Yes this was a tough configuration to find, they had to bring it in from over 300 miles away. I got a great deal though with $3000 in rebates plus $500 rebate for the manual tranny, and saving the $1000 the Auto would have cost.
Anyway, my overall ownership experience has been positive. Except for a few sloppy-looking seems between interior pieces, the build quality and finish are very good. At first I did not like the tranny, everybody complains about the “POS” Mazda M5OD. Often you have to slow almost to a stop to get it down into 1st, after being parked and restarted it is reluctant to go into reverse unless you put it into 1st first, and it was often “scratchy” feeling shifting into 3rd at any RPM. All these behaviors started improving at about 10,000 miles, and now it seems to be really breaking in and shifting a lot better. The manual shift-on-the-fly (lever on floor) always works perfectly, even going from high to low range is easy.
I had a problem with water sloshing around in what sounded like the passenger side rocker area. The dealership tech fixed this in one attempt, by modifying the A/C drain hose fitting in the firewall. I understand this is a common fix for the dealer.
I have had the dealer change the oil and filter (using the recommended semi-synthetic 5W-20) at 2,XXX, 4,XXX, 6,XXX, 9,XXX, 11,XXX, and 14,XXX miles. I was getting it changed at less than 3,000 mile intervals only because of scheduling issues and not wanting to go over 3,000. However, I am now waiting until I hit 3,000, then scheduling the maintenance, letting it go as far as 4,000. The oil stays nice and clean anyway. I have only added oil once, I suspect the tech did not quite top it off.
I’ve been getting 15 mpg on short trips, putting around dirt roads in the cold, cold winter, and 17.5 on longer highway trips.
I haul sheets of plywood, furniture and boxes when friends move, big loads of garbage up to the dump, motorcycles and dogs. Of course it handles all this use perfectly. I have no bedliner or Line-X, rather a very heavy bed mat from Cabella’s. I also have a black aluminum Century cap (very utilitarian looking!) for camping.
The truck’s steering, handling, and ride is fantastic. Very precise steering, arrow straight on the highway (unlike a SuperDuty I drove once), and it does great power slides on snow or loose dirt roads. The truck has remained very solid feeling and rattle free. I had the tires rotated and re-balanced and was rewarded with a super smooth highway ride. Excellent “roll feel” as they say in the industry. Also, the cloth 40/60 seats are very comfortable, even on long trips.
4.6 power: overall I would rate it OK. It will pull 5th on almost any hill, but it seems weak on low-end torque. If you floor it in 4th or 5th at 1500 rpm, it feels very anemic. However, this is offset by the engine’s willingness to rev. You can run it right up to 75 in third, and you get a nice top end rush with no complaints from the engine. I do like a motor that likes to rev. Also, it just feels like a workhorse somehow, like it will pull all day with no complaints. Sort of reminiscent of the 300-I6’s I have driven (yes, flame away...)
I’ve got the 3.55 LS and 255/70 tires. Even with the widely disliked Wrangler RT/S tires, the truck seems practically unstoppable in the snow.
So it has been a good deal. I use McGuire’s car wash soap, old fashioned Turtle Wax paste, and I apply a thick coat of axle grease on any areas where the useless black wax coating comes off the frame, to keep the ugly surface rust away. No problems with door cracks or rust on the doors or tailgate (yet?). I would buy it again, and I hope the ’04 style trucks will be as good in the long-term. I might hand this one down to my kids and get an ’04 style in a few years.
This forum is owned and operated by Internet Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation. It is not authorized or endorsed by the Ford Motor Company and is not affiliated with the Ford Motor Company or its related companies in any way. Ford® is a registered trademark of the Ford Motor Company
Linear Mode
