I just took the original Champions out of my 99 Dakota (5.2) today. First plug change in 105,000 miles.
You know what I put back in..... A fresh set of the same things that were in it. They lasted over 100k, Im not going to rethink what's working.
That's where people get into trouble, like in your example.
As the old saying goes..... "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."