Article about end of Econoline era.

[jsaavedrav]

Article about end of Econoline era.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/ ... v=3?page=1

[daveb]

Well we'll see. The article pimps out the new vans coming into the field but fails to show the strengths of the E-series with respect to 4x4 and/or off road travel. Plus I didn't see anything about a cutaway version offered in the future if in fact there will be one. I hope some sort of van will be available that will support a off road conversion. It's bad enough just at looking at all the ugly vehicles coming out but can any of them even be converted to a capable 4x4 that is easily done with the Econoline?

[Ultrasport12]

The one good thing is they made millions of them. As long as they are not to rusty you can always rebuild them.
I kept my 1977 Chevy going for 28 years and its still going today. My Ford should last at least that long.


...Jamie

[Zeta]

Whatta a-hole that awful Jamie Kitman is. He was the token liberal at Automobile magazine in its heyday. If he ever spoke French at me, I'd--I don't know what I'd do.

Z


http://www.tomsinclair.net

[BIGVANS]

Originally Posted by Ultrasport12

The one good thing is they made millions of them. As long as they are not to rusty you can always rebuild them.
I kept my 1977 Chevy going for 28 years and its still going today. My Ford should last at least that long.
...Jamie

Well Said!

[robtbritn]

Originally Posted by Zeta

Whatta a-hole that awful Jamie Kitman is. He was the token liberal at Automobile magazine in its heyday. If he ever spoke French at me, I'd--I don't know what I'd do.

Z


http://www.tomsinclair.net

Hey, what do you expect from a guy that probably drives a Prius...

[86Scotty]

I feel a little insulted, but as stated above, I don't think anything else is as durable, upgradeable (at least affordably), or plentiful. Also, I don't think any of these smaller vans will tow like a full size van.
Can you imagine a race car, boat, or camper behind one of those Fiat things?

[LenS]

Be sweet, I drive a Prius. My van gets 16mpg and I off set that with the 46mpg our Prius gets. Think green. We do like to take our SMB's out into nature don't we?

To bad Ford did not spend some of the van profits to keep it up and modernize it. It could have been better then it is. Fuel econ., handling, noise control, etc.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by LenS

Be sweet, I drive a Prius. My van gets 16mpg and I off set that with the 46mpg our Prius gets. Think green. We do like to take our SMB's out into nature don't we?

To bad Ford did not spend some of the van profits to keep it up and modernize it. It could have been better then it is. Fuel econ., handling, noise control, etc.

Keep in mind that Ford transitioning from the 7.3L to the 6.0L (to the 6.7L in the F series) was driven in large part to modernizing the drivetrain to keep up with emission requirements, so be careful what you ask for.

Also, the transition from the E series to the Transit and similar platforms (with their "better" mileage) is built on a false assumption that a van is a van. Show me a new, modern van that has the equivalent cargo and tow capacity. Do all E series owners need that capacity? No, but the platform is built around requirements, not the other way around (build a platform and people will find a use for it) that the new vans seem to be.


Herb

P.S. I have nothing against Priuses. I just can't stand the way a number of the owners drive them, pulling away from a stop light slower than a '68 VW van going up a steep hill.

[bratworst]

Keep in mind that Ford transitioning from the 7.3L to the 6.0L (to the 6.7L in the F series) was driven in large part to modernizing the drivetrain to keep up with emission requirements, so be careful what you ask for.

Amen to that. How to ruin a good thing!