For those that own, or would like to own an older van, what are the reasons you do, or would like to own one?

As most know I own a 1985 E150 high top conversion and I bought a gen 3 van mainly because I like the way Gen 3 vans look... Maybe because I am older but I think older vans have more personality then newer smooth curved vans. Many of the newer cars in general look so simular that often it is hard to tell what brand they are..

Secondly I like the simplicity of the mechanics. I simplified mine even more by converting it from a feedback carb to a standard carb and doing away with the eec and tfi ignition. If at one point you are not getting fuel or spark, there is only three or four things it could be and they are quite simple to diagnose and repair..
Here in the southern states you can find an older van with a good body and paint if you look around a bit and they are pretty cheep.. They are cheep to insure and my tag was only $18.
As most of us are here to learn how to do our own work when there are problems, I replaced my complete brake system except for the vacuum booster and metal lines for under $300. Currently I am working on the fuel system and will have replaced everything from the fuel cap to the carb - minus the metal fuel lines, for under $500. A while back I put my Saturn in the shop for for a fuel problem and it cost me almost $500 to get it back...

I enjoy working on older cars and plan on replacing any parts/systems that I feel needs to be replaced in order to make it a reliable daily driver that will last for years to come.
If it was classic I would still make it my daily driver.
I know there will still be little things here and there that will go out but the older vans are fairly simple to repair..

When buying a new car you pick one out because you like it and it serves your needs.
That is exactly what I bought my 30 year old e150 for, because I liked it and it will serve my needs! In time I will customize it here and there until it has its own personality and reflects much of my own.
If I can just figure out how to get my wooden canoe on top!

<a href="http://s472.photobucket.com/user/Annaleigh_123/media/00k0k_cUbwi39p2XA_600x450-2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/rr88/Annaleigh_123/00k0k_cUbwi39p2XA_600x450-2.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 00k0k_cUbwi39p2XA_600x450-2.jpg"/></a>

 

I like older vehicles just fine and have a garage queen '91 BMW 318is. However, in Michigan, any old vehicle that has seen winters is decayed badly, and even bringing up a nice vintage vehicle from the South (we got my son a nice older BMW from North Carolina a number of years ago) will cause that vehicle to deteriorate if we actually use it year round.

I long to have some of the great old iron I used to own, but if I were to be in an accident, I would prefer airbags to not having airbags. I like antilock brakes. And fuel injection and electronic ignition stuff work quite well these days. In the old days, I used to rebuild and modify a lot of carburetors, and it was fun, but not my hobby of choice any more. I do have some drag racing trophies from the early 70's. But frankly it was more work changing plugs every 12k miles on a simple engine that it is changing them every 100k on a modern engine. And older engines had more of a tendency to become oil burners because blocks were not x-rayed and carburetors often ran engines too rich and washed oil off of cylinder walls.

My E150 is an '02 and it is "just right" in terms of age for me. Hardly any depreciation at all at this point, but not new enough that I worry about a door ding or scratch, and still extremely dependable with very few anticipated problems. Very little rust at this point.

I look at trucks and vans as blue jeans. As they wear out, they get a patina and do not lose their usefulness even if they are faded or have some small holes in them. A luxury car is like a dress suit. Tear a hole in the pants knee and it's not cool any more... But old conversion vans with striped paint jobs and rust look really bad and are almost impossible to repair if you have a panel whacked or if you are fixing rust.

George

 

My reasons for buying "older" vehicles 100% revolves around money. Since 1989 I've bought 3 "older" vans for a total cost of just at $10K, two still with me as we speak. They are 100% functional, dependable, easily maintained by me, pretty much trouble free for their entire life me with so far. Because I'm self-employed in a fully mobile business self-powered toolboxes on wheels is an absolute must.

One is a 2000 with 275K miles, the other a 2003 just topping 214K miles, the third an '88 E150 with inline 6 that had been beat to death long before it was gifted to me by the forth owner, it having been declared a total loss by a tow companies insurance agency---we only drove it another 35K miles after that declaration.

My needs for interior upfitting costs almost as much as the entire vehicle and entails a butt load of work. Once the van has been fitted to suit my needs it becomes important to maintain it all because I don't want to upfit one more van these days. Upfitting a bare cargo van requires the same amount of work and material regardless the body/chassis age which is why "older" makes more economical sense. Same van configuration when finished, in my case at 1/6th the cost of "newer".

