drivers to go home and change their shorts. It might be fun, but erratic driving just uses too much gasoline. Hard turns and quick braking wreak havoc on your mileage. Be gentle to your car and it’ll treat you right.

• Make sure your car is running properly. Some mechanical problems can cause your car to be less efficient. Dragging brakes, for instance, is horrible for your gas mileage. Slippage between gears can also cause you to have poorer gas mileage than necessary. Also, keep an eye on the fluid levels, cracking in the engine and other mechanical problems that could negatively affect your vehicle’s efficiency.

• You can’t tune a fish, but you can tune a car. Make sure to keep your car tuned up according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. A bad wheel alignment or a suspension system that isn’t working properly can cause your gas mileage to drop. If you notice something “off” when driving, get it checked out to help your gas mileage and to ensure your own safety.

The Ford Motor Company is famous for its contributions to charities and good causes. The automaker is always willing to donate time, money and resources to help make the world a better place. But breast cancer is one of the main causes to which Ford contributes.

In the last 14 years, Ford has donated nearly $100 million in money and contributions to breast cancer education and research. Last week, though, the auto company decided to double its normal contribution to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

In the past, Ford donated $250 to the breast cancer cause with each sale of a “Warriors in Pink” Mustang. With the new announcement, that figure will double to $500 with each sale of these Ford vehicles. Officials made this decision because of the popularity of the 2008 line of Warriors in Pink Mustangs. According to Connie Fontaine, manager of Ford’s Experiential Marketing, the company is able to “increase our support for the Cure at the same time.”

The Warriors in Pink Mustangs are available in both convertible and coupe models. They have a unique grille with a bright pink ribbon and a Mustang in the center. Along the fender, there is a pink Mustang stripe that gives it that edgy look and makes it even more appealing. On the inside, there are charcoal leather seats with pink stitching and floor mats to match.

If you choose the coupe option, you can even get it with an all-new glass roof that Ford is offering with several of its other coupe vehicles.

Ford hopes to raise another $1 million this year by selling the Warriors in Pink Mustangs. You can even get matching apparel to show your support for breast cancer research and education.

Have we drilled it into your head enough? With oil prices exceeding $100 a barrel, you really don’t want to buy more gas than you need. There are probably dozens of ways for you to save fuel, some of them more feasible than others. Here are a few of the more reasonable ways you can save gas when driving around town in your certified Ford.

• Combine your trips as much as possible. Studies show that starting your engine a few times while it’s still warm is more fuel-efficient than starting it once or twice when the engine is cold. As a bonus, you’ll also save wear and tear on your vehicle by making one trip with several stops rather than several trips with only one stop.

• Fill ‘er up at night. Gas tends to expand in hot weather. When that happens, you might be getting less than you’re bargaining for. By waiting until the weather cools down at night, you can save those few precious cents. Also, make sure your gas cap is tight before pulling away. Loose gas caps promote evaporation, which can negatively affect your gas mileage.

• Hike it or bike it. This probably goes without saying, but short trips in a car can eat up more gas than it’s actually worth. If you have a bike and your legs aren’t broken, try getting some exercise the next time you take a trip to McDonald’s or Taco Bell. Your gas tank (and your heart) will thank you for it.

If you’ve ever visited New York City or seen a shot of it on television, you have probably noticed a sea of yellow taxis. That’s because there are more than 12,000 of these yellow vehicles on the NYC roads. And each of those 12,000 taxis is guzzling up the gas and creating a great deal of pollution throughout the city and the entire state.

That’s exactly why the Ford Motor Company wants to put some of its concept taxi vehicles on NYC streets. These smaller cars not only take up les room than the current taxis but also boast roomier interiros for carrying more passengers and baggage.

In addition to the space-saving capabilities, these yellow Ford vehicles use 30 percent less fuel because of the more efficient 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. Compared to what the current fleet expels, that means 90 percent less exhaust fumes going into the air.  And getting 19 mpg through the city is nothing to sneeze at, either.

Taxi drivers also get a bonus with these efficient vehicles. An in-dash computer gives drivers access to the latest and most accurate traffic, weather and navigation information. If there’s a traffic jam or an accident, the computer alerts drivers to the location so they can avoid it and take a different route. This works out better for everybody involved. Passengers won’t need to pay a higher rate for remaining longer in traffic, and drivers can pick up more fares during the course of a day.

