Captivated by our Ranger's rugged good looks, our editor-in-chief, Christian Wardlaw, snagged the keys to our compact pickup for his 80-mile round-trip commute this month. He gave it a thorough bath, cleaned up the grimy cabin, and tried to rid the interior of a nasty "wet-dog stank" to no avail.

Nonetheless, he racked up several hundred miles before taking the truck into Santa Monica Ford for its 30,000-mile service. It didn't take long for Wardlaw to regret his decision to drive the Ranger for a month.

"The seats are horrendously uncomfortable, offering zero support for legs and back. The grippy fabric can, at times, hold your body in odd seating positions as it clings tenaciously to your clothing. What this truck needs is a good, six-way power driver's seat with firmer padding." He also noted that the power window and door lock switches on the door panel are not illuminated at night, yet the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel are, which seemed back-asswards in his opinion, since occupants use the windows and door locks more often than the cruise controls. Handling also took a hit, with Wardlaw griping that the all-terrain Firestone Wilderness tires are less happy on pavement than dirt, howling with little provocation.

But the Off Road Package with which our Ranger is equipped is one of the reasons people find it tempting. "It says I'm rugged and individualistic, with a flair for design," he wrote, liking that this is what drivers in West LA perceived. Wardlaw also wrote that he was impressed with the Ranger's dearth of squeaks and rattles after nearly 30,000 miles of pavement pounding, and he noted that the paint has commendably weathered both Southern California's environmental fallout and a salt-ravaged Detroit winter.

Just prior to servicing the vehicle, Wardlaw reported that the truck's five-speed transmission was shifting harshly, particularly when engaging reverse or when futzing along in rush-hour traffic on hot days, and once, when coasting down a steep freeway descent and selecting the overdrive-off function, the tranny freewheeled, offering no engine braking and dropping revs to idle level. Not good, especially considering the fact that this truck has already had its drive shaft yoke lubed under warranty, and hasn't been used for towing or moving heavy payloads.

So, we trundled off to Santa Monica Ford to meet Roland Gomes, with whom we had an 8:15 a.m. appointment. We wanted Gomes to check out our transmission, as well as try to cure a slight pull to the right, fix a dead dash power point, install a new driver's side mirror and perform a 30,000-mile service.

We arrived five minutes late, after a phone conversation with a dealership customer assistance person from whom extracting information about the service center's exact location was akin to coaxing David Schwimmer to accept less than $700,000 per episode. The place was packed. There was nowhere for our ride to park, as real estate is precious in this seaside city.

During the 10 minutes we waited for Gomes to assist us, standing in the sun next to the Ranger, three other service writers offered to help until they learned that Wardlaw had an appointment with someone specific, at which point they disappeared. Neil Chirico, our resident online service advisor and ex-service writer for a Ford dealership, explained that this was most likely because the service writers at Santa Monica Ford worked on commission. Frankly, we'd prefer salaried service writers, for two reasons. First, we would have been assisted sooner. Second, they are less likely to try to sell us service that we don't need.

Standing in the Ford dealership's driveway was entertaining. One burly employee who swaggered like a has-been high-school football star who had guzzled 100 too many Miller Lites grumbled to a customer, "You need a ride, or what?" in reference to the impending departure of the service shuttle. Another commented to a customer, who indicated she was off work that week, that he was "off mentally" but was physically on the job. Confidence-inspiring commentary, no? Sure hope the techs weren't thinking the same thing.

When Roland was finally able to help us, he did an admirably thorough job, even checking to see if any recalls were outstanding on our Ranger and offering to sell me an extended warranty that would include coverage for the transmission. Ah yes, the joys of working with people on commission. Once he learned we were turning the truck in at lease end, he dropped the sales pitch. After photocopying my notes and the page from the manual detailing the 30K services we wished to be performed, we were on our way, assured that we'd get a call soon to tell us what was wrong with the transmission.

A week passed. Finally, we called Gomes to inquire about the status of the Ranger. "Oh yes, I was going to call you this morning," Gomes claimed. He said the mechanics couldn't duplicate the transmission thunking and clunking or freewheeling we observed. He blamed the Firestone Wilderness tires for the pull to the right (which the Ranger had also suffered more than a year prior). He blamed Wardlaw's wife for blowing the power point with some accessory other than the cell phone and radar detector that Wardlaw uses on a regular basis. The driver's side mirror was replaced, and we had the truck fully serviced.

"So, the truck's ready right now?"

"Yessir. I'll run the paperwork over to the cashier right away."

Four hours later, the cashier didn't have the paperwork, and we needed to wait for a bit while Gomes explained the service and charges while the cashier totaled the bill. The driver's side mirror was $312, including a labor charge of $102. The front-end alignment ran us $68, but didn't completely cure the pull to the right, because of a tire defect that Gomes said was covered under Firestone's warranty. The 30,000-mile service was $105.28, which included an oil and filter change, coolant check, a new air-cleaner filter ($42.71 installed), and a brake system check. According to the manual, we should have received a complete cooling system inspection, which our paperwork didn't reflect. According to Gomes, we needed a tire rotation, which they performed free of charge, and rightly so, since the rims were pulled for the brake inspection anyway. Throw tax and "miscellaneous charges" into the equation, and the total cost was $500.88.

Our impression of service at Santa Monica Ford is less than favorable. From the moment we arrived to drop the Ranger off, things began running behind schedule. Service advisors ignored us because we suspect it was a commission shop, our writer kept us waiting, and they kept the truck for a week, failing to call us to provide an update on progress. Finally, the paperwork wasn't ready when we were, despite an assurance that it would be. Plus, Gomes seemed utterly frazzled on both occasions that we interacted with him.

We have a few suggestions for Santa Monica Ford. First, put the service writers on salary to get customers in and out of the shop as quickly as possible. Second, fire that dope who asked a woman "if she needed a ride, or what?" Third, remind employees that service people who are "off mentally" impress nobody. Fourth, have the service writers do what they say they will do, whether it means calling with an update on progress or getting the paperwork delivered to the cashier when it's promised.

Our time with the Ranger is almost up, and we want to know what you think about Ford's compact pickup. Please send us commentary on your 1998-2000 Ford Ranger, along with your name, city and state, and tell us why you like or dislike your truck. Contact us at djg@edmunds.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

Current Odometer: 29,711
Best Fuel Economy: 17.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.9 mpg
Body Damage: $329.33 (new driver's side mirror)
Maintenance Costs: $177.55 (front-end alignment and 30,000-mile service)
Problems: Pulling to the right, thunking and clunking transmission that freewheeled in OD-off mode one time, dead dash power point.