How the Ford Ranger Caused My Dad and I to Get Into an Argument!

By Jerry Perez - September 2, 2016

My own Father had questioned my knowledge on the automotive industry. To make matters even worse, the reason for the discussion was a Ford truck. How dare he not believe me? I repeated time and time again that Ford did not sell the Ranger in the States, and he simply thought “I was confused.”

The truth is that the midsize pickup truck market is on absolute fire. Midsize truck sales alone rescued the entire pickup truck segment sales in July 2016 with 8,973 units sold, and they don’t show any signs of slowing down. Yet, where’s the Ford Ranger at?

This story revolves around a really funny thing that happened to me the other day, and I thought it’d be kind of cool to share it with you, so I apologize in advanced if you consider this a total waste of your time, but I feel the need to share just how dumb it is for Ford not to sell the Ranger midsize truck in the United States from a personal perspective.

Very few times will you hear me speak (or brag) about the many pleasures that come along with covering the automotive industry, and reviewing brand-new vehicles for a living. Actually, who am I kidding? I brag about it all the time! Anyhow, one of the most fulfilling things about getting press cars is being able to schedule different cars based on different events that may be happening in my life. For example, if I’m moving or want to go camping, I may ask for a Ford F-150, but if it’s my daughter’s first day of school, I may want to try and have a Ford Mustang GT so she can look cool being dropped off. It’s the little things.

What does this have to do with the story? Hang on, I’ll get there. After many years of traveling between Mexico and the United States for work, my Dad decided to settle in the Mexican Caribbean (a huge market for the Ford Ranger), and he visits us at our home in Indianapolis a couple of times per year. During such visits, I usually like to have a spacious vehicle for the temporary family of five to move around town comfortably, so I did. I lined up a beautiful Volvo XC90, which I thought would also make my Dad get over the fact that I chose to write about cars, and not a career with actual benefits, health insurance and higher than average pay. So it was what he said next that shocked me.

He said, “Hey, I was watching TV down here the other day, and I saw that Ford Mexico unveiled the new midsize truck with a diesel engine, what’s it called again?” I said, “uhhh, the Ranger?” to which he said, “Yeah, the Ranger, is there any chance you can borrow one while I’m in town? I really want to check it out.” Wait, wtf?

My Dad’s love for midsize trucks goes way back. He’s owned a supercharged Nissan Frontier, a Toyota Hilux, and others, so his interest in a diesel-powered Ford Ranger was legit. I proceeded to go full automotive journalist on him, and rant about Ford not selling the Ranger in the States yet, which is something that he simply didn’t believe. He just couldn’t understand why. He kept on saying things like, “But it doesn’t make sense, why wouldn’t they, that’s so stupid.” And guess what, he’s right.

He’s a first-hand witness of just how popular the Ford Ranger is in Latin America as a personal, work and commercial truck, and he’s even more shocked than we are at Ford’s decision to miss out on that action.

Sorry Dad, it looks like next month you’ll be riding in an $80,000 luxury SUV instead of a diesel pickup truck, and you can only thank Ford for that…