Fordzilla80
Ranger Lariat
There is arguements both ways....the vehicles are becoming more reliable with ample warnings if something is amiss.
100,000 miles at 35 mpg at $3.50 a gallon...$10000
100,000 miles at 20 mpg at $3.50 a gallon...$17500
$7500 difference in fuel alone.
Edit....what Ben said is also what I was referring to.
It is the way vehicles are going....I don't like it much either...hell, I look under the hood of the MKT and just cringe about something happening.
Thanks for the numbers. But are those realistic? Most consumers don't necessarily take care of their vehicles, so gas mileage suffers a little bit in that aspect. That knocks some savings off right there. And then if the car isn't properly maintained, you're gonna run into problems.
Also, some of the warning lights will go on, but not be 100% accurate. So, say the CEL goes on because of a bad connection. Owner can't figure it out, so he ignores it. Well, then something a little more serious happens, but the CEL won't be tripped because it's already on. So the owner keeps driving the vehicle without knowing of the new problems, until it eventually breaks down. So warning lights don't make much of a difference except to those smart enough and rich enough to pay attention to them.