Need some opinions on buying a Dodge Class B

[M3W2]

Hi this is my first post on here. I've been looking for a van and have been thinking about getting a Class B because of the loft space in the front. I found one but they're saying it will need engine repairs at some point. Here's the text from the ad. 



1986 Dodge Ram 360 camper van. Class B. AAPX. 88,000 miles. Four new 10 ply tires. Newly refurbished inside. Runs and drives as is, but needs engine work.

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[img=100x100]https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...fc8669e3350f48fd5e47f0b4af1&oe=60DE889F[/img]
[img=100x100]https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.ne...c564dc0f407cea85fe2c9c3dd45&oe=60DDBB07[/img]

I talked to them and the engine work is a new camshaft. I actually came and checked it out cause I hadn't been in a van like this before and wanted to check it out. I got to drive it around some and it everything seemed to run pretty good except I could smell some oil burning and the brakes shook a little slowing down.

They had it listed for 6,000 but they said they would be willing to take less. I understand it would be 1 - 2,000 for the repairs and it would probably need a whole rebuild. I could probably get it for 5,000. 

My question is, is it worth all the trouble? I really want the class B body style because even the high top vans like an e350 you can't usually loft the bed. But I don't care much about the RV interior(and would probably replace stuff anyway). Are these types of vans rare enough that it would be worth going to the trouble of rebuilding the engine? I can't seem to find any others that aren't above 20,000 dollars and I'm wanting to stay under 10,000. What are your guys' thoughts? Thanks for any information.

 

[Bwanderin]

Hi M3W2 - 
I don't know enough to comment other than to refer you to this listing (sold) of a similar unit that someone was looking at on here recently. 
This was a 1988 Ford in Ohio asking $6K - "23,000 original  miles fridge ,air-conditioner ,stove and heat all run as should. Brand new brakes and calipers and 2 brand new fuel tanks nd lines.all new tires  rust free"  

Here is the listing - 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/827841378152801/

Hope this helps!

 

[bullfrog]

I think you will find a complete engine rebuild in a garage replacing all hoses, belts, seals and fluids (probably close to $6,000) as well as many of the 36 year old parts like window seals, door seals and plastic fixtures, in other words insuring it is road worthy ( brakes could be several hundred and if the tires were replaced because was there irregular wear, does the front end have rust or wear or frame damage?) will end up costing close to if not more than $10,000 especially if you intend to redo the interior in my opinion. If you can do the work and have a place to do it and lots of patience then maybe you could do it for $5,000 but it will be a lot of work and you will still have a 36 year old vehicle when you are done and need a good emergency fund in case the 36 year old transmission or rear end with 88,000 miles go bad. If you are a good mechanic and have the time and place to do the work yourself go for it. If you are going to hire the work out and don't have a good relationship with a good full service garage you will probably end up spending a lot of money on a 36 year old vehicle. I have two 1987 vehicles one I do most of the work on one and one I don't. You can plan on paying double what the parts cost to have someone repair/install them for you. Again just my opinion and I like older vehicles but they are not modern vehicles. If you are able to work on them and don't mind dealing with fixing all the little problems they will have they can be a great way to save money as opposed to buying something newer but if you can not fix a door that won't close without slamming it or a window that won't roll up or a lock that won't lock or windshield wipers that go slow you won't be happy with an old vehicle.

 

[Mod1234]

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[Cammalu]

That van looks really nice and I can see why you are tempted. I sure would be. But…. I’m no mechanic and would end up having to shell out the big bucks for the repair. Would be a great rig for a mechanic that could find a used engine and do the work themselves.

Keep looking.

 

[john*thomas]

Nice Class B van's are bringing a premium. Can you buy a much newer ones and not deal with the issues of an older one?

That's the question isn't it? Can you? To each their own but would I prefer a Class B to travel in over a Dodge Caravan? Absolutely but people do what they can afford.

