Ford or Dodge van (In The Hunt)

[KOYDINH]

Hello everyone -thank you for the Add On, I been looking on Facebook Marketplace and knowded a lot of Ford and Dodge Van for sale. I don't know much about the two van . Any advice about the two van - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly -before I buy one- Thank you in advance. 

 

[MrNoodly]

Personally, I think it's more about the individual van, its mileage, how well it was taken care of, its overall condition. I've seen full-timers in every brand of van.

Search the forum. There have been many threads on the pros and cons of various brands.

 

[highdesertranger]

yep there is a little good, bad, and ugly in all of them. Dodge's rot, Fords blow spark plugs, and GM's do what again I forget. highdesertranger

 

[gslanm]

I am looking into the Ford and Dodge as well. From the research I've done I agree that it's specific to the mileage, how well it's been taken care of, condition, like above poster said. The only place I'd look (cargurus) is for a fleet vehicle used, 25k or under mileage, hopefully 30-40% off msrp, hopefully no flags and taken care of. But I read people driving very high mileage vans sometimes they work real well for a while, other times no.

 

[NomadicFoodie]

yep there is a little good,  bad,  and ugly in all of them.  Dodge's rot,

How do Dodge ProMasters rot? Specifics please.
Maybe i need to start over in what I want. :angel:

 

[highdesertranger]

I was referring to the older Dodges sorry I didn't make that clear. as for the promaster they are front wheel drive. Noooo thanks.

highdesertranger

 

[NomadicFoodie]

I was referring to the older Dodges  sorry I didn't make that clear.  as for the promaster they are front wheel drive.  Noooo thanks.

highdesertranger

What's bad about front wheel drive?
Really need to know, my outdoor vehicle and camping skills are not US based.
Rant on ProMaster invited!

 

[highdesertranger]

to me front wheel drive(FWD) vehicles are disposable vehicles. use once throw away. next time you have a chance crawl under one and check it out there are about a billion moving parts in a front wheel drive and they are all wearing out every time you drive. sooner or later you will have to rebuild the front end and when that time comes it will cost more than the vehicle is worth. plus there are other considerations like low ground clearance, not able to add traction control aids, not good for towing.

lets be honest here the reason manufacturers went to FWD is because it lowers the cost of the vehicle manufacturing. they are cheaper to manufacture thus upping the profit margin. it was not because it is some kind of superior design.

my 2 cents

highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Going off pavement you have a real risk of tearing the CV boots which leads to a front end rebuild. I assume they still have boots on the CV joints. It has been a long time since I saw the front end on a front wheel drive vehicle. Only owned one back in the 80's.

 

[gslanm]

highdesert would you suggest an AWD Van then? If so, what types of vans are in that category. I was searching cargurus all over and only found RWD or FWD. And in the snow where I am near NY area I would be skeptical of rear wheel.

 

[NomadicFoodie]

to me front wheel drive(FWD) vehicles are disposable vehicles.  use once throw away.  next time you have a chance crawl under one and check it out there are about a billion moving parts in a front wheel drive and they are all wearing out every time you drive.  sooner or later you will have to rebuild the front end and when that time comes it will cost more than the vehicle is worth.  plus there are other considerations like low ground clearance,  not able to add traction control aids,  not good for towing.

lets be honest here the reason manufacturers went to  FWD is  because it lowers the cost of the vehicle manufacturing.  they are cheaper to manufacture thus upping the profit margin.  it was not because it is some kind of superior design.

my 2 cents

highdesertranger

Thanks. Much food for thought. Serious Ouch on the throway vehicle comment! 
I prefer driving FWD in potentially stuck situations. Rear wheel drive vehicles tend to be old and more heavy duty, granted. But also gas guzzlers. I'm not a mechanic and wont be fixing anything much other than a tire change etc.

 

[tripper]

Some older Ford vans, up until 1996 I think, came with the 4.9l 300 cubic inch inline 6 engine.  It is one of the best engines Ford ever made, ultra reliable, good gas mileage and very good low end torque which is great for mountain grades and slow crawling on forest roads. Also the absolute easiest engine to work on in a van.  See video link to see what I mean, no van engine comes close to being this easy to work on. Ford Van inline 6 video
I had a friend who owned one and he loved it.  My father owned one long ago and we camped in it all the time.
They are not very common to find, they are not fast, but extremely reliable and will go up any grade. Check out the video I put it at right where they look at the engine compartment.

 

[MrNoodly]

Some older Ford vans, up until 1996 I think, came with the 4.9l 300 cubic inch inline 6 engine.

But you're talking about 25+ year old vehicles. That means high mileage, lots of wear. Whoopie! It has that great I-6 engine! But everything else is falling apart.

 

[tripper]

The OP was asking about the older style vans, which Dodge has not made in 17+ years.  Many van nomads are driving vans in this age range as they are the only ones they can afford. Mileage and maintenance are more important than the age. Most of the people I know who are driving the older style vans have breakdowns with them, the inline 6s are much easier to repair than any others.  Dodges have transmission problems and electrical problems. The Ford v-6 that replaced the inline 6 sux. The big engine Fords all suck crazy amounts of gasoline. I still stand by the inline 6 vans are superior in the long term to the other engines, this is the cheaprvliving forum after all.

 

[rollinghaus]

Thanks. Much food for thought. Serious Ouch on the throway vehicle comment! 
I prefer driving FWD in potentially stuck situations. Rear wheel drive vehicles tend to be old and more heavy duty, granted. But also gas guzzlers. I'm not a mechanic and wont be fixing anything much other than a tire change etc.

Some older Ford vans, up until 1996 I think, came with the 4.9l 300 cubic inch inline 6 engine.  It is one of the best engines Ford ever made, ultra reliable, good gas mileage and very good low end torque which is great for mountain grades and slow crawling on forest roads. Also the absolute easiest engine to work on in a van.  See video link to see what I mean, no van engine comes close to being this easy to work on. Ford Van inline 6 video
I had a friend who owned one and he loved it.  My father owned one long ago and we camped in it all the time.
They are not very common to find, they are not fast, but extremely reliable and will go up any grade. Check out the video I put it at right where they look at the engine compartment.

That is a great suggestion. I loved working on inline engines as a kid. Easy maintenance for sure.