newer vans?

[dfunkt]

Is there a reason I always see people announcing they found a van and it's a pre-2000 model?  I was thinking I'd buy something around an '07 so that is not all rotted out.

 

[bobbert]

<p>If you find a deal on one that's not all rotted out, then go for it !!! <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br>After all, do you want to really want to spend free-time having to work on a junky-beater?&nbsp;</p><p>If you find something decent, it might be in your best interest to find a mechanic to locate any defects or heavy wear &amp; tear.</p><p>Good luck!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></p>

 

[Guest]

I bought an 1983 Dodge campervan that was kept in amazing condition.&nbsp; The main reason I got such an old vehicle was because in my province, we have Drive-Clean, where your car has to be tested every couple years.<br>The exception is cars that were made before 1985&nbsp; XD<br><br>But what I'm getting at is that age isn't always a factor when it comes to the quality of the vehicle.&nbsp; I've seen some vehicles that are less than 5 years old that are in worse shape than my 30 year old vehicle&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[Van-Tramp]

To each his own. Personally, I love my older (1989) van... and it is not rotted out by any means. Also, I love to tinker and customize my van, something I would not be able to do in a newer van. I'm not alone in this...<br><br>I also love to have my money in my hands, not tied up in loan payments. Surely, I could buy... err FINANCE a $30,000 van, but I would not have any more fun then I already have in my $3000 van. I do have more fun having that extra $27,000 in my hands though.<br><br>Obviously, an older van isn't for everyone. I'm sure you can find 2007 or newer vans at your local dealers

 

[Ziggy Moon]

I have a 93 Dodge conversion van that I am currently prepping for new paint - One Rust Spot (aprox 2" by 2" in size) that i fixed in a matter of an hour. The body and engine to my van, is solid and A-OK. <br><br>I paid $1,000 for my old van and have had it since, I think, 2007. Other than minor/normal parts replacements and a few minor hick-ups, I haven't had a reason not to be happy with my older van.... as a matter of fact, I love my ole van.<br><br>There are some good older vehicles out there that you can get for a really great price.... and there are some newer ones that can look good, but are money pits. Even if you know what to look for on any used vehicle, old used or newer used..... it doesn't mean you won't miss something, or wind up with a major problem.

 

[dfunkt]

Thanks for the replies. &nbsp;The reason I asked is that I once bought a $3500 '89 GMC conversion van and repainted it. &nbsp;I had fun with that van but in the end it didn't last long before there were thousands of dollars in repairs needed and it wouldn't pass any emissions tests. &nbsp;I wound up selling it for scrap. &nbsp;It was one problem after another untill I couldn't bear the ongoing repair costs.<br><br>But, for around $10000 I can get something only 6 years old. &nbsp;I don't know if I'll be any better off. &nbsp;I would never go into debt for a vehicle. &nbsp;I am very unlucky when it comes to vehicles.<br><br>If I am going to spend thousands on the solar, fridge, and the build out I want a reliable vehicle and I think there is no such thing. &nbsp;This is my biggest worry.. another lemon.

 

[dfunkt]

I have heard it said that a person can live full time in a van for about $6k per year. &nbsp;In the last 10 years my vehicles alone have cost me about $2k per year in purchase and repair costs.

 

[Ziggy Moon]

Maybe the better way is to do most, if not all of your own repairs (if you don't know how, then learn)! <br><br>I've never had a mechanic work on any of my vehicles, ever (although there have been, and still are times I wish I had the money to let them). However, there are some things mechanical, that I have never experienced and that I would be very hesitate to attempt - thank goodness I haven't had this problem, yet!. <br><br>But, the point I'm trying to make is, if you know how to do most of your own mechanic work, you'd probably save a lot of money on repairs/replacements on an older, or even newer used van.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Yea, I *could* live in my van for less than 6k a year, but I'd have to sit still the entire year. I wouldn't label that as "living". Currently I "live" on about $12,000-14,000 a year, while traveling 1500-2000 miles per month. If I followed my budget to the tee, it would be less than $9000 a year while still traveling each month. I splurge all the time <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>The van was paid for in cash and I do all my own work on it. Parts are super cheap for these older vans and they are easy to work on, unlike newer vans... much more expensive and you need a degree in computers.

 

[dfunkt]

I went out and looked at a lady-driven 2007 Ford E250 today. &nbsp;It was immaculate. &nbsp;no rust on the underside anywhere; an amazing feat for the area I live in. The dealer told me she used it to go to flea markets and craft shows. &nbsp;It looks great and it's not quite the exaggerated price of $30000 that Van-Tramp mentioned. &nbsp;If my house were sold I would have bought it today.<br><br>At least I know that such deals can be found. &nbsp;Even though I am capable of working on my vehicles, I hate it with a passion and want to avoid the constant repairs that I have experienced with 10+ year old vehicles.

