Is this a good deal?

[citytravelfotos]

This is a 2000 Ford E-150 Conversion van, 168,000 miles (but an engine with 91,000 miles), being sold for $5500<br><br>Big plus is this guy claims to have service records (which is rare), from his ad:<br><br>"Hi, I'm selling my 2000 Ford E-150 Econoline Mark III Conversion Van. It has been cared for and service meticulously, and I have service records to prove it."<br><br>"Now THE IMPORTANT STUFF:<br>It runs GREAT. I made my living as a professional touring musician, and this vehicle is what I travelled in for the last couple of years. It was of the utmost importance that I got I got from point A to point B, so I took great care of it.... If my mechanic ever suggested something, I did it. And if a major servicing was due while I was traveling, I had it done at a local Ford dealership. I have done EVERY Ford recommended regular servicing, flushing, etc. Oil changes every 3,000 miles. Probably most importantly, it had a new remanufactured engine installed at 77k miles, so the NEW ENGINE HAS ONLY 91K MILES ON IT. (The vehicle has 168k miles on it total.) Almost ALL of these miles are highway miles, as I only drove it as a touring vehicle, and drove a small car in town. If you check the service records, and see how close together the oil changes were (ie; how quickly I drove 3000 miles) you can validate that it was mostly highway driven."<br><br>In addition, the back seat sofabed when put into its bed position isn't as large as in other conversion vans, thus I can use the back area behind the sofabed as storage.<br><br>I will be doing a lot of city parking, and a dark vehicle may not get as much attention as a light colored vehicle.<br><br><br><br>Negatives, from what I can initially see:<br><br>- The engine is not quite the original engine: &nbsp;A new remanufactured engine was installed at 77k miles. &nbsp;From what I understand, a remanufactured engine is the same as a rebuilt engine, meaning that things inside were replaced. &nbsp;Thus, its questionable if the quality of the replaced parts are as good as the original engine. &nbsp;Original Triton engines can go way past 500,000 miles, but its unclear and probably uncertain if a remanufactured engine can?<br>- In addition, what does it say about the rest of the vehicle if a new engine was installed at 77,000 miles (thus, it had to be? &nbsp;why? &nbsp;does this suggest excessive wear on the vehicle up to that point?)<br>- The rest of the vehicle has 168,000 miles on it, what does that say about the transmission and other parts of the powertrain?<br>- If it has the original spark plugs, (and it's most likely a '97 to '02 Triton engine) it may at one time have the famous blown spark plug issue. &nbsp;That would require going to a mechanic and being possibly ripped off of thousands of dollars to fix it.<br>- The van is dark colored, a deal breaker in itself due to the heat? (I'll probably be staying the summer in the Los Angeles area, which gets up to 80 to 90+ degrees in the summer depending on the region.) &nbsp;This is also a concern since I would like to use the van for working on my computer (I do stock photography for a living.)<br><br>Pictures:<br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://images.craigslist.org/3E23N43p25Kd5Hd5Jdd272903e4faa03c1472.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://images.craigslist.org/3Ke3I83Ne5I55Fd5M7d27a110c8413b0517ee.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://images.craigslist.org/3E73Fc3M15I75L75F1d27985f27c147ed1a91.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br>

 

[idn88]

FWIW, I had a 2002 Grand Marquis with the 4.7 v8 engine, and it burnt up a valve just before 100K. &nbsp; &nbsp;The stealer (spelling intended)&nbsp;recommended&nbsp;fix was to put in a reman engine. &nbsp;I found someone else to redo the heads, and drove the car until almost 200K with no other major issues, at which time so many little things needed fixing I got rid of it. &nbsp;I wouldn't let the engine replaced at 77K dissuade you.<br><br>Go take a look, and have someone check it out. &nbsp;You don't get much for 5K anymore, so if its in good shape and what you want?

 

[koni]

I have a 1999 Ford just like this and when I bought it last june it was nearly the same situation that you have there right now. The engine had been replaced and it had about 40,000 miles on it. 160,000 total now.<br>The people that I bought it from took out the rear captain chairs, moved the rear fold down seat/bed forward, and added an additional extension platform to make it about a queen size bed in the back. I store lots of stuff underneath the bed. I think the maker of this conversion is the same one as mine. It seems pretty well made to me. It also had a number or repairs done before I bought it, new tires, steering box, driveline, suspension and shocks among others. Really check to see what other repairs have been done.<br>I bought mine around Sacramento ,Calif. for 3400. I dont know what vans go in your area but I was happy with the price.<br>By the way, mine was black and I really used that as an issue to bargain the price down. I was thinking of painting the top white but ended up just repainting the entire van a subtle silver metallic. Had all the decals taken off and it looks nice and it seems more stealthy.<br>I love mine for a camper. I hope that helps a little.<br><br>

 

[AltTransBikes]

Not to rain on parades but my idea of a good deal on a 13 yo vehicle and one that reflects my New England geographic location would be much closer what koni posted above. Just my opinion.

