Is an older van worth it?

[katvagrant]

I'm considering an older van. It's a 1983 Dodge Ram Van 250. I went to a cafe with the lady who's selling it as it was being inspected... she bought it from the original owner in May and was vandwelling in it for a few months, but decided it wasn't for her. The van itself has a lot of pros and cons.<br><br>THE GOOD:<br>-It's super roomy. There's already a comfy seat in the back that folds down to a larger bed, and there is still plenty of space inside.<br>-It has a detachable wee table that goes right in front of that seat in the back. And there is still plenty of space inside!<br>-It's insulated.<br>-It's blue! (Not a requirement, but secretly, I want a van that's blue.)<br>-CD player<br>-The lady who's selling it offered to throw in a few things she'd bought for vandwelling, like a (mostly complete) shelving unit for the van, a propane stove, a lantern....<br>-Carfax report was spotless<br>-It's already registered through next May so I just need to pay transfer fees, and it has passed California's required emissions test<br>-It handles nicely, in the ways that "nicely" can describe the handling of a large, older vehicle. Long as I remember I can't make very sharp turns, I'm fine. No problems there.<br>-Body's in good condition, no rust that I could see<br>-Low mileage for how old it is- 183K on the original engine, which is still running strong<br>-Transmission was completely replaced in '98 and shifts smoothly<br>-Tires, belts, brakes, battery in good shape<br>-and last but certainly not least... It just feels so <i>homey.</i> It has character. I really liked this van. It seemed like the kind of van whose wooden walls I could decorate and windows I could sew curtains for and call it "home."<br><br>THE BAD:<br>It has a few "quirks" that I am willing to put up with, such as a permanently locked driver's side door and an inoperable horn.<br>It doesn't have air conditioning.<br>And... it needs a lot of work.<br>Hoses need replaced: Heater hose, bypass hose, upper and lower radiator hoses<br>It needs some work with suspension and drivetrain type things: outer and inner tie rods, idler arms, front and rear shocks...<br>Valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, reseal intake manifold, transmission pan leaking...<br>Then there's the muffler, the power steering pump, spark plugs, service rear differential... oh, and no rear running lights.<br><br>She is asking $1600 and the mechanic estimated $2000+ worth of work that would need to be done altogether, though I got the impression that I could prioritize and not have to do <i>everything</i> all at once.<br><br>So here's my question: Considering what's right and what's wrong with it, is it worth it to put more into repairs than I pay for the van? If what's wrong gets replaced or fixed as needed, would I still get a few good years from this van if the engine and transmission are still strong, and I solemnly swear to maintain everything regularly? Or am I better off spending the same amount of money on something newer that doesn't need so much work?<br><br>And if I do decide to purchase it- I understand that some of these things (like the intake manifold) are difficult to get to, requiring a lot of things to be detached so that one might get to that part in the first place. Is there a way I might "group" some repairs together to make labor not only easier, but more time-effective? (For example, would I want to get the hoses, gaskets, intake manifold, and leaky things done at the same time?)<br><br>I appreciate in advance your help for all my questions. (And if you think it's daft to even consider this van with all the work it needs, feel free to say so! Gently. <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"> )<br><br>

 

[stude53]

<P><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">If you get a firm price from a reliable mechanic to fix all the problems, it could be a good deal. However, I also want to point out that a high mileage van could require engine or transmission work at any time (no guarantee), and you should factor this in offer price.<BR><BR>For contrast see the van advertised here:<BR><BR></FONT><A href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Ram-Van-/110745711107" target=_blank target=_blank><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge-Ram-Van-/110745711107</FONT></A><BR></P><P><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">PS - Get the drivers door fixed so you can get in and out easily.</FONT></P>

 

[4x4tour]

