Hi. We've been looking for a 12 passenger van for the past month. In looking, I've come across many different opinions, and I just don't know what to decide. I have 5 children under 10 and I am expecting my 6th, which is why we are looking for a 12 passenger. We are looking at approximately years 2006 - 2008 with relatively low mileage.

Here is what I've heard:

1) get a van that has roll over control
2) the e350 comes installed with 12 seats and would be best
3) there is an option to purchase an e150 and add a bench to make it into a 12 passenger van
4) the e150 is 1/2 the price as far as maintenence or any work (this heard from our mechanic, who we trust)

I drive back and forth to work 3 days a week without any passengers in the van, about 120 miles a week. Otherwise, I'd mostly have little kids in the car, if any at all. We rarely have adults in the van in the back.

One person I spoke to was ADAMENT against adding a bench to the e150 as he felt it wasn't safe and opened up all sorts of liability issues. I spoke to a few conversion places and ford dealers and they seemed to be hemming and hawing on it, but mostly it was all about whether the van could hold the weight or not, not whether it was safe or not.

I feel like the E150 is the more economical choice, cheaper to start with, and cheaper to maintain, but I don't want to buy something that is not safe. Also, I don't know how the lifespan of these vans runs, and whether, though the e350 is more expensive, if it will last longer then the e150, therefore making it worth it to spend the extra money.

I'd really appreciate anybody's feedback/ideas on this, as I'm having a very difficult time deciding on this.

Thank you.

 

The current E150 is the same as the E250 in all but name. The chassis is substantially similar, they share suspension components such as ball joints, and they have very similar payloads.



The 15 passenger vans are VERY expensive to fully insure. My full coverage insurance (300k/300k/100k) ran me almost 3,000/yr on my 2008 E350, and that was with no accidents, a driver over 25, personal use, non primary vehicle. I removed the back seat for cargo room, and used the bolt holes to install a secure storage unit. A few months later I was rear ended. The adjuster came out, and saw my van had been permanently modified to only hold 12 passengers, my rate dropped to 800/yr. Same coverage. I would call your insurance provider and get quotes, just to see what you are looking at.

I wouldn't modify an E150, because you are not using factory seat-belt and seat mounts. Ford designed the van to meet a certain saftey standard, and the van could be compromised if some aftermarket company starts drilling holes everywhere. If the seats are not secured properly to the body, they could come free in an accident, and compromise the integrity of the seats in front of them (additional shearing forces.)

 

I'll pay the other side of the coin...

Go with the E350 and the V10 extended body. (15 passenger)
Why, because it will do everything you ask in stock trim, You won't have to add anything or do anything to make it fit your needs.
As for maintenance costs, there's not much of a difference between the E150 to E350. All the fluids are close in amount and intervals. Some parts might be more $, but could last longer.
Suspension is strong on the E350 so you can load up a lot of weight and almost not care. = safer.
And then the fuel economy... The V10 does ok, I get an average of 14mpg unloaded and up to 16.5mpg at posted speeds. When towing it will drink- 8-10 mpg but does it flawlessly.
The trans on the 2005+ V10 is amazing! 5R110. I think it was an option on the 5.4 but I'm sure you would be hard pressed to find one in a used van.

Sure something will cost more on the E350 but the rewards are worth it.

Insurance costs, that's a very subjective subject.
I have full coverage on my 05 E350 V10 15 passenger and it's $510 a year in SC- I'm 40 with a spotless driving record.
Try to insure it in a major city with a lousy driving record and i'm sure it's astronomical.
Go to your insurance broker/agent and ask before you buy a van, it could make or break the sale.

good luck.

 

I had typed out a really long thing for you then my browser locked up.

What I had said (short version) was get a 2005+ E350 with the V10 and 5R110 trans Extended body (15 passenger).
It will do everything you ask without needing modifications, strong suspension, maintenance costs/intervals are close to the 5.4 motor.

I get 14-16.5 mpg unloaded at posted speed limits. Towing a 7500 31ft TT I got 9mpg but flawlessly towed.

Why skimp and regret it later? Go with a big van.
I'm on my second and love it.

 

WTF... That's odd, some how it posted my first...
Oh well.

 

Agree with Basso: get an extended version. 6 kids, plus parents, plus child seats, plus strollers, plus friends, etc -- that's no match for the 150.

A 250 extended low-top, even a 5.4 would be a great family/travel vehicle. I would even add that a Conversion van would even be better. A high top / TV etc. is even better.

Most extended high-tops come in as 350.

They will last a long time. You might get tired of them long before they die.

 

AbbyC I'm going to almost completely agree with the esteemed gentleman above me here--they're all experienced with using their vans in line with your growing--no pun intended---family needs!

