So I'm buying a van...

Cole

Cole

Expedition Leader
.....seriously, unless you LOVE classics and are prepared to deal with their quirks. Then stick with 1995+ as a rule of thumb. (There are exception but this is a good starting point)
 
Cole

Cole

Expedition Leader
HoboJen said:
hahaha... man i have so much to learn.
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No worries. Its simple stuff. You just don't know what you don't know yet! :sombrero: Seriously no dumb questions here. :snorkel:


In 1995/1996 cars were required to have "OBDII" which is the second generation of a standardized "On Board Diagnostics" system. This means that every car despite its maker must use the same plugin and give the same generic "codes" to be read by "generic" code readers. Many of these systems will provide a ton more diagnostic info dependent on the brand and year of the car. But...this also means that any $10 reader at any autoparts store or phone app paired to a Bluetooth adapter can get you on the right path to fixing the car. They will give you a code like "12345" and a brief description like "blinker fluid out of range".:coffeedrink: You can go to a brand specific car forum and type in "12345" into the search field and usually find the common error and fix! Usually with step by step write ups, and sources for the part at good prices. This alone should help with your travels. :smiley_drive:

This magic and mystical OBDII era of stuff is also a fairly easy cutoff to know a van probably has fuel injection, etc. Obviously there are exceptions, but this is a simple way for you to break down your searches. Simple things like fuel injection will make your life easier with cold/hot starting, elevation changes, fuel economy, etc. All things that will plague an older carbureted vehicle.
 
H

HoboJen

Adventurer
that's awesome. i vaguely remember doing that to troubleshoot my first car. let's be honest, it was my brother doing that, not me.



now i'm back looking at 2006 and 2007 chevy express vans again.
 
BIGdaddy

BIGdaddy

Expedition Leader
HoboJen said:
that's awesome. i vaguely remember doing that to troubleshoot my first car. let's be honest, it was my brother doing that, not me.



now i'm back looking at 2006 and 2007 chevy express vans again.
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I think that is a solid choice.

Then again, I think a Subaru-powered Westfalia is also a good choice with an optimized living space built right in. :)

Not a day goes by where I don't think about flinging one of our cars into the void and grabbing a westy to put a subaru 2.2L motor in. :)
 
Cole

Cole

Expedition Leader
BIGdaddy said:
I think that is a solid choice.

Then again, I think a Subaru-powered Westfalia is also a good choice with an optimized living space built right in. :)

Not a day goes by where I don't think about flinging one of our cars into the void and grabbing a westy to put a subaru 2.2L motor in. :)
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While I agree about the Vanagon with a swap. I think the hauling capacity, price and technical skill of the owner are out of the range of her needs here.
 
Cole

Cole

Expedition Leader
java said:
but then your talking sprinter price again. If i were buying a cargo to convert myself it would be a sprinter in that price range;.
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Personally, if you are going to get into that range, I'd also get a Sprinter. (Did I mention that I also have a Sprinter?)

Anyway, with ANY empty cargo van I'd plan on thousands of dollars in extra spend to get them on par with some of these pre built camper or conversion vans.

You don't have to go fancy to spent a ton of money quickly on the basics. Furnace? $1000, fridge? $1000, electrical power system $500-2000k, wood and insulation could easily run you hundreds and into the 4 digits. Sure, you can toss an old mattress from the side of the road in it and live in it, but to make it comfy, even on the cheap end, isn't exactly cheap. That is why some of the rebuilt camper vans and conversion vans offer a lot of value. (Also why the. Prebuilt VW campers and Sportsmobiles are so expensive)
 
Cole

Cole

Expedition Leader
HoboJen said:
yeah i've kinda already ruled out both vanagons and eurovans... as much as i'd love to have one.
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A 1993 would probably fit your needs and budget. 17-22mpg, pop top, 2 beds(queen downstairs and full upstairs, small fridge, house battery, table, lights, sliding side windows, fwd for snow. Going exactly the opposite direction in value as all the other vans mentioned. Probably be worth the same or more in a year instead of less.

Won't be as fast a some of the other vans. But the 5cyl 2.5l is pretty bombproof. Parts can be tricky to find sometimes, but not always.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/4298950029.html

http://olympic.craigslist.org/cto/4226545249.html
 
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