Thinking of buying a older van, any suggestions?

[spencyg]

Well Boomer is a Ford Quadravan which was done by Pathfinder back in the day. I must admit the front suspension is basically crap, expecially if you're doing any sort of offroad (even light offroad) traveling. There is approx 1.5" of jounce (up) travel in my rig which severely limits the available comfort when on and off road. As with other comments my van tracks straight and true on the highway and is very pleasant to drive down nice roads. I intend to rip and tear the stock suspension out in the next couple years and replace it with something a bit more conventional...

If you can manage it, get a diesel. All of these vans are heavy and your fuel bill on a gasser will be outrageous to the point of swaying decisions to take the beast out on a trip. My rig has the 6.9L International Diesel with a C6 transmission. I currently get around 14-15 MPG with this setup fully loaded. Once I add a turbo to the engine (2010 project) and a Gearvendors Overdrive (probably 2 or 3 years out), I fully expect to get in the 17-20MPG range. For a rig with my frontal area and weight, this is great. I've heard that the same Ford E350 Pathfinder 4x4 conversion with a 460 (equivalent gas engine) used to get 6-8 MPG. Forget that. I wouldn't own my rig if it did that kind of mileage. I did around 450 miles this weekend in Boomer and used just under 30 gals of fuel...weekend fuel bill was under $80.

Good luck with the search!

Spence

 

[Icebox]

Yeah, My old (sold) 79 E250 Ford Pathfinder 460 carb motor got 9 mpg. Loaded or unloaded, it seemed. It had the 2 stock tanks and an aftermarket tank that improved it's range somewhat but my current van is about double the weight and double the MPG. The front suspension never worked right off road. I spent a ton of time making it right while I drove my old Jeep to and from work. If you buy a 4wd, make sure it was done correctly or you will be correcting it to work right. Also get a Diesel if you can. They will do everything better except (in stock form) your 0-60 times. The 6.9/7.3 IDI motors are simple and if you can find a clean one reliable and nearly indestructable. It is VERY TIGHT to work on though.You may find one that has most everything you want but is only 2wd. A 4wd conversion is a TON of work, but if you find the elusively clean, barn find, one owner rig that is also priced right, a conversion becomes more appealing. You must ask yourself however what will be easier. Converting a 4wd van to a camper or converting a camper to 4wd. Both have advantages and drawbacks. I wouldn't trade my Penthouse top for anything but a bazillion dollars. OK maybe a little less but who's counting anyway. Good luck and I hope you find a good one!!