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Old 09-25-2014, 07:26 PM   #1
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Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Hello,


New to the forum, been lurking around here and there, trying to gather enough information to purchase a
4x4 van of some sort.
I seem to think I need one for ice fishing in Northern MT. and ND.
My budget is $20,000 on down. Iwould be willing to look at all options at this point, but would prefer a 99-03 ford diesel as more thatn likely will be pulling a trailer also. Any help/guidence would and will be appreciated.

Regards

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Old 09-26-2014, 08:09 AM   #2
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

You're in the right place. Just read away and keep looking in the classified section here. The 'vans for sale' thread at Expedition Portal in the 2&4 wheel drive van section is also very active. Also, I would recommend regularly checking CL in the bigger cities fairly close to you, maybe Denver, SLC, etc.

I personally think you're on the right track looking for a 7.3, but don't rule out the durability and power of the virtually maintenance free V10s. They are cheaper too. There is no downside, although I'm sure some will disagree. For towing I would recommend an 05 or newer V10 with the Torqshift transmission. Good luck and welcome.

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Old 09-26-2014, 09:32 AM   #3
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

With your budget, you could buy a clean, stock van and get 4x4 installed. Passenger vans with the 7.3 are pretty hard to find, but you can find pretty clean cargos with the 7.3 for less than $10,000. I think you can get 4x4 installed by a couple companies for around $10,000 which puts you right at your budget. Then at least you will have a fresh 4x4 system that hasn't been beat up on.
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Old 09-26-2014, 10:13 AM   #4
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Having been in the looking mode for many months, here are my two cents: Disclosure: we are pretty picky when it comes to looking for a vehicle, and even more picky when it comes to the actual purchase.

What we experienced / found the market to be:
4WD conversion - not sure who is doing these for $10k but I think that is about $3k too low when the pieces all get added up and that is not with wheels and tires. Go to Quadvan or SMB and it is about $5k to $6k too low.

Used Vans - Most 2WD 7.3's out there are going to fall into the category of >180,000 m, and not too many are in really good shape (little or no rust) as a worthy foundation for a multi $10k's of potential build costs. Minimum $11k for a less than 130k mi unit in decent shape and options. You better be damn quick on that as we missed them and we were pretty quick, oh, and be willing to fly and drive home - add $1k expense and A LOT of hours looking and surfing.

V10 2WD - low miles, passenger or cargo - even these re creeping up in price. Maybe you can find one 1999 to 2001 for around $6 to $8k. Newer years climb in price and after 2003 or so, the V10's become much harder to find because that is when fuel prices started to rapidly climb.

$20k budget for a 4WD is "doable" but finding one in good shape or buying a 2WD and converting to 4WD will not be a slam dunk at that price.

Ray
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Old 09-26-2014, 11:40 AM   #5
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

I could be wrong, but I believe Agile does their Twin Traction Beam 4x4 for less than $11k. Not sure if its feasible for the OP to get a van to El Cajon where Agile's shop is though.
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Old 09-26-2014, 11:51 AM   #6
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Quote:
Originally Posted by mikracer
I could be wrong, but I believe Agile does their Twin Traction Beam 4x4 for less than $11k. Not sure if its feasible for the OP to get a van to El Cajon where Agile's shop is though.
Yes, but that's not with wheels and tires (but you don't need new wheels and tires, you can use stock van ones.. but of course, most people want to put some more aggressive rubber on).
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Old 09-26-2014, 12:01 PM   #7
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Base line you might be able to start at $11k, "reality" is in excess of that. Also, consider what year and what rear axle the van is / has. There were quite a number of changes made in 2001 /2002 / 2003 time frame. These are to tranny, FF vs Semi, etc. It depended on options, extended vs regular, Tow package or not, etc. bunch of variables that impact the base starting "strength" of the conversion and what might "want" to be added. Research and compare the various years and what they came with vs available options, it is a bit enlightening
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Old 09-26-2014, 12:04 PM   #8
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Here's a 7.3 extended body with 4x4. Body looks like it has some bumps and bruises but the mileage is "low" at 144k.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ct ... 54787.html
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Old 09-26-2014, 12:10 PM   #9
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/ct ... 81262.html

This one is a forum members. Its not a diesel, but it is a V10. Asking price is higher than your budget, but it also has a lot of items already done which can add up very quickly. Its also pretty much turn key so you can get in and go.
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Old 09-26-2014, 01:24 PM   #10
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Re: Looking to buy Ford 4x4 van or possibly other...

Here's 2000 v10 EB 4x4 passenger with 100k miles for $14k


http://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1661201?ad_cid=7
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