I hate changing the oil in my Ford!!

[MNgopher]

Two things:

One, a tip. If you haven't tried it, try moving the wheels full left or full right. On my '99 F150, full left pulls the pitman arm out of the way and makes it MUCH easier to get at it.

Two, I am surprised Ford did not install the handy dandy oil funnel on yours. Mine has a nice black plastic piece under the oil filter location that routes the oil that drips out over the differential nice and clean. No problems there. Surprised it isn't on a later model!

 

[metroplex]

It's easy to chnge the oil on the 4.6 in my 00 Crown Vic and the 5.4 in the 03 E-250.

I'm glad I didn't get a SUV.

 

[White Fang]

All these things look crazy until you understand the underlying theory. In this case it has got to be to force you to take the vehicle to the dealer for an oil change.
I had an Olds Intrigue 2001. A mechanic friend finally told me it takes a Blue Point YA336 wrench to get it off - available from Snap On. Then I got a Cadillac. It takes a Torx socket that even a Snap On Torx won't fit on. I finally found a cheapo at Auto Zone that works. Even then I stripped the socket and had to buy a new one. $14.95 at the dealer for a bolt!

I can think of no other rationale than service.