 

[citytravelfotos]

^ I don't know how you guys get such great deals &nbsp;All the vehicles I see for below $4000 seem to have issues and/or have high miles. &nbsp;Do you guys manage to negotiate a vehicle in price more than 10% lower?<br><br>Someone at the RTR had a Chevy Astro that only had 60,000 miles, a government maintained vehicle, a rare blue cargo van, for only $4500. &nbsp;Someone else in 2004 bought a 5 year old Ford E-Series Extended Wagon Van with 50,000 miles, government owned, for $8000. &nbsp;These prices are ridiculously low compared to what I find on craigslist.

 

[koni]

I think yo have to take your time and you will know when the right one comes along....then add a little luck.<br>Consider this, right now gas is pushing 4 bucks a gallon. Many sellers are selling vans because of this. Finding buyers for a gas hungry van can take some time for a seller, so I do think right now, a buyer has a little advantage. Use that issue in negotiating.

 

[AltTransBikes]

What's your rough geographic area? <br><br>I just checked the CL for my area and found a number of vans in this range:<br>http://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/3604918789.html<br>http://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/3591090166.html<br><br>I realize neither of these are conversion vans but this was just a quick 5 minute glance and more in line with what I'm thinking.<br><br>EDIT: just looked again and found this: Conversion '98 with 149K miles for $4K but check out the interior!<br>http://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/3552833866.html<br><br>BTW, best of luck in your search, as I said upthread I'm not meaning to be negative just rather have ya find good value.

 

[citytravelfotos]

I guess I shouldn't be looking for vans in Tucson, AZ right now, since gas is about $3.29 here. &nbsp;I was previously looking for vans in the Los Angeles area and Phoenix.

 

[citytravelfotos]

BTW, a new conversion van runs about $50,000 to $60,000, double or more than double the price of a regular van. &nbsp;

 

[AltTransBikes]

BTW, a new conversion van runs about $50,000 to $60,000, double or more than double the price of a regular van. &nbsp;

<br><br> True enough and brand new they'd be sweet! I looked for a good long while for a conversion eventually deciding against it. Most of the ones I saw had high miles. Also, with the finished interior they end up being quite heavy and often being on a (fill in the blank) 150 or 1500 chassis, in other words a 1/2 ton truck. I found with age the 1/2 ton suspensions begin to sag with time and might need to be updated. The way they are finished inside is often not the optimal layout for long term living use so one might want to rebuild it some but I suppose one could adapt. Honestly it's a matter of luck of the draw. A lot of the factory conversions I saw for sale seemed to have been multiple owned, family vehicles with various degree of hygiene practiced, in other words french frys etc matted into the carpeting and seating, lol and I'd probably want to replace a lot of it anyway.

 

[citytravelfotos]

^ I'm considering a conversion van to avoid possible knee and back issues, but I must say one concern I have about conversion vans is questionable or unknown reliability of the front seats (due to the front seats being aftermarket seats that may not have been crash tested), which can lead to additional injuries in a vehicle accident if the seat rips off of the base (I guess a lot of people here drive vans that don't even have airbags, so its probably not much of an issue here.)

 

[Lostinspace]

I used to have a '89 e-150 conversion. Had the captains chairs that were supposed to spin on the base. Some would, the drivers wouldn't.

Anyway back in 2006 I was rear ended by a Chevy II. Probably a 50 mph differential. I was hit so hard I bent the steering wheel top back almost 60 degrees. It also broke the front seat partially loose from the base. If I hadn't of had a death grip on the steering wheel it may have broken completely loose. I'm not sure that standard seats wouldn't have broken loose too. At least the captain's chairs had integral headrests. That protected my neck pretty good. My arms were sore for about a week, but otherwise no harm to me. Also didn't have air bags back then, not that they would have done any good. Probably broken my nose.

Just saying if you get hit hard enough anything will break.

So that was 1989 technology. I'm sure it's better now.

