Shopping for a van...

[VANquisher]

Hey All,

I'm still shopping for my base van so I can start a conversion. So far, I'm having trouble finding 'the one'.

I know it can take some time, and I need to be patient, but does the collective have any suggestions on where to look?

For the most part I have been relying on craigslist, but I would love to learn about some other resources and methods to help broaden my search space.

Thanks!

 

[TroySmith80]

Autotrader.com usually has a couple.

Also, thundersgarage.com

 

[nely]

Another member put a link to jaxed mash website. That put craigslist and ebay listing for many vehicles with one click. And can pick regoins, state etc. Just google jaxed mash and youll see it

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

 

[Toolman]

Try FAMVANS in Fountain Valley. They will take your order and find it for you.

 

[dhally]

A couple other ideas - I went on the Quigley web site to find their stocking dealers. Then went to the dealers web sites to see what they have in stock.

Another web site is thundersgarage.com which has used vans for listed, also links to new Quigley vans.

cars.com lists new and used inventories for a lot of dealers.

In general the Ford dealers seem to have all the low miles used vans with good options.

Used Chevys with options appear to be non-existent.

 

[Herbie]

I found my 2003 van in Tucson, my 1995 donor van in Vancouver, and many of my key components all over California using a site called crazedlist.org - basically it lets you build a Craigslist search over whatever region makes sense (nationwide, west coast, pick your individual cities, etc.), then it spits out an XML file that you can suck into an RSS feed reader.

I imported mine into Google Reader, then use the GoogleReader gadget on my iGoogle page, so the first thing I see every morning is a list of every craigslist ad (nationwide) that matches my search criteria.

I have a half dozen different "searches" running constantly, and it requires no effort other than checking the RSS feed once or twice a day and the patience to ignore a couple of local idiots who keyword spam the Automotive parts section. ("###I CAN CHECK YOUR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON YOUR CAR OBDII OBD2 - $10" - I and several others are currently engaged in a flagging war with this idiot, he posts this ad literally 10 times a day)

Hope that helps.

 

[VANquisher]

Thanks for the tips. I'll add those sites to the watch list. I didn't realize the output of CrazedList could be dumped in to an RSS reader. I'll have to give that a shot.

Thanks again!

 

[VANquisher]

Wahoo!

Thanks for all the great tips! They helped me track down my new baby. I found her just over 400 miles away and brought her home this weekend!

I was thinking of naming her Babe, after Paul Bunyan's famous blue ox, but I'd love to hear your suggestions as well!

It's going to be a long road ahead. My DIY skills are right around 0, but when this is done hopefully that will change.

First things first - 4x4. Chris, keep an eye on your e-mail!

Edit: 2003 E350 7.3L Diesel. 150k Miles.

 

[ujoint]

Will do. Love the color!! What's the story with it?

 

[VANquisher]

The Story?

Well, it's an '03 E350 Diesel. After 150k miles, it is retiring life as a lock smith's van and moving on to greener pastures as a 4x4 camping/living adventure van. I found it on Craig's List in Boise. After a few phone calls, my girlfriend and I made the 7 hour drive to pick it up. The van made the 400 mile drive home without batting an eye, and I'm already looking forward to many more miles.

My main hobbies are skiing and rock climbing, and I have always wanted to learn to surf. This is going to be the vehicle that helps me do all those things in comfort and style. I am trying to stay out of debt, so I am planning to convert each piece as the funds become available, starting with a UJOINT Offroad conversion I hope!

 

[digitaldelay]

Fancy rims for a locksmith!! I love the color, too!

Congrats,

Jason