First time poster here. I'll immediately say that I know this is subjective and open to all kinds of opinions. But I'm hoping to get a bigger picture of what to avoid, more than anything.

I've got a 2004 Heritage F150 RWD Manual trans, 4.2L V6. LOVE this truck, but I'm from Michigan and the underside is ROTTEN. Particularly up on the front part of the frame where the sway bar bolts to the frame. That part is rotten with a hole big enough for my fist.

So I'm looking to get a new F150 this fall or next Spring.

My thoughts so far:

• Under 150k miles
• NO V6 ever again.
• No eco boost, not a fan and I don't have faith that the turbo's WON'T cause earlier piston ring damage and head damage from the higher compression.
• Thinking about sticking to the 5.0 V8. Always see nothing but positive's....what are the negatives?
• NO Triton V8. Read all of the nightmares regarding spark plugs and cam phasers. If it's not that bad then please explain why, I'm open to change. EDIT: For my budget, I'm stuck with older models that only offer the Triton.
• No manual trans. The wife can't drive and it sucks in the city. So what automatic transmissions have good and bad track records. EDIT: I see a lot of people recommending the 6 speed automatic. I'm looking at older models (pre 2011) so besides the 09 and '10, I will be seeing 4 speeds. What years had more bugs worked out of the 4 speed? Or were they all the same? What exactly was bad about the 4 speed?

This might be a common post but I didn't see other posts here about this specifically. I apologize if this is the wrong sub-forum to post this question in.

 

The 5.4 3-V spark plug issue was fixed in late 2008 when they went to a standard one piece plug. I don.t think you can go wrong with a 5.0. Good luck with your search.

 

Even though you've already made up your mind............do you think turbo engines are new? or forced induction as a whole?
lol at early piston damage and head damage from higher compression.

you've already made your mind up, why are you posting? No v6 and no ecoboost......leaves you with exactly what options?

 

Triton or Coyote. The other guy here informed me that the Triton spark plug issues were resolved with the 08 and later models. So that's some useful information. I'm also still interested in what automatic transmissions are good and bad.

I've got my opinions on the eco boost and you've got yours. We can leave it at that.

 

i can't think of a single reason you'd get a 5.4 when a used coyote powered truck is available. Not one.

 

Assuming I got a Triton with the spark plug issue fixed, what would be the reason to get the coyote motor over that one? Any input on transmission choice (what year truck to focus on that had better transmissions)? For example, I think I recall hearing that the 2004 F150's had automatic transmission issues?

 

Late Coyote with the time proven 6-speed tranny. IMO forget the rest of those engines.
I'd say a 2015.
If you can afford it, definitely a 2016... but realize i'm highly biased.

 

2009 or newer with the 6-speed transmission, they have all been pretty bullet-proof.

That puts you into the V8 engine choices of:

2009-2010 4.6, under powered considering what was coming
2009-2010 5.4, likely won't have any issues.
2011-2012 5.0, there were some that 'knocked', no apparent issues but annoying
mid-2013-2014 5.0, pretty much solid as can be.
2010-2014 6.2, I have no info on them.

2015+ trucks dropped 400-700 lbs with about 15 hp bump, feels way faster/stronger.

 

Just what I was looking for. Is that 5.4 a Triton? No notable issues with it? 2013 and up is a bit too new for my budget. Trying to keep it under $10k

 

Yes the 5.4 is the 'Triton', best/least risk years for it were after the 2008 spark plug redesign (not sure specifically when that was).
I would go with 2009 or 2010 anyway to get it paired to the 6-speed (2008 and earlier had a 4-speed).