E150 rusty cargo bed concern

[illumin8em]

Howdy y'all!

I think this is OK to to post here? After a year mourning the end of a long relationship I've decided to keep at least one dream alive from the wreckage. So, I'm considering purchasing an 06 E150 with just a hair over 100k miles for around $6k. I drove a couple hours to check it out and it's in pretty good condition throughout, drives so much smoother than the E350s I've driven working for a University. There was a bit of surface rust on the corners and tailgate area which I wasn't to concerned with but when I lifted the plastic guard and carpet I saw much worse. I've actually never seen an issue like it, I'm wondering if the van was used to haul a chemical and maybe that would explain the aggressive pitting. The idea of chemicals is also why I want to get the carpet out of there. It's not glued down and there is a plastic barrier but it didn't appear to work. I'm quite disappointed as I've been waiting for something to appear for the past year that really checked all the boxes and I've been too late every other time. Would you even still consider this van were you in my shoes? My budget is about $7k, $8k max. I will not be doing a full build out this winter, just the basics to get me through until better weather and fatter pockets. Thanks for taking the time to read. I probably don't have long to decide the rate vans are being bought up these days. Here are some pics. The last photo is with the carpet lifted up a bit and really shows the concerning bit.

thanks

 

[illumin8em]

The van

 

[bullfrog]

Rust is rust. Rust in the frame Is an immediate concern look underneath. As you have found rust is like an iceberg, you only see a tenth of the problem usually. Rust is not worth much and if you can't fix it, it will just get worse. Some of that looks like it came from underneath and rusted through. Once you build out and fill a van with all you need to live in it full time most need the capacity and loaded the heavy duty van actually drives better and doesn't wear out as quick. My personal opinion is it would be more work than it is worth to fix and wouldn't carry much of a build out weight wise so no I would not buy it.

 

[illumin8em]

Illumin, did you check the undercarriage? The floor is one thing, but if the frame is rusted through, I would walk (or run if I could)

Rust is rust.  Rust in the frame Is an immediate concern look underneath.  As you have found rust is like an iceberg, you only see a tenth of the problem usually.  Rust is not worth much and if you can't fix it, it will just get worse.  Some of that looks like it came from underneath and rusted through.  Once you build out and fill a van with all you need to live in it full time most need the capacity and loaded the heavy duty van actually drives better and doesn't wear out as quick.  My personal opinion is it would be more work than it is worth to fix and wouldn't carry much of a build out weight wise so no I would not buy it.

hello. I crawled under and  the frame and as much else as I could see looked just fine. Typical Oregon (unsalted roads) vehicle underbelly. 

I do understand that the general consensus is to go for the bigger engine van, but I do not have intentions for such involved build plans. I don't spend much time at home and have always lived very minimally without many possessions so the van will certainly end up the same. I'm already trying to sell a 12V fridge I recently bought when I thought i'd scored a different van, only to realize once the fridge arrived I'd not have much use for it given the way I cook and keep food. 

thanks for the thoughts

 

[maki2]

I think you should keep looking and pass that one on by. Sometimes you have to look further away from home if the local supply is limited.

Just because the underside of the frame you can see with a visual inspection is not in bad shape that does not mean that the upper surface of the frame is still intact. I just replaced the frame on my travel trailer. After taking the trailer shell of the frame I found out that the upper surface had rusted through at some critical junctions of the frame. But O could not see those rotted through areas when doing an inspection from below.

 

[highdesertranger]

dealing with rust, any rust is no fun. like Bullfrog said you are only seeing 10% of the problem.

as for the bigger van it's really not the engine it's everything else. on a 3/4 or one ton everything is more heavy duty. the suspension(that's why the ride is rougher), the brakes, the frame, the tires, the transmission and sometimes the engine. all this is a plus when you are loading the van. I would never use a 1/2 ton for a build.

highdesertranger

 

[bass_sears]

Is that a factory of aftermarket plastic floor guard? My thought is combo of poorly installed guard and then carpeting on top allowed the floor of the van to stay wet all the time and rust, more likely than chemicals but who knows. Not sure where in Oregon you are but if van was in the west then you're lucky you don't have mushrooms growing in there!

For me I'd apply the rule (adapted from boats) "you're not buying the van, you're buying the previous owner". You want someone who looked after the vehicle while it was theirs, any visible evidence (such as rusted floor) leads me to believe there was other neglect that you can't see. If they were indifferent enough to let the floor sit wet for (possibly) months at a time, how often did they change the oil? Did they ever check the differentials? Etc etc.

-- Bass

 

[txmnjim]

hello. I crawled under and  the frame and as much else as I could see looked just fine. Typical Oregon (unsalted roads) vehicle underbelly. 

I do understand that the general consensus is to go for the bigger engine van, but I do not have intentions for such involved build plans. I don't spend much time at home and have always lived very minimally without many possessions so the van will certainly end up the same. I'm already trying to sell a 12V fridge I recently bought when I thought i'd scored a different van, only to realize once the fridge arrived I'd not have much use for it given the way I cook and keep food. 

thanks for the thoughts

yea, if your not doing a major build it looks okay to me. you should be able to see frame
damage pretty easily...good luck!

 

[ckelly78z]

In Ohio, that is considered "minimal rust" because they salt/slurry roads here for about 3-4 months a year. There are trucks/vans running around with huge gaping holes visible (stick your hand, and arm through sized).

Sand down the rust, and use a good rustoleum primer before repainting...good to go !