Bay City, Mich., 115 miles north of Detroit, is a die-hard General Motors town if there ever was one. But on a split vote last week, city fathers decided that Ford had a better, and cheaper, idea when it came to cop cars.
The city commission bought four Explorers for its police department instead of paying about 25 percent more for the same number of Chevy Tahoes. It happened despite a 33-year-old resolution that requires the city to buy GM vehicles.
Though GM's Bay City Powertrain plant has been operating for 98 years, turning out piston pins, connecting rods, camshafts, oil pumps and balance shafts, the city commission voted 5-3 to go with Ford. Equipped with police gear, the four four-wheel-drive Explorers will cost $165,580, according to the Bay City Times.
"People support both brands," City Manager Rick Finn told the Associated Press before the vote. But he added: "This is a significant amount of money we're talking about. If it was a few thousand dollars, I'd say let's stick with the Chevys, but $37,000 is a lot of money. The Ford is the wiser decision."
