looking to purchase a tour van...need some advice.. - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

91rtstealth · 02-07-2011, 09:22

ok...so I am the motor-head in my band and I am looking for a nice 15 passenger wagon van to haul 5 dudes and a band's worth of gear...I immediately decided that a ford e series van was the way to go because I have always had good luck with Fords and the Ford e-series is a classic band van...

I am just wondering what I should look for and avoid...certain engines and transmissions....what years are bad/good....I think we are going to spend between 10,000-15,000....also, did they ever put the Diesel in the passenger van or was it only the cargo van?

I'm basically just looking for some pointers when buying a used one because we will be potentially driving this thing from Pennsylvania to Florida.

**Bert** · 02-07-2011, 11:03

We've had several in our fleet and have not had any problems with them. Our transit buses are E450s with the V10 and they run stop and go all day and we turn them in at 300,000 miles. Here's a link to a van. Home

91rtstealth · 02-07-2011, 11:36

haha..god I love vehicles like that. That's freaking awesome...definitely makes me want a ford now..haha...I love seeing how far a vehicle will go. My little escort has 184k on it and it runs like a freaking champ...looking forward to the 200k point..hah.

**Bert** · 02-07-2011, 14:26

Last year I gave a 1980 F150 with 253,000 miles to a frined that helped me with some digging, His wife's Nissan transmission went out and she's been driving the F150 for the last 5 or so months. He said it has over 260,000 now.

91rtstealth · 02-07-2011, 18:47

gotta love beaters..haha...

so you think it's a safe bet with a ford no matter what year? I imagine some ones are better than others....and isn't there certain things to look for when buying a used one? i know every car has their faults to look for...

**Bert** · 02-07-2011, 18:57

The main thing is to see if it's been serviced properly. Some people just drive them and not pay attention to the services. The 5.4, 4.6 and 6.8 could blow spark plugs if they weren't done properly. If they're tightened too much, when the aluminum cylinder head expands, it pulls the threads. Our transit buses had no problem except for one that was tuned by a new guy that thought he knew everything. The 2004 5.4 didn't blow plugs but they could break when removing them. I changed them on my F150 and didn't break any. It had 80,000 miles. If they go too long, the get stuck and can break. There's also a special procedure to remove them. I still like them. Tunes aren't done that often and the rest of the time, there's no problem. Our Crown Vics with the 4.6 hardly ever had anything to fix with up to 150,000 when we replaced them. I bought one.

91rtstealth · 02-07-2011, 20:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bert

The main thing is to see if it's been serviced properly. Some people just drive them and not pay attention to the services. The 5.4, 4.6 and 6.8 could blow spark plugs if they weren't done properly. If they're tightened too much, when the aluminum cylinder head expands, it pulls the threads. Our transit buses had no problem except for one that was tuned by a new guy that thought he knew everything. The 2004 5.4 didn't blow plugs but they could break when removing them. I changed them on my F150 and didn't break any. It had 80,000 miles. If they go too long, the get stuck and can break. There's also a special procedure to remove them. I still like them. Tunes aren't done that often and the rest of the time, there's no problem. Our Crown Vics with the 4.6 hardly ever had anything to fix with up to 150,000 when we replaced them. I bought one.

damn...I was thinking of doing the plugs as soon as we get one, but if it's tricky I don't want to mess around with it unless it's necessary...what do you mean by a procedure to replace them?

and yeah..if you maintain any vehicle it will last....as far as the trans goes, how often should you replace the fluid and filter?

any other regular things to do? I figured if we get one i'd have the belts replaced and transmission serviced..i've actually never owned a vehicle with an auto trans so I am not familiar with them.

**Bert** · 02-07-2011, 20:28

Here's how I do the spark plugs. They're the same on the E series. The trans. should be serviced every 30,000 miles. The same with the fuel filter. There should be a maintenance booklet with the owners manual showing what Ford thinks should be serviced. I use my own judgement on them though. 2005 F150 5.4 sparkplug replacement

91rtstealth · 02-07-2011, 21:04

what exactly does a transmission service entail? what is done and what does it typically cost?

**Bert** · 02-07-2011, 21:10

You can actually do it yourself. Most people just take the pan off and replace the filter. It only changes about 4½ qts., so you could do it more often. Some people take one of the cooler lines off and get more out. Here's how Amzoil guides you through it. http://www.amsoil.com/faqs/ATF_and_F...Procedures.pdf