Sunset Ford Dealer Blog

One of the best ways to give your Ford trucks that “finished look” is to get a tonneau cover for it. Tonneau covers are great for adding extra space to your truck for hauling groceries and other materials. They give the bed of the truck more protection and security than just leaving it open. If you’ve never bought a tonneau cover or if you don’t know what to look for, here are five questions to ask yourself to help you make the best decision.

1. What type of cargo am I going to be hauling?
If you carry a lot of construction materials that stick out the top of your truck, a soft cover tonneau cover is probably best for you. They are easier to remove than the hard covers because they aren’t as heavy.

2. What type of security do I need with my tonneau cover?
Soft covers aren’t very secure. They are nice for bringing groceries home, but if you’re carrying tools and stuff and leaving your truck unattended, somebody can cut through the cover and steal stuff. Hard covers provide more security and they even come with a lock on the latch.

3. What type of seal do I want?
Most of the inexpensive soft-cover tonneau use snaps or Velcro to attach them to the truck. But this can let water leak inside and ruin anything that’s inside the bed of the truck. Other soft tonneau covers have rubber seals that eliminate this problem.

4. What type of material do I want?
Fiberglass tonneau covers are heavier, but they are also more secure. You can also get them painted to match the color of your truck. Vinyl tonneau covers are more lightweight, but they are easier to remove. You can also choose aluminum which offers the best of both worlds.

5. Do I want a retracting cover?
Retractable tonneau covers give you the option of having a cover on your bed or not. They simply roll into a storage box when you’re not using it.

If you’ve been waiting for the 2009 F150 Ford trucks to hit your local dealer, take a seat. We are still one month away from the projected release date.

Last month, the Ford Motor Company announced that it was delaying the release of the popular F150 for two months. That pushes the sale date back to the fourth quarter to help dealers downsize their existing F150 inventory before adding more units to the lot.

The new sale date also reflects Ford’s lower predictions for sales of medium and full-size vehicles. Earlier, the company predicted selling between 15 and 15.4 million units altogether. But with dwindling truck sales, that figure is likely to be closer to be between 14.7 and 15.2 million units. That might not seem like a big difference, but it is when you’re a major auto company.

According to Jim Farley, full-size truck sales are only going to account for about “1.5 million units of total U.S. sale volume this year,” as reported by PickupTrucks.com. That includes all full-size trucks, which is about one million less than the number sold in each of the last three previous years.

What does this mean for you? Between now and the time when the 2009 Ford F150s arrive, you can get a great deal on a 2008 model. Visit a Ford dealer today and see the bargains!

With everybody down on trucks in recent months, it might be difficult for some people to see the advantages of owning one of these larger vehicles. But others simply love their truck and won’t get rid of it regardless of the gas prices. That’s because there are many benefits to owning and driving a full-sized pickup truck. Following are some of those advantages.

Hauling and Moving
How many times have you wished you had a truck to carry big things? I know there have been a few times my wife and I have missed out on some lovely furniture and other items because we couldn’t fit them in a small car.

Towing
Do you have a boat that you like to take to the lake every weekend? Or do you have a camper that you can enjoy with the entire family? You can’t tow those things with a small car. You need a full-sized truck to do that type of job.

Safety
Many drivers feel safer driving down the highway at 80 mph in a big truck than they do in a small compact car. That alone is often worth the price of driving a truck.

With these important advantages, why not consider investing in one of the many popular Ford trucks? There are several to choose from, including the Ranger, the various SUVs and the ever popular F150. You simply can’t go wrong with either one!

It’s no secret that Ford trucks aren’t selling very well right now. In fact, truck sales in general have dipped regardless of which company made them. We all know what the problem is, too. But the Ford Motor Company isn’t discouraged. In fact, the automaker has plans to sell more trucks in the near future despite rising gas prices.

One of Ford’s ideas to sell more trucks was to offer them at discount prices. Instead of the regular sticker price, customers had the chance to buy a 2008 Ford pickup truck for the employee price until the end of June. In case you didn’t know, this is a huge discount!

But now that the deadline has passed for this deal, Ford is still trying to think of incentives that will bring customers to the local dealers to buy a truck. “The Ford Employee Pricing Plan on 2008 model F-Series [was] a great deal with a clear, compelling message that shows customers how much we value their business,” said John Felice, Ford’s general marketing manager.

In addition to slowing sales, Ford is also trying to make room for its 2009 models. The automaker is also trying to reclaim the top spot as the Ford F-Series trucks have been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for more than three decades.

You’ve probably heard of the Department of Energy’s new requirements and incentives for automakers to make plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Ford has heard and listened. As a result, the automaker has delivered a high-quality PHEV to the DOE to join the fleet of others that are undergoing testing and research.

With the 10 kilowatt lithium-ion battery installed in this new Escape, the vehicle can go up to 30 miles when travelling under 40 mph before the electric engine kicks in. Once that kicks in, though, this hybrid truck can get up to 88 mpg through the city and 50 mpg on the highway with an E85 blend.

How does this type of vehicle sound to you? If you’re like the average driver, you’d probably only need to use the fuel a couple times a week and run it on the battery all the other times. In addition to using less fuel, the ne Escape Flex-Fuel PHEV emits 60 percent less CO2 then today’s gasoline-powered engine.

The Department of Energy also announced that it was making $30 million available over the next three years to help automakers and engineers research and develop PHEVs that meet the federal government’s standards. The goal is to make these vehicles easy enough to mass-produce so they can be more common on the roads and highways. The way it looks right now, the Escape and other Ford trucks are leading the way to creating a better and less polluted environment.

