My wife and I bought an 08 EB back in July with 58,000 miles. While looking it over, I noticed a little more wear and tear than I expected, but the price was very good. I lifted the hood and noticed the motor was absolutely spotless. Not the typical dealership silicone treatment, but the valve covers looked brand new and the engine block was shiny black. I inquired about it and the salesman left to ask the service manager. Upon his return, he told me I was lucky as it had a brand new Ford motor. Evidently the original owner brought it in under warranty due to engine noise and it was diagnosed to be sludged up. He ended up trading it in for a new one and the dealership replaced the motor. We have had great luck out of it since then. That said, I run Mobil 1 in it and keep an eye on the oil level (doesn't use any). As far as the cam phasers go, I do not believe they can cause catastrophic engine failure on their own. Sounds to me like the dealership threw it back together and it either jumped time or it was out of time. I personally think they are liable for at least some of the repair. My buddy has an 05 F150 and the cam phasers have ticked for 70,000 miles (now has almost 150K on it). Runs and drives fine. Just a little noisy. Good luck on this.