Used Cars in Grand Rapids Michigan

The team at Borgman Ford Mazda would like to tip its hat to the folks who turned up to the Drive One 4Ur Community event last Saturday! The Grandville K-12 Band program was able to raise $5,000 from Ford as the result of your support. Great job, folks!

The folks at Borgman Ford thought our Mustang fans would enjoy this story from Ford Social — the woman who as a college grad bought the first Mustang ever sold in the U.S. still has it — and still drives it! How cool is that? Bet our friends at the Mustang Club would love to connect with Gail Wise! We’re gearing up to celebrate 50 years of the iconic muscle car, which officially went to market in April 1964.

By Tori Tellem
Ford Social

Gail Wise walked into a Ford dealership looking for a convertible to drive around Chicago, where she lived and worked after having just graduated from college. They didn’t have any such models, save for one car tucked quietly away in back. She bought it on the spot.

It wasn’t until the moment she drove it off the lot that she had an inkling she might be behind the wheel of something special. Two days later that was confirmed: Almost 50 years ago, and two days before it officially went on the market, Gail took ownership of the very first Ford Mustang sold in the U.S. Read the rest of this entry »

Kudos to the team at Ford for it’s “Courage Talks” initiative whereby breast cancer survivors reach out to share their stories with others. On behalf of Borgman Ford, we’d love it if you’d take a moment to read this Ford Social story that explain the Models of Courage program and gives links to video messages meant to inspire those whose lives are touched by breast cancer.

It takes a warrior’s courage to fight breast cancer. It takes a warrior’s dedication to deal with the everyday triumphs and stumbling blocks. It takes a warrior’s strength to fight, day in and day out, 365 days a year. It takes a warrior to face the adversity that is cancer.

The Warriors in Pink “Models of Courage” program is just one of the ways that the organization brings to light the real life stories of breast cancer survivors. The nine women and two men selected to serve as Models of Courage come from different cities, different cultures, and different generations. They are married, single, working moms and retired grandparents. In their roles as Warriors in Pink Models of Courage, they serve as ambassadors for Ford and the fight against breast cancer, sharing their very personal stories of hope and survival, reaching out to others in need of support and encouragement. Read the rest of this entry »

With more than a million hunters licensed in Michigan and the DNR predicting a strong season, we know many of our Borgman Ford and Mazda customers are gearing up to get out into the great outdoors with the start of bow season this month and the imminent firearm season set to open in November. To tip our hats to our rugged hunters, we’ve decided to host a fun photo contest where you can post pictures of your 2013 “rack” and invite your friends to vote. Our staff will pick a grand prize winner from the top three most popular entries to receive a $500 gift card for Cabela’s — just in time for Christmas.

Contest details, sign up, and eventual gallery can be found in the promotions section of our Facebook page at http://bit.ly/15GYLGz

Don’t miss this chance to test drive your favorite Ford and raise money to “boost” the Grandville K-12 Band program! The Drive 4 UR Community event will be held on Saturday, October 19th at the Grandville Lowes parking lot (4705 Canal Ave SW, Grandville) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The goal is to raise funds for the Band for k-12 and Ford donates $20 for each test drive up to $6000! The more people who turn up for a test drive means the more money the program will raise.

Ford’s Drive 4 UR School and Drive 4 UR Community events are a fun, engaging way to help schools and organizations raise money to support their activities.

On the heels of ArtPrize, we found this article from Ford Social on what makes for great design in vehicles timely and interesting. Just like Grand Rapids’ public art festival, Artprize, some designs seem to capture the imagination of the public above all others. Over the years at Borgman Ford, we’ve we’ve watched the strategic design team roll out many iconic hits. Check out this article to learn about the “One Ford” philosophy of design, then stop by to drive one 😉

By Tori Tellem

What makes a particular design great? OK, that’s sort of a trick question, because design is very subjective. Take art: Two people can look at a painting and have a very different reaction to it.  Two people can look at architecture, and one may have an emotional connection while the other feels nothing. Styles of clothing either appeal or don’t.

Now think about the challenges with car design. It’s got all of that — it has to look “right” to the eyes, cause an emotional connection and be appealing. Then it’s about making that “look” speak to the masses, and often on a global scale. Your vehicle needs to not only stand out in the crowd, but also make that crowd think about buying the same vehicle for themselves. It’s also about creating an iconic design, recognizable worldwide, easily identified even by those who don’t own one.

“Great design is defined by purpose, simplicity, emotion and, above all, honesty,” explained Freeman Thomas, Ford Director of Strategic Design. “Great design must have a soul and a philosophy. Ford is about great design.”

The One Ford philosophy about design has to do with vehicles sharing characteristics that will appeal to consumers on all continents. “I consider the Stahl House, the 1965 Ford GT40 and the 2014 Ford Fusion Energi to be three significant representations of these values,” explained Freeman. Stahl House, which is considered an iconic example of modern architecture, has much in common with Ford. “Its design transcends social class. It was a case study about creating affordable housing with aspiration. Its simplicity is humbling,” Freeman said. Ford vehicles have simplicity in design,  yet also push boundaries.

The concept of Ford design is to create that appeal, no matter how the vehicle will be used. Whether consumer-oriented or for motorsports, mpg or mph — the vehicle needs to have a design that strikes a chord and gets attention. Freeman also said, “It’s about looking at something and feeling as though it’s so much more. The Fusion Energi is a car that visually looks so premium and so expensive. It is a plug-in hybrid so it is explicit in its conscience and purpose, yet it has that irrational desire – it’s a gorgeous car.”