buying a van

[phoenix900]

I've never bought a vehicle so old, so am scared. I have a car which needs an engine replace or rebuild, so depending upon how much in trade I can get, can get a van for 2k or 6-8K. All the ads seems to be shady dealers, but a private party wouldn't be able to give me a trade. Do I have to go thru the dealers? and do you really have to drive to where they are based upon internet search. <br><br>Seems like such a stupid question. So many details and my brain isn't working as well as usual. <br><br>Think I'm going to try to get an Odyssey. I'd like a van like they make conversions out of. Ford seems to be the best, but can't find any. <br>How is the repair rate on other vans? according to consumer reports, not so good. What's your experience.?<br>

 

[gp]

<P>Hi Phoenix. One thing to check for on&nbsp;a Ford van is if the steering is loose and causes it to wander. I had to have an ambulance steering package put on mine (around $600.00), and I have seen other posts where the people said their Ford vans wandered too. If I could have found it, I would have preferred a Chevy, but I looked for over a year to find a van with a high top that I could convert, and eventually&nbsp;settled with a Ford that I found on Craigslist. </P>

 

[phoenix900]

Thanks for the info!<br>

 

[Simran]

Good advise so far. I looked long and hard for an older Chevy that wasn't used up. It took awhile but I finally got what I was looking for. That said, 4X4's comment on the Dodge is a good one. They are usually more reasonable in price because the resale is lower generally. They DO have a good drive train as well. Lots`a good buys out there on those.&nbsp; Another thing about a Dodge is the possibility of finding a "stretched" van is better with a dodge. They sold a pile of those long "Tradesman" vans. More room <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>Consumer Reports is a bit misleading on older vehicles from the standpoint that, the older a vehicle is, the more problems that get reported. As a consequence of that; the older vans don't fair so good on the CR scale. Much of a vehicles history has to do with the maintenance and quality of the mechanic that works on it. This too; is not factored in on CR reports. At least not to my knowledge.<br>I use consumer reports on new stuff I buy but rarely on older vehicles for that reason.<br>If you find one you think is what you are looking for; spend the extra money to have a mechanic look it over for an hour. A good mechanic can tell you a bunch about an older vehicle if you give them a full hour to look at it. If you know one you trust all the better.<br>There are bound to be things that need to be done to any older van. Some things HAVE to be FIXED right away. Some things NEED to be fixed but maybe are not CRITICAL to the overall preformace of the vehicle. In other words some things can be fixed over time; some need immediate attention. A mechanic will be able to sort this out for you.<br>The 100-150 bucks you spend with a qualified mechanic on a van that you are pretty sure is something you want, will go a long way toward your peace of mind.<br>Remember: If you are unqualified to make a judgement on whether a vehicle is sound or unsound and you have doubts about it for some reason. Walk away; your doubts are probably correct. Trust your own judgement. This may sound like an oxymoron but it is anything but!<br>Gus<br><br>