Let me add there is NO "roll over control" device that'll ever work any better than the driving becoming aware of a vehicles limitations, handling characteristics and safe defensive driving. I'm not familiar with the RSC ?? package introduced on the later E vans but I refer you back to my first few sentences here anyway. Once you come to know these bigger vans are indeed big, heavy and potentially prone to handling issues under extreme maneuvers your driving style adjusts to better fit the vehicle so its mostly a matter of getting accustomed to them.

That being said several manufacturers do offer far better load control suspension improvements that you might consider most notably a rear anti-sway bar if a new-to-you van isn't already equipped with one---they're easily added later and a wonderful idea. The company Roadmaster Active Suspension has another great product designed to work with the 9, 12 & 15 passenger vans---its just another avenue to look into for safer handling.

These days the 12 & 15 passenger vans as well as conversion vans are plentiful and fairly priced---I know this because I'm looking for a cargo-only van and they're premium priced for some reason. I view eBay daily for a specific van and for me the distance I'll need to travel for the perfect-for-me-van isn't an issue. If you're not set on a certain distance from home for a purchase its one more buyers tool available to you.

I'm not certain what model years the E150's and E250's became more similar than past years but generally I'd stay with an E250 bare minimum. Adding seats to a van not factory equipped with the stronger factory mounting points AND accommodations for seat belt mounting too is something else I'd avoid as well. Apart from it being safer you'd not have to deal with finding and properly installing the new seat.

In general if don't absolutely need this new van immediately patience will pay off in the end---sooner than you expect the perfect van will pop up and it'll be time to wear out that check book!

Hope any of this helps--------most of these guys here will give you some great feedback!

 

Thank you all for your replies. I've decided a while back not to go with the 15 passenger extended for several reasons:

1) I don't like how the back bentch is positioned so close to the back door. If G-d forbid there were a rearender, that seat is not in a good location.
2) If I removed the back bench to have room for cargo in the back, I would have no place to store it, as I live in Florida, and have nothing by way of storage space to speak of.

I have no need for the extra 3 seats at this time , and don't foresee that happening for a while.

I'd love to hear more opinoins on this, but for now, I think I've decided on the 350.

 

If there was an accident that bad where the people in the rear seat got hurt the wreck would have to be really bad. Remember the frame on the vans is very stout and if the van has the factory step bumper, even more protection.
Sell it, it's easliy worth $100. Trust me, even with a EB van you can run out of space real quick.
Don't think of it as three extra seats, it's storage space for all the 'stuff' you will want to have and not bother taking out.

 

I have 3 EB 350's and would never consider anything else.And ,trust me I know,all those kids will need all the room you can get.As far as E-350's go,check e-bay. There are usually quite a few available.They are used by dealers and FordMoCo for lease vehicles.I bought my 1st one 18 yrs ago from a local dealer..it was a college lease vehichle,and now has 285,000 on it ,the body is starting to go,but the mechanicals are still strong. As far as maintenance,the 150's may be a little cheaper on suspension parts,(mechanicals will be the same),however,the 350's last longer,as they are not overstressed at all. Rick

 

350, regardless of engine, will bounce all over the place, since you'll have small payload. Like JWA said, I would think long and hard about interior finish and ride comfort and what you are going to do to avoid having teeth rattling.

I have been inside Club Wagons and I am biased towards the conversion vans, especially for kids / family use. Conversion vans, on the interior, give you a good platform to build on. Especially if you don't have the time and space to build from scratch. At least you only have to deal with smoothing the ride.

 

I prefer club wagons simply for the fact that the parts are all Ford. Broken glass is a standard size, and easily replaced. They dont develop random leaks around windows or some hightop that was installed cheaply. The rear AC isnt some god awful Mark IIIIIVXXIVIVX unit that hasn't had parts built for it since 1 week after the van was built. The electrical in many older conversion vans is **** poor, though more recent units are supposed to be better.

One thing I give conversion vans credit for is they are generally more comfortable, with nicer outfitting. Though you can get an aftermarket company to custom fit a Club Wagon with some nice features.

For the love of your children, get rear AC. I dont know why its done, but some conversion vans are built on cargo platforms with no rear AC, and nothing aftermarket fitted.

 

I can't speak for ambulances, but my tin-can 250s/350s leak more than my high-tops ever did. The only leak I had was due to my mistake of flashing methods of steel braces of the new big-sky sunroof/moonroof I installed, after taking half of the scalp off.

Having upfitted an upfitted van on my own, for most families with kids, conversion vans give families a lot more bang for the buck than spartan CWs. Camping rigs, towing rigs -- that's a different story.

With very little expense conversion vans can be improved a lot. A $ 10 spray can, some caulk, some pink insulation, and you are about 3 times more protected than CWs. Conversion parts are also plenty if you know where to look.

My 2 cents...