Who's afraid of driving old vehicles

[Lilac]

Hi folks,I guess I'm seeking some kind of reassurance. I bought a dodge ram B250 van..25 years old(1994) with 217,000 miles. It's not very pretty on the outside due to chipping paint, I cant get over the way it looks as far as the awful old paint.But its mechanically sound and has been thoroughly checked out with recent oils changed,filters, tires..I actually traded my excellent running ,good gas mileage little Rav4..I have took in (to embarrassed to say) a few rescues (Dogs) over the past few years and haven't yet been able to rehome them due to my heart feeling to close to all 4 of them,lol...there it is,I have 4 dogs but 3 are very small 10 pounds and under..anyway here I go rambling, How far would any of you travel in a vehicle with so many miles? I cant imagine breaking down with animals..

 

[regis101]

Positive affirmations work for inanimate objects but takes longer.
I am mechanically inclined so age isn’t a factor to me.
It doesn’t matter what one pays for an antique , they just haveta like it.

 

[cyndi]

My Class C was an '89, I sold it 4 years ago, to a friend of a friend. It's still on the road and goes back and forth from FL to MA and back, every year
My current van is a 97. It's been driven cross country 4 times. I bought it 2014

It definitely depends on how well it was maintained and driven.

 

[Lilac]

Awe, I feel better already.I just need to put fear away and relax,geesz I'm going to give myself an attack if I dont stop fearing the unknown. Thanks for your input ,much appreciated, Rochelle

 

[highdesertranger]

I drive a 1978 so a 1994 is like a young pup to me. highdesertranger

 

[Seminole Wind]

i drive a 97 and it is the newest rig i have ever had. those old beasts still have a lot of miles left in them

if this is a new rig to you, you may want to have some deeper inspections done than what you mention having been checked out

on rigs that age long term items like suspension components (ball joints, bushings, steering linkage and gear) also wheel bearings (front and rear) should be inspected, greased and adjusted if possible, change out the oil in the differential and flush the transmission. have who ever does that take a close look at the old oil, you can learn a lot by seeing what comes out with the old. all of these things eventually wear out and need replacing. depending on how well the rig was serviced in the past they may have been done already or still be years down the road, just to hard to guess with an older rig with unknown history. you want to check them out so you know before hand. as they can be pricey when they do come up. also, if possible find a good mechanic you can trust before you need them. makes life much easier when something does break.

along with deeper inspection to know what condition they are in. in an older vehicle there will always be more maintenance and repairs and if you have to rely on paying for that work to be taken care of it is a good idea to keep a little large buffer in the bank for up keep on the older rigs. but with due diligence you will still come out ahead vs dropping the cash on a new rig

 

[Lilac]

Thank you for all that information, I definitely need to do some boondocking and save some money just in case something goes out..The oils were changed and replaced,I guess they didnt look to bad according to the man that did it. I have only owned this van for less than one month. smooth running moter 318,lots of power,does not have a wandering front end and I have seen a very small amount of rust along the front windshield. I was told no rust on the undercarriage. I would love to get enough money saved for a paint job(cheap paint job if their is a such thing,lol)

 

[Etzu]

Chrysler vehicles of that era were notorious for crappy paint. I owned a dozen 90s era dodges. They were all that way. In fact there used to be a recall.

My roadtrek and dodge xplorer class b vans are the same way.

Pro tip. White out happens to match dodge white pretty well....

 

[Lilac]

Oh I love that tip,thank you!!?I will definitely be getting some white out??much appreciation for that.

 

[Doubleone]

My rig is a 1997 ford, and I've taken it from west coast to mid-west/east coast several times.  Doesn't look like a new rig, but then again it's owner is showing some miles too...  Lol!   I did spend a lot of time replacing every rubber hose, pretty much all were rotted, belts, fluids and such.  Did the brakes, suspension, and got all the appliances working.  At 73k-ish miles and so far so good.  With 254k miles thats pretty much approaching life expectancy, so I'm thinking a healthy rainy day fund would be advisable.  Mechanical objects have only so much life...   You can extend it's life with repairs but my first thoughts go to transmission, radiator, water pump, AC compressor, followed by engine.  Typically a well maintained engine will degrade slowly over time rather than just up and quit.  At 254k, if it runs and drives, then go for it, just have a backup plan.

 

[Gr8ful]

I want pre computer diesels & ran across a GEM. A 1993 Ford ambulance from a small firehouse & was the spare or the #2 so had only 80,000 miles , always lived inside & flawlessly maintained. New tires, new batteries & a 250 amp altenator, power everything, front & rear heat & air. Looks a year or 2 old. Paid $2000 & I'm so happy! Has a 2000 f150 pick up a mouse peed on the computer & some wiring. I only had storage insurance on it for $50/year & they paid me more than I'd have & paid the mechanic.

 

[Weight]

I have a 1987. I get nervous only because I know the problems the old thing has. But I am prepared to fix what does happen. I have had one new vehicle in my life, 1969 chevy junk. Every other vehicle was at least 10 years old.

 

[wagoneer]

My 95 has never let me down, i do stay on top of it.

 

[Seminole Wind]

. I would love to get enough money saved for a paint job(cheap paint job if their is a such thing,lol)

you just need to find the modern day Earl Scheib...

(old earl scheib commercial)

 

[regis101]

Stickers. Lots of stickers. Bullet hole stickers are fun

 

[Lilac]

Oh I agree,a back up plan is definitely a wise idea and of course very necessary. I'm hoping for the best already. It does have a new radiator, water pump,serpentine belt,and I cant remember what else the guy said..

 

[MotorVation]

A few minutes ago I typed out four or five paragraphs then hit the wrong button on my mouse and the browser jumped back a page and the post of course disappeared.

So,
I'll summarize.

I have an old Dodge van. I like it.

 

[Weight]

A 2002 is old?

 

[hugemoth]

Wouldn't mind driving a new rig but $$$$. Just got back to Oregon from winter in AZ, 2500 mile round trip in my 93 Toyota Pickup/camper. 300,000 miles and counting. Did break down once this trip... had a flat tire a few days ago.

 

[Lilac]

That's great if you only got a flat tire..I guess driving something like this van verses my Toyota Rav4 which was a 2004 is just going to take alittle time even tho the Rav4 had more miles on it but I was familiar with the car.The van I dont know yet and it's so much different than driving a small car..Its going to take me doing a road trip,a long one so I can adjust to this beast.?