I am going to have to argue with this one,or maybe I was just lucky.
I have the V6,and in my mind that engine has turned out very reliable. I have 175K on that engine right now in my dakota,and the only thing I have had to do is replace a water pump.I change the oil every 2000 miles,mainly because of the abuse I hand out to that truck.I regularly pull a 16ft trailer piled with as much wood as it can hold,and that truck has never complained.
When I moved from alabama to TN,I got a much better deal on my steel shop in alabama than anywhere in TN.I asked the guy about freighting the materials to TN, he wanted 2500 bucks.I decided to haul the material to TN myself,and bought the trailer.I asked the guy what the total amount of weight that the material was going to weigh,figuring on making two trips.he told me that the total amount was 5400lbs.I figured I should be able to get that in one trip.
With a load leveling hitch,I pulled that entire 24X60 shop to TN.It wasnt until years later that I was paging through some old files that I found at the bottom of the packing list that I discovered that man had made a huge mistake.Total weight of that package was 9000lbs.And another 1000lbs for the trailer!
I have always subscribed to a rigorous maintenance schedule,rarely do I allow anything to go over 2000 miles without an oil change.Only exception is the wifes car which gets driven daily to work on the highway, and I never allow it to go over 3000 miles between changes.I have never used synthetic oils, always figured it was better for frequent oil changes of dino oil rather than 5-6K miles of the the synthetic oils as they recommend.
To the OP, in my mind,if you treat that truck with respect and it wasnt abused by the previous owner I think you will be well pleased with that truck.I know I have nothing but the highest regard for mine.