Thinking about buying 2002 chevy conversion van w 220,000 miles. What would you do?

[bigsallysmom]

Haven't seen it in person.  Lotta photos.

Government owned and used for people transportation.
Very clean inside and out.  No rust.
Not high top but higher top.  
350.  5.7.  1500.
Price is awesome.

The downside:
220,000 miles.
No maintenance records. 

I wanna run, run away, but my impatience is dragging me back.

 

[Van Man Dave]

Gov't vehicles tend to be well maintained. I'd seriously consider this van, especially if those are highway miles.

 

[Gypsy Clipper]

I would too! The price is right and it gets you on the road. It's possible to over think this.

 

[akrvbob]

For me, it would be too many miles.

 

[Gideon33w]

Just throwing this out there ... In the Army, we called those Duty Vans ... And we drove them like we stole them.
Government vehicles may get good maintenance but those can be some HARD miles on the odometer.

 

[ghost-highway]

I had a 97 Dodge Ram 1500 that was a Navy public works vehicle. I purchased it around 2008 with 36K miles and a list of it's service schedule. Engine ran great but the suspension was shot and the front end needed to be rebuilt. I had a friend with a 92 Club Wagon that was a used airport shuttle. He bought it with about 200K and ran it for another 300K rebuilding the trans once. Like any used vehicle you never know.

 

[John61CT]

If the price of replacing / rebuilding most of the drive train within 3 years, is factored in, is it still a good deal?

 

[breeze]

At first, theoretically, I thought the engine could go up to twice that mileage, but the transmission would definitely need to be verified mechanically. And then add the cost of a transmission rebuild, $1500, that would still be a fair deal.

But when Bob immediately turned it down, it reminded me of the curse of commercial vehicles: they utilize minimum wage labor or as close too it as possible (if a US Armed Service vehicle, way less than minimum wage labor.) It would definitely need to be inspected by a trustworthy mechanic first regardless. All you know is the oil was checked regularly and changed routinely, which is good for the maintenance aspect of the engine anyway.

 

[Gideon33w]

There's so many options on craigslist if one can sit back, wait, and hunt for the right deal.
Travel might be involved but that is something you have to weigh into your decision making.
At the end of the day, I'd rather buy Grandma & Grandpa's old vehicle which was always dealer maintained.
Hard to find but they are out there. With service records since new too.
You should see the binder that came with my Mountaineer and folder for my old Explorer.
Both belonged to the elderly since new, had UBER low miles, and great service history.
We JUST hit 106k in our 97 Mountaineer and the 96 Explorer had <60k when I sold it earlier this year.

 

[Scout]

I think its too many miles.I would hate to see you put alot of time and effort into it and it not work out.I would hold out for something else.

 

[Vonbrown]

too many miles.............................run away.

 

[bigsallysmom]

I didn't buy. It sold the next day to two fellas going down to work in Houston.

 

[95Astro]

For me, it would be too many miles.

Bob, you recently had that great sprinter van interview video with that really knowledgeable guy (forgot his name). During that vid you or he mentioned that sprinters are good for up to 500k miles. I was wondering if you had a similar prediction for chevy express vans. I'm bound and determined to get a 2500 or 3500 version, newest with lowest miles, as you did.

 

[John61CT]

The cost per mile over time is what matters.

Getting a good Mercedes diesel shop is a real challenge outside major city areas. And not cheap.

If you're a diesel mechanic yourself then they'd be great value.

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

Something else to consider is "what is your cost in time and $ to build out a van?" If you are buying older vehicles with more miles you'll have to make that investment more often that buying a newer van with less miles. The cost of build outs could be a cost you are not considering when you'll likely own multiple vehicles over time, let alone higher expected maintenance costs of an older van with more miles. GL with your search!

 

[bigsallysmom]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I have an appt on a newer, lower mileage van tomorrow.
I am retired, have a wood shop, taught Industrial Arts, and have a warm place to build, so building out a van would not be a hardship. In fact, it would give me something to do this winter when it's too cold to go north.

 

[musicman]

Haven't seen it in person.  Lotta photos.

Government owned and used for people transportation.
Very clean inside and out.  No rust.
Not high top but higher top.  
350.  5.7.  1500.
Price is awesome.

The downside:
220,000 miles.
No maintenance records. 

I wanna run, run away, but my impatience is dragging me back.

It could be an acceptable risk. Government owned vehicles have a stringent maintenance completed on them. I would say that it depends on your repair funds. If something does happen, it gets repaired, you enjoy a motel room and restaurant food for a few days.