Need Advice on van purchase

[co-pilot]

I've been lurking for awhile and enjoying all the knowledge in this section and forum. I am considering a van purchase for my family as a 3rd vehicle. The van will be mainly for traveling and family outings. My question is about the value of a local van I am looking at. Recently I have found a 1996 E350 Regency Conversion with a 7.3L Powerstroke. The van only has 100k miles on it and is in excellent condition for a 15 year old vehicle (so I’m told). I will be looking at the van this Wednesday and can't find anything on KBB showing an accurate value. I understand it's worth what I am willing to pay for it but what is it worth to everyone else. The seller is asking $7600 and has already dropped it from $8500. My goal is to buy the van and travel with it for a couple years to get it to my liking then convert it to 4 wheel drive. I would greatly appreciate any advice, concerns, or things to look for on the price, motor, and if this van is a good candidate for a future 4x4 conversion. Thanks

 

[ujoint]

Definitely a good candidate for 4wd. It has the IDI 7.3, which is a great engine. Not as powerful as the later PowerStroke 7.3, but pretty good on power as long as you don't go too big on lift/tires. I built one with 285's & 4.10 gears, worked out great. Let's see some pics!!!!!

 

[co-pilot]

Thanks for the input. I don't plan to go to big with it, just be able to get out of a sticky situation. I was told it already has 4.10 gears with the towing package. I've never tried to post pic's so I'll see what I can do. What's your thought on the asking price.

 

[ujoint]

Perfect, 4.10's. The asking price sounds fair as long as it's in good condition.

 

[rockbender]

A '96 should actually be the first gen. Powerstroke. I believe '94 was the crossover year between the 7.3l IDI and the 7.3L PSD. Not that the IDI is bad, but there are some definite benefits to the PSD!

 

[co-pilot]

It is listed as a Powerstroke so we'll see. I think for what I'm using it for either will work.

 

[ujoint]

A '96 should actually be the first gen. Powerstroke. I believe '94 was the crossover year between the 7.3l IDI and the 7.3L PSD. Not that the IDI is bad, but there are some definite benefits to the PSD!

Well thats good, I thought it was 97.

 

[nely]

My 96 & 97 are psd so i know they have them for sure. 96 was crossover for single to split shot injectors. And i believe it is 94 when the psd first showed up, like previously stated. 97 was the first year of the triton engines.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

[nely]

I've been lurking for awhile and enjoying all the knowledge in this section and forum. I am considering a van purchase for my family as a 3rd vehicle. The van will be mainly for traveling and family outings. My question is about the value of a local van I am looking at. Recently I have found a 1996 E350 Regency Conversion with a 7.3L Powerstroke. The van only has 100k miles on it and is in excellent condition for a 15 year old vehicle (so I’m told). I will be looking at the van this Wednesday and can't find anything on KBB showing an accurate value. I understand it's worth what I am willing to pay for it but what is it worth to everyone else. The seller is asking $7600 and has already dropped it from $8500. My goal is to buy the van and travel with it for a couple years to get it to my liking then convert it to 4 wheel drive. I would greatly appreciate any advice, concerns, or things to look for on the price, motor, and if this van is a good candidate for a future 4x4 conversion. Thanks

Service records are always a good thing to have on any vehicle.

There really isnt much that goes wrong with these vans or engines. The psd does have cam position sensor issues. Thats an inexpensive fix. Cruise control switch on the brake master caused a many fires on most fords so check to see if theres an extra harness plugged into that area. If so the recall has been preformed. If not get that checked by the dealer. That has an e4od transmission. They have known torque convertor problem on that transmission when the 3rd brake lights burn out. Check the roof. Most people i guess dont know how tall the van is and they get scratched and damaged.

Pre 96 has a different dash, interior, dog house, grille core support and other parts than the 97& newer ones. Not a big concern but i couldnt find a dog house that allowed a center console for my 96. At least not in good condition from the jyard b4 my van was totaled.

Depending on where you are and where van is should dictate wethere rust is something to look out for. Not alot of rust in ca so i have no clue what to look for in that aspect.

$7600 seems like a great starting point on the price of an extremely low mileage diesel van. And even better since its a conversion, if thats what your lookin for. My 96 is at 403k miles and my 97 is at 288k miles so you should have lots of life left in that van.

I have 4.10 on my 97 and i hated them for freeway driving. The optimum speed is 55 for towing and thats what its geared for. But going 65 with traffic killed my mileage. Now that i have 315 tires and 4.10 my freeway speed feels and sounds better. I actually thought i had a tranny issue cuz the freeway revs where higher sounding than my 96 which has 3.55 gears.

I did a quick search and found the van on cl. Looks decent, and it states it had a bit of work done to it. Looks like a good starting point.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Check the rain gutter for rust.

The stuff ford put in the rain gutter cracks after a while allowing moisture to sit in the rain gutter and where the roof joins the body. This is especially bad above the rear doors. Not a hard fix but definitely a negotiation point for buying.

Also if you can find someone to look at it that has the ability to run some tests on the engine. The 1996 should be able to have the Injector Buzz Tests and Cylinder Contribution Tests. (as well as a bunch of other stuff). These reading will give a reasonable quick indicator of any engine issues. (Check out AutoEnginuity for one option to run these tests. (Needs the enhanced ford package).

I have a 96 E350 Clubwagon 7.3 PSD with a 4wd conversion. It has done 247,000 miles and I would be happy to drive it from Alaska to Argentina tomorrow if the missus and the boss would let me.

Also if there are no rust/body or major mechanical issues I think that is a fair price.

 

[co-pilot]

Thanks for all the input, I'll definatly keep it all in mind while looking for another one. Yes, I called the day before I headed over to look at it and he had just sold it. We're not in a huge hurry but I am keeping my eye out for a 7.3 with low(er) miles and a conversion. Thanks again for all the pointers and I'll let you know if something else sparks my interest.