Hi I’m looking at and wondering about your opinions, help on
a 1997 Ford E-250 20,000 miles on new engine. Ford V8 Triton. 317,000 on Van overall. RWD. Business delivery vehicle. $2500.00
My first van. It’s all empty ready to diy build.
Greetings & Welcome!
Cargo vans make terrible camper vans, and cost considerably more to convert than a passenger van. Promoters push cargo vans because that means more money in their pockets, but cargo vans remain among the top regrets of newbies and is right up there with solar & expensive roof vents. Putting ANY holes in your roof is never a good idea. Sooner or later, they ALWAYS LEAK!
With passenger vans, you can simply remove the rear seats, and the floor, walls, & ceiling are already finished, and you can simply move your new furniture in, and use the seat mounting brackets to secure everything. Much, much simpler & easier, & opening windows and a $20 fan are far more effective than two $250+ leaky roof vents.
With Fords, you want to be careful to not get one with the engine that spits out spark plugs… If that van doesn’t have the bad engine, and is in really good shape other than the high miles, that’s not too bad of a price, but most of us with experience would NEVER own another cargo van. Unmarked cargo vans have a bad stigma attached to them, and they are NOT STEALTHY. In fact they are a target for cops, thieves, vandals, and graffiti artists.
In many places you can pick up a really nice, older, move in ready factory camper van or factory motorhome for that price, and they frequently also have low miles, and have had great maintenance. They already have all the amenities, and are ready to go. In the end, 99% of the time, they will be cheaper than trying to convert an empty van, and especially trying to convert a cargo van.
Hope this helps, and looking forward to following your progression.
Cheers!
"Always avoid complicated solutions to solve simple problems." ~ OffGrid
Thank You very much for all this info!! Truly appreciated 