Hello, have recently decided to upgrade to a crew cab truck from my Jeep TJ due to growing family needs. Having looked around in my area, several F-150s stand out as clean looking trucks and a couple Nissan Titans as well. I want to get a buyers inspection done on which ever truck I decide to look at by a local Midas, but what else do I look for that the average mechanic wouldn't catch? What are some of the common problems assocciated with the 06-09 F150s and specifically the 5.4 Triton engine? Despite the number of miles, I'm looking for a vehicle that doesn't require a lot of maintenance since that is part of the reason I'm looking to upgrade from the Jeep. Thanks for any help.

 

For that year range, I'd have a hard time passing up the Titan.

Nissan VK56 > Ford Triton 5.4

I'm not sure about common Ford issues with those years, but I can tell you to watch out for leaky axle seals on the Nissan. My Frontier had the exact same rear axle and I was always fighting the axle seals. Eventually I gave up replacing them, and just made sure the check my dif fluid every year. It never leaked enough to require being topped off, and I just made sure to change the fluid every 4 or so years.

 

The 5.4's of that generation had some problems of their own with bearings going out when they reached higher miles. You may want to research that. The Titans of those years had their own unique problems. My neighbors Titan has had to have the rear end replaced, and quite a few aggravating smaller problems. If possible I suggest looking at the '11-'14 F-150's, or (and I can't believe I'm saying this) the Tacoma's (dang, that hurt more than I thought ). But you do have the right idea in taking the truck to have it inspected. Good luck.