 

[Opa]

I (we) have a 1999 chevy conversion van&nbsp;standard &nbsp;height. I(we) bought the van in the spring of 2000 and now has &nbsp;115k. I (we)paid 31k for it. I did some work on the van. I removed the sofa installed a bed across&nbsp; measuring 48inches with a custom made mattress. Later I also removed the 2 backseats to have more room for the 3 dogs. The bed can be moved in either direction by 24 inches with a wrench.I loosen&nbsp; 2 bolts and the bed can be pushed in the desired direction.<br>Some people buy cabins I(we)bought a cabin on wheels. If the van is not used it is in the garage.<br>I paid for the van in 3 years,&nbsp;doing&nbsp; extra contractors work so I could pay it off asap.<br>Over the years we truly enjoyed our van and will&nbsp;in the years to come. I know the van will outlast us. Then the Granddaughter will take (she said so)&nbsp;it because we have so many memories from the trips taken in Big Red.<br><br>We had one breakdown. The starter went out in the Safeway parkinglot in La Jolla Ca. Starter never gave me any warning signs.<br><br>Gas mileage over the years is 16.5 miles average. She keeps a journal with all expenses and trips taken. Mileage is recorded at every stop incl. $ spend.<br>Repairs : Coolant and Engine oil got mixed.&nbsp;Happens to many 5.7L engines. Cost $850.00<br>2009 Transmission leak.Cost 800.00<br>2012 Ac compressor replaces.Cost 1000.00<br>2013 Total tune up&nbsp;(electrical and fuel system) Cost 850.00<br>2013 Belt tensioner and Belt . Cost 500.00<br>2013 Rear passenger Barn doorlock replaced. Cost 500.00&nbsp;<br>All work done at dealership. The guys at the dealer are in impressed with the condition of the van. They say it is very rare to see a vehicle in such good condition.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;What I'm trying &nbsp;to say is<br>One gets, what&nbsp;one &nbsp;pays for.<br>One gets out of it, what one puts into it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

Money.&nbsp; I paid 800 plus some lawn equipment for my van.&nbsp; It runs good but needs shocks and is rusting bad around the bottom, but for what i paid for it?&nbsp;&nbsp; You go with what you can afford sometimes.&nbsp; Upgrades can come later when Ive banked some cash.

 

[caseyc]

I have a 1995 Ford E150 conversion van. If I had to do it all over again, I would get something at least a few years newer than 1995. That's because after 1995 a newer version of diagnostic tools came into place (I don't know the exact name for this). As a result, I have an on-going problem with my ABS brake light constantly turning on, and NOBODY can figure out why. <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/rolleyes.gif">&nbsp; I went to 4 different mechanics,&nbsp;but nobody could diagnose the problem. I normally never go to the dealer, but broke down and went to the local Ford service&nbsp;dealer to have them take a look into the ABS brake light problem. Guess what? Even the dang Ford dealer cannot diagnose the problem!&nbsp; They told me they don't have the older diagnostic tool that hooks up to my engine computer&nbsp;to tell them what's wrong! They even said that no dealer within a 200 mile radius has the older tool. Unbelievable!! <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/mad.gif">&nbsp; So to this day, I have to tolerate having that bright yellow ABS light on while driving, which is especially annoying driving at night because the light is rather bright.&nbsp; If my van were at least a couple years newer, this problem would probably have been fixed by now. This is the only problem I'm having with my van, otherwise, I've been able to fix various other problems.&nbsp;Very, very, very annoying.

 

[Van-Tramp]

One small piece of black electrical tape will fix that problem Caseyc <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>Same tool used to fix the flashing "12:00" on all those pesky VCR's of the day. It worked wonders.

 

[dfunkt]

Give a man a diagnostic computer and he forgets how to think.

 

[DollarJoe67]

I don't know if its true, but all the newer vans I look at seem smaller on the inside.&nbsp; Even before I gutted my '97 E-150 it was big on the inside.&nbsp; The low price was a bonus.

 

[dfunkt]

You may be right. I asked the dealer the same question. &nbsp;When I got inside the van it didn't feel as large inside as my '89 gmc did. &nbsp;That was the original purpose of this post; to hear opinions and info regarding the differences between older and newer vans. &nbsp;I wasn't trying to criticize people for buying older.

 

[dfunkt]

Weird, the edit function is gone. &nbsp;Oh well. &nbsp;I'll just add - assume money is no object because it is. &nbsp;I couldn't care less how much I spend up to the limit of my funds. &nbsp;Theoretically I could buy brand new in cash, but that I feel is a waste of money since the first 5 years take the hardest hit in depreciation.<br><br>

 

[vanvanvanvan123]

I am planning on living in city/ suburbs in a van. i assume newer is more stealthy. But if I bought an older van.. what level of paint job ( $200.00 - $10,000.00 ) would Earl Scieb or whomever require, to make the van look nearly new?
You know how you see paint jobs and you, even though new paint, KNOW the quality of the work, while decent, is too obviously a new paint job... and this to me, defeats stealth.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Kayaker: the dealer told me...

Me: That just might be why you are unlucky with vehicles. Never mind what the dealer says. Even if they think they are telling the truth, they can only repeat what they were told. If you don't know what to look for and ask, bring someone that does, even if you have to pay them.