Found two projects, help me pick one.

[Terrain]

I've come across two van's that seem priced really well although both will need work to make drivale.

First is a 2004 E350 w-5.4L engine short box van with a side entrance but needs motor work, owner has spare engine to sell with it but I'm hesitant to buy motors with out knowing the history of them or the extent of the actual work needed to make work again. Seems the front grill & lights were taken out at some point. Possible v10 swap? Price listed is $1,000




Second is a 1994 E350 used as a church bus. Said to have a good running 460 engine but bad transmission that's already been removed, only 70k miles. I could really see the potential for this as a camping rig for the whole family. I reallly like how the full size windows & higher walk in space. Price listed is $1,200.


I have a 1995 E150 Clubwagon now that I use as my daily family van, already installed a 3 seat bench from a Ford Transit to have two car seats on the same row. I'm getting ready to buy some LizardSkin Ceramic coating to spray on the interior to cut down on the heat this summer & fell I should have some left over to spray the top of one of these to do the same. What do you guy's think? Would I be wasting my time on these rig's or does one look like it'll work for me. oh, & I'd like to do a 4x4 conversion one day so that's always a possibility, but not set in stone just yet.

Thanks for any input.

 

[WOODY2]

Price on the box version is $999 too much, don't even consider it. Would be a work in progress that never ends. Just my .02

 

[Terrain]

Yes, I've been having my doubts on that one. I'd really love to find a closed cab version for a flatbed 4x4 rig but they never seem to go up for sale in my area.

The second one is a little bigger than I may need and makes me wonder how it would do in dirt roads.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Unless they were under 500.00, I'd pass on both.

 

[Terrain]

I'd be lucky to find a van project under $500 in my area. But wouldn't scrap price on the bigger van bring in more than that?

 

[WOODY2]

Yes, I've been having my doubts on that one. I'd really love to find a closed cab version for a flatbed 4x4 rig but they never seem to go up for sale in my area.

The second one is a little bigger than I may need and makes me wonder how it would do in dirt roads.

AHH Grasshoppa the hunt is often more rewarding than actually finding what you seek ?

 

[Bikersmurf]

I’d decide what you really want. Your two options only have one thing in common is price. In reality they are both money pits. Decide what you really want and search till you find it.
Choose wisely or it’ll cost you 100 X what you may save to start over when you realize it doesn’t meet your needs. There’s no such thing as a cheap project.

 

[eporter]

If you want something for the family, I’d look at newer shuttle bus style setups. The shell on the back is a lot roomier & safer than a box truck.

 

[Bikersmurf]

If I wanted a camper I’d go with the Bus. However, I DD my rig frequently. I’d find the bus to big to DD, park in town, run errands, etc.

BTW, the Ambulance I drive is taller than an F150... but otherwise I can take it everywhere an F150 will go. Cost wise, with a 7.3, good transmission, almost no rust, I bought it for the equivalent to $1000 usd. In 6 years it has only needed brakes, batteries, an alternator, tires, shocks, and routine maintenance.

 

[Raul]

Discovery Channel restorations are awesome. Strip the chassis, new engine, new wiring, neat paint job.... Shade tree mechanics are a little bit different. You are not going to strip and replace everything so the better your starting point is, the better the project will go.

I started my 4x4 with well used van counting that I'll be replacing axles, convert transmission, etc. I didn't account for the little BS and it turned to be a major time consuming and frustration: fuel line clip that breaks, vacuum reservoir leaking, finding a shortcut, worn out door latch. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish the project, so I was shy on how much I want to invest from the get go, but if I were to start over, I'll get the best foundation I could afford.

If in the future you are converting to 4x4, that's a big chunk of money on top of what?

From the type of vehicle stand point, a Box van is great fro two people traveling. More passengers, you want a shuttle or an ambulance from a safety stand point.

 

[Terrain]

I've looked at campers as well, the one that stood out to me was the Rockwood Geo Pro G19BH for it's size and that it has 2 bunk beds with a queen. Main concern for me with converting a large used vehicle it the possibility of constant drive train/suspension repair & being stuck with the vehicle if it's down.

Priced around $19,000 - $22,000 I think for a new model.

- Forest River RV

www.forestriverinc.com

The shuttle bus I listed above doesn't have the OBDII computer system which I'd prefer for an easier diagnosis if problems were to arise.

