Your thoughts on this 2002 Ford van

[sassypickins]

I said I’d post again when I found a rig that, based on the advice I got from y’all, might fit the bill. Here’s one I am doing my best to remain objective about, but I confess I am kind of doing a happy dance inside because it fits most of my vision. I’m going with a mechanic to check it out Sunday, weather permitting, so we'll see then if the happy dance continues.






2002 Ford Triton cargo van v8 5.4L, 182xxx freeway mi, hi-top, insulated and floored. Clean title, pristine Autocheck, 2 owners both local. Work recently done: Flowmaster exhaust system, new cat, new water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, radiator flush, ball joints, machined manifold and gaskets, air filter, ‘aggressive’ tires and alignment, small 12v fridge, sink. No leaks, body or under the hood. No issues, according to the seller, and he has both the previous owner’s maintenance records and his own. (He planned to travel and was in the middle of conversion, but a need for cash came up.)

He’s asking $4,500. Per Nada, avg retail $2500, clean $4550 and that’s w/o the hitop.

It looks like he has addressed some of the basic issues of this model. I'll be checking for rust. What about the high miles? In addition to taking along mechanic for a visual checkout, I’ll be taking it to the local Ford dealer for a diagnostic to see about the engine/valves/etc. Are the inadequately threaded spark plugs on this year really a big issue or is it more that they must be correctly torqued?

If it checks out, I am thinking the price is right because I won’t have to invest in buying and installing a hitop, insulating, or buying parts and doing the maintenance he’s already done (for which I’d need help anyway), and I’m prepared to put the money saved in the gas tank. But if offering some less is in order, what is fair?

Please let me know how you’d rate this on a 1 to 10 and anything else you think I should ask the seller.

Thank you all for your help and I hope everyone out there is staying warm and safe.

Sassy

 

[user 423]

The mileage is a little high. The "new water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, radiator flush" raises a yellow flag, IMO. It could be just regular maintenance but it also could mean it had problems with overheating and might have done some damage to the motor. I'd make sure you give it a long test drive and check for blue smoke. There doesn't appear to be a hitch on the back, so it probably wasn't used to tow a barge or whatever.

I would research the plug thread problem on a Ford forum.

 

[sassypickins]

Ah, I see your point and thanks for the suggestion on what to look for, slow2day, thank you very much. It's great to get good advice.

 

[Reducto]

Cat going out is another reason to look closely at the engine - if it wasn't burning all the gas for an extended period (one cylinder not firing, bad fuel mix, who knows what else) that could lead to a plugged cat. Or, maybe they just got talked into replacing it as part of their "high performance" exhaust upgrade.

Do like Slow says and give it a good workout including some high speed uphill if available, and a few minutes of idling. Make sure the mechanic gives the engine and transmission a good once-over because those are the big ticket items.

Price seems on the high side of reasonable, but that's no reason not to give it a close look. You can always try to talk them down.

 

[sassypickins]

Thanks, Reducto, this is very helpful information and helps me understand better.

Sassy

 

[flying kurbmaster]

it looks perfect from here, keep dancing,

 

[sassypickins]

...clicking heels together mid-air with fingers crossed...

 

[Simran]

Price seems hi but it DOES have a hi top. That's worth more to some of us than others and they are not that easy to find with low miles. Good luck.

 

[sassypickins]

Agreed, Simran. For me it is a must and therefore worth a lot. I think a top from Fiberine would run around $1800 at that height, with no windows but with wood reinforcing for solar, and boxed and shipped.

I don't know yet if this top has any rooftop reinforcing. Any thoughts on how to reinforce after the fact?

 

[SternWake]

I'd be angling to suss out whether the owner is really in need of cash and cannot complete his baby, or senses if his baby is requiring large outputs of cash to keep roadworthy.

Having a mechanic look it over, making sure the parts that were actually said to be recently replaced, actually were, is a good route.

If it is to be your van, it will speak to you. Even the large expenditures, if required, help make it yours, and something to cross off the list of big expenditures.

A rebuilt engine is ~3 months of rent, I'd rather have a rebuilt engine, and I do, but I got 40k out of it before that was a requirement.

 

[Unchained]

The "new water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, radiator flush" raises a yellow flag, IMO.

Seconded. I'm a bit paranoid about cooling system issues, and noticed this right off. Def something to mention to your mechanic so he can pay extra attention, as cooling problems can have something of a domino effect.

 

[sassypickins]

Good food for thought, SternWake.

Along with the mechanic, I've asked a friend to come along who has done his share of fixing his own cars, trucks and motorcycles over the years. He likes nothing better than to contemplate an issue, determine the problem and solve it with the least amount of money coming out of his pocket and he's really good at it in the nicest way.

We'll see how it all shakes out. Kind of like you say, if it's meant to be, it will be. It has been quite a while since I've been serious about spending this much money on something I don't know much about so I'm understandably nervous, but I feel calmed by everyone's advice and that's pretty cool. And thank goodness for mechanics and MacGyvers!

 

[Unchained]

Good luck to you, Sassy! Hopefully, this will be the one

 

[sassypickins]

Thank you, Unchained!

With all the excellent advice, I will be prepared to say no, if no it needs to be...

One baby step at a time I reckon.

Sassy

 

[sassypickins]

Update: I bought this van, for less than was asked. I had 3 mechanics fine tooth comb it – one my DIY MacGyver mechanic friend, one a professional mechanic for 50 years, and one a current Ford dealership mechanic. All three gave it the all-clear.

I made a list of regular maintenance tasks and times. Before I put money into that, I am driving it some, just to make sure the underlying issues for the afore-mentioned repairs are not still lurking – overheating and exhaust leaks – and no nuts, bolts and wheels start flying off in all directions. It drives straight, smooth and strong. There are no leaks, only one small repairable rust spot below deck or above, and that’s on the driver step from water dripping off the door I guess. The body and paint are very nice and the aerodynamic reverse flange hitop is insulated and feels like it has ribs, a nice surprise. The seller threw in a new trailer hitch receiver and it has an installed Tekonsha Prodigy 2 brake assist. Cool. It’s also very clean and smells good. ;-)

If all goes well, I’ll soon get on with some initial maintenance like getting the spark plugs changed (ugly job on these 5.4’s, I hear), rear differential fluid replaced and oil changed. Though the current oil looks fine, I'ma gonna do that anyway to start my maintenance fresh.

If all doesn’t go well and it decides to turn into a sour lemon, so be it. With everyone’s help, I did the best I could. Thank you all again.

For now the honeymoon is still on. So far this has been my best Valentine’s Day ever.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Congrats Sassy.
Sounds like you scored a good one.

 

[user 423]

Hey, that's a nice van so if you have to put money into mechanicals it will be worth it. Good luck with it!

 

[Simran]

Congrats on the van. Although something could come up; it sounds like you did a good job of checking it out. It will be interesting to see how things progress in your build.

 

[sassypickins]

Thanks, everyone! I guess one good thing is, I'm far more used to living with old things than new, so I'm not too stressed about the fact that this van isn't NIB.

Now I am going between home and work duties, looking out the window to make sure my new-to-me ride is still there and pinching myself to make sure it's real, and copying and pasting zillions of bits of information about things to learn about and consider in getting it ready for the road.

Much more time spent on the latter two... let the dustballs gather.

Sassy

 

[vanguy]

maybe check the service records to see if the timing chain has been done. with that many miles it would be way overdue. it's a big job, but it may have been done already with the other engine work mentioned.