Embrace the future of driving at Ricart Ford... Or at least learn to be comfortable with it!

   Gas powered. Diesel powered. Gas and electric hybrid. All electric. Warp drive. Flux capacitor. Okay, so the last two not so much, but gas, diesel, hybrid, and electric are now all viable options for powering your automobile, and at Ricart Ford in The Ricart Megamall, you can check out all of them. We are patiently awaiting the plasma drive and flux capacitor.


   Technology has given us so many choices for our motor vehicles it almost feels like we are living in a Science Fiction novel from the past. The thing is, all this technology can be a bit daunting to some folks, but with familiarity comes acceptance, and Ricart Ford is the perfect place to get to know what state of the art is in the driving world.

   A few years ago, satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity, Ford SYNC, MyFord Touch, turn by turn navigation, and all the stuff we touched on in an earlier posting on this blog seemed so foreign, especially when you think about the first time you saw a video screen on a car’s dash. “Whoa dude! You watching Two and a Half Men on that?”

   We became used to seeing, then using all those tools quickly, and now it’s a little hard to think about a vehicle without them. The next generation vehicles we have available to us now will also seem just as common place sooner than later, so don’t be afraid to embrace the Ford Focus Electric, C-Max Energi or Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid or Energi, or at least learn a bit about them. Stop by Ricart Ford in The Ricart Megamall and ask to check out the vision we have for the future of automobiles with a vehicle tour and a test drive or two.

Your smart phone can do so much more than all the computer systems used to put a man on the moon combined, and you use it every day without a second thought. When you think about that, the new technologies offered by Ford don’t seem foreign anymore, do they? See you soon!

Is it the end, the beginning, or simply SOP at Ricart Ford?

   So you probably wonder just what the title of this post means. The answer is, it means it all. It's Ricart Ford's Year End Celebration with special Holiday specials and a really cool Holiday video, it's the start of a new year at Ricart Ford, and Motor Trend just announced the 2012 F150 as the Motor Trend Truck of the Year Winner, which is pretty much standard operating procedure for a truck that won the award in 1997, 2004, and 2009 as well!

   Upon receiving the 2012 Truck award, Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields said, "The 2012 F150 is a no compromise solution that can be tailored to fit virtually every customer's needs, and the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award further reinforces that this truly the best choice for America's
truck owners. We are proud to receive this award, and even more pleased that our F150 customers have additional validation of their top choice". In non-corporate speak, that means Ford thinks its great that you love the F150 and the critics do too.
   The 2012 Ford Focus redesign has been a huge hit at Ricart Ford since they arrived this summer, and the technology you can find in Focus, and across the entire Ford line, meant plenty of Edison Awards for Ford earlier this year, awards that prove Ford's integration of your vehicle into your life is spot on with technologies that enhance the vehicle experience like no other manufacturer, and do it with economy in mind.

   At Ricart Ford, we've sold a whole bunch of Ford cars, trucks, CUV's, and SUV's this year, and will help even more folks get that new Ford they want before the clock finishes striking twelve on December 31st. After that, we'll get started on 2012, winning more awards, making more friends, and doing what we love to do best... making you happy with your new Ford.

What'd we learn from Cash for Clunkers?

The “Cash for Clunkers” program reaffirmed something for us at Ricart Automotive that we have always known… Americans really love their cars. We could tell by looking at the woman who tearfully sat in her late 80’s Buick one last minute before driving off in her new 2010 Fusion with a smile as wide as a four lane highway. We could tell when a family asked us to take pictures of their old van and email the pictures to their house, where they would keep them as a reminder of all those miles they shared before it became a clunker. They also had us take pictures of their new Escape. The really amazing thing is, these were not rare occurrences during the “Clunkers” program.

