Strapp Ford Doncaster closed??

[scott_motors]

Went along Doncaster Road and noticed Strapp Ford is not where it used to be and the Holden dealer that was across the road has taken over the site?

Have Strapp Ford closed their Doncaster branch, or has it just been relocated??

[foxtrot3]

Hi Try this http://bit.ly/1tMr9W7 . now in Burwood. Cheers MD

[Elks]

Is Burwood staying open??

[ChRiDDa]

Sure has....
Donny Holden own the land where Hyundai and Ford were...
Audi on the corner of Elgar and Donny Rd are moving into the old Holden Dealership and as you've already seen, Holden moved across to where Strapp Ford was

[Elks]

They're all a part of the Birrell group.

[adamRSLC]

Originally Posted by Elks

They're all a part of the Birrell group.

Holden , Merc and Hyundai ( so was Ford ) are part of the Birrell group . Ford are gone replaced with Hyundai and Holden brought in from across the road .

Audi will replace Holden across the road so the big three prestige companies can go hammer and tong at each other .

Acads

[russellw]

.. and there is a lot more to that story than the obvious. Sad to see the site gone after so long (and so many awards) but it looks like expediency was easier for FoA than compromise.

Cheers
Russ

[Danny]

Just as I had thought. As a Doncaster Templestowe local a couple of my fords came from there. First FPV was replaced by Hyundai, then Ford altogether was gone. Sad, sign of the times. They'd only very recently refurbed the dealership too.

[EBII Fairmont]

I leave right next to Audi Honda and all the rest of it. I'm scared hearing this high rises will go in place and make things more chaotic than what they already are. :(

[GASWAGON]

Ye I noticed these changes weeks ago while on a bus.....The Holden place was basically closed and i'm sure Hyundai had allready moved in to the Ford place across the road.

[Danny]

Should see it now its an eyesore. Holden's been demolished, and is a makeshift set up where Ford was. I don't understand why Holden is going to be nestled in there with Audi, Merc, and BMW - Mini - Motorrad, that's a Joke, once the Commodore is gone, Holden will be selling some of the worst, most cheap and nasty, soulless cr@p on the market. Like what Daewoo or Diahatsu was in the late 90's. Not the right place to be near the Euro's, were better off just keeping Ford there, although that wasn't an option.

[Elks]

Danny, Maybe the folk buying all the flash Euro stuff can buy a Holden for their house keeper.

[Danny]

Pink Barina Spark to buy more Lemon Pledge.

[jobeli]

I live very close to all this. I was amazed that Holden dealership was demolished with no signage indicating relocation or renovations.
Also, from memory, about 5-10 years ago, the present Audi site on the corner of Doncaster and Elgar roads, was proposed to be redeveloped into a new Audi dealership. Again from memory I think was knocked back by council as didn't fit the high rise Doncaster hill image, council wanted 10+stories. Owners must've said bugger you, and so instead built what's there now.

[EBII Fairmont]

Let's be honest, Manningham council is looking at lining its pockets. Unfortunately the area is being run over by high rise buildings. As for Holden being merged with Hyundai at the old Strapp Ford site, I put it down to Holden doing more sales than Ford, but still can't justify having such a huge dealership for it.

[swannd]

Any good Ford servicing options near Doncaster now?

[xr6man366]

Got a mail on Friday...the remaining Strapp Ford dealership in Burwood iwill no longer be a Ford dealer after the 30th November 2014 ...after 42 years and 9 dealer of the year awards Birrelli's reduced support and Ford Australia's lack of commitment has resulted in this..such a shame so much history experience and great people lost...was an institution for Ford and Doncaster.

[MethodX]

Originally Posted by swannd

Any good Ford servicing options near Doncaster now?

Heidelberg? are they any good?

[russellw]

All is not lost for Doncaster and Burwood - the quote below is form an email distributed to Strapp customers:

As we have retained the services of our Ford factory trained technicians, many of our long term customers have requested that we continue to service their Ford vehicles.

In early 2015, we will be opening a new Service Centre at 6 Rose Street Doncaster to cater for all our Ford customers (currently the Audi Service Centre).

In the interim period, we would welcome the opportunity to continue to service your Ford vehicle and carry out any retail repairs at one of our locations below:

Doncaster
Doncaster Holden / Hyundai dealership located at 825 Doncaster Road.


Burwood
Mercedes Benz Parts & Service Centre located at 25 Evans Street.

