Reliability of a used Van

[Sandro]

Looking to buy a van for towing, and had few questions regarding the reliability of a used van.

Car and trailer weigh about 3100lbs and my budget is $5000 and was looking along the lines of an E150, or E250 since an enclosed trailer is out of the question for a long time and probably even longer once I get a van.

I have never owned a Ford or anything similar so need some help on buying something that will not require more work than the race car. I know you guys can't give definite answers but just some guidelines or experiences you have had.

I have found several in my price range that have around 100k miles, but at the same time I have seen some with the same mileage that already have rebuilt engines and trannys.

Typically how long are these engines and trannys good for(provided they haven't been hammered on by being used as a delivery truck)

Also thoughts on the Chevy Astro Cargo Vans as I see a lot of those for sale.

[CRallo]

astro's are light duty vans and not built for the task...

[Sandro]

thats what I was thinking, and the longer wheelbase of E150/E250 would be better.

[lateapex911]

My 2003 GMC Sierra that I will be selling would be fine for such a use. 5.3 litre engine, ext cab. I'm fearful that while book might be higher than your target, (11K) I'll be selling for less.... a lot less. In other words, in today's market, you should be able to "buy up"...

[Rabbit07]

From experience I have found that you need to buy as much truck as you can afford for towing. If the 3/4 ton E250 is on your list, then don't get an E150 ect. Look also at the GM 2500 or 3500 vans. I would reccomend atleast the 6.0 engine. In the Ford nothing less than the 5.4. The heavier rated trucks have bigger brakes, higher rate springs, heavier duty axles, and so on. The higher the rating, the less likely that stuff is going to brake or wear out using it for towing. I have owned 150's and 1500's that just got used up towing with them. Axles seem to be one of the first things that wear out, which even with the repairs being done by myself, the costs are high.

[Greg Amy]

Sandro, some years ago I bought an E-150 (I think it was an '89?) with the 5.0 liter engine, all to pull my ITA car on an open trailer. It just wasn't up to the task: not enough engine and "iffy" older trans.

I replaced it with a '93 E-350 cargo van with the 7.3L non-turbo diesel engine. That's a pretty good engine, lasts forever, all-mechanical so you don't need to worry about electronics, and the trans was an improvement. The non-turbo engine was plenty for pulling my open trailer with equipment in the back. And, I don't remember paying a whole helluva lot for it, either. The only reason I sold it was because I bought an enclosed trailer...

Later '93s and '94s had a turbocharged version of that same engine (a nice upgrade) before they went to the more-expensive, electronically-controlled PowerStroke engine in '95 (I think).

Vans rock, dude.

GA

[Kolin Aspegren]

Another option to think about would be an Excursion. I bought one two weeks ago off
Ebay. At the time there where 115 of them for sale. I paid $6200 for a V-10 with 95k
on it. The seller still had the window sticker that read $48,500. I know a little more
money than you want to spend but talk to anybody thats ever owned one of these and
they will agree that Excursions are pretty capable vehicles for towing and hauling.

k

[shwah]

I bought a used 95 GMC 2500 conversion van 4 years ago, and it has worked out great as a tow vehicle. It had about 130k on it, and I did have some maintenance expenses - alternator, AC compressor, fuel pump, brakes, tie rods/ball joints. But at $4200, there was plenty of budget left for those items. It tows our 16' open trailer with car/tires/spares easily, and provides a better than tent sleeping space at the track. It also makes it easy to get the kids to the track, and carries lots of people when it needs to.

It is a great option for budget towing. I would recomend that you look at 250 or 2500 variants, and use air shocks (mine came with them).

[splats]

Sandro, I bought an older U-Haul Cube Van (from U-Haul). They are going for around $3k-$4k. I put a bed on the 'loft' & registered it as a motorhome. In FLA it was very easy. Contacted my Ins. Co. (Progressive) & they sold me a policy that cost me less than $200 per year. It is the 7.3l diesel. The low cost of the insurance off-sets the higher price of the diesel. At one point, I had over 4k lbs of 'stuff' in the back. When I was pulling the racecar, I didn't even know that it was back there. It has enough room inside to sleep a whole crew (4 adults & 2 larger dogs). And you can make a few extra bucks on non-race weekends moving friends or picking-up large items. (still has the loading ramp)............. just my 2 cents

[BruceG]

I bought a 2002 chevy silverado 8.1 l 454(more like a 470 ci) w/ an 8' bed for 6 grand. I tow a 24 ft featherlite enclosed and I pass everyone on the highway except gas stations!

Bruce

[Joe Camilleri]

I've been towing with a 1 ton GMC van for 15 years. Most of the maintenance items have had to do with sitting around too much (cracked tires, sticky calipers, exhaust). Loaded to the rails it pulls a 3,000# open trailer car combo with no effort. The only thing that ever let me down was an idler pulley on the way home from Mid-Ohio.

When racing with an open trailer, the advantages of a full size van are many.

[lateapex911]

When racing with an open trailer, the advantages of a full size van are many.

yea, it seems like you have to go one of two ways: Open trailer with a van or suburban/excursion, or pickup with an enclosed. The open with a pickup sucks, LOL>

[Flyinglizard]

The van is nice. Stuff stays dry. The old Chevy works better than the old Ford. They just require less repair.
For open trailers, the Florda Custom vans turn out real nice. Low abuse factor, sometimes low mileage, etc. Full size Chev or the Box vans from the rental places. Check out any of the quad tired rear ends real well before you buy one tho. They get used hard, and have a very high replacement cost.
For enclosed trailers, the Excursuion is very nice but costly long term. ovewr 100K.
IMHO Mike Ogren

[fornetti14]

Mid to late '90's vans are all over the U-wrench junk yards too. That helps for fixing the small stuff.