Why is your van of choice a Ford instead of a Dodge or Chevy? I mean other than being the usual "I love {place vehicle name) becuz my daddy always drove them" or the standard "Bowtie vs Blue Oval" rivalry.

Are there really any advantages a Ford E series has over a Dodge Ramvan or Chevy? I am well aware some like the engines of one brand over the other but are there aesthestic reasons otherwise? Does it have to do with ease of conversion? Getting parts or what?

Just curious.

 

Well, my big aversion to dodge vans is the fuel filter inside the fuel tank. while it is true the in tank filter should not require frequent replacment, it is a very expensive job as compared to the filters on a ford. As to Chevy, even when new, the transmissions seem to whine. I find this disturbing. The door handles on fords also hold up better than the handles on chevies. Also, despite popular belief, the van that rolled and killed most of the occupants up in idaho recently was a dodge van, even though the media insists it was a ford. I find the ford more resistant to total rollover, and they seem to have more stability.

 

Well, my big aversion to Chevy (GM in general) is that they do not let their engines and rear end housing set in the field long enough for them to cure.

Then when you put a heavy load on them the housing warps and the wheel seals start leaking and new seals will not help.

The green engine cylinders will go out of round and start using oil. They also have too short of stroke so you have no pulling power. They do not care about their customer’s safety and will put under size brakes on to keep the price down with the competitions. They will also put in the wrong parts on the assembly line to keep it running and recall for a fix later.

I met a guy in a RV park one time that was bragging that he was only on his third 454 since he owned it. I did not tell him that I am still on my first 460.

I think that Dodge has the best engines but I think everything else is substandard.

I think Ford has the best over all mix, engines are halfway between Dodge and GM. Electrical is again about half way between GM (best) and Dodge (poorest). Body GM best, Ford 2nd and Dodge worst.

 

Well, I have had a chevy as well as two fords. And I have driven many examples of all three. My Chevy had the worst quality of any vehicle I have ever owned. Little stuff broke all the time. Door handles, switches, trim, latches, electric motors.... you name it. It broke. And things like the HVAC blower motor wired directly through the fan switch instead of using a relay. Pathetic design. The engine actually held up pretty well but the transmissions are junk and I also had to rebuild the rear axle. All of the accessories failed (altenator, starter, power steering pump, AC compressor, etc...) and the bracket the mount on is such a poor design, the bracket cracked and broke. The steering gear was another problem. I bought the van new and kept it 7 years and 280,000 miles.

I keep my vehicles very well maintained and this van was similar to my experience with other GM vehicles.

Dodges are very old designs. The current model van dates back to the 70s. Ergonomics and visibility are poor. Quality is better than GM but isn't up to Ford's. Limited engine choices (318 or 360 were your only choices, although they have updated that for this year). Transmissions are better than GM but not much. Gas mileage is poor and resale is waaay low.

My two Ford vans have both been exceptional and similar to my other Ford vehicles. I have had a succession of Taurus's and all have had good quality, held up well, drove nicely with very few repairs necessary. My current Clubwagon (used for towing my racecar) regularly sees 1500+ mile weekends on the interstate. It is much more comfortable than either the GM or Dodge with better seats and ergonomics. Reliability has been exceptional. It runs and drives like new. To date (it has 248,000 mostly towing miles) and have performed beautifully. Other than regular maintenence the only repairs to date: AC compressor, heater core, fuel pump, engine air intake hose split at the hose clamp, oil pressure sensor, alternator (at 230K miles), exhaust manifold gaskets, catalytic converter (failed due to lean condition resulting from air intake hose splitting). That's it. I had fewer problems with my Ford van in the entire 248,000 miles than in any one year I owned my Chevy.

Steve
'95 Clubwagon XLT

 

the biggest factor for me with ford has been the availability of 1-2 yr old vehichles available at reasonable dollars[picking up an 05 club,5.4. w/15000 and 2 yrs warr remaining for 13,200[thats about 4k under wholesale,and i'm not a dealer] in my experience[have had 3 econoline based and 1 f-150] fords are as good and in some instances better than chev or dodge[the reverse is also true for these 2 brands relative to certain things, all major brands imo are good., but my biggest motivator is always price and always is the deceiding factor........

