Opinions on 08 Quigley please

[ScrapIron]

I have an opportunity to purchase a 2008 E-350 Quigley with the 6.0 diesel.
Its a shorty not the extended, the side doors are barn door style, interior is in decent shape no rips or tears in the seats, the back is just basically an empty cargo van. Paint is good its white of course, has an offroad bumper front and back with winch, good tires, has a metal offroad style full length roof rack. Negatives... it has the dreaded 6.0 diesel engine with 146,000 miles on it. In reality its just a diesel Quigley cargo van that someone dolled up with wheels, tires, and some goodies like bumpers, ladder and a roof rack. It does have electric locks and windows though.

So far i have him down to $28,000 from his original price of $34,500. I feel like $28,000 is still high for the year, engine, and mileage.

Im mainly hesitant because of the 6.0 and the fact it has 146,000 miles on it. I know the diesels can go condsiderably longer when properly maintained. However that 6.0 just had so many problems in it right off the showroom floor.

What do you guys think? Its so dam hard to find a shorty with a diesel in good condition. I hate to miss out on it because i have been watching for a shorty with a diesel and they seem to be a unicorn.

Oh and its a Texas truck and its 4x4

I was in the process of fixing up a Chinook with a v-10, i have the timberline 4x4 kit here to put the dana 60 under it but i have been kicking around the idea of downsizing because the Chinook doesnt really suit my needs at this time even if i do the conversion. Anyone interested in buying my Chinook?

[Grampswrx]

Post some pics of the chinook! Those being good money.

The diesel is a crapshoot. Could be fine, could need $10k of engine work. Depends on your risk appetite. Sounds like a clean unit and the 4x4 prices are nuts.

Have you driven it? Lots of people complain about the quigley ride and order the agile RIP kit to help. Well now while can’t get the shocks for the rip kit cuz they’re on back order, so you have to wait for them to come back in. If you’re ok with the ride, sometimes the best van is the one you will use or the one that’s for sale now.

[ScrapIron]

No i am waiting for him to call me so i can go test drive it. Its 130 miles away from where im located. I got him to drop his price from $34500 to $28000 when i talked to him yesterday by simply pointing out issues with the 6.0 diesels.

But as far as ride quality, i have a timberline kit sitting here to install a dana60 in my chinook, it will work on a 2008 as well.

But like you said, its still a crap shoot as far as the engine goes. My thoughts were get the stumpy diesel 4x4 van, sell the chinook, and buy a small pull behind camper trailer. That way i could drop the trailer when i need to do running around. The Chinook is nice and its pretty agile in the city but its still a big truck with dually's so running around town in it isnt as easy as it could be.

I just dont know, the chinooks are getting harder and harder to find in reasonable shape and i told myself i wouldnt get rid of this one because i want to travel fulltime, but the van and trailer seems like a more practical rig for my needs because im getting older and not able to manage this 6 ton truck as easily from a repair standpoint. I get on the roof to do maintenance and i worry about falling off because i actually did fall off once already at the truck wash and broke my arm.

Plus i have thousands of dollars wrapped up in this chinook. The rear air suspension was $5500 just in parts, i bought a brand new 4k onan generator for it, a brand new Dometic Penguin 2 rooftop AC, a new power distribution box and transfer switch, a weldtec kit for the front, new KO2 tires, trailready bumper, 17000lb wireless winch, fox shocks, 2021 leather sienna seats, 6 way electric bases, 200 watts of renogy solar, xeon fog lights, 6 inch driving lights, and the list goes on, i even put a 2013 front clip on it.

just dont know, my brain says downsize and make life easier with a trailer and a van. But then i think about having a nightmare engine ordeal and the cost of rebuilding and bullet proofing that 6.0 diesel and then i start weighing what i have invested in this chinook and i vapor lock.

I need to make a decision before i go test drive it because i dont wanna waste the mans time just kicking tires since i have to drive 130 miles + to get there.
If it had a 7.3 it would already be in my driveway. Anymore thoughts?

From an engine repair standpoint, if the 6.0 blows up you can lift the body off the chassis with a hoist. You cant do that with a Chinook. My Dog loves his Chinook and he would tear someones arm off if they tried to get inside, but he isnt the one who has to maintain the thing.

[Grampswrx]

Personally, I like the trailer idea, because then you don't ALWAYS have to drive a camper. You can park the trailer outside of town and then take the van. In the Chinook, you are driving the living room everywhere, even to grab a snack at the store!

Sounds like if you put all the parts on the Chinook, you would get good money for it. I'd be inclined to sell it with all the parts installed. Sounds like a sweet setup. The other thing I don't like about Chinooks is that you have to make a bed every night and then set it back into couch mode in the morning. You could probably get a trailer with a dedicated bed that can stay a bed all the time. Just my thoughts.

[ScrapIron]

I removed the jackknife bed/couch and built myself a twin bed setup just for that reason. But ya, everytime i move the Chinook i have to make sure everything is strapped down and nothing is going to fall off the counter, i have to move my coffee maker, etc.... It gets old after awhile.

It doesnt make sense to continue putting the 4x4 axle under it because i would have to spend more money to finish it than i already have. To finish the 4x4 conversion completely i would still have to buy a transfer case, transmission output shaft and tailhousing, dana 60 axle, drive shafts, exhaust Y pipe and various odds & ends. I cant buy the van and have it and the chinook sitting in the driveway, no chance, the HOA would throw an absolute fit. The only reason im even allowed to keep the Chinook in the driveway is because i argued with them and told them technically it isnt stored in the driveway because i drive it regularly. They actually threatend to fine me if i didnt remove it from my property until i pointed out that their HOA agreement explicitly states "stored" in the driveway and not merely "parked" in the driveway.

Off the top of my head the HOA agreement stated something to the effect " Recreational vehicles may not be left "stored" in a driveway for more than 14 days annually". I just made light of the fact that "parked" and "stored" have two completely different definitions. They let it slide after that, i guess they decided words do have meaning when it comes to contracts and agreements. With that said, the way i see it.. as long as it doesnt remain parked for 14 days straight they cant claim its stored, its merely parked.

But i also pointed out that i can legally park it in the street in front of the house on public property, leave it there and they cant say a thing about it. Then i reminded them that it is awful fat and consumes alot of realestate even when parked against the curb which would effectively reduce a two way street down to one lane.

[deserteagle56]

I don't know what the differences are between the 2007 models, which I have, and the 2008. Mine is the V10, not the diesel. I've heard all the complaints about the Quigley handling and ride problems and I can tell you that after 13+ years of driving mine that mine, at least, does just fine. Most of the complaints seem to be with minimal clearance between the front axle and the bump stops. Mine came from Quigley with LT285/70R17 tires and just shy of 3" of travel between front axle and bump stops - which is as much as any factory 4x4 has these days. Apparently the control arms for the front axle on the older Quigleys were light duty channel - mine came with really heavy duty tubular arms that have been flawless. The ONLY thing I've had to do to the van in the time I've owned it is have a brake switch replaced that was preventing the cruise control from staying on.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by deserteagle56

I don't know what the differences are between the 2007 models, which I have, and the 2008.

The big difference is the front clip.....the updated nose started in 2008. The 2008 interior is the same.....the dash and seats got updated in 2009. I think 2008 may have been the last year with a steel gas tank as well.