Might buy this Class B. Opinions?

[One Awesome Inch]

I have been working my butt off at work in a temporary but high stress position. The result is that I have saved up a large sum of money. I'm thinking I need to spend it before a) I piddle it away or b)somehow my exwife finds out and the government takes half. Wouldnt surprise me.


Anyway, the van is a Class B "TravelHome" conversion based on a Ford 350. Its a 5.8litre, V8 and has 273, XXX km or about 170,000 miles.

Watchya think? Might go look at it tomorrow. Anything I should pay particular attention to?

 

[BC Guy]

A 1996 for $11,500 does not sound too bad. I suggest you check if the front seats swivel. I found changing the dinette to a bed and back every day to be a drag, so now it stays as a bed all the time. My Class B has a holder in the floor for a extra small table near the front that I use. I found the dinette cushions to be too hard and added a topper.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Good points. I won't be swiveling my seats as I'll likely build a partition wall for privacy.

Guesses on the mpg? Hopefully 10 mpg... at least.

 

[skyl4rk]

Nice paint job but too many miles.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I average about 10000km per year... and that's on the high side. This month was 400km. So I figure a good ten years would be possible.

How much would an engine rebuild be for a gasoline e350?

 

[jimindenver]

Looks nice but that is a lot of miles.

 

[BC Guy]

Good points. I won't be swiveling my seats as I'll likely build a partition wall for privacy.

Guesses on the mpg? Hopefully 10 mpg... at least.

I would guess 12 - 14 hwy but you are in town so maybe 10.

 

[TravelDerby]

I'm not a fan of the 351 (One of my first trucks was an 88 F-150 with a 5.8 and the motor blew at 120K). That being said, they are known for getting high miles when properly maintained, but they are not bullet proof like the 4.9. On the bright side, they're all over the place and complete rebuilds can be found around $1000 if you keep your eyes open. MPG I'd be surprised if it gets much over 10 with that hightop, especially if it doesn't have OD.

 

[SoulRaven]

I'm not sure where BC Guy got that price from, but if it's accurate, I see some cheaper camper vans in your area that have a better layout to what I'd want. I could sleep on the sofa of one where it's behind the drivers seat without pulling it out into a full bed...

I certainly wouldn't spend that kind of money on something with the plan to modify it. For that kind of money it better be perfect as is with no modifications needed or required.

Floorplan and storage are very important in how comfortable the van will be to live in. You can probably only get a feel for this in person. Many of the pre-made camper vans seem terribly cramped to me. This is one of many reasons that I usually choose to build my own.

Look at the systems, especially the holding tank dump system. While some can be simple and easy, some can be a very big problem to dump. Some require you to get down on your hands and knees to dump them. This can be very unpleasant in wet weather, and also at filthy dump stations.

All camper vans are not created equally. Some are designed to always have shore power available, others might be better designed for boon docking with a house battery that is charged while driving. Does it have a generator? If it doesn't, is there a good place to store one inside?

Those windows don't look very rain friendly... Will that be an issue?

Is that one of those engines that likes to spit spark plugs?

For anything newer than about a '90, that's getting real close to the mileage where they start costing a lot in repairs. Are you prepared financially for that possibility?

Is this a private party sale or a dealer sale? I have heard some bad stories about dealers pressure washing the cabs and even the cabins on some rigs, and horrible dash electronics failures following a little while down the road. Sometimes dealers use pressure washers to clean the carpets too. This can result in a horrible soggy mess out of sight, and out of mind, of potential buyers.

Try to do a carfax or the equivalent on it. I'm not too sure how much I really trust them, but it can't hurt. Has it had more than one owner in the last 5 years? Two or more owners in a 5 year period could mean it has hidden problems.

The higher the price tag, the more due diligence I would perform on it. Don't forget to keep a sizable emergency fund too.

Happy Hunting!

 

[Gary68]

sure looks pretty but miles are miles, i think you can do better if you have the time
here a couple option i found
older but low miles maybe,if true
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/rvs/5313155319.html


or you can get something like this,dump 5g's in to it and still be ahead a couple grand
http://whistler.craigslist.ca/cto/5288065566.html

and that looks like a pop up on a high top which something i dont think i've seen before

 

[BC Guy]

I'll likely build a partition wall for privacy.

There should be a heavy curtain to draw across the windshield for privacy.  I did see one setup where the curtain was behind the seats. 
I like the setup in the back.  You could remove the table/bed if necessary to haul stuff.  Mine is not open like that.
If the curtain is missing, that would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[SoulRaven]

sure looks pretty but miles are miles, i think you can do better if you have the time
here a couple option i found
older but low miles maybe,if true
http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/rvs/5313155319.html


or you can get something like this,dump 5g's in to it and still be ahead a couple grand
http://whistler.craigslist.ca/cto/5288065566.html

and that looks like a pop up on a high top which something i dont think i've seen before

That last one is very interesting...  I don't recall ever seeing another high top with a pop top either...

I kind of liked this one too:  http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/pml/rvs/5276093723.html

 

[TMG51]

If the curtain is missing, that would be a deal breaker for me.

My class B came with a heavy curtain that snaps all around the front windows. I don't use it. Putting that up tells everyone at a glance, "someone is set up camping in there." Instead I just hang a gray blanket behind the seats when I'm parked. It's faster to put in place, and from outside it doesn't look like anything eye catching.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

What about this one? Not as fancy but it has 155000km or 96000 miles and I like that it seating for my kids. Engine is 318 v8.


http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rch/rvs/5309605137.html

 

[SoulRaven]

What about this one? Not as fancy but it has 155000km or 96000 miles and I like that it seating for my kids. Engine is 318 v8.


http://vancouver.craigslist.ca/rch/rvs/5309605137.html

If seating for your kids is important, then that one looks pretty good.

For everyday use you could add those flip down tables on the backs of the front seats to facilitate eating and laptop use without setting up the big table in the middle that looks like it might be awkward to get around.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Yeah it does look like a possibility. I also like that its a bit more stealthy than an obvious camper van. To people like us we could easily see it for what it is, but others might just think its just a regular larger van. I also like that the roof is a bit more aerodynamic.

As to the other suggestions, I really prefer to buy not earlier than the mid 90s. Plus for me, I want it to have a bed across the back floorplan. I would leave the bed permanently setup... just easier.