As far as north american ford being crap, probably now, but before 1998, nope, best damn vehicles my family ever owned.
The last good vehicle my family owned was a 1996 ford E-150 extended. It was my Dads work truck. Damn thing was a tank, it even sounded like one on the highway. The little I got to drive it before it was scrapped, it was like driving a much bigger car, handeled pretty decently for a van. Definately not great handeling though.
After the very little repairs and work that it took to keep that truck going I was realy sad to see it go to the scrappers. The only thing that killed it was getting sideswiped by a driver that fell asleep at the wheel, he took out the side doors with his SUV, funny enough, the SUV wasn't drivable afterward, but the van was. The insurance wrote the van off because of age.
Now we own a POS chevy express 3500. The only nice part about it is the 6.5l turbo diesel, the electronics that control it suck, the differental sucks (who puts an open dif on a truck!?), the whole van sucks. Its already cost us nearly $10000 in repairs, and we've only had it for about four years.
Would have been better using the $16000 it cost (used) at the dealer to repair the ford, rebuilt engine and all.