Our long-term Rodeo has escaped from New York with more scratches and bruises than Kurt Russell's stunt-double from the movie of the same name. Our Detroit-based news editor John Clor is now in possession of the Rodeo and has made preparations to restore the Rodeo to its former beauty.

Clor's initial impressions of the Rodeo are favorable. This is the first Rodeo he has driven since the truck was redesigned in 1998, and he decided that the newer model is much more powerful and less "buzzy" than the one it replaced. He cited our long-term Rodeo's ability to pass quickly and effortlessly on uphill sections of freeway as particularly impressive.

The Rodeo's tall ride height won accolades from Clor's sons, who are impressed by the outward visibility afforded them from the rear seat. His wife, however, finds climbing in and out of the truck difficult due to the Rodeo's high step-in height. Such is the price of that king-of-the-road feeling.

Clor found a solution for the screeching moonroof wind-deflector that had spooked and annoyed many of our drivers. He removed it. Why this hadn't occurred to anyone before is beyond us, but it took an industry veteran with two decades of experience to determine that some pieces of equipment are better removed than fixed.

The Rodeo is scheduled for a cornucopia of service and repair at the beginning of next month. Hopefully this will heal the scars the truck incurred while in the Big Apple. We'll let you know how much the reconstructive surgery costs, but initial estimates indicate that it will be more than $1,000.

Total Odometer: 31,649
Best Mileage: 19.1 mpg
Worst Mileage: 18.1 mpg
Maintenance Costs: Service pending
Body Damage Costs: Estimates pending
Problems: Noisy sunroof air deflector.