Last weekend my 2004 Ford F-150 passed 10,000 miles. I haven't had a problem yet and I hope that continues to be true.

The funny thing about this truck is that I basically hated the previous model's looks, and I wasn't impressed by its week frontal impact crash tests.

When I saw pictures of the 2004 model I was immediately impressed by its more boxy look, which to me is a sort of harbinger of a truck. The sides were clean with only a few lines, and it reminded me of a more modern adaptation of the early 90s version of the truck...well, I guess that'd be the 70s and 80s also.

I chose the somewhat weaker 4.6L engine for a couple of reasons. One, it feels plenty strong to me though it is perhaps one of the weaker modern truck engines by numbers. Two, the engine is old. Ford has been running the 4.6L in Crown Vics and Mustangs for a long time, and the engine has a pretty good history. At the time I bought it, a few people were having minor troubles with their brand new 5.4L 3-valve engines. I just didn't want to deal with it, plus you can save $800 by not getting it and also a little gas, though both engines are rated by the EPA with the same figures. I get about 16-17 city and 18.5-21 on the highway. The posts I've read at ford-trucks lead me to believe thats' pretty good.

The 2004 model has a stiffer frame also, which I like simply because I enjoy the beef of trucks.

The truck bed is 2" deeper than usual, which kinda sucks if you want to reach over the bed and grab somethign, but is otherwise great. I have the 8-foot bed and I can lay a Queen mattress and the box spring almost entirely. No lame hanging out being crooked.

Meanwhile, just for mention, the 2003 Honda Accord is excellent. It has nearly 30,000 miles now.