 

When I first started in the vending business I remember that you couldn't fit two video games side by side between the wheel wells of the Dodge. The Chevy suspension and brakes and rear were too light duty. Now the Ford! I6, C6 and a Dana! That is the recipe for success!

 

1) i spend a lot of time driving my E series so the seats are one area i always pay attention to. IMO the seats are much better in the ford van than the chevy or dodge.

2)The availability of the diesel engine in the van chassis made if the only choice for my towing needs since no other brand offers a diesel option in a van unless you start talking sprinter.

3)IMO the ford vans look the best :-)


Frank

 

Maybe it's just coincidence, but all the new vans around my town are E-series. You name it, ambulance, bus, moving van, they're all Fords. Maybe it's because Ford has good fleet prices. It's also worth mentioning that all the old vans around here as well are Fords. I rarely see an old Chevy or Dodge van running around.

 

I bought a 2002 E150 new and it has absolutely been the most reliable troublefree vehicle I have ever owned in the 30 years that I have owned vehicles. This truck is rock solid dependable and it has never been in the shop for anything other than preventative maintenance. I am convinced that these trucks are very reliable because the drivetrains are basically a 30 year old design which has been tweaked to perfection over time.

 

as i said earlier imo all of the big 3 make very servicable vehichles i like the fords ive had but they have all been
"good used buys", thats been the selling point[have a hunting partner with a 97 chev express that just kicked 200K,no major driveline work[original timing chain],runs fine , do agree that dodges havnt kept up with the tech changes that ford and chev have, but ive seen a number with high miles so they all make good ones and they all make bad ones[just to keep everything in perspective for ex,have had 3 4.9's in the last 13 yrs and i love that engine to death for the most part,butttt all 3 have had the oil pan rot out[major pain in the butt[never saw a dodge or chev do that, and quite frankly anyone that really thinks a twin i-beam is a good design ought to have some therapy.... unless you like changing the newer style ball joints[should have stayed with king pins]

 

[QUOTE="trucks are very reliable because the drivetrains are basically a 30 year old design which has been tweaked to perfection over time".[/QUOTE] well, not really,the engines are about a 8-10 year old design, not up on the trans series but id wager theyve changed pretty much in that same time frame, as far as rear ends go most are manufactured by companies like dana or a like supplier and can go into a dodge or chevy just as easily...... basically the only chassis componet that hasnt [changed enough] is their frickken twin I-beam

 

here is why I like my Ford Van over the others.

1. ground clearance - I drive off road
2. package options - Hd 2nd Battery, Hd Alternator, Dana 35 limited slip rear, 7.3 power plant.
3. and overall I liked the body style better than the chev or dodge.

 

For Dodge, fullsized van and unibody does not mix both for collisons and rust. Full sized Dodge gets rear ended, it drops the tank, it is not protected at all.

 

I bought my '85 in 1990. Compared to Chev and Dodge vans of the same era, there is one major difference that makes the Ford the winner hands down. Dodge still has this flaw, whilst Chev has fixed it with their newest van. Look at the door on a Ford vs. the doors on the older Chev and the Dodge of any year.

The Ford door is straight cut, and the floor inside is fairly flat. On the Chev and Dodge, the door is cut for the front wheel well. The floor inside has the bump for the wheel well, and, in the case of the Chev, the footwell is so narrow they have to use a small brake pedal on the automatics. VERY uncomfortable.

The other reason was body integrity. Dodges and Chevs seemed to be rust buckets to me, and this is So Cal with little rain and no salt.

That plus the combo I found: 6, manual trans, PS, AC, fairly low miles and good condition.

It's getting long in the tooth at this point, but it's still solid.

 

ground clearence on all vans is the same within 1/2" on comparable models, dont need a 2nd battery for normal vehicle operation, you can get the same series dana in a chev or dodge too, ,hd alternator available in all , as far as 7.3 goes ,very expensive on original purchase[very few owners can amortize over a normal ownership period and with diesel getting more pricey its getting more so] the last statement i'll go along with.....