A lot of people were sad to be trading away their old, rust and primer spotted, have seen much better days (some even with duct tape repair jobs), cars and trucks. Of course, all those very same people will soon be just as madly in love with their new Escape and Focus, Fusion and Flex, Ranger and Edge as they were with their clunker… probably an even deeper love because the economy, safety features, and quality of their new Ford is far superior to what they just got rid of. Oops, better make that traded in instead of “got rid of “. It seems like a much more fitting end to a beloved family member. And that’s the point driven home to us during “Cash for Clunkers”. No matter how much we deny it, and try to research it away, buying a new car is an emotional experience. The promise of an exciting new relationship with your latest ride, and the fond memories of your former wheels racing through your mind are a lot like feelings we usually save for our family and closest friends, probably because we see our vehicles as both.

The Ricart Automotive Family thanks and congratulates all those folks who made a new Ricart vehicle part of their family, and became part of ours during the “Cash for Clunkers” program

Cash for Clunkers on now at Ricart Ford

This old Caddy was the first fuel swilling car taken off the road at Ricart Ford just minutes after the official start of the Federal Government's Cash for Clunkers program. While the Caddy had served them well over the years, the couple who traded it in will see dramatic savings in gas in their new 2010 Fusion, with the best mileage of any mid-size sedan. Add that to the quality, craftsmanship, and styling of the new 2010 Ford Fusion, and you get a vehicle they will be thrilled with for years to come, and by the looks of how clean their caddy was, WE MEAN YEARS!

Young folks are getting in on the Cash for Clunkers Program at Ricart Ford as well, and we have seen a really good mix of all kinds of people taking advantage of the best slection in the region of Focus, Fusions, Escapes, trucks... the whole gammut of all the new Ford vehicles that meet the CARS criteria, so if you have been sitting on the sidelines so far, it's probably a good time to stop by Ricart Ford for a visit to see exactly what the program can mean to you. If you are interested, give us a ring at 888-355-6934.

Gotta go, there's this nice lady who wants to drive an Escape on the test track...

Ford MyKey tech coming to Ricart Ford for 2010

When you are a teenager, say sixteen or seventeen years old, there is no rush of freedom quite like when you get the keys to the family car and head out on the road… no Mom, no Dad, no hassles. The problem is, a teen is dramatically more likely to be involved in an accident because teens tend to speed more, fasten their seat belts less, blast their tunes louder, and in general lack the experience most adult drivers are able to acquire over time. Ford, that innovator of automotive technology has come up with a device which will help keep younger drivers safer, giving them the chance to build the skills that only come from being behind the wheel. It’s Ford’s new MyKey, and it will be available as standard equipment at Ricart Ford in the Ricart Megamall starting with the 2010 Ford Focus coupes.

MyKey is designed to allow parents to encourage their kids to learn safer driving skills, as well as increase the fuel economy of their vehicles, and it does it by letting Mom or Dad, Grampa, Uncle Dave, or whoever limit the top speed of the vehicle, the volume of the radio/entertainment system, give earlier warning signals when the vehicle is low on fuel, encourage the use of safety belts, and give audible cues when the car attains specific speeds, like 55 miles per hour. All this should help your younger driver be more aware of how they are driving, enhance their focus while they are tooling around town, and prevent you from having to endure DMX at sonic shrapnel volumes if you are first to start up the car after your youngster has driven it.

MyKey is only one of the ways Ford has been working to help your family drive more safely. Another is Ford’s Driving Skills for Life Website (see it here) which is a gold mine of information and tips for teen drivers, and drivers of all ages. Ricart Ford takes the safety of younger drivers, and all drivers so seriously, we have teamed with The Bloom School of Driving Dynamics in offering one of a kind, hands-on training at The Ricart Megmall. Check out all the details, and sign up for the course on the Bloom Driving Dynamics site.

Ford’s MyKey and Driving Skills for Life, and Ricart Ford’s relationship with Bloom Driving Dynamics are a few more ways that Ricart and Ford continue to build a family experience of vehicle ownership for all of our customers. After all, everyone wants to keep their family members as safe as possible when they're on the road.