The van is basically worth 1500 IF everything was already fixed.&nbsp; Keep looking.&nbsp; There are a TON of vans for sale.&nbsp; <br><br>California doesn't require full inspections (just smog checks), so I'm wondering why the mechanic was checking tie rod ends etc..&nbsp; As for leaks, MOST mechanics get head gasket leaks, oil pan leaks and intake manifold leaks confused.&nbsp; Often, just one oil leak at the rear of the intake manifold will make it SEEM like the rest are leaking, when in reality, the oil drips passed the valve covers (from the intake) and down passed the oil pain.&nbsp; Hard to tell, if its that oil soaked.&nbsp; The <u><b>ONLY</b></u> way to tell that ALL THREE are leaking is to COMPLETELY degrease the engine, then run it to watch where EACH leak is occurring. <br><br>Think about it this way,&nbsp; If someone has a blockage in one of their arteries, the doctor doesn't replace the entire heart, right?&nbsp; Well, most shady mechanics will say the intake, oil pan and valve cover gaskets are all leaking, so no matter where the leak was, replacing all of the gaskets would solve the problem (if it isn't the oil pressure sending unit?). Good for them, profit-wise, but not so good for you... <br><br>For 3500 bucks, you could get a much newer van in much better condition... JMHO <br><br>

 

[katvagrant]

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to keep looking. I'm sure I can find something in better shape for that amount of money.<br>

 

[Vanimal]

Check this jammer I saw earlier today. Newer van with lower miles. Oh and it's blue...<div><br></div><div>I'm starting to dig on conversion vans with high tops. Extra head room with storage, bed in the back, fancy wood trim, snazzy lighting, all the fixins.<br><div><br></div><div>http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1998...rucks&amp;hash=item336c2b0927#ht_39226wt_1132</div></div>

 

[djpandemic]

Hi! I purchased a 1986 B250 Conversion van a couple of years ago with less stated problems for $750 dollars. I have thus far replaced the following ...<div><br></div><div>Steering Gear Box</div><div>Tie rod end</div><div>4 shocks</div><div>upper and lower control arm ball joints (both sides)</div><div>idler arms</div><div>alternator</div><div>regulator</div><div>water pump</div><div>alternator belts</div><div>battery</div><div>4 tires</div><div>front brake caliper</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>plus all the normal things like a few hoses etc. I would say that 1600 is very high for a van that old with the problems you listed. That being said, I love my B250! The 318 is a great engine, gas mileage is OK, and there is a ton of room inside. I bet you could find one much cheaper with a little research. They are great vans but I would look a little more.</div>

 

[Seraphim]

Biggest question: how handy are you with a wrench? Components fail every so often. Mechanics labor is about $100 an hour (give or take depending on location and need/greed). Most of it is merely a PIA to the inexperienced. The expensive issues are when the engines/transmission fail. Those require expertise and a lift.<BR><BR>Mileage gives you an 'idea' of engine wear - but that can vary on use/abuse and maintenance or lack of.<BR><BR>If you hire a mechanic, based on your list, I suspect you're looking at quite a bit more than $2000 in total repairs. Whose mechanic did the estimate? 20 hours in labor = about $2000 dollars. That's 2.5 days.( Note I am not a qualified mechanic. My best friend owned his own shop for 30+ years before retiring, and I got pretty good at work estimates,&nbsp;repairing/modifying my own cars, as he gae me frre reign in the shop and taught me each time I came across something new.)&nbsp;Plus realizing everytime you open up an older car, you can pretty much expect to find more things that needs repair lol.<BR><BR>Yes - it's overall cheaper to have some work done in groups: once you got the hoses out of the way, if that belt needs replaced, or it needs a new radiator. Once the belt's off, if it needs an alternator. Any time you take an old piece of rubber anything off, replace it.&nbsp;A lot of labor costs involve getting other stuff out of the way or taken off to repair the main problem, and paying to put to back together. <BR>

 

[Vern M]

<p style="margin: 0px;">My conversion van has been mine for 14 years.&nbsp; It is a 1994 GMC Vandura B2500. It gets all its service and maintenance from my nearest&nbsp;GM dealership and they take better care of it than I could. One-hundred-335-thousand miles and purring.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

 

[johnny_canuck]

You get what you pay for.

 

[Seraphim]

<SPAN id=post_message_1271178486>You get what you pay for.</SPAN>

<BR><BR>Unless you're careful or lucky. SOmetimes you can find a great bargain, sometimes you get the shaft. The latter, probably, more often than the former.<BR><BR>We bought our 96 RV almost four years from a dealer. Retailed, with the low miles, at over $14k.&nbsp; Checked it out and a mechanic friend indicated, on paper,&nbsp;it would need about $2600 in work (that inluded labor). I offered $11k as-is and they&nbsp;accepted.<BR><BR>The day after I picked it up I saw the same unit had been advertised two weeks prior for $9000 by the&nbsp;previous owner. It was just a matter of timing.&nbsp;<BR><BR>We hadn't been looking for a Class B when we found this - didn't even know what a Class B was - so we still consider ourselves fortunate.<BR><BR>

