Trying to find a van...Help please

[Gypsysoul]

I have been looking for a van for a while and have come across one on craigslist just now. I wrote the seller and asked him several questions, but he told me he didn't know much about the van because he got it on trade. He is willing to do a trade as well. He says there are 68K miles on it and it runs great. I am really clueless here. I feel like I don't know what I am doing, although I am asking questions that I have found on here. Can someone please take a look and give me their opinion.

I am in a situation where I have to leave where I am at in a couple weeks and I am trying to find a van to dwell in.

Thanks so much for the help, Caryn

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/4754960606.html

 

[gypsychic]

There will be many on here who can give you great technical advice. I am not one of them. But I can say that as a women looking at also getting a van and also feeling slightly overwhelmed at the prospect, here are my impressions.

I find the answer that he doesn't know very much about the van worrisome. Either it's 1)false and he's being cagey or 2)true and can't give you any good information that will help you make your decision. Neither is good for you. I'd rather buy from an owner who can tell me about the vehicle. You'll start to get a feel during the conversation for how much they took care of it, whether they did the bare minimum or took great care of it.

At that price point, I'd be looking for something that is mechanically sound vs pretty. I doubt you'll get both. Looking at the background of those pictures I see several other vehicles, even another hightop. That lends credibility to his statement that he doesn't know much about the vehicle. Maybe he just buys, trades and sells vehicles but remember it's for his benefit, not yours. Someone may have traded that van to him for something else, probably because there was a problem they didn't want to deal with. He doesn't like it enough to keep it for himself.

I'd be very leery and, as many have suggested when I asked questions about what to look for, I'd find a competent mechanic to do a very complete review. Here's a work in progress list I've pulled together from some advise here and from other sites. I'm using it to look at vehicles so that I feel more and more comfortable about my ability to detect things, both mechanically and BS-wise from a seller. Again, it's a work in progress but it should get you to know more about a vehicle and feel more confident when you finally find one you want to pay a mechanic $100 to look at. If you don't know what something on the list is, google it. It's what I did as I was making the list. Google and YouTube are your friend in this process. I hope this helps.

Also, make sure you don't plan to spend all of your money on the vehicle itself. Hold some back for fixing issues that will come up. My plan is 50/50. I don't have a lot to play with but I know there will be things to fix. Instead of beating myself up over making a bad choice at the first sign of a problem, I am planning on there being a problem. Being prepared for it means less stress for me.

GypsyChic

View attachment Usedvehiclequestions.pdf

 

[Gypsysoul]

Ty Gypsy Chic. I am quite torn. I may just have to stay in the Kia for now. I only have that to use as a trade at this point and no money built up. I am just trying to look at all my options.

 

[SoulRaven]

It doesn't look too bad, if it runs and drives with no issues at least you have a place to start. It's difficult to give an opinion without being able to look, feel and drive the van.

Price looks decent enough and I would bet he would take less. And as gypsychic noted, there is another high top there. Might be good to check both.

A lot depends on if you can adapt to staying in your Kia or will you need more room. I wish luck in whatever you decide.

Do you have someone you can trust nearby to help you evaluate the van?

Be safe.. Bob J.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

There is a picture of the front of the van, but not the back. There is no license plate on the front. Is NC a one or two plate state?

Anyway, this suggests that neither you, nor the mechanic you bring with you will be able to take it out for a test drive.

A mechanic can tell a lot by crawling under the vehicle, starting it up and running it in the driveway, and so forth, but there are some problems you can only find by driving it.

Buying a vehicle without a test drive is a bit of a roll of the dice.

Regards
John

 

[gypsychic]

TotheMoonandBack-

If I remember your previous posts, you're pretty confident about the long term viability of your Kia. I know that a van would be more comfortable than a Kia but do you really want to trade that known for such a big unknown? What is your schedule during the day? Do you work or have other things that you do that are outside of where ever you lay your head to rest? Will you be living in your vehicle or just sleeping in it? If you were to stay in the Kia for a little while longer, would that enable you to save up some money to be able to buy a better quality van down the road? If you will be living in your vehicle, with no regular schedule spent outside of your vehicle, could you adapt a schedule where you spent a larger amount of time away from your vehicle so the Kia didn't feel so confining.

I have some experience living in a vehicle. I lived in an escort with 2 cats for a while many years ago. I also car camped out of a nissan sentra for the summer. Camping isn't quite the same but I did live full time in the escort, although I had a full time job at the time. This was almost 20 years ago but I remember some things about it. There are several on this forum who travel in a car by choice. Perhaps you can look at what they have done to their vehicles to make them more habitable. Bitty had a great post a while back about her mods she made to a car, without doing any permanent changes.

