Hello folks,

My wife and I are considering getting a van to be a tow vehicle for a future travel trailer purchase. I think I've decided on a ford e350 over a Chevy/gmc 3500. Does anyone have any suggestions or input on what to look for? I'm guessing based on prices I've seen that I probably won't find newer than 2012 in my budget. I have come across a few low mileage 05,06,07 (50-90k miles). It seems that low mileage is a plus but I suspect some of these sellers really jack up their price as a result of that. It would be a 12-15 passenger van so if anyone has any info they can share on what to look for and what to pay/not pay, it would be appreciated. I saw an 06 with less than 60k miles for $14,000. The mileage is attractive but the price isn't, considering I've seen 2011's (newer, possibly better and/or reliable) with about 90k miles going for around $16,000.

Thanks

 

yeah man; make sure you get the V10 if you're towing any amount of weight. It's good for over 9,000lbs trailer towing. What is your plan for towing? Check the tow ratings. You may be ok with the little 5.4 v8. A V10 van in good condition with reasonable mileage is about as rare as a winning lotto ticket though- be patient and bring your wallet. I shopped over half a year before finding mine.

My 07 V10 has tow package which makes for easy/reliable factory wiring for trailer brakes, and also has parking sensors in the rear bumper which are great.

Other'n that- jump in!

 

I have to plug the pre-97 460's, otherwise I would be doing my Bubba a disservice. But I'm sure you don't want anything of legal drinking age.

 

Thanks for your help. That V10 seems to be quite elusive and i figured it'll cost me a premium if i find one. Hopefully I can come across one at a reasonable price and more importantly, in good condition.

I'm not necessarily against an older vehicle. I have a 91 Chevy g20 van that I would have gladly used if it could handle the task. Mechanically capable and reliable is the most important thing I'm looking for.

 

For reliability stay as far away from the 4.2 Essex as possible. That thing has a bad reputation.

 

So I went ahead and got the V10 that I came across. It's an 06 with 55,000 miles. There's some cosmetic stuff that needs attention but other than that, it seems solid. It has the 4.10 gears as well. I look forward to using this forum for info and help when necesary.

 

Sweet !!!

 

Seems great! What's it's story? Old church van?
what will you do with it? Do you mind telling us the approximate price? I bet it was $10k.

 

Now that you're in the club- you have so much to learn ...

make sure you also also join the V10 section of this forum. Lots of stuff to learn about exhaust studs and spark plugs and the waste of money known as Afternarket Mods. (Well, except for Mikes 5 Star tuning: everyone loves that).

Plenty more I could say now but I have to get my day rolling.

 

I couldn't get the dealer to budge from 11,900. They originally listed it at 13,900. When I first inquired It was 12,900 and the person who answered said there was a lot of interest. I wrote that off as a sales tactic, but I couldn't get there for another week so I hoped it wouldn't sell. I called this past Friday and they said it was just dropped to 11,900. I went yesterday and as we were waiting to test drive it, we noticed another couple looking at it. We drive it and decided to go for it. Turns out that the other couple arrived at the dealership before us (dealer was closed but a couple of people including us sat outside and waited) but decided to go look at boats while they waited for it to open. Needless to say, when they opened we were the 1st in and the rest is history. That must have been a long ride home for whoever decided to look at the boats.


It appears to have just been someone's personal van who didn't use it very often. I hoped to walk away at 10-11 but they wouldn't negotiate and were convinced they could get what they were asking after the 2nd price drop. Had it been private party I'm sure I could have done better.

 

they knew what they had, a unicorn !

 

Nothing wrong with that price.

Make sure you spend lots of time on these forums to get your van in top shape.

When you use heavy throttle doesthe a/c switch to defrost? This forum has the answer.

Any broken studs on the exhaust manifolds? It's here.

Interested in upgrades to the wimpy stock brakes? Keep reading.

55,000 miles is a great time to change spark plugs because the previous owner probably never did it. We got you covered here. A few vital details you need to know ahead of time.

Ball joints? Tie rods? Sway bar bushings? Radius arm bushings, front axle pivot bushings? All in here.

55,000 miles and 11 years: check your shocks - good pointers here to help.

Even transmission flush needs needs extra attention on your 5speed automatic. Check in here before you spend any money.

Or you could do like me: drive your van 210,000 miles with nothing but oil changes, air filters, wiper blades, and repair things when they fail. I don't recommend following my footsteps here.

 

 

Don't forget scrubbing curbs.

 

wiseguy
telling the new guy of my stupidity.