1 ton diesel 2wd van , anyinfo ?

[roamingaz]

My brother has a 1984 e350 van that he no longer wants and offered it to me for $2k. low milage and very well maintained, he is the second owner and only used it to on a few trips to Texas and back here to Arizona and since 2008 it has basicly just sat in his garage only being taken out every few weeks to start up and to do maintence etc.. He said the engine was rebuilt about 10K miles back and all the glow plugs have been changed.

So my questions-

I am not sure what engine it has and what maintence would I need to look at to keep this a reliable driver?

He mentioned MPG on the freeway was around 24, is that normal?

I know this a big heavy vehicle and 2wd, are there any lift kits available so I could put a slightly larger tire?

Has anyone else used a 2wd van ?

 

[mwalser]

An 84 should have a 6.9l. About the fuel mileage not quite sure of but its and easy swap for 4wd and there are a few good sites for lift and acc. good luck.

 

[chasespeed]

Yep, 6.9, mileage could be that if driven responsibly....

I have been keeping my eye out for one for a while, but... funds are tight.

I dont know about the 2k price though....

Chase

 

[BaseCamp]

Yeah, I would say 2k is a pretty bad price. Like take this for instance:

http://provo.craigslist.org/cto/2046842255.html

I feel you would be getting a much better deal, has 4x4, has the 6.9 diesel, and its still 400 cheaper. Needs some emission work, I'm sure that 400 could make that up. Its not my van, I was actually looking at purchasing the van to swap the 4x4 components to put into another van, but I figured out a cheaper solution.

 

[goin camping]

Two K doesn't seem bad as the van has a diesel and looks unmodified nor does it show signs of hard use or rust.

What's the inside and underside look like?

The craigslist van has rust problems and a big block gas engine but it does have 4X4 already.

 

[BaseCamp]

I was just using that as an example, I'm just saying if you're going to go that old, you might as well find one with a 4x4, because I feel like they are all over the place, then again, you can always just swap the drivetrain out, or just use a pathfinder 4x4 conversion. This might be a thread for the camper vans as there are a ton of 2wd sitting in that section of the forum.

 

[saveitforsunrise]

i feel 2k is a horrible price, me and my buddy went in together on an 88 with 187k on it, we payd 150$ each, sold it for 1200, all it needed was transmission fluid, it was gas, 2wd and the 15 pass e350, no rust always been in south ga, never driven hard, use for a preschoool all its life

 

[roamingaz]

I know on the Phx craigslist 4x4 vans come up often for cheap but they are all gas engines meaning crappy gas mileage, 10 mpg or less would take the fun out of trips and limit my distance based on cost. I already have a old GMC truck that gets crappy gas milage
I am definetly not sold on my brothers van and I also thought $2k was a bit high but knowing the maintence history of it for the last 6 years and a rebuilt diesel engine with 10k miles makes it a little bit more worth it. just was curious if anyone else has done anything with a 2wd van.
Thanks for the input, keep the suggestions coming

 

[WildBill]

the 6.9 and no turbo 7.3 have the rep for being unstoppable engines. i say do it and covert it to 4x4

 

[saveitforsunrise]

tell him youll give him 1200 and let him talk you up to 1400, then spend the rest on a 4x4 converison

 

[Eaglefreek]

A buddy of mine bought an 84 E350 2wd with a 6.9l and no matter how he drove he got no better than 15 MPG. I've owned several vans over the years one of them being a Ford with a 7.3 IDI and no matter how I drove them, I would typcially average 13 MPG. I did drive a 2000 E250 4x4 as a company truck and I would get 16 on the highway if I drove conservatively. It was a blast to drive.

 

[goin camping]

tell him youll give him 1200 and let him talk you up to 1400, then spend the rest on a 4x4 converison

^Brilliant^

 

[saveitforsunrise]

haha my mom is the manager of a local pawn shop chain, iv learned to haggel from the best lol