H and I went very slowly on dry, dirt, gravel, rocky, rutted roads in the Sierras without problems in our '96 Ford E150 Conversion high-top. I want to raise the clearance 2- 4 inches, but would still watch for large rocks and wet conditions.<br>If I was single, I would live in my '96 Ford Aerostar extended van. It has 4.0 liter and gets 19 mpg on highway. Front wheel drive with electronic 4 wheel drive. Fantastic in snow or ice. I think '97 was the last year Ford made them.<br>jb<br>
weeding thru vehicles & would love some suggestions/help
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bantamcattle
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well, i'm done with work and hav moved out of my apartment. i am now at a friends sorting thru my things and continuing my vehicle search!<br><br>tonight i went and looked a 1974 Dodge with an extended cab and 8ft bed. it has the 318 engine and a 727 automatic transmission. it has headers and a rebuilt 2 barrel Holley carb. i'd love to hear if anyones' perspective of what kind of mpg i could expect. the owner said it got good fuel efficiency but their guess of 22-24mpg sounded bloated.<br><br>its a real beast of a pickup. felt like it would take any kind of beating and i really like the aesthetics of an older vehicle. i'm trying to wrap my head around driving an old beast like that across country. i've traveled in a '68 Nova, '75 Econoline and a '79 Vanagon with no comfort troubles. the steering was real loose and the bench seat was worn and real bouncy but those can be fixed. the suspension was stiff but i think i like that.<br><br>the pickup had fluid underneath it around the transmission pan and the oil pan. it ran just fine and in many ways looked in better shape than the 80's and 90's vehicles i've looked at (especially the suspension rubber and such). i will have a mechanic look it over to give me the full break down.<br><br>they are asking 1900$ and i'm getting a feeling that this is a vehicle that i could get for 1500$, put 1000$ into it (gaskets, seat repair, steering, tailgate...) and have a real solid simple pickup for the future for 2500$ and having 500$ left over for maintenance fund.<br><br>i'd love to hear some thots from you more experienced campers, drivers and mechanics. thankyou!<br>
<p>Those old little Toyota pickups would be the way to go. They last forever and if you don't have oversized tires, gas mileage is fantastic if you keep your foot light. I've seen people put flatbeds on them because the box rusts out and the flat beds can be extended sideways giving you increased room to build a box on the back for living. Me...I have a 95 Dodge diesel that needs attention and think this will be the boondocking vehicle since it gets over 20mpg and has power to spare. This year I will build a box on the back for camping. When it comes time to full time it on the road, I'll either pull an already made trailer or build one from an enclosed trailer. Really though, you can make almost any truck work. Back on the farm we had a 90's model Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 with a rearend built for the highway. We were able to pull 4 cows in a trailor to market about 30 miles away and loads of hay, etc short distances and it always ran like a champ. It got 20mpg on the highway without a load...pretty impressive I thought--better than the 87 dodge 2500 van which got 15mpg after it had 150,000 miles on it. Just a little fat for you to chew on...Good luck...</p>
<p>Those old little Toyota pickups would be the way to go. They last forever and if you don't have oversized tires, gas mileage is fantastic if you keep your foot light. I've seen people put flatbeds on them because the box rusts out and the flat beds can be extended sideways giving you increased room to build a box on the back for living. Me...I have a 95 Dodge diesel that needs attention and think this will be the boondocking vehicle since it gets over 20mpg and has power to spare. This year I will build a box on the back for camping. When it comes time to full time it on the road, I'll either pull an already made trailer or build one from an enclosed trailer. Really though, you can make almost any truck work. Back on the farm we had a 90's model Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 with a rearend built for the highway. We were able to pull 4 cows in a trailor to market about 30 miles away and loads of hay, etc short distances and it always ran like a champ. It got 20mpg on the highway without a load...pretty impressive I thought--better than the 87 dodge 2500 van which got 15mpg after it had 150,000 miles on it. Just a little fat for you to chew on...Good luck...</p>
bantamcattle
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i decided the '74 Dodge would be too much of a project right off. the cost and time of getting a door lock installed, getting a lockable tailgate setup and restoring the seat would be quite a bit before any kind of engine items were addressed. its so odd, if this pickup would of had a working door lock and a working tailgate, it might of been right up my alley. those were not the troubled items i thot i would be running into.<br><br>the search continues!<br><br>
Jeep Cherokee 4x4 with the straight 6 and a 5 spd tranny could do ya for the summer. They're pretty cheap, can sleep in the back with the passenger seat folded down, and can sit in the front doing your computer stuff when not lying down. My buddy had one and did a season of apple picking with it.<br>
