I'm a small business owner and looking for a van that I can use to haul material/deliver product for my business as well as haul an open car trailer +3200lb fox mustang to the race track. $3,500 is budget im comfortable with ATM. Here in Seattle nobody's letting the post 2002 (mod motor) vans go cheap it seems like. e250 seems right for my needs. The 5.4's scare me a bit, anything e350 seems overkill and are too compicated/ expensive for me to fix. 90's e250's are more in my budget, but they seem run down at that price range. I like to hunt for good deals, but I'm wondering what my general expectations should be, and what might best suit my needs while I continue researching and looking.

Those are my general assumptions. What are your thoughts? Am i on the right track with the 90's e250? If so, do I look for 5.8? is there anything in particular I should be looking fr while browsing craigslist/apps? Thanks ahead of time.

 

Don't be scared of the 5.4. My 97 E250 has 240000 on it. Pulls a 3000-3500lb trailer with no issues.

Dad had a 93 5.8 also. When he bought the 97, I remember thinking the 5.8 had more grunt.

E250 or E350 is fine. Not much difference as far as I can tell.

 

I had a 2003 e250 with the v6. It has all the cargo space you need, AND it pulled an open trailer with a race car heavier than yours.
Everbody hates the 4.2 v6, so you should be able to get E250 v6 pretty cheap. The 4.2 is a wimpy dog for sure, but it got the job done.

With all that said; if the 4.2 will do it, then certainly a 4.6 or 5.4 will work also.

 

E250 with a 5.8 would be my choice. '95(late) or '96 (last year offered). OBD2, R134a for A/C and no plug problems.

 

The 5.4L has more horsepower and more torque than the 5.8L, but at higher rpm. If you let it wind up it will tow more weight better than a 5.8L. But the 5.8L is stronger up to about 2500 - 3000 rpm, so seat-of-the-pants it feels better to us old-school truck guys.

 

Thats good to know the ol sixers hold it down. And the trans are strong enough on those? I’m familiar with Windsor motors so 5.8 is a little more comforting. If things go wrong I know how to easily source parts/can do the work.

 

Great info. I’ll keep it in mind.

 

And also, I hear that the long back end on the extended economies make for sketchy towing, so I’ve been ruling those out. Is that a real concern? Or would the extra space be worth it?

 

ive never had an extended body but always wanted one.

We have a respected member on here that has towed heavy with the extended body and he says it’s no issue.

 

That's exactly as I remember it.

The 5.4 is definitely happier when spinning more than I think it should.
Would probably be happier with a 4.10 or 4.56 gear in it with a trailer behind it.
I usually just lock it in 3rd for anything under 70 when loaded/towing.

Same with the V10 in my Excursion. Those should all come from Ford with a 4.30 gear. A bit of a slug with 3.73.

 

Sacrilege..

From my many years in San Francisco, is Another contender, marketed by two different "brands" that fits in the space of a normal car and is capable of hauling a metric ton of stuff, AWD drive already and after 2003 they come with rear disc brakes...