1988 Dodge Ram 350 Campwagon School Bus review from North America

Rear doors rusted off.

Sheet metal on passenger side exterior rusted through.

Oil pressure gauge developed a leak, spewing oil over the engine, transmission and drive shaft.

Rear U-joint shattered while travelling on a highway. This also caused the transmission casing to crack and leak out all the tranny fluid.

Master brake cylinder failed, making braking unpredictable at best.

This vehicle was used a school bus for ten years, and was sold at that time, as per Ontario laws. We bought it extremely cheap, so repairs, while somewhat common, were not a terrible hardship.

The van was built like a tank: heavy duty everything.

Performance was dismal, as to be expected. Acceleration was snail-like, and the top speed was 130km/h. Obviously performance is not a priority when building school busses.

Also, the vehicle was tossed around by the wind quite a lot. Again, not unexpected.

Comfort was fleeting, as we left the school bus seats in the vehicle. But the driver's seat was wonderful.

Visibility was excellent. The only blind spot was directly behind the vehicle, underneath the windows of the rear doors.

The ride is smooth, due to the heavy duty shocks and springs, provided the vehicle has at least 200lbs or so in it.

Cargo space is huge, again, because it's a school bus.

However, the engine loved to eat gas. The vehicle can only go about 250 miles or so before needing to be refilled.

But, overall, a pretty good vehicle for a large family, or a moving company.