Would you buy it?

[nutxaq]

What do you folks consider high odometer mileage?

 

[ArtW]

depends which of us you ask
Some cut off at 100k, very reasonable when buying if you're not mechanically inclined
some of us don't care a fig about the odometer, but just how it runs, mostly the ones who know how to fix our own stuff

 

[nutxaq]

depends which of us you ask
Some cut off at 100k, very reasonable when buying if you're not mechanically inclined
some of us don't care a fig about the odometer, but just how it runs, mostly the ones who know how to fix our own stuff

I'm fairly mechanically inclined and can figure things out. The plan is to learn a fair bit of maintenance and repair anyways. I guess my larger concern is where is the sweet spot between the best years of the vans life and reasonable repairs and maintenance and a money pit of cascading failures. I'm not really worried about resale value, I just don't want my adventure to be over before it starts.

 

[ArtW]

If you have the budget, 5-10 years old, with 100-150k, or less, with no rust, no body damage
I bought a 30 year old van, with some rust problems and probably the odo has been flipped, but it runs good, I'm pretty savvy with a wrench, and I don't at this time live in it

Much better IMO to risk mechanical than rust, but best if you have a reliable rig to begin with

 

[user 37446]

High mileage to me is very drivetrain dependent, however in general for gassers:

Dodge 3.9 v6 - maybe 200K?
Dodge 5.2 (318) can probably last longer than you...
Dodge 5.9 isn't quite as durable but certainly 200K isn't unknown (based on Dodge forums)
Dodge newer Hemi's - like all of the newer generation motors from 1998 on...

GM 292 truck motor (dont think they were in vans) lasts like the Ford 300
GM based 350 TBI (found in G20's) are like the 5.9 Dodge and the 351W Ford for longevity
GM 5.7 Vortec - about the same
GM 5.3 are more close to the Ford 5.4, over 250K can be achieved (based on GM forums)
GM 6.0 - about same as 5.3 (based on GM forums)

Ford 300-6 (think Dodge 318 in longevity)
Pre 1997 Ford  (think 351 (5.8) motors found in vans) - high is 200K
Post 1997 Ford Modular 4.6 or 5.4 can go 300K plus (based on Ford forum discussions, not personal experience). One Ford van is a "million miler"
[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif] [/font]
[font=Roboto, arial, sans-serif]Search Results
[size=small]A Million Mile 5.4 - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
www.ford-trucks.com › ... › Modular V8 (4.6L, 5.4L)[/font][/size]
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ion-mile-5-4-a.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
https://www.google.com/search?safe=...&ved=0ahUKEwjx0Pj4xp_TAhUEW7wKHakhD4EQHwgmMAA
[size=undefined][size=undefined][size=undefined]Feb 4, 2008 - A Million Mile 5.4 Modular V8 (4.6L, 5.4L) ... Original engine and trans (apparently with no internal probs), first serpentine belt went 500k(!
2004 6.0 Million Miles
Jan 1, 2015
High miles F-150 makes 400,000 !!!!
May 30, 2013
Million Mile Van dead!
Dec 12, 2011
Who says a 5.4 cant go 1 million miles??
Jan 29, 2008
More results from www.ford-trucks.com[/size][/size][/size]

 

[user 37446]

Just a bit more on the (much maligned) Ford 5.4:

[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Million Mile Ford E250 finally died.[/font]

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[font=verdana, geneva, lucida,]Im sure most of you know about this million mile van but for those that dont here is a link 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjQcN1nq2UU


I just checked his website and this is what he posted on it 

Million Mile Van is Dead. R.I.P July 30, 2011 


The Million Mile Van has finally died. 50 miles away from home in Bryon, Ohio on Saturday afternoon July 30, 2011. The oil pressure dropped to nothing. I stopped, turned off the van probably at least a dozen times trying to limp it home. I would turn it off, turn it back on and that would make the oil pressure go back up but only for a mile or two then it would drop to nothing again. Finally at 1,299,986 miles it died. Only 14 miles from 1.3 million. For now I still have the van. I'm not sure what I'll do with it. If it was still running my plans were to put it on Ebay and/or a few other ideas but now that it's dead....the junk yard may be where it ends up. I will try to update the website soon. Thank you all for watching and cheering me on for these last 300,000 miles
[/font]

 

[ArtW]

I wouldn't be surprised if Ford gave him a new van in trade for that one

 

[DannyB1954]

I bought a Dodge van with a 318, (5.2) and 141K. The valve seals and guides are starting to go, (smokes a bit at startup), If you do the top end, pretty soon you will wish you had rebuilt the whole thing. Not that big a deal for me as I have no smog requirements where I live and I just rebuilt a 360, (5.9) to put in there for better towing, (the 318 was having a hard time pulling uphill a 4K Lb trailer).

