Opinions on this 89 GMC Vandura

[AbuelaLoca]

So I took another look at those services and they are amaaaaaazing! Again, OP, thank you!

 

[GotSmart]

A couple things make me worried.  

It has been up 20 days. If it was that great of a deal, it would have been snaped up. 

Extremely low mileage. 

1/2 the pictures are of emblems, and none of the inside

The pictures of the van show streaks on the paint.  It must have been parked under the trees for a number of years.  

That rust hole, and the rust around the running boards, and that bottom rail is showing a lot of cancer bubbles.  

Then the vague mention of the floor. He sounds confrontational about the condition. 

I would pass on it.

 

[Mobilesport]

Ain't much of a hightop , 2 thru 3 inches high in some places , no over cab storage.
I've owned 2 vans very simular to this one , they were great vans , both mine had 
a 350 throttle body injection , easiest vehicle to work on ever , easier then older 
carbed engines , didn't even need no special electronic tools to diagnose , short a
couple of pins out under the dash and the dash lights would blink to give you a
code to let you know what was wrong .
I use to use the van as a engine stand and build the engine from the interior,  heads and all.
There was only 2 things to adjust when tuning it , 1 : valve lash  2: timing , and both were a piece of cake.
I loved that van , that being said I would still pass on this one just because of the roof and plus the guy came across of having a attitude  , there's alot of vans out there

 

[jonsun]

ever put valves seals in one? Wonder how hard it would be on the front cylinders?

 

[GotSmart]

After a while, just by reading an ad you can usualy tell if the seller will be a jerk about things. 

 

[Gary68]

if there isnt a major rust issue and it runs smooth,shifts smooth drives and stops straight you really cant go wrong at $1500
built that body/engine for 20 years so no problem with parts

check the seat and pedals,if they look worn out the miles are probably 170k

i would much rather deal with an honest a-hole then a nicey nice liar

plus i love gm rally wheel,looking for a set for my truck

 

[Queen]

One possibility.  At least one person here used one of these services and was happy with the results.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/pre-purchase-car-inspection

https://wegolook.com/services/auto-inspections

http://lemonsquad.com/?gclid=CMqzkoaq-dECFUaHswodS3sKaA

One of those companies could have saved us thousands and thousands of dollars on our Roadtrek purchase.  Wish'd I'd known about them and not been so trusting.

 

[Mobilesport]

ever put valves seals in one? Wonder how hard it would be on the front cylinders?

You could do anything  easy on my 1988 G30 350 TBI van , I had the dash modified  ( recessed dash ).
I use to be able to adjust the distributor while driving down the road , I could swap u joints by unbolting them .
The only thing I found hard was aiming the timing light when the hood was open because there was some hoses in the way but even that became easy after doing it a couple of times , just had to figure out what to move out of the way which ended up being only one thing , plus putting bright white paint on the harmonic balancer pulley helped alot .

 

[steamjam1]

Well I checked out the Craigslist ad. What I notice: 

1. There is rust showing above the windshield between the glass and the fiberglass top. This is a common rust out area in GM vans. But seeing the Missouri dealership emblem, I doubt it spent a ton of time there. Or if it did, it was kept covered during the winter. this area is always the first area GM vans get destroyed with rust.

2. Seeing that rust, I also notice rust below the forward driver side conversion window. This is also common.

3. Its in its original pin stripping. This is a good sign that no ones had to hack-n-pack the quarters, rockers, or floors. It almost ALWAYS the rockers and quarters that rust out before the floors do.

4. The drip rails look intact. This is also good. It means rust has not gotten into the roof, therefore causing leaks that cause water to form floor rust.

But then again... There is nothing like seeing the vehicle up and in person. I would highly recommend taking a person with good mechanical skills with you too really look at it with objective eyes.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Thanks for all the responses... Y'all give me lots to think about! As much as I love the look of the van, my gut is really saying "hold out" for now... I really want a newer van, regardless of loving this style... I just see the "Scooby Doo" van in the silhouette!