1997 Sportsmobile EB 350 7.3l Diesel Quigley 4x4

[KevinonEarth]

Hopefully I don’t regret posting this because I’m considering buying it myself but as I’m not super familiar with the forum yet it seemed like an appropriate place to post.

What do you think this is worth and what kinds of things am I going to run into needing fix? The transmission has been replaced fairly recently as well as a few other things.

1997 E350 4x4 sportsmobile 7.3L Diesel - cars & trucks - by owner -...

Ford Sportsmobile conversion van. This beast runs great and is ready for your next adventure. It's...

rockies.craigslist.org

 

[Msand]

Its got some nice metal cancer on the body

 

[oaklandfunk]

seems over priced by about 10k to me

 

[KevinonEarth]

seems over priced by about 10k to me

Man, you think $10k high? I’m not sure how to really put a value on one of these. Every 4x4 diesel Sportsmobile I’ve seen so far is priced over $50k except this one. The others don’t have the rust though. The pictures on this one are terrible which I think makes it look rougher than it really is. They also don’t show that they recently had an Aluminess bumper and winch installed on the front. The body cancer sucks but I’m more concerned with having something that’s going to run and I’m not going to have to spend a bunch of money on fixing up the motor. It has Fox shocks, do you think that would have been an upgrade from the suspension that was put on in 97 or has Fox been around that long?

There are a lot of things I like about the van but I don’t want to get in over my head and have a bunch of issues I’m constantly dealing with in order to get out and use it. I want something pretty turn key that doesn’t require much more than a good cleaning and regular maintenance.

I’m hoping to get a chance to see this one in person this weekend. I made an offer of $29k and they came down to $35k. I’m not willing to pay that much so I’m trying to negotiate to somewhere in the middle.

 

[Jdubucsd]

Thats a tough one. I think its a good price!! But the question is how bad is the rust? That can cost a ton to repair correctly. It just grows if you dont. And whats the underside like? I would definitely have a qualified diesel mechanic look it over and do a PPI.

 

[LibertyRenegade]

Rough shape is fine. But make sure that there are absolutely no leaks from the roof. Nada.

I do have a 1997 E350 diesel and was in the same shape, or what I thought was minor body rust. But it turned out to be a $3000 fix. Here's why. For some reason the body rust is always accompanied by compromised floor pan under drivers foot and driver door runner. stupid ford design that traps water and does not allow it to drain. Additionally the side metal panels run as a single piece along the entire length of the van and none of the body repair panels for the panels underneath the doors are made anymore. If you have a lot of time on your hands and don't mind being in constant tinkering mode, it might be a good buy for you

 

[KevinonEarth]

@LibertyRenegade and @Jdubucsd thanks for the feedback!

They did mention a previous leak in the roof that they think they’ve fixed but there is some water spotting on the headliner. That could be really bad for sure. I’ll make sure I get a good look at that and the undercarriage for rust issues. Looking for ammo to take to them and say this is why you should sell it to me for less. I’m ok with tinkering and understand that’s kind of the nature of owning one of these especially an old beat up one but I also need my wife to be on board with sleeping in it.

 

[LibertyRenegade]

@LibertyRenegade and @Jdubucsd thanks for the feedback!

They did mention a previous leak in the roof that they think they’ve fixed but there is some water spotting on the headliner. That could be really bad for sure. I’ll make sure I get a good look at that and the undercarriage for rust issues. Looking for ammo to take to them and say this is why you should sell it to me for less. I’m ok with tinkering and understand that’s kind of the nature of owning one of these especially an old beat up one but I also need my wife to be on board with sleeping in it.

Trust me. You don't want to keep tinkering with the garbage engineering ford put into there vans. Other than 7.3 made by International, ford's share is crap. Look up Econoline door cable replacement to get an idea of how you can get locked out. There goes 2 full days...

 

[Tride]

Looked at this van last year when it was for sale. Rust bucket is being kind. They started it before I got there so was not able to cold start it. Was able to drive it around Durango and it ran ok, not great. They did you a favor turning down your offer. Dark and dingy interior as well. You would be better off buying a well taken care of example instead of this one for more money as it will be a money pit.

 

[KevinonEarth]

Looked at this van last year when it was for sale. Rust bucket is being kind. They started it before I got there so was not able to cold start it. Was able to drive it around Durango and it ran ok, not great. They did you a favor turning down your offer. Dark and dingy interior as well. You would be better off buying a well taken care of example instead of this one for more money as it will be a money pit.

Thanks for the reply and feedback. I test drove it yesterday but didn’t even think about doing a cold start... It was a bit of a stressful situation. They ended up coming up to Utah (which is where I live. I’m about 6 hours away from Durango.) so it made it much more convenient but I had my wife and 3 kids with me to add to the chaos. In my hurry I didn’t even open the freaking hood... I did drive it for quite a ways and they have shared with me documentation of all the work that’s been done on it.

How much did they have it posted for when you looked at it?