Is it possible to find a Class B in that price range that doesn't need engine work? Yes, there is an example above. The problem for many is access to those vehicles. I wanted a Class C. I was leaning towards a Toyota. I wasn't wanting to pay top dollar. Being where I am located the picks were few. The ones within reasonable traveling distance didn't last long enough for me to get there. One popped up two hours from me. I was the first to call and told him I was on the way. Half way there he started calling making sure I was coming as he was being bombarded with messages. Mine was the opposite. Ran great but it needs some leaks addressed which I am doing. (got it down to one I believe)

This is a long ways to get to the point that if you are having a hard time finding a unit and you are restricted to what you can pay sometimes what you are asking is what you have to do. I'd guess they are having trouble pulling hills which is why they came to their conclusion of a cam issue. You can run into unseen costs here for sure. For a mechanic swapping a cam isn't super major. It can be done for $3-400 in parts. You'll want to put a new water pump while you are at it because its coming off anyway. Belts, hoses, etc.

I understand that you have a budget and like me probably have looked and looked. My general advice would be to keep looking UNLESS I could get it knowing I could do the work myself or I knew a good, reliable, fair and honest mechanic to look at it. If he quoted you a price I would offer $6000 less price of repair less $500. It could need a full rebuild and in that case you are going to offer him very little and he isn't likely going to take it.

IMO

 

[M3W2]

Thanks for all the responses. I can do most of the repairs, I work on my own cars, but when it comes to the engine I don't feel very confident tearing it apart and would have to take it somewhere. Maybe I should keep looking or try to find a mechanic to ask about the cost of engine work. Because it's an RV technically do they usually charge more than if it were just a van? I'd consider non class b high tops too but even those are really hard to find around me. Does anyone have suggestions on places to search for them? Right now I've been using facebook marketplace but their search functions are really bad. Craigslist is basically empty anytime I look.

 

[bullfrog]

In the present market it will be difficult but in the past owner groups, camping clubs and personal contacts. I would even post wanted adds on local announcement boards. Since Covid 19 has taken so many watch for estate sales as well. Visiting local long term parks can sometimes have for sale boards where many residents may have come off the road and have one for sale.

 

[M3W2]

Also I see a lot of people talking about prices increasing, and while checking a few van selling facebook pages they're asking crazy amounts like 30,000 for a van(no high top) with the inside refinished. Seeing things like that makes me think this van would be worth it and to just fix it up but I don't want to make an emotional decision into the first decent looking one I see. Any thoughts on price increases or if I should take that into consideration?

 

[M3W2]

Thanks I can try to look out for those too.

 

[bullfrog]

If anyone else thought it was a really good buy it would be sold already in this market. It is apparent demand is high for new as well as used but just like many other things the future price is always a gamble.

 

[kklowell]

Where are you? In my area, rust would be another possible issue. How many miles per year do you think you'll drive?
I had an older Class B ('84 Ford) and loved it...the floor plan was much better than any new ones I've seen...but it got an amazing 7 mpg, so that may also be a consideration for you.

 

[M3W2]

I'm around Kansas City, it's been on Facebook 2 or 3 days. We were planning on doing a trip around the country soon since we're selling our house. About the mpg, are newer, say 90s - 05 ish e350s/similar significantly better than those older generations (that one was an 86 I think) on fuel economy? That might be a pro for trying to find a plain high top van and building it out. The guy selling says he thinks it gets about 10mpg

 

[VanFan]

I looked at a number of this type B over ten years ago.  One thing I noticed in several was leakage around the loft windows.  I smelled mildew where is wasn't otherwise obvious in a couple.

Bull Frog raises some good points about things that come up with older vehicles.  Sometimes, it's no big deal.  The day you drive through a wall of insects, going over a bridge, with the sun in your eyes and the washer/wipers don't work---that's bad.  Or the time the driver's side window won't go up and sleet is coming in on a mountain pass...  Happens.

 

[john*thomas]

Significantly better on a new one? It's better but still not great. It's why I went with a Nissan. Still, I'm getting 12-13. It's a V-6. A non high top will as a general thing get better. Less wind resistance.