 

[High Plains Drifter]

I would buy the newest and nicest van that you can afford, or perhaps an older one that does not need anywhere as much repair. People buy problems everyday and it never works out for them. But also consider that a newer van is more stealthy than an older one.<br>

 

[lonerglide]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I bought a 1988 chevy van that had a factory installed hitop camper on it!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Found it on CL and owner was asking $2700.00 but then they took it to their mechanic who found out it needed about $900.00 in parts an labor to rebuild the front end so after re posting it for $1500.00 i felt like it was cheap enough if i did the work myself i could save afew bucks,,The van has 80.000 miles on it and it looks like the camper area hasn't ever been used,,the headliner is spotless as is stove,potty,,everything,,,but driver seat as it has a small rip in cloth,,,i believe the sun has got to it an weakened the material,,even the roof ac is so clean that i don't see how its ever been used,,no dirt no dust,,filter new,,,either never used or a complete new unit installed but i doubt it from the rest.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">It has pretty much everything,,stool,shower,kitchen sink,stove top,fridge,furnace</p><p style="margin: 0px;">water sys with heater,,and a LPG system,,all is old but no wear on any items.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">The fridge is abit on the small size an only works on AC<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif">,,,the conversion was done by cobra,,and is discovery model,,has bunk above cab,,,Ive never heard of cobra before i bought mine an have only found one online since then,,so if anybody knows anything bout this camper van id sure love to hear it!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">The paint on the other hand is in baaad shape,,,lol!,its got no gen set or inverters but am working on those as most of my camping will b boondocking,,</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I'm gonna try to post acouple of pics if i can figure that out!,,love to hear from anybody with info on my van an hear from others with class B camper vans who are living fulltime on the road,,as I'm leaving on a extended trip this spring for at least 2 months the first trip out,,well I'm sorry for taking up so much room on here,,have been lurking here before i even bought mine an so thx an safe travels to all!!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">""So i think its really up to u an what u need an want out of a camper van an what kind of shape its in,,i was going to buy a regular conversion van an gut it,rebuild it into a camper ,,,but found this by chance so bought it instead of all the work id had to do but would have changed the floor plan around if i had built it so that gives u something about if ur handy an want to tackle a big project,,sounds like there is alot of work involved with getting that van in good shape,,,there are loads of newer vans for sale that get alot better milage than the older ones and u can design it how u want!,,good luck and B safe!!</p>

 

[Guest]

One&nbsp; thing&nbsp; about older&nbsp; vans&nbsp; , You&nbsp; can&nbsp; actually work on&nbsp; them . <BR>When you&nbsp; remove the dog house&nbsp; , There IS a motor&nbsp; there !&nbsp;&nbsp;<BR>&nbsp;<br>

 

[mobilekev]

I specifically looked for an older van. I wanted a great deal on one with preferably a rebuilt tranny and engine. It has to at least have a fresh transmission as that's the only thing I can't fix myself and would result in around a $2000 bill for a new (rebuilt) one.<br>&nbsp;Sounds like a lot to ask for but in a large market like South Florida I found a 93 half ton chevy with a rebuilt tranny and very well maintained v6 (former phone company) for $1000.<br>&nbsp;I've had it for a couple months now and it's doing great. Only burned 1 quart of oil from the keys to Seattle.<br><br>

 

[WanderingRonin]

The used van sounds really expensive for $1,500. I'd go search somewhere else. Plenty of them show up all the time...

 

[Toyotaman0808]

I just bought a new van. I waited to buy a 2011 after the new year so it was much cheaper. With the warranty and what not I thought it would be the best idea. The only problem i had was not having a permanent address. I just left my house in dec so i was able to use that address.<br>

 

[SoulRaven]

Newer van or older van, as long as the mechanics are solid you can make it into what ever you are looking for... me I have a 1985 4x4 Chev G20 and I full time in it, she is always a work in progress as the deals come by and of course if the money is available... If you are not mechanically adept i would go newer, if you are a good mechanically a mid 80's van is perfect and has allot of aftermarket options to boot, also parts are cheap and very abundant... Junk yards should be your friend, there is complete vans waiting to offer something all over the US...<br>