I'm not sure what your situation is but I seem to be reading a little desperation in between the lines. If that isn't the case then I misinterpreted. Whether it's desperation or excitement don't let it override your critical thinking skills. Switching a known for a unknown is a big risk. I think the chance of it working out in favor of the other party is higher if you feel backed into a corner. If you feel you can walk away from a deal, knowing that you can make your Kia livable for the near future, you will more than likely be much more confident in your dealings and probably get a better deal and may escape a total disaster.

I understand looking at options. It is the prudent thing to do and helps you sleep better at night. May you find the best option for you soon so you can move past the limbo state and get back to a routine. It is stressful with so much up in the air.

I sincerely wish you the best in your endeavors. Feel free to PM me if you just need to vent to a sympathetic ear. I can't do much but I can 'listen'.

GypsyChic

 

[Gypsysoul]

Thank you guys.

Bobj I don't know anyone off the top of my head to help me, but I would try to find someone. John I would never buy without test driving, so that wouldn't be an issue.

GypsyChic ty I will PM you.

 

[Oberneldon]

When I have looked to buy a used vehicle I have asked for the previous owners contact information and called them. They no longer have an interest and are generally helpful. It doesn't eliminate risk, but it allows you to manage the risk better making a more informed decision. Good luck!

 

[idn88]

I have bought used vehicles from individuals, from car lots, from people that should know all about them, and those that don't. Your looking at a 2K van, not a limited production run classic Benz, so as far as any anecdotal stuff about where its parked, from who, and what they do and do not know, I personally think isn't worth worrying about. You don't get much for $1800.00, so I would say its worth looking at - if you think its what you want.

However, have a plan for evaluating it. If you can't find someone to go with you that knows about cars, then try this:

-- first, when you get there open the hood before you start it, and make sure its cold - if they got it running before you arrive, that's a bad sign. A lot of problems are more visible on a cold start. Check all the fluids. They should be proper fill level, and the proper color. Nothing should smell burnt. Check all the tires, and look for fluid leaks under the car.

Now, start it up, or better yet, have the seller start it while you watch the tail pipe at start up. It should fire up right away, and not blow any smoke for more than a second (at that age, its bound to blow a little, but not much and not for more than a second). Listen to the engine, it should run even and smooth. Then take it for a spin, and make sure you get it to highway speed. It shouldn't pull or vibrate, and should shift well through all the gears. If after all that your interested, take it to a mechanic you trust and have a full inspection - and I mean full - ie compression test, etc. Expect it to need some stuff, just hopefully not too much.

Remember, your buying a used car not choosing a date, so keep emotion out of it. Good luck.

 

[LeeRevell]

Most southern states only use one plate, on the rear.
This van is a near twin to my '88, same low 'high top'. Nicer interior and paintjob though. Drive it, and have a mech look at it. This looks like a pretty good deal, depending on the check-up.

 

[Vonbrown]

Nice looking van, low miles, price is right. I would consider this one.

 

[MikeRuth]

Yup I'd take a hard look at it to. Once you meet and greet you may fell different but you gotta do that to make the best decision.
You'll get a feel for the seller as well as for the van, fire it up drive it around. turn every switch on and off, open and close every little thing you can.
Were clothes you don't mind getting dirty and look it over top and bottom. Look for leaks etc. Hoses that are cracking etc. Belt condition etc. Bring a flash light.
Check the tire dates, etc. Lots to do, the seller shouldn't mind. Take your time!

 

[sassypickins]

Hi Caryn, boy, time is getting short for you. You must be getting super stressed about now. If you are thinking of bagging the van idea for now due to lack of time to find the right one, can you get the Kia fixed up over the next two weeks to where you have what you need? Have you checked out this thread where Bitty and Suanne and others including Sephson who has a Kia exchange ideas: https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-Making-a-hatchback-habitable

If you decide not to stick around your area, and you don't want to put the money into fixing the heater situation, can you travel south so you stay warmer? There is an excellent recent thread here somewhere about staying warm in a car at night using the right layering. I am looking for it but I can't find it, darn it!

If you don't have room for everything in the Kia can you have some bins of stuff you will eventually want with you packed and ready to mail to you later?

Once you are on the road, the possibilities of finding a good van might open up. If you scan CL in cities ahead of you and find something that interests you, you could check it out when you get there. I know how you feel not having mechanical experience. I've had great luck getting good advice or referrals from other seniors at my community center. For mechanical help, there are probably good guys at those, like here, who have a lot of mechanical knowledge, and I would imagine you could find help in looking at the vehicles, too.

Sending you my best wishes.