Now I am going to start this out by saying I am not a Ford guy. My family always used Honda because of there unmatched reliability, so I had grown fond of Honda. But I got my first sport trac when I was 16, and anybody who was a teenager and had a vehicle would know you would have some fun with it. When I tell you I stress tested the Sport Trac, I really did. Everything from offroading, had pulled upto 3,000 lbs worth of scrap metal a few times(dont do that tho, was very dangerous, bent bumper ball), and general use and abuse of the vehicle. And at no point did I ever have a real complaint. Its engine had never given me a single issue, and I got it already with about 178k miles. Biggest issue with it was rust, but the engine is a BEAST. Its poor gas mileage makes up for the fact that its engine, in my opinion, is one of THEE best Ford had made in awhile. It was designed in like the 60s and it showed. The truck overall is really comfortable to drive in. Its GREAT in bad weather if you have 4WD or weight in the bed, legit have pulled out Jeeps and other supposed "Off-Roading" Vehicles when mud or snow hindered them, it is honestly a vehicle I'd feel safe driving through a Hurricane with. Its reliability is truly unmatched. I have heard other say its ok, and it may just be a flip of a coin or that half were made in one factory and the other in another factory, but I am on my second Sport Trac, only because my previous one had too much rust to pass. The only reason I hold its reliability to such high regard is because I beat the snot out of my little sport trac and it always got back up without an issue. From scrapping metal with it to just being a teenager and taking it offroading where it certainly shouldnt be able to go. I could go on about how much I love this truck, I may be biased due to it being my first car, but I wouldn't hold it in such high regard if it didnt get me through every snowstorm, mud ditch, big stream, and hot summer day hauling metal, all without any issue or hesitation. I couldn't recommend any other first car than the sport trac. Because it will keep you or your kid safe, both when they are using it normally, as well as when they be teenagers with it. My only issue with it was the fact it had a bumper ball, and that its bed was a bit short for hauling metal. But it makes you a master packer with ratchet straps. 10/10, would recommend it, especially as a first car.

I bought my 2002 Sport Trac in 2014. It already had 150K miles in it. Now, 8 years later it has 315K and it runs like a champ. It got a bone yard tranny in 2017. Other than that, just maintenance stuff (oil, tires, brakes, alternator, water pump, tie rod ends).

This vehicle which I bought new in 02 now has 184000 miles. It's been a great vehicle, VERY reliable and has never let me down. 4WD is excellent and will absolutely surprise you in deep snow, it's a little tank!. As I mentioned reliability has been excellent, interior comfortable and has held up very well. I highly recommend this vehicle if shopping for a trustworthy midsize with a small bed but don't need a full size.