Mandurah buyers love big Fords
By Steve Lague.
The West, October 2004
The lure of waterside canal living has been a driving force behind the population-growth in Mandurah in the recent years.
But it appears people cashing the relaxed waterside lifestyle also want to make a statement when on terra firma.
It seems Mandurah is the home of the big four-wheel-drive. For the first six months of the year, Lane Ford has been Australia's leading Ford dealer when it comes to F250 sales. In that time the Mandurah dealer has sold one a week, with all but two sales the 4x4 version.
The imbalance is also reflected in WA sales, with 170 4x4s sold in the first six months compared to just three 4x2 variants. Nationally, Ford has sold 948 F250s.
The entry-level 4x2 petrol F250 starts t $62,900 with the price rising to $77,600 for the top-of-the-range 4x4 XLT turbo-diesel super cab.
Lane Ford's new car retail manager, Mark Olsen, said the F250 was a vehicle everyone in the region would love to own.
He said initial interest in the big Ford mainly
came from the rural sector
and tradesmen looking for a multi-purpose vehicle. "Today
it's appeal is much broader, with a wide range of people from
retirees looking for a camper van to younger family people buying
them,"
Olsen said.
"A lot of people are also dressing them up with accessories like bull bars, canopies, sports bars, side steps, bigger wheels and lift kits. "We have dressed one up to put in the showroom and it attracts an enormous amount of attention - everybody loves it." And potential buyers do not have to travel to far to be able to test the 4WD capabilities of the F250.
Lane Ford, which is built on 2ha of land, is one of the only dealers in Australia with a 4WD test track on the premises.
The track has been designed to test 4WDs over a variety of conditions, from soft beach sand and a rocky river bed to steep entry-and-departure angles.
"I think being able to demonstrate the vehicle in the environment helps us to maintain our leadership in the sales of the F250," Olsen said.