Original Owner of 2002 4.0L V6 4x4

[wdvogt]

I don’t have a good picture of my Sport Trac to share (amazing since I’ve owned it for 21+ years), but I’ll share some details …

I purchased my silver 2002 Sport Trac brand new in May 2002. At the time, it had every amenity available to Sport Tracs. It currently has ~236,000 miles. This truck holds a lot of sentimental value to me … it was the first new vehicle I ever purchased, my first truck, and a lot of “life” has happened over the past 21+ years (marriage, kids, jobs, etc.). The truck’s manufactured date is even my birthday!

Sentimental value aside, this truck is just so dang practical – it’s been perfect for me. It’s small enough that I can park it in my garage without much effort, I can easily tow my utility trailer if I need to haul my ATV or anything else, it has the off-road capability I need at times to take it hunting, etc. It’s always been a very comfortable ride for me and I’ve loved the visibility.

I now have one teenage son driving (soon to have another), so it just made sense to let him drive the Sport Trac and I got a new truck. Otherwise, I’d probably still be driving the Sport Trac day-to-day. If Ford still made Sport Tracs, there’s a good chance I’d have another one today.

I just recently discovered this channel while trying to diagnose a problem to see if it was something I could tackle myself. I’m looking forward to hearing others’ experiences with their Sport Tracs and hopefully getting some tips for where to find some hard-to-find parts.

 

[DILLARD000]

Welcome to the Herd; lots of friendly knowledgable folk in these forums!
Yep agree with you on SportTracs; they defintely have their quirks & maintenance issues,
but compared to any other vehicle that I could have owned instead for 20+ years,
I've got no regrets.

 

[rwbenner]

I too have a 2002 Trac. While I didn’t buy it new, I have had it for almost 10 years and added almost 150k miles to the odometer. They do have their quirks as any other car does, but it only left me stranded twice (first time fuel pump, second time the water pump bearings beat themselves senseless, tossed the serpentine belt, and puked antifreeze all over the freeway.). And I did swap out the tranny around 270k. But I can’t complain, I love the truck. My anguish now is frame rot that is getting to the point of concern. So for the last year or so I’ve been patiently waiting for a 2002 or 2003 (preferably - per Dillards000 recommendation) with something south of 150k on the odometer and a good body/frame to show up on my used car apps that is near-ish to my location. A needle in a haystack for sure, but I’m hopeful. The wife wants me to unload it, but I tell her that I had the truck before her……so…..

Anyway, welcome. Please ask any question u may have, regardless of the simplicity or complexity of the problem….and I’ll bet ya a buck someone here has some guidance for ya!

Be safe, RB