Q: I know Ford is a great car company but I've heard Nissan is just as great or even better than ford.
A: Both have their merits; I prefer Ford's trucks and Nissan's cars. Having owned several examples of both makes, I've driven most of them in excess of 100,000 miles (and one Maxima to almost 200,000 miles, and I still see it running around the neighborhood over three years after I sold it). Ford's pluses are that their trucks are durable and inexpensive to repair...minuses are uncomfortable seats (at least for me), minor electrical gremlins and poor gas mileage (when compared to other trucks). Nissan cars are quiet, comfortable and reliable, with excellent gas mileage. Minuses are slightly more expensive parts, V6 engines for which premium unleaded is recommended or required (4 cylinders are okay on regular), and one odd phenomenon common to ALL of my Nissans: the paint on the front bumper seems to get little chips in it much more so than in my other cars (I put a mask on the nose of the car for highway driving). I'm a stickler for maintenance, but I have also noticed that both of these makes are forgiving of owners who may occasionally neglect things for a few thousand miles. Both manufacturers tend to use chain-driven cams (versus belt-driven) on their current models, so no fear of having a timing belt break and causing massive amounts of damage to the valvetrain. You may want to base your choice on the dealer. I have a better relationship with my Nissan dealer at this time, which gives them an edge if I were to be in the market for a new vehicle. And finally, check out Consumer Reports and J.D. Power results to research reliability and owner satisfaction of not just these two makes, but the particular models you're considering. No offense intended to any of us, but the responses you get here will tend to be based on a particular person's experience of owning maybe just a few cars; Consumer Reports and J.D. Power use data collected from thousands of owners, so you get a better overall picture of what to expect.