bantamcattle
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well, i might be getting to the end of the search. last week i drove a real nice Dodge Ram 1500 that needed a couple small things but got sold before i could get it to a mechanic. it would of been 2500$ and i still would of needed to buy a shell/cap which would of eaten up most of the rest of my money. by this time i've opened myself up to searching for full-size vans and have found more of them to to be much more available. i'll just have to wing it with out 4x4. enough great comments on this forum hav made me comfortable with this decision.<br><br>so tonight i agreed to pay 1100$ for a '96 Ford e150. its got the 300 engine in it which was my most desired engine. it has over 260k miles on it and its been claimed to have a rebuild on the motor and transmission. the transmission does what it suppose to and feels strong while the engine passed a compression test with flying colors and looks in real fine condition. it is hard for me to tell if its strong or not because i'm only use to the feel of V8's but it went up a big hill just fine and runs steady. its a custom van that only has the wall and ceiling insulation left. the floor has been torn out. its pretty beat up but no rust and no major dents. oddly enough it has 2 new all-terrain tires on the back which i need, has a stereo with an input jack on the front another desired item and a hitch already for my bike rack. its just beat up and drives like a marshmellow compared the Vanagon i'm used to. it does need a windshield and a better drivers chair, plus at least one rotor is not flat but these i'm ok with fixing. the rest is cleaning it up and setting it up.<br><br>one oddity is the owner is a flipper of items (storage shed bidder type) so he's only owned the van a few months and never registered it so i can't get a bill of sale from him and the title is clear but only signed by the owner before. the VIN checked out with no red flags, so i'm thinking to ask for the title and a completed emissions test, which is needed here, then i'll hand over money. i need to read up a bit on this.<br><br>these have been the steps, thankyou again for the help.<br><br>
In both Ny and Alabama, your van can be legally registered to you with the title as is. It is more common than you think to be the owner, but not registraint of a vehicle ( corporation, business, used car lot, husband and wife , etc). Its called an open title and Cars here are routinely sold with it and a bill of sale only, and in ny there is an affidavit form you have to fill out anyway. In fact, it's far easier than if he had signed the title as the new owner ( like the knucklehead did with my blazer that I just bought 6 mo ago) Glad you found one and can get out from behind the computer and on the roads. Spring is here, and temps are good for overnighting without heat, at least here they are.
bantamcattle
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so finally here it is - thankyou everybody for the help, i feel good and informed about my decision. thankyou<br><br><img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/file?id=1299588"><br><br><img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/file?id=1299589"><br><br><br><br><a href="file?id=1299588" target="_blank"></a><br>
stude53
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<p style="margin: 0px;">Looks like a good blank canvas for you to finish in a manner thats right for you.<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;">Have fun!</p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob</p>
stude53
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<p style="margin: 0px;">Congratulations, Bantam! <img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif"><img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif"><img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/thumb.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob</p>
bantamcattle
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sorry to drag up an old thread but i started it and i think its valuable to provide an update to show how my vehicle choice has played out.<br /><br />i've had the VAN (1996 Ford e150 with 300 engine 270k miles 1100$) 8 months now, hav lived in it around 4 months and am nearing my 3000th mile put on it.<br /><br />in the most general sense, i should of had a mechanic look it over first or atleast taken it to a parts store for them to check to see if it had any codes to spit out. i'm pretty sure i would of still bought the VAN but could of probably paid a few hundred less for it. (later on getting the codes checked at an AutoZone it spit out 5 codes. that would of given me decent perspective before purchase) i am the type that is happy to take something crappy and make it better but i also don't wish to spend all my time working on a vehicle. there's the 2 sides i experience with my VAN.<br /><br />the VAN has needed many little things; drivers seat, windshield, 1 rotor and pads, upper and lower balljoints on one side, spark plugs, 2 transmission seals, temp sensor, electric cables, vacuum hoses, alternator but each item has always been under 100$ (usually around 30-40$), i could do the work myself or the person i had do the work charged very little and all parts hav been found at salvage yards or decent deals online. so labor and parts have been easy but a beat up high miles van has needed lots of little things and it will need more.