Yeah, over at GM they do the exact same thing. If you park an import they place a big 2 foot orange sticker on your side window that only comes off with a razor informing you that this isn't your parking lot. Security will then tow you if they catch you again.

I should send a pic....

 

wow. this protectionist crap is unbelievably stupid. whatever happened to the free market economy and buying what suits your wants and needs?

sure, I could take out an auto loan from the bank I work at, but I would still be paying 2x the interest I'm currently paying at the credit union. I hate to support the competitors, but your employer shouldn't be able to tell you what to do with your money.

 

this just makes me not want to buy a ford. why not just let your products stand on its own instead of forcing it on people.

 

LOL. yeah I know. I was gonna take my dad to look at a Ford 500 I saw for a good price on autotrader at a dealer lot. all of a sudden, I'm not too thrilled in going.

 

I did an internship at a GM plant (Chevy Astro plant in baltimore, now closed) about 7 years ago, and back then I drove a Saab 900S. Every day in the parking lot union employees would give me crap about my 'foreign' car. None of them knew that GM owned Saab, although my Saab was pre-GM ownership.

The only cool thing about that job was that half the parking lot was Corvettes. Between the employee discount and the outrageous wages that UAW workers got paid (they worked about 60-70 hrs a week, so massive overtime), and the fact that most GM vehicles besides the 'vette are crap, I guess it made sense.

 

Your job and vehicle preference have zero in common. I wonder what Ford does to cars that break the rule. Tow, flatten tires, job demotion? That has lawsuit written all over it.

 

This is not an unusual practice. Even some tire stores wont let you work at the local store level with the wrong brand on the ground. There was a case whre a guytried to sue his employer b/c he was fired for buying a non harley and worked as a harley mechanic.. he lost. It was the store policy and he was aware prior. If you really dont believe in the product then dont work there. I would just pick the best ford that suited my needs-- cobra replica with a ford engine, pantera might count? Miata counts... new mustang.. just add the good suspension brakes later.. etc.. If thats the rule then follow it. They get such a huge dicount that I cant imagine it is feasble to buy outside the brand. Plus I dont think anyone here would object to driving a miata with the flyin miatas turbo installed. You could buy it with the money you saved with your real discount.
I would guess 90% of the employees would volunteer to drive what they made.

 

How much more powerful statement can be made if the employees aren't buying the cars they are building??

 

Here's a stunning concept:

Make Ford factory workers drive the cars/trucks they build and, possibly, quality will rise!

Seriously, if these workers don't take pride in what they do, the job will always be half-assed. Oh, and I highly doubt Ford is forcing employees to pay MSRP either .

Chris

 

anyone ever read "All ccorvettes are red?" Turns out one of the GM execs would drive his F40 to work every day, park in the exec garage, and make the GM employees wash the thing. Boy did that piss them off.