16th Aug 2013, 18:33
I simply cannot believe what I'm seeing here. The earliest post was dated December 2003, and the last one before this one was dated sometime in 2012; that means that the vans being reviewed here were anywhere from 11-21 years old at the time the reviews were posted. Did you people expect your vans to be in factory new condition with no repairs required?
Most of the posts also failed to mention the mileage that was on the vehicle when each of the repairs was done. If you buy a vehicle this old with hundreds of thousands of miles on it, then you should expect there to be a wide variety of both major and minor repairs that are going to be required immediately or soon. The posts I am seeing here border on being libelous.
If you want a new conversion van, then save up the money and buy one, but don't buy a decrepit, old van for $500 that's on its last legs, then publicly slam the manufacturer or the conversion company when something breaks.
16th Aug 2013, 18:36
Are you serious? Really? The vast majority of the items that you mentioned are all regular maintenance items, and a lot of them should have been replaced a lot sooner than at the mileages where you replaced them. So you buy a van, then disregard the scheduled maintenance intervals, and somehow it is the fault of the manufacturer?
15th Nov 2014, 10:53
Great post! Made me laugh. Who pays to have their brakes done anyhow? Go buy a new car!
14th May 2016, 13:37
Just picked up a 1992 Ford Econoline van, a semi custom with some miles on it. A friend and myself did the go through. Front and rear brakes, new belt, small hoses on the water pump, muffler, tune up, oil change, and a short list of other fixes. Now I have a great van without spending 50K; people who can't change oil shouldn't buy older vehicles unless you have a pocket full of money and a good mechanic. Go to some of your local car shows and you'll see some great oldies from the big three still looking great and running down the roads of America. Oldies are still goodies if you some take time with them. See you on the highway and leave the negative attitude at home.
Signed Old Guy who likes old rides
17th Mar 2011, 21:21
I purchased a 1992 Ford E150 Conversion Van brand new in 1992, and was also disappointed in the overall reliability of the vehicle. Below is a sampling of the problems I had. The mileage is listed on the left and the problem on the right. Notice when the ball joints and transmission went out:
22914.0 - Sleeves for suspension
49980.0 - Rear air conditioner
56983.0 - Ball joints, brakes, tires
65488.0 - Transmission
80477.0 - Brakes (all around)
85846.0 - Muffler
94873.0 - Radiator
103552.0 - Rear bearing seal
104443.0 - Oil pan gasket
108412.0 - Oil change
109107.0 - Starter
109107.0 - Solenoid
111218.2 - Brakes (front)
117457.9 - Fuel pump, filler hoses
117494.0 - Fuel filter, oil change
130486.0 - Front brakes, right front rotor
131256.0 - Radiator
134382.0 - Intake manifold gasket
135552.1 - Rear brakes
136092.0 - Muffler
136394.0 - Driver window motor
140052.0 - Front right brake pads.
140373.0 - Front left brake pads.
142738.0 - Replaced alternator
144988.7 - Front brakes and rotors
144988.7 - Driver's side door lock actuator
145706.0 - Oxygen sensor
150184.0 - Speed sensor
I went through quite a few sets of tires until the tire company put 6 ply tires on it in place of 4 ply tires. This was my second Ford van (which was also a money pit). I am through with Ford vans.