We had a 97 2 wheel drive Suburban with a 454 and it would get 15 fully loaded.

 

[Chev Cutaway Cube Van]

I talked to them and the engine work is a new camshaft.

I seriously doubt it needs a new camshaft. I've had Mopars my entire life, and have not heard of a cam failing at 88k, or any mileage.
I worked in an automotive machine shop, and saw everything.
GM small blocks DID have a cam hardening issue in the late 70's early 80's, but this is an anomaly.

On a conventional "Vee" engine the cam turns at half the speed as the crank and is continuously lubricated by oil thrown (whipped) from the crank- a vast amount. If it runs out of oil other parts would fail well, well before.

Chrysler engines, even to haters, were known for their longevity.

In short, I'd suspect something else amiss.
Don't be afraid of engine work, an engine, itself, is the simplest part of the auto, once you remove everything else.

 

[user 423]

Hello M3W2,

About 10 years ago I lived full-time in an '86 Falcon van that was nearly identical to the one you're looking at (the windows in the top were a little different). I bought it in Kansas City,too.

I got 6MPG city,11-12MPG highway. The carburetted 360 V8 and 3-speed Torqueflite transmission are simpler, with no computer or overdrive to fail. If you need to replace the trans in the future, it should be less costly than a newer overdrive unit. You would get a little better MPG with a newer fuel-injected van with OD but not by much. It would not have OBD either, which can be useful for troubleshooting problems. Older 4-barrel carbs can be problematic.

As far as spending the $$ for a new engine it kinda depends on how long you plan to own it and also if you're reasonably sure that the other driveline pieces are good. If the trans and rearend are OK and you get by with spending $11k or so on it and you get good use out of it for several years, then you'd be good. As pointed out, you probably won't be able to find a decent newer one for that amount these days anyway. The resale in a few years would be pretty good, I'd say.

I'm partial to keeping old vans running and do most of the work on mine, so I'm biased. After owning 5 older Dodge vans, I can tell you I'd much rather work on that '86 than the computerized '93 Ford I'm driving now.

HST, you would find it pretty cramped for 2 people. The jackknife bed is only 5'-10" long and the one in mine was not comfortable at all. They can be improved though, I guess.

They weigh 7700 lbs. so you need keep good tires on it and keep the brakes up to snuff. How old are the tires on it now? After 6 or 7 years they should be replaced. Also, it may still have 16.5" tires on it and they are very hard to find. I needed to buy four 16" wheels for mine so I could get good tire choices.

Does the roof A/C work? The one on mine did not and was replaced with a roof vent. It's very nice to have a working A/C sometimes when you stop somewhere with shore power!

 

[user 423]

PS:

The exterior looks to be in great shape and free of rust. Keep it that way and resale would be great.

Just check it well for rust damage underneath.

'Shaking' while braking can mean looseness in the front suspension or warped rotors....$$.

Oh and x2 on the leaky windows at the front and possible water damage. It looks like the DS has a piece of plywood on it?

Those flat type windows shouldn't be too hard to replace though or seal over.

 

[M3W2]

I talked to a couple mechanics around me, one said they don't work on stuff that old, the guy he recommended me to said it would probably cost 4500 to put a new engine in it and he wouldn't be interested in messing with it. About it being the camshaft that's bad, that's just what they were told by their mechanic so I was assuming he was right. The owner said a couple times it was running on 7 cylinders so I don't know what that would mean exactly. All I can think is maybe a bad spark plug or injector? Apparently they think it's the camshaft. With that amount of money to put into it I'm starting to think maybe just looking for a high top van/small box truck.

 

[user 423]

It wouldn't have injectors since it's not EFI. If one cylinder had worn lobes on the cam, that would cause that cylinder to be bad. It could also be collapsed lifter(s); or ignition. It needs to be properly diagnosed but it's possible it wouldn't need an entire new engine. But yeah, messing with it would be a pain and/or costly. Good luck in your search.