JWA and Wildman,
I just re-read this whole thread and I can't see where/how you two see the OP as snarky/etc. Chill out guys. The guy came to a Ford truck forum for advice and was recommended a Honda Odyssey. That's snarky. A Ford Windstar or Aerostar would've been perceived as helpful. Or at least some supporting facts of why a Honda is better than a Windstar/Aerostar.

With that said: I agree with the logic of the Been-a rounders. Quality isn't cheap, and the OP is clearly seeking cheap quality to an unreasonable level.

YoGeorge offered the best advice (repeatedly in this post)- if you buy any Ford E series van for under $2000, it's a gamble. Consider also age over 15years and you have a very questionable van.

With that said: I think the OP should seriously consider a minivan (Honda or Ford or otherwise). It seems he doesn't need the cargo rating. And the image factor will be better with a decent-condition, modern, low priced minivan than a 1980's to 1990's E van.

 

It still might be the OP's best bet to fix the Chevy truck he has; I assume it is a "known known". And I also agree that minivans do tend to be a bit cheaper than big vans. And big passenger vans/conversions may be cheaper than work vans (take out the seats, cover windows if that is a problem) and may have had gentler treatment in family use rather than being neglected work trucks.

If the OP is not totally grossed out by GM (and I personally am anti GM these days so I get it) the Astro and Safari vans are pretty long-lived and pretty manly as well, being RWD and built like scaled-down big vans. I have friends who own them with over 200k miles. (I am prez of a large bike club, did Boy Scouts with my son, and I am also a musician and have a LOT of friends with big and mini vans.) I also have a good friend with a big Dodge van that has 300k miles on it.

One piece of advice I would offer is that if you are shopping for a low priced vehicle, it usually works better to make a list of vehicles that might be acceptable and buy for condition, as opposed to focusing on a single brand and type. Especially true if you have limited time for your search. More "been arounder" advice, I guess...

Although I am a Honda fan, I would stay away from earlier Odysseys because they had transmission problems...

George

 

Thanks all!
Chevy truck not fix, why?
-need either head gasket or lower intake manifold gasket because a bit white plume comes out the exhaust.
-needs 2 new cats and maybe some o2 sensors
-oh, and there is a problem with the title so I can't drive it anyway if I fixed it

I think I'll rip it apart and sell the parts, engine, axles, tires/wheels transmittion etc

Oh, and I will post some pictures of my wonderful new (to me) 1989 E150 that is sitting my driveway.

It just needs ecm and fix power steering which is not working.

Minivan won't work because I am concerned about security... With all the Windows on a minivan they might steal my stuff nothing to do with Microsoft Windows...

Test drive a Chevy Astro a few months back the ride quality sucked so bad this Ford is better!

And by the way, Ford for life. This van drives and runs better than my truck which is almost a decade newer and cost 2x as much.
Sure, the truck was more comfortable and car like inside but who cares if it doesn't work.

Just gotta fix power steering on the van and I'm all set!

 

Good luck with the van and parting out the truck. I will assure you that your van needs far more work than "just" the ecm and power steering fix, but I hope I'm wrong. Aside from the bad title (not the fault of Chevy) it sounds like the work your truck needs is less than what your van might need. Dexcool antifreeze dissolves intake manifold gaskets...had a '96 Savana van before my Ford. If there is a lien on the title, you may be held responsible for the lien if you part out the truck, but that is research that you need to do...

Your front end has the old kingpins and when those get old they freeze up and trash steering systems and parts. If your van "takes a direction" when driving or makes creaking/groaning noises, could be sticking kingpins. Also, camber is not adjustable on your front end unless you bend the I beams (heavy truck shop) or change out the springs to match the original factory height precisely. (After 1992 Ford switched to ball joints and there is some camber adjustment--a good friend of mine actually is a retired Ford engineer that worked on the E van front end design.)

Vans with no windows are broken into often if thieves suspect that there is valuable stuff inside aka woodworking tools, plumbing tools, musical instruments, computers... I hear of musical gear thefts all too often out of all kinds of vehicles (I live in the Detroit area so we have more than our share of thieves). You might want to get "doggie pooper scooper" or "county morgue" magnetic signs for the van although this would make a bad impression on your clients

The rear door lock on newer Ford vans is particularly vulnerable as it's in a flimsy plastic frame (I think they addressed it in 2008), and many of the other door locks are easy for thieves to hit with a screwdriver. You may want to get auxiliary padlocks for the rear and side doors; they are made specifically for vans. Your older van may not have the rear door plastic frame; I forget...

Best of luck,
George

 

My other option with the truck is to find one with a clean title and like a bad transmission/engine or whatever for cheap and make it a summer project. But really lets not worry about that and yes I am aware of the intake manifold issue and that might be it but if I do an engine swap I'd do head gasket too.

 

You're damn right! I,too, prefer the 1991 back Econoline styling over the 1992 up. Well ..., except for the cheeesy interiors (XLT excepted). Additionally, I disagree that you can't find a van ... in great shape, and buy it right. For example, any of the Club Wagons still around that a church bought new ... well, "We gotta have something a lot newer than a 1991 Club with 50K and original paint." " Hell, we wouldn't be caught dead in a van that old." I see them fairly often. And there are others. FORD built a ton of these vehicles. Remember, the custom van craze was in full swing during this time period. Hell, in 1990(?) 1991(?) FORD didn't out sell GM, but they made more money than the GENERAL. These were truly wild times at FORD.