1990 Ford Mustang Gt Convertible 2-door 5.0l on 2040-cars

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Texas plumber shocked his old Ford F-250 is now in terrorists' hands [w/video]

Do you ever wonder what the a owner is doing with your vehicle after you trade it in? Mark Oberholtzer of Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, TX, has no need to imagine, but it's probably his worst nightmare. That's because an image of his old Ford F-250 is now on Twitter as a gun platform in the Syrian Civil War. While the image only appeared recently, Oberholtzer traded the truck in last November. Somehow since then the F-250 made its way from Texas to Syria. According to a report from television station WHOU, the dealer that took the trade said the pickup immediately went to auction. Unfortunately, along the whole route no one ever took Mark-1 Plumbing's name and phone number off the door. So when the image went up on Twitter, everyone knew whom the Ford previously belonged to. The plumbing company makes it abundantly clear that this whole bizarre situation is simply a coincidence, and it has absolutely no ties to the conflict in Syria. However, that isn't preventing people from phoning the business with angry calls and threats. Things are so bad that Oberholtzer keeps the phones unplugged for relief. Scroll down to watch a video of the guy's flabbergasted reaction to finding out what his F-250 is doing now. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

How privacy fears are driving automakers in the age of the connected car [w/poll]

A recent GAO report concluded car companies don't adequately disclose how and why they share location data. As cars collect and store more and more data about the whereabouts of their drivers, automakers are responding to critics who say they should be more transparent about how those details are used. Ford is hiring a global privacy policy attorney to craft the company's customer privacy policies in the era of connected and autonomous cars. "In this emerging space, there is an important need to address customer privacy policies," reads a job description posted on the "people and careers" portion of the company's website. "As part of our compliance and ethics organization at Ford, this person will have an immediate and direct impact in shaping existing and future policy and corporate thinking in this area." Ford is creating the new position, based at its Dearborn headquarters, at a time technology advances are outpacing privacy protections. Earlier this year, a report from the federal government concluded car companies don't adequately disclose to motorists how and why they share location data. That report, from the Government Accountability Office, found many car companies did not describe how they shared location data, did not allow consumers to request their data be deleted and that there was a "wide variation" in how car companies retained vehicle-specific or identifiable location data. It noted there is increased risk of location data being used in ways "consumers did not intend." Ford was one of 10 companies the GAO surveyed while compiling its report. Customers are opting to share that data largely by using features like maps and turn-by-turn direction that are run by a vehicle's telematics unit. Depending on the company, it can be unclear how that data is collected, retained or shared. At the time the GAO report was issued, AAA, the nation's largest motoring club, urged carmakers to be more transparent in how they handle data and to offer stronger security protections. Shaping Autonomous Car Regulations At Ford, the new hire could change how the company handles that data. According to the job description, the successful applicant will, "demonstrate visionary thinking around privacy strategy – imagine how consumer and employee expectations around privacy may evolve and how business should adapt, develop approaches that maximize the benefit of data sharing for consumers and business, etc." (Emphasis from Ford).

Ford Explorer gets appearance pack for 2015

Remember when Ford launched the totally new Explorer in late 2010, and people were skeptical about how the now-crossover would fare, after ditching its traditional SUV roots? Well, we're several years in, and I think we can assuredly say that Ford made the right decision. Sales are better than ever (in fact, May was the current Explorer's best month yet), and the crossover is finding its way into the hands of a whole host of new Ford buyers.
A wholly refreshed Explorer is still forthcoming, but to keep its strong-selling crossover fresh, Ford is offering a host of improvements for the 2015 model year, including the attractive appearance package available on the XLT trim level, pictured above. Outside, the pack gets you goodies like 20-inch machined aluminum wheels, black bodyside cladding and roof rack rails. Contrasting Magnetic Metallic accents are found on the grille, mirror caps and liftgate appliqué, and there's an "Explorer" hood badge and body-colored door handles. Inside, there are new Miko suede inserts in the seats, and the package includes the automaker's Sync connectivity with MyFord Touch infotainment.
Elsewhere in the Explorer range, the Class III trailer tow pack is now standard on the Sport, base models get new 18-inch aluminum wheels, and there are three new colors on offer: Bronze Fire Metallic and Magnetic Metallic.