Getting a DIESEL AGAIN!!!!
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 2
From: USA
how many miles are on each vehicle?
i understand you could still order the old C6 trans in pickups until like '96 (crazy i know) not sure about the vans.does the van trans have overdrive (E40D) ?
you do understand working on the engine if a van is no joy,and paying someone to work on it cost far more than if you had a pickup (or in this comparison a jeep) right?
if the purchase price of these vehicles causes you to spend just about all your money saved.then id suggest you don't get either one these and look for something that costs a little less.because all older vehicles require some love,and your going to need $ set aside.
if that van sports the E40D trans for example,and it has higher miles.an E40D rebuild will set you back 2500-3k just for the trans.that isn't installed.
be very careful you don't over buy and strap yourself to the point you don't have anything left over in the event of a major repair,which is very common when talking about 15+ yr old vehicles.
i understand you could still order the old C6 trans in pickups until like '96 (crazy i know) not sure about the vans.does the van trans have overdrive (E40D) ?
you do understand working on the engine if a van is no joy,and paying someone to work on it cost far more than if you had a pickup (or in this comparison a jeep) right?
if the purchase price of these vehicles causes you to spend just about all your money saved.then id suggest you don't get either one these and look for something that costs a little less.because all older vehicles require some love,and your going to need $ set aside.
if that van sports the E40D trans for example,and it has higher miles.an E40D rebuild will set you back 2500-3k just for the trans.that isn't installed.
be very careful you don't over buy and strap yourself to the point you don't have anything left over in the event of a major repair,which is very common when talking about 15+ yr old vehicles.
Damn, the more you guys talk the more im leaning towards a Jeep. I think thats the right thing to do at this point. I heard that Jeeps are some of the easiest vehicles to repair. The ones im looking at are 4 cylinders, the reason is that I want to save fuel and I dont really off road so I dont see the purpose of an inline 6.
Its scary to think about being out another 2500-3k. Im sure I will test drive it before buying any vehicle but i understand that its always a risk. Which is why im leaning towards the Jeep now. Ive always been extremely impulsive, if the money had arrived today like it was supposed to, I would have bought the van asap.
Its a shame, if the van is in perfect running condition I would feel stupid, but there is no way of knowing and I think thats what makes my decision easy at this point.
Thanks again for all the input. Its hard making the right decision sometimes. But this forum has never let me down with my other vehicles that I have posted about asking for help.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 2
From: USA
Hopefully you'll never need to attempt to use Restore on any of your IDI diesels...
Re: mechanical access on a van, that's true. I've had a taste of it myself over the years, as I have had a 1-ton Ram Van (350) for nearly a decade, and my friend had a late '80s GM van with the 6.2... in both cases, pretty much any engine work was a PITA!
My '94 IDI's previous owner had never heard of SCAs either, but the engine seemed in very good condition and there was no trace of coolant in oil or vice versa. I followed the advice on this forum and bought it, then immediately flushed the coolant, and have been running SCAs since then. No cavitation problems so far...
With cavitation, from what I understand, it's pretty much either you have a pinhole right now, or else you can stop it straight where it is and never have problems...
Re: mechanical access on a van, that's true. I've had a taste of it myself over the years, as I have had a 1-ton Ram Van (350) for nearly a decade, and my friend had a late '80s GM van with the 6.2... in both cases, pretty much any engine work was a PITA!
My '94 IDI's previous owner had never heard of SCAs either, but the engine seemed in very good condition and there was no trace of coolant in oil or vice versa. I followed the advice on this forum and bought it, then immediately flushed the coolant, and have been running SCAs since then. No cavitation problems so far...
With cavitation, from what I understand, it's pretty much either you have a pinhole right now, or else you can stop it straight where it is and never have problems...
Yeah from what the owner tells me it runs great, when i asked him if it leaked oil he said "not that I know of". Of course I can always look and see, but you never know. If you read my thread "my horror story" regarding the day I purchased my red truck you see on my avatar, i drove 300 miles for it at midnight (im very impulsive) bought it, on the way back home turns out i had blown head gasket. Spent $1800 doing a top head job. At that point i was only 1500 in plus 2000 to repair. Right now, I dont think I can afford that risk. Still, the "what if its in great condition" is and will kill me. DAMN.
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 2
From: USA
Mileage for the van?
Engine in the Jeep? (4.0 inline six hopefully?)
In each case: is the price firm, or is it "OBO"? If you can negotiate, it's technically possible to be able to turn any of the two into a great deal.
Right now, I happen to think they're both a bit overpriced. Depends on your area I suppose, because around here older vehicles are markedly cheaper than the same ones would be in rust-free areas (Sun Belt + west coast).
Engine in the Jeep? (4.0 inline six hopefully?)
In each case: is the price firm, or is it "OBO"? If you can negotiate, it's technically possible to be able to turn any of the two into a great deal.
Right now, I happen to think they're both a bit overpriced. Depends on your area I suppose, because around here older vehicles are markedly cheaper than the same ones would be in rust-free areas (Sun Belt + west coast).
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 327
Likes: 1
I honestly think this van, in that shape, rarity and all, for $4,200 (are you really that much in a hurry that you can't even wait a week to keep an extra $300 in your pocket?) is a much better buy than a 4-cyl Wrangler for over 5 grand.
Also... I would say, don't just ask the seller, check for yourself. Are the oil and coolant clean? Does the engine smoke in any way? It's likely that he's a honest guy, like most people out there, but why only take his word when you can easily ALSO see for yourself?
Also... I would say, don't just ask the seller, check for yourself. Are the oil and coolant clean? Does the engine smoke in any way? It's likely that he's a honest guy, like most people out there, but why only take his word when you can easily ALSO see for yourself?
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