Faults:

A/C compressor clutch bearing.

Ignition switch is a bit cranky at times.

Stock stereo system recently went out.

RUST :(

General Comments:

This truck has made me a loyal Ford fan for the foreseeable future. Drop-dead reliability, lots and lots of pulling ability, easy to work on, and in my opinion, the classiest body style of all time.

Haven't done a lot of towing because I only have the ball on the bumper. With a tow package I could do some serious damage.

Gas mileage with the manual transmission is surprisingly good; I can get close to 19-20 MPG doing 65 on the freeway.

The only reason I would ever consider getting rid of this truck is the rust. After 20+ years of WI weather, things are going downhill fast. I have no doubt that the engine will be running long after the body is completely gone.

Faults:

Power steering pump, brakes front and rear, freeze plugs, cooling system needed maintenance... all normal wear and tear, and not expensive.

General Comments:

Built Ford Tough is a true motto. I did not have high expectations when I bought this truck as a used fleet vehicle from a county sheriff department. The PD had treated the truck pretty bad. The bed and tailgate were rough and the interior was shot. I think it must've been used to haul stuff for the PD by some people that tried to destroy it.

This truck has always started, and never has given me any trouble. I have towed boats, cars, and large trailers full of stuff no sweat. I take good care of it and don't race to the next red light. Just little things like brakes, cooling maintenance (Southwest, USA), and a power steering pump. In my opinion the routine maintenance has been much less than I ever expected.

Gas mileage is not too bad for a truck that's pretty big. The only bad thing I ever did was take a whole pallet of porcelain tiles (maybe 1800+ pounds) in the bed. Local dealer serviced the cooling system and replaced the freeze plugs, and the cooling system remained high, but one year later I took it to a local shop who recommended I replace freeze plugs and I thought they were a scam until I let them do it and the truck stays in the "C" range on the cooling now and runs really nice... I guess the dealer charged me but never did the job, who knows?? I now have a local shop that does things right (oil change, cooling, brakes, etc).

Faults:

Best thing I ever bought.

Got her for $1500 with 112 on the clock, not in bad shape, save for a bad dent in the bed from a collision. I subsequently put my own matching dent on the opposite side.

Previous owner (who was 2nd, I'm 3rd) had to have the brake master cylinder replaced @ 60,000 miles, and for myself this is all I've had to do:

Basic tune up.

Oil changes every 3K miles.

Transmission drain/refill/filter.

New radiator (oversized, 2" now instead of 1")/water pump; I mean she's pushing 20 years!

Tie rod ends and U-joints (again, just needed doing when I got her).

I love her. I overloaded her, and drove her 3,000 miles from Philadelphia to LA, sleeping in her, and she didn't leave me stranded.

Same month I drove back to Philadelphia with a massive coolant leak all the way, and she never over heated.

Replaced radiator, only to find there was a leak in the transmission cooler line -- so I threw epoxy on it and prayed, and she made it all the way back to LA leaking tranny fluid, basically empty tranny, through a horrible blizzard without a complaint. As soon as I got back, she started slipping, but a quick trip over to a mechanic and a new fitting, and she was right as rain.

Reasonable gas mileage for a 1995 truck; about 12 city and 15-19 on the highway, depending how much film gear I have in her.

All the power options work, sans the cigarette lighter, but I just installed a second one.

All in all, I got her for 1500, put some work into her, and I see no signs of her quitting. And I came to realize, one night, freezing in the snow, leaking transmission, praying to make it to the next rest stop, that I'd rather rebuild her on and on until the body rusts away if needed, than get any other truck.

Now, the 302 V-8 with the 4r70w transmission isn't the best of them (the I-6 is much better), but I can't complain too much. She may not have all the torque of the others, but she gets her job done, and has never complained -- even with a full loaded u-haul 12' trailer, and fully loaded bed all through the Appalachia, and the Southern Rockies on I-40 with two adults and a bunch of fish (I had to move my fish too).

Granted, living in LA kills me for gas, but I can't think of any other truck I could trust to load to the brim with equipment, which would get any better mileage.

General Comments:

Best truck I've ever had the joy of owning. And I trust her to drive 9000 miles in a month -- I'd trust her to drive 20,000 miles a month.