future of E 350

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Nov 11, 2013 | 10:15 AM

ovenrat

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From: Philly

future of E 350

I'm thinking of buying an E 350 and have it converted to 4X4 by Quigley Co. but would like to wait a couple of years to see if they get the rumored bigger 5.0L eco-boost V8 and, again, the rumored 10 speed auto tranny. I'd rather not get the 6.8L V10 as most of my driving is around town and even tho' the engine is solid it's also very thirsty..... I had heard Ford might continue with just the 350 in the future, anyone hear anything ?
thanks

Nov 11, 2013 | 11:52 AM

thomabb

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The E series is going to be phased out in a couple years. They will be replaced with the T series which is about to go into production at any moment, if it hasn't already.

Nov 11, 2013 | 04:00 PM

WarrensE350

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That's a shame. The "Econoline" nameplate has been around for so long. Shame.

Nov 11, 2013 | 04:30 PM

YoGeorge

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From: Detroit

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarrensE350

That's a shame. The "Econoline" nameplate has been around for so long. Shame.

It is a shame but the current chassis dates back to 1975. I was also bummed when they killed the RWD Crown Vic, but time marches on. Actually, Ford has not used the Econoline name (but has used the E prefix) since 2001, so the Econoline nameplate has already been gone for 13 years.

Given that the E series never even got the 3 valve engines, it's pretty clear that it has been status quo for a long time and even if it were to continue, it would not get the newest engines or transmissions.

George

Nov 11, 2013 | 06:48 PM

ovenrat

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From: Philly

"Given that the E series never even got the 3 valve engines, it's pretty clear that it has been status quo for a long time and even if it were to continue, it would not get the newest engines or transmissions"

George

Well, I guess I got the info I need :-( ..... not crazy at all with the Transit Vans ..... may have to move away from Ford

thanks all

Nov 11, 2013 | 07:00 PM

YoGeorge

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From: Detroit

Quote:

Originally Posted by ovenrat

thanks all

Well, your only alternative is GM vans. I had a brand new 1996 GMC Savana and that "van from hell" convinced me to never again buy a GM product...

The world is changing...if I wanted a newish traditional van right now, I'd buy a $20-22,000 fleet E350 from my local Ford dealer. 2013 vans with about 20k miles and 5.4 engines...basically new vehicles. Do you really need 4WD? I put an Eaton posi in my '02 E150 when it was new and it does just fine in Michigan winters.

In Europe, the big Transits have been available with AWD for a number of years now. We can certainly hope that they'll become available here.

Take care,
George

Nov 11, 2013 | 07:23 PM

ovenrat

Thread Starter

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From: Philly

Do you really need 4WD?

Yes, just retired from Philly FD after 39 years and I plan to surf fish alot in my retirement, gonna need that 4X4 on the sand

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Nov 12, 2013 | 05:23 AM

JWA

Fleet Owner

Joined: Aug 2010

Posts: 21,253

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From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Indeed thanks for your service! Uniformed services are too often taken for granted, we assume they'll just be there when we need them.

Another thought on your van needs would be looking into the Sportsmobile conversions. Many who have them or create their own use them for fairly rugged outdoor excursions in remote or hard-to-access places. Some are built on Chevy/GMC chassis the concept is intriguing. Quigley and Quadvan 4x4 packages are on most of the Sportsmobiles, many coming from one of those fitters to Sportsmobile for their conversions.

I've PM'd you a link to one of the better sites about all this----hope its of use or interest.

Nov 12, 2013 | 06:48 AM

#10

WarrensE350

Tuned

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Guess I haven't kept up on the new vans then. I didn't know they already phased out the Econoline name. Well, not to sound like a traitor but at least the big Chevy vans are built about 8 miles from my house. But, I'll probably buy a used 10-15 year old E series when my current van dies, if it ever does.

Nov 12, 2013 | 07:28 AM

#11

Steve Noland

Mountain Pass

Joined: Oct 2013

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From: McRae, AR

Sportsmobile claims they will continue to make their conversions available on the E350 chassis until sometime in 2015 when the Transit is in full production and the E350 Van models are no longer available. I think the E450 Cab/Chassis will still be offered along the Transit for a while.

The demise of the E-series is saddening. I have gen 1, 2 and 3 Econoline vans and enjoy them all.

Nov 12, 2013 | 07:57 AM

#12

WarrensE350

Tuned

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Noland

Cool signature picture, Steve. I've had two 79's, a 91, and now Bubba my 97. I feel the same way you do. Nostalgia... A word I did not understand until I got old.