pretty much agree with what you say, but not sure about the quality since I
don't have a later model.

I recently traded my 2000 Limited.  Although I kind of miss the car, I had a
lot of problems when I purchased it (new).  It was just a hassle to keep
returning to dealer to fix this, fix that, etc., although the dealer was
pretty good.

I decided to pass on Ford this time-now driving a Honda.

When I had my '92 Explorer, I had a lot of problems to talk about,
same with my '99.  Now I have an '05 and have had very little to
discuss with the group.  My opinion is that quality has gotten much
better and there is less reason to ask advice.  Another possible
reason is that it is not much of an option to do your own work now.
Too many special tools and knowledge required.