Possible van prospect... please let me know what you think

[oraclejessi]

I posted one of these last week, but this is the latest prospect.

2006 Ford E350 Diesel with 171k, no rust, clean engine. I'll post a link for the Craigslist posting. He's recently taken it down to $3800 and, even better, will trade me for my 2004 Cadillac Deville with 96k on it, plus give me $500 for the difference in value.

Thoughts would be appreciated. I've seen the clean engine, the inside of the cargo needs work but that's as expected. Everything else looks good. Thank you all so much for your help.

 

[MotorVation]

That seems like a pretty good deal to me.
That engine is desirable and the fact that it's a one ton van is a double plus. That van can haul a lot of weight and still get decent mpg on the highway. I can find my way around a gas engine pretty well but I would have to take it to someone to check out a diesel. Diesel engines are expensive to repair. I would pay attention to the transmission also

 

[oraclejessi]

Thanks for your input. I'm still deciding on it. From what I've seen in my area recently, this is one of the better options and they're willing to trade my current vehicle...

 

[highdesertranger]

Ford 6.0 diesel. run away as fast as you can. Ford has not built a good diesel since the 7.3 and the 6.0 is the worse of the lot. highdesertranger

 

[MotorVation]

I had it backwards. HDR is right. I was thinking of the 7.3 diesel. Sorry about that..

 

[Beeps and eats]

Test drive it, and of course have a mechanic take a look at it. Possibly scan it
If you are going to be on the road in your home you really want a dependable vehicle. Best of luck with your new find.

Sent from my Z981 using Tapatalk

 

[wagoneer]

I had a one ton 2001 window van with a 7.3 it was a good runner, just never built it out Just not a van guy anymore. It was a pain to work on.

 

[closeanuf]

There are 6.0 diesels that have already gone bad and those that are going to.  Plus being in a van is only going to add to the price to get it fixed and you WILL be spending money to repair it.  I personally wouldn't take it as a gift.  I have a friend who spent over $7000.00 to get his 6.o fixed "right" and he finally traded it off in less than a year because he couldn't stop spending money on it because he couldn't keep it running.

 

[DannyB1954]

I agree with others. If it has the 7.3 engine it will be in the headline of the advertisement. If it has the other engines it will be somewhere in the fine print. I shy away from diesels that are out of warranty as they can cost more to repair than the vehicle is worth. Ford also had problems with some of their gas engines. the spark plug holes would strip on some, on others the spark plug would brake in half and the bottom half would seize in the head.
I never did like Fords, so maybe I am biased. They would change things in the middle of the year so when you went to buy parts you often also had to know your VIN number.

 

[closeanuf]

If it's a 2006 it's a 6.0

 

[B and C]

^^^ run from the 6.0