What would you say this '91 is worth?

[Rollo Grande]

Looks pretty beat. I'm sure the interior matches the outside. But hard to find a SMB penthouse van this cheap. Price has come down a couple times.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto...848069518.html

[Grampswrx]

All depends on the inside. If everything works, paint the outside with bedliner and you’re good to go. If the interior is toast, it’s still not a terrible deal. That said, the dishes get the least love because of the lack of availability of lift parts and off road bumpers.

[BroncoHauler]

Low priced van in the Bay Area that has come down in price is a bit of a red flag, but as you mentioned, a penthouse van that cheap does not come around that often.


Definitely request interior photos, and maybe a Skype call when you can hear and see them start the engine. After that, a visit is in order, but don't be afraid to walk away if necessary. If you're in CA, you will have to smog it.




Herb

[SMB123]

Shows little pride of ownership. That's deteriorated beyond "normal wear and tear". Safe bet that the insides (engine, etc) will be equal or worse than cosmetics.

Having had a few toys - one or to purchased "cheap" - it's a false economy when it sucks up all your time. The joy is gone very quickly. I'd love to see the interior and maint history of the thing and be proven wrong. Looks like a rolling crackhouse to me.

[Offroading_is_Fun]

Always leery of someone who is trying to oversell whatever it is they're marketing... "Oh my god it's a steal, I just want to be rid of it ASAP, oh of course it's ready for that getaway!"...

Yeah, oh, and by the way, probably ready for $3-5K of deferred maintenance, $3-4K of paint (Not really the paint that costs that much, but it's the labor of prep and "doing it right"), and probably another $2-5K of "sorting out" what is a wild card of an interior.

So now you're $20K into a van that's 30 years old... I could find you a PRISTINE V10 E350 EB with under 20K mi, 2010+ for $18K. Yes, to get a penthouse or to outfit the interior would cost more, but the investment would retain its value much better.

E-350 is also going to (likely..) have better mileage, better aftermarket, better creature comforts, the whole 9 yards.

What was it Jalopnik used to say? "Nice price, or crack pipe?"... This one, is definitely the latter.

Originally Posted by SMB123

Shows little pride of ownership. That's deteriorated beyond "normal wear and tear". Safe bet that the insides (engine, etc) will be equal or worse than cosmetics.

Having had a few toys - one or to purchased "cheap" - it's a false economy when it sucks up all your time. The joy is gone very quickly. I'd love to see the interior and maint history of the thing and be proven wrong. Looks like a rolling crackhouse to me.

This^.

[campism]

Go look at it and then decide. Try to find out which engine it has before you go and do a little Dodge research on allpar.com. That's a second-gen (up to '93) B350 with lots of engines available, from a six all the way up to the big-block 440.

I recently bought a '94, first year of the third-gen Dodges. Mine is an extended body window van with a 24" highroof (ex-wheelchair) and I have it parked until I can begin work on it. I might discover, as some have stated, that such a purchase was a bad move but you never know.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Ram_van and scroll down.

Be sure to keep us posted on the outcome, and good luck!

[Offroading_is_Fun]

More thoughts:

In the best possible configuration you have a 5.9L Magnum w/ 250 HP and a 4 speed.
For this dodge vans year range, that 5.9L is only rated for 150 HP.
Finding any E-350 past 2005 is going to get you a 5.4L Triton w/ ~250 HP and a 5 speed.
If you want more oomph, E-350's can be found with a 6.8L Triton w/ 320 HP and a 5 speed.

The Econolines, even in 4x4 trim, get better mileage than the Dodges. Looking online, standard 5.9L Dodges get about 11 mpg- My '97 Quigley E-250 gets 11 mpg @ 80-85 mph and if I keep my foot out of it, gets 13&change MPG @ 55.

If you're looking for something to park and live out of, MPG, newer/better options, etc, don't really matter... If you're looking to do long road trips, all of a sudden they become far more relevant.

[Pntyrmvr]

The 5.9 Magnums didn't arrive until 1993. That engine is a 360. Solid engine, but no powerhouse. I would expect fuel economy in the 11 mpg range.

The air pump in my 91 mounts under the engine and the noise is noticeable in the cab.

Body wise same old Dodge van.

[VocalVirgo]

The ad has been deleted by the poster.

When I was selling my 2017 sportsmobile, virtually brand new obviously, I was surprised at how many people did not want one because of the bad name that they had garnered over the last couple of years, since 2008, since dropping their lifetime warranty. I actually thought it would be really easy to sell because the top was on it. As it turns out, it actually WAS easy to sell – only because I sold it for about $10,000 less than I could/should have. I lost about $25,000 in the van and it was only eight months old. Other pop tops seem to hold their value better.
Knowing what I know now, I would not have done it in the first place, firstly for the obvious reasons that sportsmobile west treated us like crap, but secondly no rooftop air conditioner. My new van is fantastic and, as a matter of fact, the rooftop air conditioner and Maxx Fan are being installed today. I would never do another pop up because of that one thing alone: rooftop air-conditioning. Call me spoiled :-). Call me spoiled with 858 amp hours of battery and a 3000/6000 W inverter to run that damn air-conditioner! ;-)