kevin70

I have also heard plenty of negative things on the 5.4 V8 in terms of reliability. The 5.0 V8 seems to be considered the most problem free.

CDC5.0

So.....I'll just turn the conversation on its head here and be the first to tell you that the 5.4 is a great engine.
There are many users on this forum that have them and love them, many with very high mileage. If you get a 2009, 2010 F150 I would suggest the 5.4 over the 4.6 any day. Just make sure that the cam phasers and spark plugs are in good shape (there are many threads on this). The 5.4 loves to tow and is a great work horse, its not as fast as the current 5.0 but it is still a great engine regardless.
If I were you I would also look into a new truck of a lesser trim level and see what you can work the price down to, you may be surprised of how little difference there is once you factor in the difference in interest (if you finance).

11rangerZ520

X2, my 2005 5.4 has 170,000 on it with no issues and has been driven hard and towed a lot of weight. The 08 and older trucks had a two piece spark plug and bad cam phasers but this with taken care of with the new 3v in the 2009+ trucks.

bawalker

I appreciate all of the insight on the engine differences. Just depending on what I find or if it turns out I can wait longer, I may wait for a 2011 5.0 engine.

However I still have my initial question which is, how well do F150's hold up with higher mileage? I would say the average 150 for sale has 120,000 miles on it for both 2009s and 2010s. So that breaks down to 30k-40k a year. Even with my car used for my business here now I'm barely maxing out at 30k miles a year put on it. If the F150's are built to withstand that, then great! I just want to be aware of any potential issues related to high mileage if I get one of those (aside from routine maint anyway). I mention this because my Subaru, at 100k they had notorious leaky headgaskets that needed replacing around that age and Subaru had to issue a recall on them, and of course fixed in later versions. Just wondering if anything of the sorts exists on the 150s at a certain mileage level?

CDC5.0, thanks for the 5.4 info! I had looked pretty seriously at an extended cab version that came with a 6.5' bed. I had even rented some trucks (while the Subaru was in the garage a time or two) to test drive and to get some work done. I discovered I have more room (capt obvious here) with the super crew cab. Namely for my computer business I own which requires hauling alot of good computers at times that I found it tremendously easier to haul with a super crew.

I'll say the super crew is a preferred trim style, but again I'm not settled into stone with it either. I'm trying to leave all options open for not just the best deal, but for the best setup that will last me 10+ years.

SUPERLOOP

I have a 09 F-150 with the 4.6L but a regular cab. I work at a Ford dealer parts dept. This was our delivery truck which we retired for a new one. I bought it with 72,000 miles and it now has 82,000 miles. When it was in service we kept the maintenance on it religiously so I knew what to expect when I bought it. All I've done to it so far is oil changes, a new set of wiper blades, and a lower door opening weatherstrip I installed 3 days earlier. I would like a new truck (can't afford it like you), but with all the electronic issues I've been reading about and coming through our service department, I feel comfortable this rig will last me a long time. The transmission might be the weakest link, but the 4R75W transmission in the later years have become reliable as well. Always with any used vehicle it pays to find out it's prior history and do your homework. Good luck in your purchase.

Tide89

What trim level are you looking at purchasing? If you do not need all the bells and whistles you can probably find something much newer than 09 models in that price range. A friend of mine just picked up a nice 2014 4x4 Scab with the Eco-boost for 30k Brand spanking new. and realistically with the financing options and rebates on new trucks right now you could probably get close to having the same payment as a 09 with 100,000 miles worth of somebody else's problems. With warranty to boot.

bawalker

Tide89 - Unfortunately 30k is past my budget right now. Options wise I'm mainly wanting a 4 door supercrew cab, 4x4. I've seen some other 2x4 with standard extended cab easily going in the $20k range, if not a hair less, but both of those options defeat the reason why I'm looking for a truck tho.

Tuff Truck

I have a 2006 ford f150 King Ranch with the 5.4... bought in 2009...I always buy used cause I just cant get myself to buy new..lol.... its got 231,000 km on it and still purrrrs like a kitten with that great growl when you step on it...lol Biggest thing is...change your fluids regularly 3-4000 km on oil.(full synthetic)(go ahead chime in on this I dont care what you say I change mine MAX 4000km...hmmm runs smooth no ticking...works for me)... transmission/transfer case/diff/ every 40-50,000 km and change your plugs while your at it. (just my opinion) and I've never had any major problems...except when I had to change the alternator...went thru 3 of them within 2 weeks because all they had at the ford dealer are those rebuilts and its hit and miss with those..I couldnt get a factory "New" ......so look it over and if the engines not ticking....take a chance on it..I'm sure you'll like it. Dont beat me up too bad..this is just my opinion seeing its a forum and all. Have a good day

bawalker

TuffTruck, that sounds like my Subaru! At 285k miles, I've always changed oils and fluids regularly and stayed on top of maint. When I had headgaskets replaced at 150k miles, the mechanic was astonished at the engine. The cylndar walls still had crosshatching and looked like the block only had 20k miles on it. That convinced me to stay on top of maint even more!

Thanks for the input on your truck with that many miles on it. My main concern was with F150s and my lack of knowledge... was there a certain age many things quit working.

Tuff Truck

I guess I have been lucky nothing has quit working.... so far....lol..did I just jinx myself....haha