As the title says, tomorrow i'm going to check out an 84 dodge van that's for sale locally. It will be by no means a daily driver, it's just going to be for the quad trips we have about once a month so it doesn't have to be perfect, just needs to tow better than my s10.

Here's what I know about it so far from looking at it quick:

84 Dodge Ram Van 150, 109,000 original miles
318, 4 barrel carb, auto trans
all new dual exhaust, welded, with magnaflow high flow cats and flowmaster 40 series mufflers
all new tires
new radiator and I think water pump
new starter and relay
all fluids and filters have been changed
inspection good until 3/07
The paper in the window says 9 passenger? How could it be 9 passengers? Windows were tinted, so i couldn't really see inside.
It looks kinda rough, mostly because it's got a primered spot where there used to be a company logo on the side of it, and the paint is, well, over 20 years old. There's not much rust at all, only one minor rust hole that I could see, and it would be an easy fix. I'll be painting it camo anyways.

They're asking $1,200, which seems reasonable to me if it runs good.

So, is there anything that I should specifically look for on this thing, other than the usual looking for oil leaks, smoking, weird noises, etc? I never bought a vehicle older than me before, so I'm not real sure what I need to check. If anyone has any suggestions, thoughts, opinions, etc., i'd appreciate it.

 

The only problem I ever had out of my dodge van was the rear diff crapped out. Had to replace it completely. Other than that, if you hear some valve tick, ignore it, turn up the radio, whatever. A freinds taxi had the 318 motor with a ticking valve. Lasted another 319000 miles befor it dropped a rod, ticking the whole way. Other than that, those 318's I think are probly the best v-8 of its time, and the tranny is also bullet proof as long as its not the 4 speed. Put a tranny cooler in it, keep the oil changed, and that thing will probly roll another 200,000 miles. Dont forget that the Dodges dont take regular Dex/merc tranny fluid. They are interchangeable for a top off according to the dealers, but I disagree. 1200 seems kinda high priced for the condition you describe. See if you can hagle down some.

 

Take a close look at the front suspension and steering. Dodge vans of that era had trouble in this area. The engine and trannys were dang near bullet proof if proper routine maintenance was done. Abuse and/or neglect can and will destroy even the best of equipment. Good luck.

 

Thanks guys, I just test drove the van, and saturday morning we'll be transferring the title. The engine runs great. Just a little bit of blue smoke when it's cold, but still not even as much as my sonoma. No strange noises at all, not even a slight tick. I found out that it's not the ram 150, actually the 250, so even a little better I guess. It's also longer than a standard van, if I took out the back seats I think could easily put 2 quads in the back of it (even though my original intention was to tow them on my trailer). The transmission was rebuilt about 30,000 miles ago, and shifts perfect. I offered him $1000 for it, if he put on the hitch from another van he had, and he took the deal. I took some pictures, i'll try to get a few posted.

...and man does that exhaust sound sweet!

 

Here's a couple pics. Like I said, she ain't pretty, but it seems to be in top shape mechanically and should suit my needs just fine.

Front

Back

 

Doesnt sound like a bad deal. She doesnt even look that bad. Now that I have seen the pics, one more thing to keep an eye on. The rear door on those, when its the BIG single unit, love to break hinges, and when it rusts, that door is so heavy that it can just fall with out even giving warning. So keep the hinges well lubed, and if you can, spray a coat of some rust protection stuff on the inside and outside of those hinges. Followed by a good sealer. Those Ram Max Van are tuff machines. And surprisingly move well for there size.

 

recon,

That appears to be an old 15 passenger van. Those types of vans have had a lot of high profile accidents involving church groups in the past few year. The van design gets a lot of the blame, but that isn't really the problem. The problem is the tires. Most of them have tires that aren't weight rated for such a heavy vehicle....especially if you're loading it down. Before you tow your quad or take a trip anywhere with it, you need to take it and replace all the tires with a good 10 ply tire. I drive a Chevy 15 passenger van for my church and the sidewalls of the stock tires were coming apart. Luckily, it was noticed and we were able to replace them. On a more interesting note, you can probably load your quad inside the van and have it semi-secure. Good luck with the van!

toe

 

Thanks a bunch guys, sounds like great advice. I'll definitely take a close look at the rear hinges and make sure it's not getting rusted out.

Would it really be necessary to replace all 4 tires with 10 plys? Or could I get away with just the rear, since that's where most of my weight is going to me loaded? I really don't want to spend $400 on tires for a $1,000 van when the tires on it have 90% tread left. But then I really don't want to have an accident either because that will ruin a trip a whole lot easier than a thinner-than-normal wallet.

I was told that the van was originally a 7 passenger, and is just missing the back row. I don't know if that really makes a difference or not. It just doesn't look quite as long as the 15 passenger vans.

 

Looks like you got a good deal for what you are wanting to do. Take a look on the sidewalls of the tires. The load rating will be there. Weigh the van and go from there.

 

recon,

YOu know, I need to get a life and quit hanging out so much here. Anyway, you can just replace the rear tires on the van. The downside is that you won't be able to rotate your tires front to rear. Of course, if you save your old rear tires, you can just swap them out for the front ones if they start getting bad tread patterns. The curb weight of the vehicle may be on the door. If not, your van probably weighs in the neighborhood of 6000-7000 lbs. Keep us updated on how this works out. I've got my eye on an old ambulance that I thought would make a good quad hauler. Lockable atv hauler, plus a really cool siren! Good luck with the van!

toe