I’m still pretty drawn to this one because it’s about $15-20k less than any other SMB I’ve seen with these same features and has a good service history. I thought it drove well which is most important to me. That being said, I feel like all SMB’s are posted for much higher than they should be but obviously it’s worth what the market will pay for it.

I’m thinking of making a final offer on this one of $32k or so and just letting them take it or leave it and moving on if not.

 

[Tride]

I believe it was 37k. Did you check for frame rust? The sill rust was pretty extensive. They might have had work done to it since I looked at it. If you did not check for blow by, I would get it inspected before proceeding. I share your view of SMB’s seeming expensive for what they are, but was happy for it when I sold mine.

 

[KevinonEarth]

I believe it was 37k. Did you check for frame rust? The sill rust was pretty extensive. They might have had work done to it since I looked at it. If you did not check for blow by, I would get it inspected before proceeding. I share your view of SMB’s seeming expensive for what they are, but was happy for it when I sold mine.

I didn’t check the undercarriage at all. I was not in my right mind having my wife, a new born baby and 2 hyper little boys with me. Kicking myself now... it definitely had a few rust spots on the exterior but the pictures online made it look much worse than it was in person. I thought the interior was going to be much worse as well because of the pictures but actually felt like it smelled clean and look well taken care of for something that is 23 y/o.

I’m not sure what sill rust or blow back mean exactly... can you enlighten me? The truck blows a little black smoke when giving it hard throttle and the rpm’s aren’t up high enough to spool the turbo. If you drop down a gear it goes away and has good power. The transmission was replaced about 20k miles ago.

The AC wasn’t working (they say it worked great on their ride to Utah, I tend to believe them but I do think it is intermittent), the stereo doesn’t work, the hot water doesn’t work, the windshield was cracked, there’s rust issues, the CB doesn’t work, there’s probably a leak in the roof.

However, if worst came to worst I feel like I could clean it up, fix the issues (minus the rust) and sell it for $45k if I took some good pictures. I’m still back and forth on the whole thing. I love the way it looks and feel like the cosmetic issues just add character. Trying not to let myself become infatuated and think logically. Hard for me to do when I get excited about something!

 

[Tride]

Rust would probably be the issue in selling this quick. It has been for sale for a year for a reason. Blow by is checking how sound the rings are on the motor. They can also check the turbo as well. You can google how to check or pay a mechanic to inspect it. Money well spent if you are about to drop a lot of money on a 20+ year old van. Probably a leak or undercharge in the ac system if it works good for a bit. My offer would have been 20k with all that was going on with the rust issues. I guess I am spoiled living out west. It did not have the Aluminess bumper then. We would have been too far apart on price for me to even make an offer. Interior was pretty dirty when I saw it. I bought my SMB for a lot less so I guess I am biased there. The 7.3 is definitely the way to go as I had the 5.4 gas motor and it was pretty anemic. I definitely have seen better 7.3 diesel vans posted over the last few years for the money they want.

 

[KevinonEarth]

Rust would probably be the issue in selling this quick. It has been for sale for a year for a reason. Blow by is checking how sound the rings are on the motor. They can also check the turbo as well. You can google how to check or pay a mechanic to inspect it. Money well spent if you are about to drop a lot of money on a 20+ year old van. Probably a leak or undercharge in the ac system if it works good for a bit. My offer would have been 20k with all that was going on with the rust issues. I guess I am spoiled living out west. It did not have the Aluminess bumper then. We would have been too far apart on price for me to even make an offer. Interior was pretty dirty when I saw it. I bought my SMB for a lot less so I guess I am biased there. The 7.3 is definitely the way to go as I had the 5.4 gas motor and it was pretty anemic. I definitely have seen better 7.3 diesel vans posted over the last few years for the money they want.

I don’t think it’s been for sale for a full year. I think they took it down and reposted just recently. I will have to look into a way that I can get it tested without being able to physically access it. It worries me to have the owner go and do it and then get a mechanic who is biased towards them... the more I talk to people the more I think I need to give them a lower offer and be willing to move on if it doesn’t take... they have been pretty firm at $35k though.

 

[Jdubucsd]

Well. My 1995 7.3. Took a lot of money to get up to snuff. A lot!! It has 108k miles. Had 107k or so when I bought it. But it needed work. Just maint items that came up as I drove it over the three years Ive had it. Stuff comes up!! Now its puuurfect. Except. I have a rear ac unit. So longer lines than normal. There is a smaaaallllll leak. Like it takes two years to have such low freon it needs to be recharged. My mechanic says its really not worth the $$ to find and pay for labor to use the “sniffer” to find the ultra small leak. And then labor to replace the part. He said just charge it every couple years. I even run the ac when its cold. For 5-10 minutes to help lube the seals. But nevertheless. Not sure whats causing your ac to not work. But could be $$

Also consider taxes on the sale. And it will cost money to register title etc. be prepared to spend way more than just the purchase price to keep the diesel happy. Personally I would walk away. Nice of them to drive it up. But thats a lot of coin $$ for a project vehicle.