Whilst we may no longer be the Ford dealer, we can continue to offer genuine parts, the same level of excellent service, care and attention that you have experienced in the past.

Cheers
Russ

[csv8]

Another Ford dealer gone, on the eve of FGX release..not a good omen....

[mik]

You have to wonder after the "restructuring" of Australia's car industry IE: Ford /Holden/Toyota for the most part shutting up shop, just what will be left ? ........obviously we will still need car yards for imports and service departments .

[zilo]

Originally Posted by mik

You have to wonder after the "restructuring" of Australia's car industry IE: Ford /Holden/Toyota for the most part shutting up shop, just what will be left ? ........obviously we will still need car yards for imports and service departments .

Don't worry.

Tesla have just opened up shop here...

[timeout]

They are repeating history like what happened to Nissan.

In the space of 12 yrs great BA launch and FPV with Geoff Polites and now look at it...

[mik]

Yes indeedy Timeout, who would have guessed a decade or two ago that the the big local car makers would be getting their asses handed to them by the once under dog cheap rubbish car makers , but saying that is probably not fair, because if the world economy/trading/monetary playing field was even stevens , no doubt things would be different , but its 2014 and here we are.

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by mik

Yes indeedy Timeout, who would have guessed a decade or two ago that the the big local car makers would be getting their asses handed to them by the once under dog cheap rubbish car makers , but saying that is probably not fair, because if the world economy/trading/monetary playing field was even stevens , no doubt things would be different , but its 2014 and here we are.

They thought they had no competition and they could keep the model they had from the 70's and rinse and repeat. While Ford burnt through customers the competition got better - in every way. They gave away their own market leadership with equal measure of complacency, incompetence and arrogance. Frankly its still happening.

The corporate culture is so ingrained at Ford Australia that I think the only thing that will work is to close the entire entity and dealer network down and start again. Ford as a brand might wander in the wilderness for a decade or two, but what they are doing now is just a slow death. It wont be the first time in Fords history that something drastic had to change. Henry himself had to clean out the Australian operations and formed what we now know as Ford Australia, when it became painfully obvious Ford had been under performing in this country and its reputation wasn't good.

They are out of options, but everyone in the US is pretending that just one more model, one more tweak of this or that will fix a decades long decline in Ford Australia fortunes. It won't. Once the early rush is over, Mustang and the end of local production might prove the catalyst for the boardroom in the US to accept Ford Australia as we know it now isn't worth saving. Then we might see the painful steps needed to rebuild the brand.

Either that or the board will simply wipe Ford Australia off as the market they are no longer competitive in and focus the time and money on markets like China. In that scenario get used as a Ford fan to declining market share and a corporate entity in Ford Australia that is hopelessly out of its depth in the Australian market and unable to get out of its own way. You could argue that's where we are now. We are just waiting to see if Ford US in the longer term is ok with that.

[FairmontGS]

Sad news - I was born and bred in Doncaster and my Dad picked up all his Fords from Strapp. I bought my 1973 302 Fairmont GS coupe second hand from them in the 80's.

[Elks]

Originally Posted by MethodX

Heidelberg? are they any good?

Yes, the dealings I had with them have been good.

As we have retained the services of our Ford factory trained technicians, many of our long term customers have requested that we continue to service their Ford vehicles.

In early 2015, we will be opening a new Service Centre at 6 Rose Street Doncaster to cater for all our Ford customers (currently the Audi Service Centre).

I'm not sure that this is ideal. Sending Ford customers to a non Ford aligned dealer.


Doncaster was 5 mins away for me. But within 20 mins I still have Heidelberg, Ringwood or Chadstone so all is not lost.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by DanielXR8

Either that or the board will simply wipe Ford Australia off as the market they are no longer competitive in and focus the time and money on markets like China. In that scenario get used as a Ford fan to declining market share and a corporate entity in Ford Australia that is hopelessly out of its depth in the Australian market and unable to get out of its own way. You could argue that's where we are now. We are just waiting to see if Ford US in the longer term is ok with that.

That's already happening. You only need look at the recently revealed 7 Seater Edge for China only, that would have been a excellent replacement for the Territory come 2016.

[Charliewool]

Is old Alan Birrell still alive?
Doesn't take crap, the old boy... Ford, Holden, whoever!

[suzy_peter]

I remember Ted Strapp... we used to call him Jock. I went to school with his sons - they used to get dropped off in a champagne coloured Porsche 928 - never saw them in a Ford...