<br /><br />i've bounced it around pretty good and it holds up fine. the clearance is great. i go down lots of trails but don't take risk with tight, loose stuff or crawling over boulder type things. deep ruts and such hav been dealt with using momentum. i don't know what i'm doing out there but i try to be careful and the VAN has not gotten stuck yet. once tho i was trying to go back and forth to get level and there were small tree roots that i could not reverse over. i'd giv it gas but no power to the wheels. i was told this was a gearing issue, that it didn't hav low enough gearing for the situation.<br /><br />the MPGs hav not been good. in general i get 15mpg on highways with a little bit of other driving mixed in. the best i've gotten is 16.15mpg on a mostly highway tank tho i recently got 13.35mpg on a mostly highway tank tho i did spill a little fuel out of the tank when i got towed (alternator went out, slant of the tow spilled gas out of the top of my freshly filled tank). i'm not happy with the fuel efficiency and hope to start looking into how to get the VAN to run better and thus become more efficient. thus far my energy with the VAN has been consumed with small repairs and no energy left for looking into getting it running efficiently.<br /><br />the space is great. i carry much too much stuff with me but still manage to hav a nice little japanese feeling room to squat around in at night. i've removed the passenger seat and thus it only has the drivers seat in it. i've built no shelves or anything. everything is either in a box tied down some how or in a bag tied down some how. i looped rope around the ceiling posts of the rear seatbelts and thus can stuff things up there and tie things up to it. the space is good but mostly it allows me to get away with being very unorganized and cluttered. tho i reside in a modern mechanized vehicle i seem to act as if i live in an era before the invention of the nail when it comes to the interior. recently i put my normally outside folding chair inside and sit in it with a tv tray. my head is just under the ceiling and its nice to sit with my weight above my knees at times. this became apparent with the long winter nights where i spend more time inside. i'm not used to the 4-5 hours squating. with much space the VAN is still very easy to drive and i've quickly gotten comfortable with it, driving it as i would a car but with a better seeing height.<br /><br />i want to dedicate this paragraph to what i think at this point. my mind often wanders to thots of better fuel efficiency. not in the form of getting the VAN running right but in the form of a first generation IZUZU Trooper with a 4cyl engine (or even a diesel if one could be found), 4x4, seats removed and cargo carrier on top. a few years ago i looked into these and they were quite impressive to me. they get the desired 20mpg, have great 4x4 and would take me to the places i shy away from with the VAN. in my head i can make due with less space. i feel i would adapt to the circumstance with my qualifier being i still want to easily sleep prone in the vehicle, be able to hav a low sitting place and normal chair sitting place and to be able to prepare a meal inside. alot of what i carry does not get used all that often and could be tucked away more. now as winter has arrived i spend much time finding the nearest warmth on a map and if i could drive a couple hundred more miles on my monthly fuel allowance of 150$ it would be nice. as i'm NOMADic more and more i find a joy and spark in movement. my mind likes to think of a more efficient vehicle but in reality for me its more important to develop a NOMADic income. so everytime i day dream about a vehicle i realize i should think about income and once that is stable i will be in a clearer spot for a future vehicle.<br /><br />i like the VAN. its comfortable to drive. its rough and rugged, meaning it holds together when i go thru rough stuff. its cheap with a lot of miles and i've had lots of little repairs so my mind does not get ease. i don't really worry but i know break downs are part of the equation. since it was cheap i still have 1000$ in my vehicle fund for repairs and the fund does get money dumped into it when i don't use all of my monthly gas budget. so really its just right for me as a beginner. i'm learning so much with my new lifestyle and this VAN gives me many allowance to explore with (space, clearance and ruggedness and money left over) but also i see that this life is about adaptability and i'm pretty sure i would adapt to any vehicle i had and would simply work towards a change over time. in the end it seems a NOMADs vehicle is meant to house and to move. the VAN will always be a good box to be in so the other importance is my ability to keep it running. i only had 3000$ so i wasn't going to get many guarantees and i'm very glad to of had much money left over. i would recommend a person get the most mechanically sound vehicle possible first and foremost. efficiency means distance and flexibility. there's probably a base level space person needs but i bet this is pretty flexible when it comes to this kind of lifestyle. i think a full size van is a great option. if i can get my highway mpg to 20 i would be greatly satisfied. as it is, its functioning and providing all i need in this venture so far.<br /><br />i hope this may be a help to a searcher out there. good luck.
