Never thought I'd own a Van....

[CGgonzo12]

So over the past several months the wife and I have been going back and forth on different camping options for ourselves. I currently own a 1996 Toyota 4Runner that has a RTT on it, and although that's great and all, I am ready for a cozier/more comfortable setup.

We discussed options such as vintage trailers, building a custom tear drop trailer, van builds you name it.

Finally we landed on a more Sportsmobile Style Build. When I was weighing the pros and cons, this option fit our needs the best.

So here we are (I am, she won't ever be on the forum lets be real), ready to learn and help give feedback wherever I can!

Our Van: I am currently in negotiations with a guy here locally in CA who has a 1994 Ford E150 5.0 V8 (180K Miles) the Van has already been converted with a bubble top of some sort. Super excited to get going on fixing it up once we agree on a price. (Is there anything I should be looking for ? for those of you who have more experience with vans?)

:b5:

Gonzo

 

[lmpetersen]

Congratulations on joining the vanner club! I have an Xterra that we use for serious off road trips...but we just sold our ‘94 e150 and we had a ton of fun in it as well (see my welcome mat post for photos). The 94 with the v8 is a great platform and we sold ours with 184k miles and had no issues with it, and we really used it. The comfort factor is amazing, especially on cold, rainy nights....you can’t put a price on the space . Our was a Winnebago van but we removed the cabinets and just used the bed and a captains chair for our son. It is nice being able to go anywhere and drive at highway speeds, and the v8 has plenty of power left over. When we bought ours with 160k miles we did have a new radiator and water pump put in, just to make sure the cooling system was optimized to prevent any issues so I would just have a mechanic look it over. With 31” tires, we got great gas mileage too...so enjoy that! We just bought a 2011 Sportsmobile because we needed a pop top for our growing family but I miss the e150. Welcome!

 

[CGgonzo12]

Congratulations on joining the vanner club! I have an Xterra that we use for serious off road trips...but we just sold our ‘94 e150 and we had a ton of fun in it as well (see my welcome mat post for photos). The 94 with the v8 is a great platform and we sold ours with 184k miles and had no issues with it, and we really used it. The comfort factor is amazing, especially on cold, rainy nights....you can’t put a price on the space . Our was a Winnebago van but we removed the cabinets and just used the bed and a captains chair for our son. It is nice being able to go anywhere and drive at highway speeds, and the v8 has plenty of power left over. When we bought ours with 160k miles we did have a new radiator and water pump put in, just to make sure the cooling system was optimized to prevent any issues so I would just have a mechanic look it over. With 31” tires, we got great gas mileage too...so enjoy that! We just bought a 2011 Sportsmobile because we needed a pop top for our growing family but I miss the e150. Welcome!

Thank you for all the information, it is nice to know that you were super happy with your E150, as we do not have a family quite yet...just our dog (85lb Black Mouth Cur) the space sounds like it should be plenty. However, we are planning on incorporating a bench that will turn into a twin size or something like that for the future.

 

[BenJJ-SMB]

Welcome aboard! I used to always tent camp growing up and also did a decent amount of backpacking. After just one trip sleeping inside of my van I knew I made the right choice. Completely changes the experience.

If you can, post some pictures of the van you are looking at. That will be the best way to get solid feedback. As far as what you should be looking for... that all depends on what you want to do with it and what your budget is. My only feedback based on your post would be that a 1994 is a 25 year old vehicle at this point. I feel like you could find something at a similar price point that is 10 years newer. There are so many ford econolines out there you can be pretty picky about which one you buy. Also, I would maybe consider an E250 or E350 if you plan on doing a full camper build out.

 

[CGgonzo12]

Welcome aboard! I used to always tent camp growing up and also did a decent amount of backpacking. After just one trip sleeping inside of my van I knew I made the right choice. Completely changes the experience.

If you can, post some pictures of the van you are looking at. That will be the best way to get solid feedback. As far as what you should be looking for... that all depends on what you want to do with it and what your budget is. My only feedback based on your post would be that a 1994 is a 25 year old vehicle at this point. I feel like you could find something at a similar price point that is 10 years newer. There are so many ford econolines out there you can be pretty picky about which one you buy. Also, I would maybe consider an E250 or E350 if you plan on doing a full camper build out.

Thank you for the feedback!

Here is the link to his Craigslist Ad at the moment...

https://slo.craigslist.org/cto/d/san-miguel-1994-ford-van-conversion/7024699861.html

I know that I want to redo the interior a bit however, at this point it doesn't look like it needs a ton besides cleaning it up a bit. Let me know your thoughts, and I have been looking around for other Vans and this one seems very reasonably priced in comparison to the others that are listed in my area.

 

[mikracer]

Another slocal! I would determine how bad that oil leak is. It would be an expensive fix (labor intensive) but it all comes down to what your budget is for the purchase and what you're wanting the van to have. I would also consider all the front suspension parts that wear (ball joints, bushings, shocks, etc.). The initial buy in might be lower than some other vans, but you also dont want to be putting in a bunch of money into wear items that don't increase the value of the van.