Over the life of the two current vans there have been none of the oft-cited complaints or speculations of age along rendering such "old" vehicles worth nothing more than scrap prices, that everything is falling apart without warning and endlessly. Having friends in my same business who've bought newer or brand new vans (with the accompanying higher cost and/or mortgage) they're having problems I've yet to see in my "antique" equipment. My experience and observation in just that area tells me the myth "newer is better" is just that-------a myth.

While I have no real love or affection for any era of van I will stay with the post '97 chassis and bodies for their engine options and vast interchange availabilty of parts when/if they are needed.

Unlike those who are forced to hire work out because they're incapable of their own lighter duty repairs/maintenance its easy to say "newer is better" but chances are at the end of life of our respective vehicles we who keep the "older scrap yard refugees" running have less invested, drive equally dependable and to us enjoyable vans, cars, trucks whatevers.

This recent surge of "its worth $XXX.00 as scrap........" borders on the ridiculous from almost any POV----well apart from not being able to afford or perform minor maintenance and repairs.

So it all comes back to and down to money.............

Thanks for posting Annaleigh!

 

None of my vehicles have ever been worked on at a shop while I've owned them. I do 100% of all the repairs/maintenance on them. So I prefer older, simpler vehicles. I'm even willing to modify one to make it even easier to service. Hell I'm building a 1954 F100 4x4 truck for a year round daily driver. That alone should prove I like old vehicles over newer ones!!

The 75-91 Econolines are my favorite vans. I like their looks, lay out and how they drive. I consider them to be like the Fox chassis Mustangs of the van world. They are easy to work on and can be built/modified into just about anything you want them to be.

I just prefer the 75-91's over the 92+ Econolines. Now I do own a 96 E250 ( my dailydriver/work van ) . But I don't like it's design/layout as much as the older ones. I'm just using the 96 until I get my 89 E350 build finished. And I'm looking for an even older van. I really want a 86 or older E350 extended van with side barn doors and a high top. I'm one of those people that like the simplicity of carbs over efi.

If someone offered to give me a brand new van for free I wouldn't turn it down. But I would sell it and spend that money on building a 75-86 Econoline!!

 

I like them for the nostalgia. To see a good/great condition Ford van (or any other vehicle) from the 90's or 80's is fun. It's quite unique to see a 15-20 year old vehicle in good shape.

I like these new cars that are designed to resemble 60's muscle cars. The best part is that they have the benefits and technology and reliability of newer vehicles while allowing the fun of an older era's visual cues.

Old vans are great for an enthusiast to make a project out of. A hobby. Maybe father and son type of thing. I like the Ford van in Annaleighs picture. Would be very cool to do a complete restore.

I would never suggest scrapping a unique vehicle. But there's a dividing line between a restored 1985 E150 and a regular 1995 E150. They've both been "rode hard and put away..." But the intended use is quite different for each van's potential future.

 

Mine was what I could afford at the time of purchase....and has become a hobby of sorts trying to keep it road-worthy.

 

I like the pre 92 vans because of their solid stance. I have 2 newer Vans but like the old one.


when I clean out the unplated parts vans for the township jerks, I will have a 1986 E150 shorty, a 1989 E250 xlt clubwagon diesel , and a 1991 E350 clubwagon extended in some sort of powertrain compilation I haven't figured out yet, but am leaning towards a 1988 E350 diesel dually ambulance chassis to mount the body on.


my driver is a 2003 E350 diesel clubwagon, coming off the road in the next 4-5 months body falling off . wifes is a 92 E150 chateau with only aprox 90,000miles.

 

I like this thread, probably because I'm part of the "older" generation. :-)

I posted about the only van I owned: a one owner, 1989 150 club wagon xlt.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-for-sale.html

My dad bought it new when he was the age that I am now. He just celebrated his 94th birthday and he and his van are still going. I got the van a couple years ago after dad quit driving. My younger brother seldom drove it except for occasionally moving his kids to college and such.

During the time I had it, it was in good shape but almost every part of it was original. It became a hobby and I spent about $3K in parts on it, working on it a few times a week for a year. Almost nothing on the van is original except axles and trans and interior.

It was a fun hobby, I have mostly only every owned Fords, the 302 is bulletproof, and the EFI was simple. The only problem I had was once it was done, I had no use for it.