One thing I'm curious about is how fast you drive on the highways. I mention this because I've found, up here in BC (Canada), that if I drive 50-55 MPH on the highway (60 MPH speed limit) my fuel economy becomes much better. From my travels down south, I've seen speed limits up to around 80-85 MPH (can't remember exactly). if you're doing even 70 MPH, it might just be killing your MPG. I've noticed that there's 2 speeds posted, one for passenger vehicles and the other for commercial rigs, with the passenger vehicle speed being somewhat higher. I generally keep to the commercial rig speed.<br /><br /> Driving from Abbotsford to Osoyoos (around 320 Km), I've managed to extend my range from 270 Km/tank (19 gallons) to abt 340 Km/tank, just by dropping my speed by 10 MPH. That's a considerable improvement and there would be a more dramatic increase in MPG if the drop was from 75 MPH-> 55 MPH. Here's some info: http://www.mpgforspeed.com/ ..Willy.
bantamcattle
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<br /><br />howdy Willie, thanks for the reply and info. i drive between 45-65mph on highways. i drive alot of the secondary highways. the 2 lane type with passing lanes here and there. mostly i try to find a slowish vehicle and trail behind it about a quarter mile. if i get someone behind me i accelerate to the speed limit and hold it there until they pass.<br /><br />yor reminder is a real good one and the website was useful too. i head out tomoro and will giv a good focus on shooting for the 50-55 mph range. i bet i can reduce the times i sneak up to 60-65 range.<br /><br />my question is always when i'm on a down hill about to go back up hill should i coast or should i hav normal light pressure on the accelerator thus ramping up speed at a low fuel rate utilizing that momentum for the hill. probably a different thread but thats one thing i always ponder driving.Willy said:
Yeah, that's a hard one. I think, from what I've read, that speeding up benefits you more if your rig lacks the power to keep the tranny from shifting outta lockup (from slowing down), with an automatic, than otherwise. I drive a standard with a heavily loaded 302, so I tend to speed up in order to get up the hill just a bit more before shifting down. What I also do is shift down sooner to keep my RPM's up in the power band and not accelerate up the hill. Automatics really suck in this respect insofar as they tend to lug the engine, while experiencing a lot more torque converter 'slip', before shifting down. This heats things up and robs fuel economy. it also doesn't make very much difference when driving unladen, but load your rig down and it becomes a totally different story. I often shift manually when driving an auto and would seriously consider a stage 4 shift kit were I to have another one (totally manual shift and 'hard' upshifts) ..Willy.
Lifemagician
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I'd have to endorse that cutting down on speed is the best way to improve mpg. Others are not taking off like a racing driver and anticipating stops. Don't leave the vehicle idling, turn off your engine if you know you are going to be stationery for more than 15 secs. It takes more fuel to run the engine for that time, than to restart the engine.<br /><br />I also change down to a lower gear before the automatic engine would. It helps as well.<br /><br />When I drive in the US, I always sit at around 95 - 100 kph (at most 63 mph) - unless posted slower. Some time ago I read that this is the most fuel efficient speed at which to drive. It is also the speed limit at home. I have been told often by well meaning individuals that I will cause an accident if I do not keep up with all other traffic on the road. Yet in a 123K miles I am yet to have an accident. Lane protocol and uninterupted concentration are more important to me than speed. <br /><br />My van's information states that it should get 16 mpg on highway, and 9 in the city. I do mostly highway driving, and consistently get 16 mpg in my 14-year-old Ford.<br /><br />Lifey
bantamcattle
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<br /><br />howdy Lifemagician, i love yor idea on turning off the engine is better that 15seconds of idle. i do turn it off at train stops but really never had a guideline as far as idle time went.<br /><br />one benefit of the Ford 300 motor is that there is no racing off the line. its all torque and not horsepower feeling.<br /><br />since yu post yor stable mpg it would be nice to know what engine yu hav (not to mention transmission type and any other stuff). real world mpg info is quite useful when researching vehicles.Lifemagician said:
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