 

[CGgonzo12]

Another slocal! I would determine how bad that oil leak is. It would be an expensive fix (labor intensive) but it all comes down to what your budget is for the purchase and what you're wanting the van to have. I would also consider all the front suspension parts that wear (ball joints, bushings, shocks, etc.). The initial buy in might be lower than some other vans, but you also dont want to be putting in a bunch of money into wear items that don't increase the value of the van.

Hey man! Awesome that there is someone close by on this forum!

Yeah I plan to offer lower than his asking price (Since I have no idea how intensive that oil leak actually is). Now in regards to the front suspension parts etc, I am already planning on doing a UJOR 6" Lift, so won't most of that be replaced anyways?

Thank you for all feedback!

 

[mikracer]

If you're planning on putting that much money into it, I would recommend getting an E250 or E350 as a base. Also, maybe get a 97 and newer with the 5.4. The E150 has a lighter duty chassis, but also its a 5 lug rear axle which means you would have to change the rear axle when you do the conversion.

I had a 5.8 in a 95 sportsmobile (2wd) and it struggled on stock size tires. I know they're good motors, just not very powerful. Assuming you'd run 35's with the 6" lift, you would have to run a pretty steep gear and you would still be short on power (in my opinion).

 

[BenJJ-SMB]

If you're planning on putting that much money into it, I would recommend getting an E250 or E350 as a base. Also, maybe get a 97 and newer with the 5.4. The E150 has a lighter duty chassis, but also its a 5 lug rear axle which means you would have to change the rear axle when you do the conversion.

I had a 5.8 in a 95 sportsmobile (2wd) and it struggled on stock size tires. I know they're good motors, just not very powerful. Assuming you'd run 35's with the 6" lift, you would have to run a pretty steep gear and you would still be short on power (in my opinion).

You beat me to it, couldn't agree more. Clearly there is some room in that budget and starting off with that E150 would not be a great route to go.

 

[CGgonzo12]

If you're planning on putting that much money into it, I would recommend getting an E250 or E350 as a base. Also, maybe get a 97 and newer with the 5.4. The E150 has a lighter duty chassis, but also its a 5 lug rear axle which means you would have to change the rear axle when you do the conversion.

I had a 5.8 in a 95 sportsmobile (2wd) and it struggled on stock size tires. I know they're good motors, just not very powerful. Assuming you'd run 35's with the 6" lift, you would have to run a pretty steep gear and you would still be short on power (in my opinion).

I appreciate your feedback and I will definitely take that into consideration....
We are trying to get the initial purchase for as affordable as we can because we do want to basically rebuild it and I like the conversion that this van already has.... so now I am torn. Guess its time to keep doing research. Our budget on the initial purchase is less than 4k so, as you can imagine. That's been tough for us

 

[CGgonzo12]

You beat me to it, couldn't agree more. Clearly there is some room in that budget and starting off with that E150 would not be a great route to go.

So the long term goal is different than the initial purchase if that makes sense. I don't plan on buying the Van and then immediately turning around and finishing it completely out. The goal is to start out with a good platform and then work our way up from there....but based on what I am hearing the E150 is not a good starting point?

 

[simplesez]

Sorry but I wouldn't pay much more than $500 for that van. I do know things are desperate in California though.

It does have rear pop out windows so that is a plus!

 

[mikracer]

So the long term goal is different than the initial purchase if that makes sense. I don't plan on buying the Van and then immediately turning around and finishing it completely out. The goal is to start out with a good platform and then work our way up from there....but based on what I am hearing the E150 is not a good starting point?

For your end goal of installing the UJOR conversion, an E150 is not a good starting point, unless its a 2008+. Not saying it cant be done, you just end up having to put more into it and you're still left with a half ton chassis that you might overload.

You would be better off upping your initial budget by even $1,000 to get a high top cargo or wheel chair van thats newer.

For me personally, I would want to start with the cleanest base possible. No leaks or issues, clean paint, power options, etc. That way when you build it out, you aren't just putting lipstick on a pig and hopefully the van wont nickle and dime you to death. If that means borrowing to buy a cleaner van, personally I would do it.

 

[CGgonzo12]

Yeah that's what Im saying. I haven't been able to find much everything is really pricey

 

[CGgonzo12]

For your end goal of installing the UJOR conversion, an E150 is not a good starting point, unless its a 2008+. Not saying it cant be done, you just end up having to put more into it and you're still left with a half ton chassis that you might overload.

You would be better off upping your initial budget by even $1,000 to get a high top cargo or wheel chair van thats newer.

For me personally, I would want to start with the cleanest base possible. No leaks or issues, clean paint, power options, etc. That way when you build it out, you aren't just putting lipstick on a pig and hopefully the van wont nickle and dime you to death. If that means borrowing to buy a cleaner van, personally I would do it.

I will take this into consideration. Thank you for your honest opinion, perhaps I need to widen my search, to out of state even. Thank you again!

