Hey Chief,
If $$$ is an issue, Ford is really trying hard to get rid of the '01 models. I just got a loaded XLS (It's an XLT without running boards, power driver's seat, and is missing the front piece of the console under the dash. Other than that, the rest of the hardware is the same). For about $26k OUT THE DOOR! They practically begged me to take an '01 over the '02. Performance wise, I know the '02 model got a radical overhaul, but my '01 still runs circles around just about anything else I have offroaded with, including a couple of J**ps!