As a side note I was hot into building a Locost 7, it's a Lotus 7 build it yourself. I figured if I had been in one I'd be a dead man. Bikes are safer. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> just sayin'

 

[citytravelfotos]

Everyone here who has a conversion van, conversion van seats, or is thinking of getting a conversion van should see this article:<br><br>http://www.thegilbertlawgroup.com/practice-areas/automotive-product-liability/conversion-vans/<br><br>An example of what I was talking about:<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://www.thegilbertlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/GLG-ConversionVans04.png" class="bbc_img"><br>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">When this conversion van was involved in a moderate frontal collision, the middle row of captains chairs deformed forward, allowing their belted occupants to strike the front seats. One occupant was killed and the other suffered a brain injury. (Photo courtesy of Robert M.N. Palmer, P.C.)"<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://www.thegilbertlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/GLG-ConversionVans03.png" class="bbc_img"><br>"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The two front seats in this conversion van failed completely in a collision similar to the 35 mph frontal barrier tests performed by the government. The seat pedestals bent significantly forward and upward, and the seat tracks on the pedestal released. The driver and passenger were seriously injured."<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://www.thegilbertlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/GLG-ConversionVans02.png" class="bbc_img"><br>"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Open Sans', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">“Different Vehicles, Different Injuries.”<br>In this head-on collision between a converted Dodge Caravan and a Pontiac 6000, the Caravan’s captains chairs and seat belts broke, allowing the driver to strike the steering wheel with enough force to cause severe brain damage and quadriplegia. The seat and seat belts in the Pontiac did not break, and the Pontiac driver (pictured here on the ground) suffered only a broken leg and other non permanent injuries. According to the results of government testing, a stock Dodge Caravan with factory seating and restraints would have fared much better in the same accident. Had the Caravan driver been driving a stock minivan, he most likely would have walked away with only minor injuries."</span>

 

[citytravelfotos]

BTW, I went and saw the van, the paint on the front hood and on the high top was too worn looking, there was a lot of peeling paint on the lowerside area of the vehicle, the vehicle had a general "worn" impression both outside and somewhat inside (leatherlike seats already cracking, a lot of markings in the back). &nbsp;The interior color wasn't as nice as the initial pictures suggested. &nbsp;The engine was replaced at 77,000 miles (seemingly with a manufacturer provided remanufactured engine) because it had too many problems, which suggests to me that it wasn't treated well in its first 8 years (it was bought by the seller in 2008.) &nbsp;The vehicle was driven sbout 91,000 miles in the past 4 years (mostly highway seemingly.) &nbsp;The seller seems honest. &nbsp;For me, however, stealth is important and having a good looking vehicle is important, so unless I can economically do a paint job on this vehicle, its out of the question.

 

[super duty]

Never heard sucjd such a thing as those engines going half a mikkion! The 7.3 diesel pwer strokes, yes. The tritons as even said here werent goingd 100k. The inline 6 engines can go 300k but thats as far as gas engines can go

 

[citytravelfotos]

^&nbsp;http://www.toledoblade.com/Automoti...o-van-going-the-distance-1-million-miles.html

 

[citytravelfotos]

I have a 1999 Ford just like this and when I bought it last june it was nearly the same situation that you have there right now. The engine had been replaced and it had about 40,000 miles on it. 160,000 total now.<br>The people that I bought it from took out the rear captain chairs, moved the rear fold down seat/bed forward, and added an additional extension platform to make it about a queen size bed in the back. I store lots of stuff underneath the bed. I think the maker of this conversion is the same one as mine. It seems pretty well made to me. It also had a number or repairs done before I bought it, new tires, steering box, driveline, suspension and shocks among others. Really check to see what other repairs have been done.<br>I bought mine around Sacramento ,Calif. for 3400. I dont know what vans go in your area but I was happy with the price.<br>By the way, mine was black and I really used that as an issue to bargain the price down. I was thinking of painting the top white but ended up just repainting the entire van a subtle silver metallic. Had all the decals taken off and it looks nice and it seems more stealthy.<br>I love mine for a camper. I hope that helps a little.<br><br>

<br><br>How much did you pay for a paint job on your van?

 

[rokguy]

<EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">My little japenese diesel truck has 540 000km on the clock and runs like a watch, no smoke, no water or oil consumption but I still have a contigency plan to rebuild it in the future simply because of&nbsp;the price I bought it for. $3500AU</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">The rest of the drivetrain has been well maintained but the words cheap and reliable don't often go together.</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Weight up your options but I won't let a reman engine bother me much.</SPAN></STRONG></EM><BR><EM><STRONG><SPAN style="COLOR: #888888">Geoff</SPAN></STRONG></EM>

 

[super duty]

Like you saud, thats a diesel.

 

[super duty]

And as far as the 1 going 1 miklion, so far on tjis timopic there ia 1 that made it, and 2 thay didnt make it to 100k. I will stick to the international 7.3 (TE444)