In 1996, the Ford Ranger and Explorer led their segments and special lease prices were higher than today.
This week’s Throwback Thursday video comes to us from The Classic Sports YouTube channel and it features a commercial from the Indiana Ford Dealers group from December 1996. While this commercial isn’t all that different from modern local truck commercials, it is interesting how much the market has changed in the past 20 years.
Bigger, Badder, Better
This Ford Truck Month commercial from December 1996 begins by proclaiming that the lineup is “bigger, badder, better”, then the spot focuses on their smaller offerings. The video showcases the Ranger as the best-selling compact truck and the Explorer as the best-selling sport utility vehicle. As we all know, the Ranger hasn’t been in the lineup for six years and the Explorer is no longer the best-selling SUV in America. However, back in late-1996, you could get big deals on each of those hot-selling models.
The commercial finishes up by highlighting the Ford Windstar, a vehicle that many people may not even remember. The stigma against minivans in the US has led Ford to go away from the traditional minivan, instead entering that segment with the more commercial-friendly Transit Connect. That negative view of minivans also led to the growth in popularity of the smaller SUVs and those small models eventually replaced the Explorer as the best-selling SUVs in America.
Lower Costs Today
Another interesting point in this commercial from 1996 is the pricing. The highlighted price is a lease of the 1997 Ford Ranger XLT two-wheel drive model for $129 per month. We don’t have any Ranger pricing to compare right now, but a quick search of local lease deals on the F-150 shows that you can get a half-ton truck for around $100 per month. In some cases, we found F-150 lease deals as low as $86.
Although today’s trucks have gotten to be far more expensive, lease deals get you more truck for less money today.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
