I have spent about 30 minutes browsing this string ... and I am sad at what the microwave has done to our society. It used to be something to be proud of that you had to wait for your car to be specially built by the manufacturer. I know Ford dealers only hold very limted stock, and if they have options on the cars in stock, the combination is rarely what you are looking for, but they have to make a buck and having 30 variations on the floor just to please the 2% of buyers that fall outside the norm just doesn't make sense. Go and ask the importers of other makes of car how long for a special order - if it is permitted at all! At least Ford gives you choices. I remember attending a Chrysler dealership with my dad in 1972. We test dove a Chrysler by Chrysler. Dad didn't want the vinly roof (deleting it was a nc option). But he definietely wanted the 360 V8. I don't remember all of the options that he ordered, but the bottom line was that it was a special order. I remember the excitement as the deliver date approached - I'm almost certain we were told a month only. Then dad just arrived home from work one day ... Having to wait just allowed us time to let everyone know we were getting a new car - the expereince was allowed to grow into something special - the anticipation was all part of it - and everyone had time to be jealous ... before the car was old! There was a similar experince when Dad bought his VK Brock in 1985/86 - ordered in October 1985 - it was one of the last that used "real fuel" as we then knew it - and it was not delivered until March 1986 - but it was worth every second of the wait. In this age of instant gratification (I call it the microwave age - who has time to reheat dinner in a normal oven?) it seems we expect to be able to wake up one morning and decide we will have a new car in the garage that night! This makes me sad for many reasons. First, the impatience must result in compromise. To get a car today, I can't have my choice, I must settle for what is on the floor. So who wants to compromise? Second, the fact that you can't relax and enjoy the anticipation - do you let your whole life go by rushing to the next goal? or do you slow down to enjoy the journey? Sorry if this is too deep for some. Finally, and most importantly, I am sad for your marriages. If you need satisfaction as fast as you suggest in this topic string, your marriage will end prematurely (word chosen intentionally) because there is no way you can satisfy your missus in the 35 seconds that you spend ... Of course, those of you who have read this far are not the ones I am targetting, you at least have the stamina to read for more than 10 lines, so relax and learn to enjoy the wait - it will be worth it!!!! PS - My Dad now drives an XR6 - he loves it to death - waited about 3 months for it to arrive and that was about 10 years ago - he calls it the "Kingswood" - and I bet if he replaces it with another Ford, he will be quite happy to wait, as we all should be.
