Ahem…
Ascends Soapbox:
I am having a crisis on conscience about vehicles of late: I REALLY want a new Subaru WRX to replace my 2008 blue beauty and I have been salivating over the coming 2019 Jeep Scrambler with a diesel engine FOR YEARS. I have loved all my Scoobys, but there have been some issues with the unavailability of the 5 door WRX and with the CVT transmission & 2.5-liter engine oil consumption recall issues, I am super gun-shy about buying a new Subaru. As for Trucks, I have always been a Nissan/Toyota guy because of a long run of really great vehicles, but that feeling has changed after my experience with my last truck and the dealer I bought it from.
Dad was a Ford man his whole life and mom had a green 1998 4X2 ranger step-side for 14-ish years that was an amazing little truck. That means something to me. I want to buy American owned/made vehicles at this point in my life and I have been looking really hard at Ford. The re-issue of the 2019 Ranger compact/mid-sized truck with a 3.2L, 31+ MPG, diesel looks really good! That coupled with the politics of Ford not taking direct bailout funds (money under AIFP) and Ford (along with Honda), recently urgeing the EPA to maintain the current requirements for the 2025 fuel emission standards, really has my attention.
I still am excited about the Toledo, Ohio-made Scrambler (since my ’86 CJ needs a playmate), but the Jeep brand is currently owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, an Italian/American-ish automobile company that is registered in the Netherlands with its headquarters in London, all for tax purposes. Chrysler also took a crap ton of bail out money, with $1.3 billion that was written off and will never be recovered. This is also a company that looked hard at selling the Jeep brand to a Chinese Automaker in 2017. Seriously, look it up…
With all that said and with months of discussion and deliberation, I am feeling pulled to both the Ford Ranger truck for our next vehicle purchase and the Fiesta ST (when it comes out in AWD) for my wife when her forester runs close to the end of its bumper to bumper warranty period.
…Dismounts Soapbox…
