Note: this may or may not have been covered already - I didn't search because I figured you people might enjoy reading my story.

Hi all. I own a 96 Rodeo LS with the V6, every available option AFAIK, including the leather, sunroof, 6 disc changer, etc. etc. In April someone hit me broad-side in an intersection as a result of them running a red light. Surprisingly the actual impact damage was minimal - almost indiscernible (they were in a Honda CRV, probably going 15mph), but the impact caused my truck to roll onto the driver's side. As I had massive lacerations to my arm with a pint or two of blood loss, I wasn't readily able to get myself out of the vehicle, nor did I want to. Fire-rescue insisted on getting me out by cutting the roof off of my truck, rather than rolling it right-side up with me still inside and letting me crawl out. I spent the next 16 days in the hospital. Needless to say, my Rodeo is now totaled.

I've owned that truck since it had 32k miles in 1999, fresh off lease, with original tires and brakes. Right now it has like 195k odometer miles, and (I'm estimating, based on the fact that the transmission rotation sender didn't work for a couple of years), 235k actual miles on everything except the engine which is like 210k. I've taken reasonable care of it, except when I had to replace the engine in 02 because it threw a rod as a result of running out of oil (and I hardly ever checked it). I've done every bit of work on it mysef, i.e. the engine swap, dropping the tranny, replacing the alternator, timing belt, water pump, brakes, bypassing the shifter-position ignition kill switch when it went bad, etc. So I knew my truck (and the 96/97 series) inside and out.

What I'm wondering is whether I should adamantly stick to the 96/97s when I buy another one, or if it'd be ok to get something like a 98/99/00/01 Rodeo or Passport with the V6? What kind of caveats should I be aware of if I go that route?

Thanks in advance!!!