In an effort to stay current with the demands and needs of its customer base, the Ford Motor Company is retooling some of its truck plants. Instead of building Ford trucks, some of the current factories are switching over to build Ford cars.

The announcement comes just a couple weeks after the national average price for gas reached $4 a gallon. With those prices, fewer people are looking for big trucks right now.

A Ford spokesperson declined any comment on the rumors that some truck plants are retooling. But an emergency meeting with plant managers and local union leaders lead one to believe the rumors. After all, it’s not that unlikely.

Not all truck plants would be affected, though. Only some of the American plants will be revamped to produce some vehicles that are currently exclusive to European factories. That’s where compact and smaller cars are abundant on the roads.

Ford said the company would announce its official plans sometime in July. Whatever happens, you can rest assured knowing you can always get a great deal on a Ford pickup truck or SUV. In fact, with fewer people buying them right now, it might be the perfect time. Visit a local dealer today and see how much you can save on your favorite full-sized vehicle.

There aren’t too many people around that own one of the original Model T Ford cars that made the automaker famous. There are even fewer people that own FOUR Model T cars. But Jay Klehfoth is one of those rare people.

Although he was raised in a General Motors family, Klehfoth has enjoyed the Model T since his youth. “From the time I was very young,” he said, “I had an interest in cars. I was attracted to the Model T because to me, it was the epitome of what an old car was like.” In fact, he loved the car so much that he bought his first Model T when he was only 13 years old! How many 13-year-olds today could buy their first car? Heck, how many 20-year-olds could just buy one for that matter?

Over the years, Klehfoth and his wife have added three more of these iconic vehicles to their garage. And there’s probably nobody more excited about the upcoming Model T celebration in mid-July than Klehfoth, either. “We’re thrilled to be working with Ford to celebrate this historic Model T milestone, he said. “We have 864 Model Ts regsistered for the event from 45 states and eight countries.”

In addition to owning several of these models, Klehfoth and his wife are active members of the Model T Ford Club of America (MTFCA). He is also the CEO and editor of Vintage Ford magazine. The Klehfoths also founded the Ford Model T Museum in Richmond, Indiana.

Come back tomorrow for more information about Jay Klehfoth and the upcoming Model T celebration.

At the New York Auto Show, the Ford Motor Company unveiled a new edition of the Mustang – the Dan Gurney Signature Edition Saleen Mustang. The automaker, in conjunction with Saleen Automotive and automotive legend Dan Gurney, helped create this new line of Mustangs. Some say it’s the most impressive yet.

Only 300 of these Mustangs are being produced for the public and they’ve already been shipped to showroom floors across the country. The model that debuted at the auto show in March was “production ready,” but Gurney spent the last couple months fine-tuning some final touches, including the suspension.

The Gurney Edition Mustang has a distinct body style that you won’t find on any other Mustang. It’s reminiscent of Gurney’s 1969 Trans Am series Mustang with a look that “honors history but looks aggressively towards the future,” according to the Ford Motor Company’s press release about the vehicle.

Dan Gurney is also excited about the release of the new Mustang. “I am pleased that they could make a car that is so beautiful but still so true to my old race car.” He went on to say that all he really wanted is a “car that is faster than Parnelli’s.”

If you’re interested in one of these popular Ford cars, you can choose from three colors: Performance White, Vista Blue and Torch Red.

After seeing and researching the Lincoln Mark LT, one of the most beautiful Ford trucks I’ve ever seen, I just had to write more about it. The outside is nice or, as Borat would say, “Very nice!” But the inside is even better. I wrote a little bit about it earlier this week, but here are some more features you can expect to find once you step inside this awesome truck.

• Several parts of the interior are covered with lightly-colored anti-scratch leather, including the headliner, steering wheel, seats, door panels and center console.
• Have you ever heard of a truck with sheepskin flooring? Well, now you have. Imagine just riding barefoot in the truck and letting your feet feel the soft brush that only sheepskin can offer.
• The metallic finish completes the look from the outside. The center stack has metallic accents as well as the instrument panel, cup holders, steering wheel spokes and center console housing.
• The air vents have a translucent core mineral that give the appearance of beautiful dark chrome. The door handles and other small areas also have the same finish.
• The gauge clusters have a white lighting and black background that is typical of Lincoln products.
• The front and rear seats offer a French-styled pleating combined with a quilted pattern that makes them comfortable and soft.

The best thing about the Ford Lincoln Mark LT is that you can get a great deal on one today! With rising gas prices, dealers are offering huge incentives for customers wanting a full-size pickup truck. Once you take one for a test drive, you won’t look back.

The Mustang is undoubtedly the most popular brand of Ford cars ever made. It’s not only a car, it’s an entire culture. Many Mustang-owners eat, sleep and breathe Mustang. With the new Mustang for Men, they can even have a smell reminiscent of the car they love.

The new Mustang for Men is a fragrance that captures the “essence Mustang has embodied for decades,” according to the product’s website. “It’s the classic reinvention of a free spirit that runs on adventure.” Ingredients that compose the scent include cedarwood and pipe tobacco that emits a bold and daring feeling.

But Mustang for Men is more than just a smell. You can visit the product’s website and download a variety of wallpapers for your computer. There’s even a pretty girl that you can gaze at to help pass the time. In addition to that, there’s also an option to send a “steamy ecard” to one of your friend’s or girlfriends, letting them know your daring and adventurous spirit. There’s also a video showcasing Mustang lovers with their most prized possession.

Even if you can’t run out and get an actual Mustang today, you can still enjoy the daringness of a Mustang owner with this new cologne. Check the website for a store near you and the latest information about this great product.