Is a 1989 Dodge 2500 camper van a solid choice?

[Sheena]

Hello! 

I'm just starting out! I found a camper van on craigslist. 1989 Dodge 2500 camper van. I want to go look at it today. It's a 3 hour round trip though so I's love to get thoughts on any red flags I should be looking for before I make any hasty decisions. The images look pretty sharp and it's been recently detailed. Guy says he is selling it for his friend and that it was used for him when he went hunting. 

I'll be starting out in Dec-Jan headed from New England to California with me and my two dogs and I am so excited (my parents, not so much.) I want something reliable as I am not mechanically inclined (yet) and I don't want anything to brake down on my way across the country. I'm torn between buying something like this or buying something with less amenities and just customizing it. Thoughts?  Thanks for any advice!

Questions:

Is this too big to be stealth? Can I still street park this guy in residential? 

Will this pull a trailer with a light motorcycle as well?

Generally are these good vehicles?

Any other thoughts you have that I'm missing.


Description: 

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]1989 dodge camper van [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Everything works [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Very clean [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Roof is good [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Tires are good [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Runs drives perfect[/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Bring reasonable cash offer and drive [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]60k easy miles 1 owner [/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Heavy duty[/font]

[font='Bitstream Vera Serif', 'Times New Roman', serif]Not rotted or rusty[/font]

 

[user 2252]

Pictures look good, nice description........................got to see it for myself to give you my opinion. New England?..........where?

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

Any interior pictures? I would always give the underside a good look, since it was only used for hunting, check to make sure no rodents have been fooling around on the underside. Was it garage kept or kept outside? Give it a good test drive, see how it starts, and drives and if the transmission shifts nicely. I would highly recommend taking it to a mechanic near the seller if possible! That is one sweet looking van though. Also, I did not see an asking price, what is the seller asking for the van?

 

[Patrick46]

if the motorcycle is light enough (like a 250), you can mount it on the rear bumper. Then you don't have the hastle of having to drag a trailer around behind ya. MUCH easier!

 

[Sheena]

if the motorcycle is light enough (like a 250), you can mount it on the rear bumper. Then you don't have the hastle of having to drag a trailer around behind ya. MUCH easier!

It's a 1974 Yamaha RD250! And she is beautiful.

 

[Sheena]

Pictures look good, nice description........................got to see it for myself to give you my opinion. New England?..........where?

Interior is pretty nice. My concern is that is passes CA emissions once I get it out there. No way of knowing that!

 

[VanDwellerMod]

Welcome to the CRVL forums Sheena!  Be sure to have a trusted mechanic look over any used vehicle before you commit to a purchase.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started.   

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[SternWake]

Being a Northern vehicle in the salt belt, Check for rust by the rear most leaf spring perches behind the back tires. Also look for excessive rust on roof gutters and around the windshield. My 89 B250 bought in Florida, is good underneath but the roof gutters and windshield are the problem areas rust wise.


My 89 b250 had been a good platform, but I've also rebuilt or had rebuilt most everything since 2001, but it has never left me on the side of the road in need of a tow.

If you get it, and develop any issues I can help you out as I am intimately familiar with all its systems, but at 60K miles and this age, I would worry more about rust than major mechanical issues.

Learn how to check the DOT date codes on the tires. Upto 5 years old and no more is OK, despite how much tread there might be left.

Find the bargaining chips to talk down price. Bad rust underneath, and I would recommend walking away.

Do see if you can smell mold or mildew on the carpet in the back by the doors. The seals here are not the best and the taillights and windows can leak leading to rust and mildew.

 

[cyndi]

Definitely worth checking out. I'd also have a mechanic look it over. He can check it out for the rust damage, too. Many campervans are stored during the winters so the rust damage may not be an issue.

Make sure when you go to look at the seller is going to have all the systems ready to go so you can check the propane,plumbing and electricity.

I'm headed out of NE in a few days. Wish I could have left last week. Next year I'll be gone by October 10th, for sure.

 

[Canine]

Ahhh Cindi,I admire long range planning.Long range for me and Vic is tomorrow afternoon.Have a safe trip.

 

[GotSmart]

Mt only concern is the "BRING CASH" part.  Also bring some big guys and do an immediate DMV search.

 

[Gary68]

whats the price?

i do craigslist car deals in a public place,for a female that could be the local police station,if you smile and wiggle a cop just might run the legals right there

like stated before check under for rust and if its one owner it should have a stack of receipts with it,if no evidence of new parts its probably due for some

 

[Sheena]

Pictures look good, nice description........................got to see it for myself to give you my opinion. New England?..........where?

It was located in Springfield Mass.

 

[Sheena]

whats the price?

i do craigslist car deals in a public place,for a female that could be the local police station,if you smile and wiggle a cop just might run the legals right there

like stated before check under for rust and if its one owner it should have a stack of receipts with it,if no evidence of new parts its probably due for some

Bought it! I paid $1000 for it. I imagine it will need some love over time as it is an older van. It did have some rust. Hard not to find here in New England on older models. But it was in my budget and everything else is in such good shape.