That’s not even mentioning the potential for cleaner air.

And now, here’s the final installment of Five Things Your Car Will Do in 2020. And if there’s any concept that’s been talked about as much as flying cars, it’s this one:

Your Car Will Be Able to Drive Itself
That’s exactly what the engineers at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are working on as you read this. Can you imagine a robot-like technology that drives your car for you so you can enjoy your morning paper and coffee on the way to work?

In 2005, a Stanford robotics expert won a prize for creating this hands-free, feet-free, attention-free vehicle. He named it Stanley. The expert created the technology for soldiers in combat, but engineers will likely get it into the hands of the consumer before that actually happens. Up until now, the robotic creations have only been able to go about 15 mph. But once auto engineers get an inch, they’ll take it for miles. It wouldn’t even be out of the realm of possibility to open up the highways to a 100-mph speed limit (or even more) once the engineers are done with this job.

Analysts feel that a completely robotic car with sensors, predictors and other sophisticated technology will save thousands of lives each year. They don’t know if there will be a need for “Robotic Cars Only” lanes until we’ve phased out the human-driven cars. Only time will tell what’s in store for the future of automobiles.

Today, you can get the best the auto industry has to offer with a certified Ford. You might still need to pay attention when you’re driving your kids to school, but the comfort and technology makes these quality vehicles feel like a dream. Drive one today and see what I mean.

To buy a used, certified, or new Ford vehicle today, please visit our Ford dealers in St. Louis MO or our IL Ford dealers.

If you’re flying in or out of the Detroit Metro Airport any time soon, you might notice a new eco-friendly feature: Ford hydrogen-powered buses. Last week, the company delivered two of these E-450 shuttles for taking visitors and passengers from the plane terminals to the parking lots so they don’t end up walking the entire way.

These helpful Ford vehicles are the first of their kind to be used for commercial purposes. This makes the Ford Motor Company the first automaker to accomplish a feat like this. Could it be that Ford is becoming the leader on the pathway to a cleaner and greener auto industry?

The new Ford buses reduce the CO2 emissions by more than 99 percent. And because they’re hydrogen-powered, they help reduce our dependence on foreign oil (and even domestic oil for that matter). Ford has also delivered several more of these buses to Canada. Places like Parliament Hill in Ottawa and others have been using these hydrogen-powered buses for a while now. And with the help of people like U.S. Congressman John Dingell, it was only natural to bring these environmentally-friendly buses back to Detroit, the home of the auto industry.

Congressman Dingell had this to say about the buses at the airport: “I’m so glad that people coming through Detroit Metropolitan Airport will see this fine example of American engineering when they visit.” With any luck, these types of buses will find their way to many other places throughout the world so we can all enjoy a cleaner environment.

To purchase a new Ford vehicle, please visit our Ford dealers - St. Louis or our Illinois Ford dealerships.

Continuing on our series of posts regarding cars in the future, here’s the fourth thing your car will be able to do that it can’t do now:

Financial Transactions

How many times have you pulled up to the drive-thru at McDonald’s or another restaurant chain late at night and realized you had forgotten your wallet? This won’t be a problem with cars in 2020. A small microprocessor will hold all of your financial information. And by then, restaurants will have the technology to communicate with your car and debit your account in a matter of seconds.

If you live in a state with toll roads, you might already have an early version of this technology. Some cars already carry a microchip that a sophisticated toll booth can read so drivers barely have to slow down as they go through the toll area. But, according to car analysts, this is just an early “primitive” version of what’s to come.

You might be wondering how a person can authorize a purchase at the restaurant, though, if everything operates electronically. By then, most navigation systems might have an electronic pad that you can sign in order to authorize the purchase. You’ve probably seen these at department stores where the cashier asks you to sign a screen instead of paper. This will be the same concept. Devices might even use a fingerprint or a retina scan instead of a signature for extra security.

Can you imagine getting a certified Ford during the time when these cars are popular? You’ll be so retro! Let’s hope “retro” is as cool then as it is now.

Come back tomorrow for the final (and possibly most exciting) installment of this five-part series.

For a Ford vehicle in 2008, please visit our Ford dealers - St. Louis, MO and our Illinois Ford dealership.