I have an old Rowenta that has survived several trips to a concrete floor and has continued to work for years after my dh put it back together with heat-resistant glue. Love it because it heats up FAST and becomes very HOT. It does, however, have the auto shut-off (which, for me, is necessary). I love it so much I have 2 backups for it, exact same model, that I found in thrift shops for $5 each. Lots of quilters bought this iron and didn't like the auto shut-off on it. Among Rowentas, I believe it is much better to buy the type that has the tank attached to the iron; it is those with removable tanks that tend to develop leaks.
To prevent an iron from learning to spit, I think what you need to do is purchase water at the grocery store that has been through reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis means the water has been completely de-mineralized. If only this water is used in your iron, I think it is unlikely to develop spitting issues (and will probably never require cleaning). Wish I had realized this years ago for my wonderful Rowenta. I can get this type of water for 39 cents at our rural grocery store (refilling a plastic gallon jug that is sold in the same area of the store). Some people use it for drinking water because it has virtually no taste, but my understanding is that the complete removal of minerals makes it not so good for drinking water because we benefit from ingesting those minerals that have been taken out.