I'd add this to the discussion.
1) The advantage of purchasing a 96 or later is being able to use an OBD-ll tool when the check engine light comes on.
It plugs into a special plug under the dash. Often if you can get to an Auto Zone or some place like that one of the counter help may use one of the stores tools for you to trouble shoot the problem. They do this hoping to sell you a replacement part if it is something simple.
2) I'm on the road a lot and notice a lot of vehicles where a ball joint or tie rod end failed. Get these checked out and replaced if in doubt. Also check your Universal Joints in the drive shaft. If this stuff fails you will have to be towed to a repair facility and if you and dogs are living in the Van you won't be able to live in it while it is at the Garage. You'll have to find a motel that will kennel dogs.
3) If the paint is worrying you, you could spend a little money and paint it yourself. You would need some 320 and 400 grade sanding paper available at car parts places for cheap. A step ladder. A plastic bucket for water. Masking tape and old news papers. The paint can be had at a Walmart for about .98 cent a spray can. I would suggest the white paint as it is bright white like a refrigerator and would reflect heat rather well.
The bucket is filled with tepid water and you can sand on one part of the vehicle at a time. Sand paper is dipped in water and what is called "wet sanding" is what you will do. I've seen people do this at car washes in the not so busy part of the day. Start with the 320 and end with the 400. Let it dry well before painting. Use the masking tape and paper to mask off windows, door handles etc. For less than $60 bucks you could probably have a half decent white Van. If you can borrow a step ladder you should be able to do the job at your leisure over a few days time.
After it is all painted, you could wait a few months and see if it needs any more paint to fully cover it. If it's OK, then wax it. A white Van like this will have a Stealthy quality about it and perhaps look like an old delivery truck or maintenance contractor's Truck.
A clean looking well kept vehicle will attract far less attention from Law Enforcement Officers. If you can find a bumper sticker from an Airport, Yacht Marina, Horse Farm & Stable, Kennel, Country Club or Golf Course to put on the rear bumper......your Van could then look like you are affiliated with a prosperous financial concern. You may have influence with people in politics who if a cop messes with you it may come back to haunt the cop later. See ? Such bumper stickers can plant the seed in a cops mind that you aren't a vagrant......but a person of means instead. But if you do this when you travel......try to be clean and look the part. You won't want your Van looking like a rolling rat's nest with junk spread all over the dash.
4) Check your Radiator & Heater hoses, and engines Belts and replace them with quality parts. It will be a lot cheaper to do this at home with a mechanic you know and is affordable before you travel and possibly break down.
5) Replace your wiper blades and consider a $5 dollar bottle of Rain-X. There is a type you can add to the washer reservoir and mix with the blue washer fluid. If you choose to use the wipe on Rain-X, you could do all of you windows
and rain on them will shed much easier. Rain-X makes a product called Fog-X which you apply to the inside of the windows and inhibits them from fogging up.
Remember, the care you take of it will be the care it takes of you once on the road.
And always remember, LEO's (Law Enforcement Officers) have a duty report to turn in at the end of their shift. It is a report of everything they stopped and investigated, any building they drove by to check etc etc. It shows that they were working for their pay and assures job security. Quite often a lot of it is cat and mouse. Don't wind up being their mouse. This is why it is better to do your traveling earlier in the morning after 8am and try to set up somewhere before
3pm for the night. Cops I know and grew up with have told me that after 9pm they are dealing with the worst 3% of the public. This is part of the reason that they put the young cops right out of the academy on night shift to start out
and get experience with all that training. (and then fill out their duty report) :dodgy: :dodgy:
