Ford?

[kent]

Thinking about buying another 5,000 shares of Ford. It seems to me it's under valued. Agree or disagree?

[kent]

Mar 23, 2011 10:08:31 GMT -5 @franktheimpaler said:

They got problems now

Frank So, that's a no? What kind of problems are they having? They seem to have come out pretty well on the latest J.D. Power reliability survey covering 2008 models which could/should help increase sales of current models. I'm not what anyone could call a "sophisticated" investor so I'm merely asking a question, not arguing your viewpoint.

[Virgil Showlion]

Went up to 8.5x it's Jan 2009 lows, but has lost 15% so far in 2011. A lot could depend on how much Japan is crippled by the Fukushima disaster. I've read that about 50% of their automotive production is on the hook.

It's worth a try, but I'd put in an extremely tight stop on the downside.

ETA: Didn't they recall a few hundred thousand F-150's at the end of last month?

[The Virginian]

The Unions are getting ready to eat them for lunch!

[dumdeedoe]

GM sales income 4.67 billion a year right now... their bailout was 50 billion that they did not have to pay back.... that should run them for 10 years...
Ford= no bail out and has to compete with a government funded monster that can and will undercut their prices and put them under... You decide who is in a better position from a company point of view....

[The Virginian]

Earthquake may trim global auto production
Parts shortages caused by Japan’s record earthquake may reduce global automobile production by about 30 percent, research firm IHS Automotive said today.

If parts plants affected by the quake don’t return to operation within six weeks, global auto output may drop as much as 100,000 vehicles a day, said analyst Michael Robinet. The industry produces 280,000 to 300,000 vehicles daily, he said.

"Most vehicle manufacturers will be affected by this," Robinet told Bloomberg News. "It will be very difficult for any major automaker to escape this disaster."

About 13% of global auto industry production is down right now and production of about 320,000 vehicles has been lost, mostly in Japan, Robinet said.

This could be a blessing to Ford and GM. Hopefully they have enough parts available to keep them in production. Could drive up the price for used auto market again.

In the long run though as people like me are forced into replacing their vehicles - Mine is eleven years old! - Then it could be a big boom for all the car manufacturers and their stocks.

[texasredneck]

Mine is a 1979 model.

[The Virginian]

Mine is a 1979 model.

Whoa! - I have a 2000 Buick - It still runs well though. I used to think I had to have a new car every 4 years but I now know different. I look at it as transportation instead of a status symbol.

I do know a lot of people though that have been holding on because of the economy, sooner or later these people will throw in the towel and go buy a new one. I'm personally not sure if it will be American for me. I have always bought American but am thinking of Looking at Kia's or Hondas.

[sangria]

Ford makes special cars for special people.

[sangria]

From MSN today

Automakers still reeling from Japan quake

Every major carmaker will feel the impact from the disaster, analysts say. Japanese automakers have been hit the hardest.

By Kim Peterson on Thu, Mar 24, 2011 12:14 PM

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan are still disrupting the auto industry worldwide, and it could be harder to find that car you want as a result. Toyota (TM) says it will probably idle a truck plant in Texas because it can't get enough parts, according to Reuters. "It is likely that we will see some nonproduction days coming," a spokesman said. "At this point, we are still not sure of when those might hit or, if they do it, what the duration may be."
The entire sector is feeling aftershocks from the tragedy. Even American automakers are not immune, as they import parts from Japan. General Motors (GM) temporarily stopped production at a plant in Louisiana and laid off more than 50 workers at a plant in New York. But the Japanese automakers are the hardest hit, with recovery efforts hampered by widespread power outages.
Toyota has closed all 18 of its plants in Japan through March 26 and said it could lose production of 140,000 vehicles in that time, Bloomberg reports. Analysts estimate the company is losing 6.5 billion yen a day. Toyota builds cars in North America as well but still imports about 25% of the parts from Japan and other countries. Honda is keeping two Japanese plants closed until at least April 3 and has said one key research center will take months to return to normal. Smaller parts makers went offline as well. Nissan's chief executive estimated that 40 parts suppliers are still hampered. Honda says a third of the 110 parts suppliers it uses in Japan have suffered damage. Toyota is feeling intense pressure because its cars, particularly its new hybrids, are in high demand. The company is scrambling to restore production on three hybrid models -- the Prius, Lexus HS250h and Lexus CT200h -- by March 28, Bloomberg reports. But it's not clear whether Toyota is using its own parts or whether it must find another supplier. And Nissan is desperate to resume production on the Leaf. It was able to resume operations Thursday at one plant in Japan and another factory that makes the car's battery, Reuters reports, but work could be affected by rolling blackouts.
Car buyers will feel the final impact from these production delays. Toyota said consumers might not find the specific color or trim level on some of its cars in the future, The New York Times reports. Analysts say the prices for Japanese cars are already climbing as well. Car dealers aren't sure what to make of it all. Many say they have enough cars and parts to last several weeks. But after that? "I'm a little worried," the general manager of one Florida dealership told the Orlando Sentinel.

[The Virginian]

;D Sangria! Now you got me thinking - Maybe I should just buy one of them fixer-upers!

[kman]

Cheaper to restore an old pick up truck , Ford or Chevy , all the parts are available and will continue to be.

[rovo]

The articles I've read recently claim Ford is in a better position for continuing production because they are less dependent on parts from Japan and also have adequate parts on hand to carry them through.

Also, more than one article is claiming Ford will surpass GM in U.S. units sold for the month of March. This is about the second month in 50 years they will out sell GM.

Ford faces significant problems going forward but so do all of the other auto makers.

Disclosure: I hold Ford shares.

[The Virginian]

Ford faces significant problems going forward but so do all of the other auto makers.

I agree - Ford has labor problems ahead but Honda and Toyota have bigger problems ahead. I will not count Toyota out and if their stock drops significantly I will jump in and buy some. So far I haven't noticed any major impact though.

I don't have a target price but I think I'll start paying closer attention to Toyota and Ford both.

GM - I don't want anything to do with. Maybe it's a good deal but I just don't trust what is going on.

Electric Vehicles? Too much money and too little product. Until someone comes up with a battery than can fully charge in 10 minutes or less, Gets 300+ miles on a charge and sells for the same as a regular car - count me out.