 

[BenJJ-SMB]

So the long term goal is different than the initial purchase if that makes sense. I don't plan on buying the Van and then immediately turning around and finishing it completely out. The goal is to start out with a good platform and then work our way up from there....but based on what I am hearing the E150 is not a good starting point?

The E150 can be a great platform to start, but maybe not the right choice if you plan on adding a 6" UJOINT lift. Also sounds like you are planning on doing that addition yourself. If that is the case then I would assume you are pretty handy making the interior on that van pretty worthless. The only thing I see that might be pushing you to buy that van is the fact that it has a high top so you can stand inside.

Ultimately I would recommend being a little more patient and going for an E250 or E350 with the 5.4 v8. If you are willing to get a cargo van and do the whole interior yourself I bet you could pick one up in your price range right now which would be a far superior platform to start out. If you want a passenger van with a high top it might take a little while to find that, but they do pop up.

 

[CGgonzo12]

The E150 can be a great platform to start, but maybe not the right choice if you plan on adding a 6" UJOINT lift. Also sounds like you are planning on doing that addition yourself. If that is the case then I would assume you are pretty handy making the interior on that van pretty worthless. The only thing I see that might be pushing you to buy that van is the fact that it has a high top so you can stand inside.

Ultimately I would recommend being a little more patient and going for an E250 or E350 with the 5.4 v8. If you are willing to get a cargo van and do the whole interior yourself I bet you could pick one up in your price range right now which would be a far superior platform to start out. If you want a passenger van with a high top it might take a little while to find that, but they do pop up.

So here are my top reasons for liking the van (honestly).
1: Hightop (Yes being able to semi stand in there is nice, right off the get go). I am 6'1" so standing straight up isn't a thing but I am close.
2: Interior (Cargo Area) I think for the most part all I would need to do is rebuild the bedding platform, and add in a sink/stove area (cabinetry). It would be pretty use-able at this point.
3: Price. I think I can pick it up for 2000-2500

To answer your observation, yes I am fairly handy. Now I am in no means a master mechanic/carpenter but I am not afraid to build something with my two hands. Its therapeutic for me. I don't fancy the idea of starting from scratch scratch (cargo van) but I am also not scared to attempt a build from zero.

Guess I just need to be patient, I don't know exactly how much camping/off trail stuff I will be doing so having the smaller V8 may or may not affect me.

To be honest.... I am not sure what to do at this point

 

[BenJJ-SMB]

So here are my top reasons for liking the van (honestly).
1: Hightop (Yes being able to semi stand in there is nice, right off the get go). I am 6'1" so standing straight up isn't a thing but I am close.
2: Interior (Cargo Area) I think for the most part all I would need to do is rebuild the bedding platform, and add in a sink/stove area (cabinetry). It would be pretty use-able at this point.
3: Price. I think I can pick it up for 2000-2500

To answer your observation, yes I am fairly handy. Now I am in no means a master mechanic/carpenter but I am not afraid to build something with my two hands. Its therapeutic for me. I don't fancy the idea of starting from scratch scratch (cargo van) but I am also not scared to attempt a build from zero.

Guess I just need to be patient, I don't know exactly how much camping/off trail stuff I will be doing so having the smaller V8 may or may not affect me.

To be honest.... I am not sure what to do at this point

Don't worry, In my quest for a van I was confused constantly. At one point I wanted to buy a short school bus. Ended up with an E350 cargo van. It's a process, and the most important thing is figuring out how you want to use it. If you plan on off-roading I would highly recommend at least an E250. If not an E150 would be fine. If you plan on building your own interior try and find a van without one. People tend to over value their DIY interiors, and most likely their setup won't be what you want anyway. Just poked around on craiglist real quick. Here is a passenger van with more miles but much nicer and 11 years newer, same listed price:

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ctd/d/temecula-2005-ford-econoline-e150/7038384801.html

Not saying that is the right van for you but, but I would take that van over the other one 100 times out of 100.

 

[CGgonzo12]

Don't worry, In my quest for a van I was confused constantly. At one point I wanted to buy a short school bus. Ended up with an E350 cargo van. It's a process, and the most important thing is figuring out how you want to use it. If you plan on off-roading I would highly recommend at least an E250. If not an E150 would be fine. If you plan on building your own interior try and find a van without one. People tend to over value their DIY interiors, and most likely their setup won't be what you want anyway. Just poked around on craiglist real quick. Here is a passenger van with more miles but much nicer and 11 years newer, same listed price:

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ctd/d/temecula-2005-ford-econoline-e150/7038384801.html

Not saying that is the right van for you but, but I would take that van over the other one 100 times out of 100.

I honestly looked around on Craigslist for the last hour and never came across that van. That's frustrating. I am not sure how much offroading we would do to be honest but I do like the idea of being able to do it. So the van you just posted although and E150 would be the better V8? or am I misunderstanding?

 

[mikracer]

Heres a high top wheelchair van. Doesnt say mileage but I'm guessing it's high.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/d/van-nuys-wheelchair-van/7031883491.html