My experience is that about 120K small things start to go, (water pump, power steering pump etc). At 150K more serious things like suspension parts, transmissions. After 200K it is a big gamble. If it needs a large repair, the cost will exceed what the vehicle is worth. You can make a vehicle go 500k miles, but it will cost you big time.

I just looked at a new 3/4 ton pickup with a sticker price of over $70,000. For that price I could buy a 5 year old and replace everything when necessary. I would still not buy one with 200k miles on it.

 

[user 37446]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]"At 150K more serious things like suspension parts, transmissions. After 200K it is a big gamble. If it needs a large repair, the cost will exceed what the vehicle is worth."[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Very true, however if you don't have the funds for newer, or if you happen to live in the rustbelt and there's nothing available that's not about to fall apart, you might very well do better by hopping a Greyhound or a $59 flight to Phoenix or Vegas and pick up a higher mileage one off CL.  I'd sooner take the risk of a van with high miles and a sound body than one that's rusted out.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]To be sure, everything else around the motor is disposable, suspension, front end, all that, however it's the transmission and engine that cost so much to rebuild in a van (especially R&R'ing the motor)...  Course why am I telling you this, you know a lot more about mechanicals than I do!  :huh:[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif](and I appreciate your informative posts)[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]But for the newbie (like me actually), I'd sooner guide them to a 200K Dodg[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]e [/font][font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]318 that was clean underneath than a 90K rusted out heap.  That's MHO anyways...[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]You are also correct about the 318 vs 360 torque/HP differences, if you are a flatlander the 318 is ok, not so much for constant hills/mts especially pulling a trailer. Course' cubic inches alone isn't the only guide, I had a mid 70's" 3/4 ton 350 Chev (rebuilt yet) with 4.10's that struggled to get over a pass with a 24' trailer, due to it's pathetic HP/torque/compression...[/font]

 

[Ballenxj]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]You are also correct about the 318 vs 360 torque/HP differences, if you are a flatlander the 318 is ok, not so much for constant hills/mts especially pulling a trailer. Course' cubic inches alone isn't the only guide, [/font]

I was at the local Dodge dealer having a key cut for my van when I had the bright idea of getting a build sheet for my van occurred to me. I was thinking it had 3:73 gears. Nope, not too far off, but it actually came with 3:92 gears. Even better thought I.  
I haven't tried pulling my trailer over a pass yet, but it does seem to be pretty zippy, and I don't anticipate any problems with it's little 5.2 pulling it.

 

[user 37446]

Yes, some guy on the IRV forums posted years ago about towing with a conversion van.  He had a late 90's 360 with the 3.92 gears and towed a 27' TT all up and down the Rockies for years.  Great gears for towing...

 

[user 37446]

Ha, finally found that post.  
[font=arial, helvetica, 'sans serif']Posted By: dodge guy on 01/19/12 05:11am 

Towed a 6500lb loaded 28ft TT with a 97 1/2ton Dodge conv. van. towed it with no issues. took a trip out to Glacier NP with it (3500mile round trip). I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Edit, forgot to add that mine had the 5.9L and 3.90 gear. stay away from the leather, loaded, hightops. those are just too heavy to tow any significant weight trailer. mine was a standard height van with cloth interior and weighed about the same as a similar passenger van.

 

* This post was edited 01/19/12 05:38am by dodge guy * 

[/font]

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[John61CT]

a 97 1/2ton Dodge conv. van

That sure is a massive van!

how I first read it

 

[user 37446]

1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, --- 97 1/2 ton.  Yep, that's big...

 

[caretaker]

yeah, but its still a dodge

 

[GotSmart]

I would have expected to see beefier tires and axel on a 97 1/2 ton ~~~ 

I would not think that leather would cause a van to not be able to tow well.  

 

[user 37446]

I would have expected to see beefier tires and axel on a 97 1/2 ton ~~~ 

I would not think that leather would cause a van to not be able to tow well.  

Maybe cloth grips the road, I mean the rear, better?