 

[Sheena]

Any interior pictures? I would always give the underside a good look, since it was only used for hunting, check to make sure no rodents have been fooling around on the underside. Was it garage kept or kept outside? Give it a good test drive, see how it starts, and drives and if the transmission shifts nicely. I would highly recommend taking it to a mechanic near the seller if possible! That is one sweet looking van though. Also, I did not see an asking price, what is the seller asking for the van?

Shifts GREAT. Drives smooth. He wanted 1300, but I talked him down to $1000. Mostly the guys seemed like he just didn't want to put any effort into selling it. He had bigger fish on the lot.

 

[Sheena]

Definitely worth checking out. I'd also have a mechanic look it over. He can check it out for the rust damage, too. Many campervans are stored during the winters so the rust damage may not be an issue.

Make sure when you go to look at the seller is going to have all the systems ready to go so you can check the propane,plumbing and electricity.

I'm headed out of NE in a few days. Wish I could have left last week. Next year I'll be gone by October 10th, for sure.

All the features worked and it runs amazingly. Seems like they just used it to drive and sleep mostly.  But it did have some rust on the bottom.  :-/ For $1000 though, I couldn't pass it up. Hoping that wasn't to naive. 

I don't blame you for wanting out of here a week ago. The leaves are peak beautiful but it's too cold for October. I can't do 10 feet of snow again!

 

[SternWake]

Congrats on getting a capable vehicle for 1K$


Hopefully the rust you saw underside is just surface rust and not frame rail compromising rust.  Dodges Vans are not usual body on frame type of construction, but there are frame rails , and where the front suspension attaches to this frame rail, and where the  steering gear mounts,  as well as the rear leaf spring mounting areas are known issues on these vehicles that were driven on salted roads.

If there is not an Additional transmission cooler installed in addition to the one in the lower tank in the radiator, add one.

Never use any ATF but ATF+4.  Do not trust any service shop to use the correct fluid in your transmission, bring your own ATF+4, do not listen to their spiel about how their special fluid with such and such an additive is just as good.  It is NOT.  ATF+4 uses Synthetic basestocks and has a specific additive package and is a very high quality ATF.

If it has an OD OFF button to the left of the steering wheel, it is Likely an A-500 transmission.  The weak link on this transmission is the Overdrive unit, and the OD will engage at 29MPG under light throttle.  The A518 transmission is more heavy duty and desirable, but I do not think they were employed in 1989 models.

In hilly areas, keep the transmission out of overdrive when climbing hills or on flatlands and  only slowly accellerating.  It is important with this transmission to not just right pedal go left pedal slow it.  One needs to decide when Overdrive is permissible.  While My 89 dodge van with a 318 and a-500 transmission and a 3.55 to 1 9.25 differential has enough power to climb grades in overdrive at 65 to 70MPH, often I'll just slow down to 60mph and press the OD OFF button and keep it in third.  Often when engaging the OD off button climbing hills, I also then have to back off the gas pedal revealing that I am actually using less gasoline in a lower gear at the same speed when hill climbing.

While some will advocate leaving the transmission to decide which gear it is to be in, as it knows what is best, this recommendation does NOT apply to this combination of vehicle and Overdrive transmission.  Make use of that OD off button often in hilly areas below 55mph or on flatlands when only slowly accellerating, and add an additional ATF cooler.  They cost about 70$ in parts.

The weakest link in a Dodge  drivetrain, especially in a campervan, is the transmission so It will behoove you to take best possible care of it.

So ATF+4 kept cool, and liberal use of the OD OFF button will maximize transmission longevity,

My A-500 cost 2850$ to rebuild in 2001.  I've got 80K miles on it since.

 

[66788]

That's exactly why I used an older 727 transmission with a shift kit on my 1989 Dodge van. Rock solid, almost bullet-proof, and very little difference in mileage.

A500s are weaker transmissions and prone to premature failure.

I do hope you have much better luck with yours than others have had.

 

[Sheena]

if the motorcycle is light enough (like a 250), you can mount it on the rear bumper. Then you don't have the hastle of having to drag a trailer around behind ya. MUCH easier!

Thanks for the tip. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of mount I should look for? I did some quick looking around and from what I've seen the lifts are between $3000-5000 which is more then I paid for my motorcycle and van combined. Hoping to find some solution more affordable.

 

[GotSmart]

Thanks for the tip. Do you have any suggestions on what kind of mount I should look for? I did some quick looking around and from what I've seen the lifts are between $3000-5000 which is more then I paid for my motorcycle and van combined. Hoping to find some solution more affordable.

http://www.discountramps.com/smc-60...gnwGfRs9fFjrN2nVsUmbUjBhWf8xqA-1nfhoCeE3w_wcB

I just did a Google search under Motorcycle bumper rack.