Finally got my van

[Gaunt Dusk]

Heyo! It's been a while since i posted but I finally got a van for a thousand dollars. The front windshield is cracked and the side door is a little messed up but it works nad it seems the parts the matter are in one piece. I have to figure out what to start on first but I have already decided to sell the captains chairs.
I do have a problem though, I have no idea where all the light switches are and some of them are on even when I turn the vehicle off, which could drain the battery. It's a Ford Econoline 1995, white exterior. Lots of pockets to put things in, lots of lights.
The lights I need to find the switches for are on the side under the side on both sides of the bed. If I can figure out where their switches are and turn them off, I won't need to unplug the battery and prevent drainage.
Near as I can tell the maintenance it needs for comfort is to recharge the A/C. I'll try to give it a tune up soon. Hopefully I can fix up some curtains to hide me in the back and also figure out what, if anything is wrong mechanically but it seems quite sound. It doesn't even seem to have major rust, but this is Indiana.

 

[Van-Tramp]

And pictures to prove it... nice.

Congrats!

 

[PastTense]

Until you find the switches you could remove the bulbs.

 

[highdesertranger]

cool van, nice price. do as past tense said and take the bulbs out. those lights might come on when the rear doors are opened. maybe check there. highdesertranger

 

[GotSmart]

It looks like the switches are on the light fixtures. Get inside and close the doors. Then look at the fixtures closely, poking at things. That is how I found my light switches.

Start with the Van by getting an oil change and lube job. Ask the mechanic to look for any potential problems. Next would be the brakes. Open each wheel and inspect with a flashlight. I spent almost $1,000 in parts alone, but mine was not running when I got it.

Have fun. My van has been keeping me busy for a while.

 

[Ryannis]

Nice!!

 

[wagoneer]

Is that a hightop? 1k sounds like a deal get ready for the next 1k. Don't start if you can't stop.
Brakes are everything. Good luck see you at the next RTR

 

[MrNoodly]

If it were my van, one of the first things I'd do to the interior is pull out the carpet. Those things can get really nasty, particularly if the previous owner had young kids.

 

[05kas05]

looks like you got a good deal congrats! as far as the lights go if you have not done so already turn your headlight switch all the way in both directions i know on my van this turns on my lower floor lighting so it might be worth a shot. i also have a switch above in the center overhead console space on the roof that turns on some other smaller led lights so you might check there if your van has that overhead console.

one other option you can check is the door switches themselves the lights may come on and off similar to the dome light and if you have a bad switch it could be keeping them on just like if the door is open.

 

[Gaunt Dusk]

Yeah it's a high top, I'm short enough to stand up straight although my head touches the top if I go on my tip toes a bit. I'm five foot two. Plus the roof looks relatively flat so I think I can install a solar panel.
I found the switch to the lights, turned out it was one of the spin and pull switches. It also turns out that light will be on if the door isn't closed properly so it's a bit of both.
The brakes actually are fine, I can feel that they're fantastic. So the brakes are good. I was planning on shampooing the carpet and then putting a tatami mat over it. I just like them because they're attractive.

Tomorrow I take the van to the repair man and depending on what he tells me if the vehicle is about to break down or the repairs are unreasonable, I may end up selling it, but it runs fine, the engine sounds great so I'm hopeful nothing bad is on the horizon. If he gives me a good sounding report, or the needed maintenance is reasonable then I'm gonna get some things fixed such as a replacement windshield wiper motor, recharge the AC (It works, but not well.), obviously the lube job and oil change. Maybe go for a good tune up but I may decide to wait for the full tune up till later because right now I only have 600 in savings to fix up the vehicle. I'm avoiding driving it till my next paycheck when I'll insure it. The check after that will pay for registration.
Of course it's all moot if the vehicle repairs are outrageous or undoable. If the tranny needs to be rebuilt then I'm ****** (I'm assuming the worst scenario obviously) and I'll just pass it on to someone else.

Does anyone know if it's possible to take out the bolting that the chair bolts into when you remove those chairs? If I can, I'd love to.

 

[GotSmart]

Under the van is the nut, and once that is off, up come the bolts.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Wow nice deal!

 

[Gaunt Dusk]

Well I just got it back from the shop and had them recharge the A/C (It was kinda sad as far as A/C's go) and got an oil change plus lube job and the guy says it's fine, but he wants to look at the sensor for the ABS (a non essential, thank goodness) and also he gave me a quote for a new windshield wiper motor (That's just flat out busted.) plus labor and it's all in my price range, Which is fantastic. I'll be honest, My luck is terrible with vehicles and the mechanic gave it a green flag. That's never happened before. All the same, The only things that need maintenance are things that aren't required for proper workings, which means this vehicle is gonna be a keeper. Virtually no maintenance on a thousand dollar vehicle in my opinion is pretty much unheard of and gives me plenty of time to save up money to do future maintenance. Not bad for a vehicle with 164000 miles on it. Now to go on to phase 2; repairs of nonessentials and collecting comfort items in conjunction with making the place homey. I already know i want one of these. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YR00MI...TF8&colid=2JM9FLKZN0NRM&coliid=I2956N2Q89ZECD
I have a bed in mind to install too. And by install I mean unroll. I have a rollout bed and I find them very comfy...
Also, if inscrewing the holsters for the captains chairs means putting a tiny hole in the vehicle then I'll just put a thick carpet pad over the screw points and put in a carpet I like over that. Besides, I need to shampoo the current carpet anyway, it looks disgusting, like kids barfed over it, which is not unlikely because it used to be used to ferry children to church, according to the "dealer".

So that means a thousand dollar vehicle with only the problems of a cracked windshield, recharge needing A/C, bad windshield wiper motor and one door needs fixing (at least no one can break in through that door since it's stuck). I call that a win.

 

[akrvbob]

Gaunt Dusk, I'm afraid I have to disagree....

I call that a gigantic win!!!!

Bob

 

[Gaunt Dusk]

Well I spent my first night in there. I took a blanket, a pillow, a pair of headphones, my laptop and a glass of water with my dog.
It was a terrible night's sleep.
Not because the bed was uncomfortable or because I felt too excited, no it was because my dog Wesker was going nuts at various times of the night. She'd occasionally bark and would whine and kept getting off the bed and on the bed, clearly antsy as hell. She woke me up several times. It was not fun. I'd say that the bed was comfy and the temperature outside was nice, which was why I chose that night but holy crap, it's a good thing I'm finding Wesker a new home because she did not like that at all.
Also sometimes when I rolled over I wondered if I was going to puke, which I blame on my roommate because she's sick and has been coughing a lot. I've noticed a mild cough developing on me too. At least I'm moving out at the end of next month, (or I hope to) so that means I'll be better if I fully catch whatever bug she's got.

However, the outside noises of people walking by and the cars didn't bother me. Although for some reason Wesker was most likely to bark when there was less noise.