My dad, me, my brother, and my son have been the only drivers during the 26 years since it was built. If it is still in the area in 10 years when my grandson starts driving, I may have to see if he wants it! hahaha
jim

 

That's a good story. I like that a lot.

 

We have a 78 E-100 shorty, 351W, and C6 that has been in the family now for 36 years. My mother will be turn 90 this year and still drives it around town and on a once a month 100 mile round trip. Much like her it has had a few repairs over the years and the paint is faded almost through to the metal. With 190k on her now she has always started right up through summer and winter. My mother likes it because she sits up higher then in a car and can see around her better. At her age and the fact that she has driven the van exclusively for the past 20 years, I think she would have trouble adjusting to a different car or even newer model E van.

In all the years she has owned the van aside from regular maintenance the transmission was rebuilt once, radiator and heater core replaced once, intake and valve cover gaskets replaced twice, timing chain replaced once, head gaskets replaced once, a rear axle seal, and new radius arm bushings.. The door and window gaskets need replaced and a couple of the clips that hold the chrome trim around the windshield have rusted off.

The oil pressure is a little low now once the engine is warmed up, the engine isn’t quite as strong as it used to be, and it defiantly shows its age with a little ding here and there but I would bet our family will get another decade or more out of both! There is allot of good memory’s and thoughts to be said for the character and reliability of well maintained older models...

 

I think these long time owner stories are great and van owners seem to form an attachment to them.
Vans are just tough to beat for usefulness and longevity. As for mom liking the view up high, I can relate. My bride won't loosen her grip on an 18 year old Explorer for the same reason. I have a 2010 Edge to replace it but she won't touch it. I guess I'll continue to fix the Explorer.
jim

 

Just about a year ago I had the misfortune to buy a '99 Volvo S80-T6 sedan--cheap. While that was a nice car in its day going from one of two E250's to that dinky thing was a bit of a shock driving so close to the ground.

Entering and exiting was almost a circus act especially after being able to literally jump in and/or fall out of the E250's seats. The Volvo seats were nice and snug once settled in, plenty of changeable positions to tailor your seating behind the wheel (plus seat warmers), still no picnic getting the butt in that seat.

Now that I'm back to just two E250's for work and daily driving I'm not likely to have any sort of sedan or coupe again---too much fun sitting higher than most everyone else.

 

I realize this is an old thread...Have always liked the older vehicles, have a '71 Chevy C10, been w/me for about 23 years, '70 Chevy C30 w/camper on frame I bought from a farmer about 9 years ago, had been sitting next to barn for to many years, got it for 400.00,in the spring, put some work equity in it and took it 1,500 miles round trip to Sturgis, has sat in the shed since then. Just sold my '93 E150 Hi top conversion back to my brother and bought a '90 E350 Airstream camper van, my retirement traveling machine. I still like doing the work on them myself but staring 66 in the face , I don't like getting on the ground that much anymore, well it's more the getting up. lol Old is good !!

 

In my case it was financial and luck. Starting in 2011 I had to step out of the workforce to under go 5 total knee replacements, an amputation and all the rehab associated with that. The Dr's gave up in 2014 and sent me home while there was still some of me left. Reduced wages and Out of pocket insurance cost took much of my savings. I was told of a Craig's Listing of a '94 E150 with a wheelchair lift at a price I could just barely afford. Being a Ford man for most of my 45 years of driving I felt confident to buy the van sight unseen. It had been parked several years but made ready for sale with a gas tank drain & flush, new fuel pump and a battery. I drove it 150 miles home getting use to the hand controls. On the ride I had to pass a couple of trucks climbing hills and discovered these 302's will stroll! I've given it numerous planned upgrades and replacement parts, after all it's 23 years old. (Thank God for Rock Auto.) I really dig the riding position up higher and the vehicle size seems to solve potential problems with drivers of little sedans and government sanctioned "micro-cars". Had I had more exposure to vans I probably would have owned one much sooner in life. I do however have fond memories of riding with my Dad in his TV Repair van, a VW micro bus in the early 60's. When the E150's came out he bought one of those. I would sit on the engine hump. Vans have a character all their own and it agrees with me.

 

Retired in Jan '16, always was a better spender than saver and am beginning to feel it a little now, thank God for a sideline that brings in some extra money. Haven't moved the '71 out of the garage in 6 years, don't know how many more years I will ride, '90 E350 camper van I think will be my older guy fun.