Has anyone ever thought that buying a ready made camper would have made life any easier than if you had to do it all over again? Nice thing about the camper is that it can be parked at a campground when heading out for a few things like gas/food so the family has a place to hangout. This way if I decided to upgrade or move onto another van/truck, all I had to do would be just make sure it can tow the camper. Otherwise the large van would sit most it's life and deteriorate or have rodents chew up wires/tubes for more costly repairs.

Funny, the more I type it out makes it sound like a travel trailer is the better choice.

 

[eporter]

^^yep. I sold my ambo, then bought a gutted Chinook project, then with two young kids realized I now have no time!

Last year I bought my neighbors pop-up camper. We tow it with our SUV. It’s pretty great being able to set up camp and leave it there. And then be able to drive away and come right back.

The main attraction for me with the van camper was that I could use it in the winter to go snowboarding and camp in the lot. But that never actually really happened, and now with two little kids we’re not going to go winter camping because that would be way too much work! The pop-up purchase kind of just happened as our neighbors were moving, I’m really glad it worked out that way.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I've looked at campers as well, the one that stood out to me was the Rockwood Geo Pro G19BH for it's size and that it has 2 bunk beds with a queen. Main concern for me with converting a large used vehicle it the possibility of constant drive train/suspension repair & being stuck with the vehicle if it's down.

Priced around $19,000 - $22,000 I think for a new model.

- Forest River RV

www.forestriverinc.com

The shuttle bus I listed above doesn't have the OBDII computer system which I'd prefer for an easier diagnosis if problems were to arise.

Has anyone ever thought that buying a ready made camper would have made life any easier than if you had to do it all over again? Nice thing about the camper is that it can be parked at a campground when heading out for a few things like gas/food so the family has a place to hangout. This way if I decided to upgrade or move onto another van/truck, all I had to do would be just make sure it can tow the camper. Otherwise the large van would sit most it's life and deteriorate or have rodents chew up wires/tubes for more costly repairs.

Funny, the more I type it out makes it sound like a travel trailer is the better choice.

That’s why we chose a trailer over a van / c class. We didn’t want to have to pack up camp to wonder around.

That being said, I guess you could tow a small vehicle behind you?

We are happy with the choice we made...

 

[calicamper]

I've looked at campers as well, the one that stood out to me was the Rockwood Geo Pro G19BH for it's size and that it has 2 bunk beds with a queen. Main concern for me with converting a large used vehicle it the possibility of constant drive train/suspension repair & being stuck with the vehicle if it's down.

Priced around $19,000 - $22,000 I think for a new model.

- Forest River RV

www.forestriverinc.com

The shuttle bus I listed above doesn't have the OBDII computer system which I'd prefer for an easier diagnosis if problems were to arise.

Has anyone ever thought that buying a ready made camper would have made life any easier than if you had to do it all over again? Nice thing about the camper is that it can be parked at a campground when heading out for a few things like gas/food so the family has a place to hangout. This way if I decided to upgrade or move onto another van/truck, all I had to do would be just make sure it can tow the camper. Otherwise the large van would sit most it's life and deteriorate or have rodents chew up wires/tubes for more costly repairs.

Funny, the more I type it out makes it sound like a travel trailer is the better choice.

There are near identical options built by the same manufacturer minus the Geo Pro price tag. Yes this is where I have ended up. Except I won’t buy I’ll rent. I ran the #’s our camping / trips with kids will never cost $18,000 + storage fees, tax/licensing fees repair and maintenance costs. Our 12 day camping trips with our basic tent on a trailer with loose controls on things like horse back ride rentals, gift shop stops and eating out typically cost us $1200-$1800 a trip on the high end and $900-$1000 on the low end.

So I’ll just rent the trailer on the closer end of our destination when we need one.

When the kids leave the house? Yeah then a couples floor plan trailer purchased makes sense given wife and I will travel more work less etc.

 

[Bikersmurf]

The flip side being... if you make the rig comfortable enough, the kids will come hang out in the rig while you’re running errands.

After being on the road half the day, once we’re finally home, the kids will take half an hour to leave the truck and come in... finish their game, their movie in the TV, or their conversation... or because they didn’t realize we were home.