My family is a Ford family, with the occasional Chrysler or Plymouth or
whatnot thrown in. I haven't been without a Ford truck for twenty years,
often owning two at a time (like now) but the two I own now are likely
to be the last Ford products I own.

Why? I'm sick and tired of bare bones vehicles. Every Ford I've owned
(car or truck) has come with a ****ty stereo system, even their premium
system isn't very good. My truck is a '99 XLT and doesn't have a lighted
cargo box, doesn't have a retractable light under the hood, doesn't have
an auto-dimming mirror, has the worst cassette stereo I've ever heard,
doesn't have remote locks, the seat belts only half retract, has cloth
seats... I mean basically it's an XLT and it's bare bones. Don't get me
wrong, it's well built and reliable but I expect that by default these
days.

I've owned two Ranger class vehicles... an '86 Bronco II (piece of ****)
and a '92 Ranger. Both required heavy maintenance, either alone required
more maintenance than all the other vehicles I've owned combined. Next
time I buy a small truck, why buy a Ford?

I had a '94 Taurus that went 192,000 miles before it's first
breakdown... the waterpump. Awesome reliability but very basic, ****ty
sound system, utilitarian interior, no perks.

I've owned a variety of other Fords... Mustang, several Broncos and a
Thunderbird; the only one I would buy again would be a Mustang. Maybe
one of those swanky convertible T-birds if I could afford it.
--
Mac Cool