1990 Ford Camper Van 47,000 miles

[ngzcaz]

Well.. at least that was what I am being told. It has some water damage from leaking side windows but everything appears to work. A garage has it some 200 miles from where I live. He wants $ 2,800 which sounds very reasonable if the mileage is correct. My wife and I are up for a bit of work if the drive train is good. I am concerned that for the last 4 years its barely been moved. Supposedly both tanks are full of gas but suppose I take it on a an interstate to get home and the line or filter blocks or the fuel pump goes. I hate to let it get away at that price. Other than checking the rubber pedals for wear any good way to authenticate the mileage other than carfax ? Its in a state that doesn't require inspections which further complicates things for me. I'll have a whole day invested in looking at it ( so far its been internet pictures )
Any suggestions ??

[Rok]

I've bought cars that have been left unused for extended periods. Some of them will have problems with the rings on the pistons corroding a bit from moisture, but some don't have that problem at all. I don't know how the moisture gets in there. Anyway, food for thought. The price seems good even if you have to do the top end on the engine.

Mind you, my experiences were when I was younger and cars were a bit different.

.........Rocky

[stanw909]

It 's a 1990. This van is from when we were all younger. I think you are going to have to check it out top to underbelly. You should be able to tell if the miles are correctish but my 90 Flairs odometer didn' t go over 99.999 miles so it could have flipped over. It is pretty common to find low mile vans because many people only used them for camping because of the mpg. Best of luck.

[Johnny R]

For what it's worth: Three years ago I purchased a 1990 Dodge class B with 82,000 km (51,000 miles), sight unseen, on Kijiji. It was 8 hours driving distance from my home. According to the vendor:
1. The unit had belonged to his parents; his father passed away two years prior after a period of illness. His father had maintained it meticulously, with the help of his son, the vendor, who owns a tire shop. The vendor had mounted 4 new high-end snow/mud tires just prior to his parents' last trip.
2. The unit had been sitting in a field by the highway, for sale for 2 years, but no takers.
3. The vendor was willing to change the oil & filter, and do a general inspection of belts etc. He was also willing to drive it to a town 1/2 way between our respective homes. I figured if he drove the first 4 hours, I could certainly drive the last 4 hours if his story was true. (That was quite a risk for him too, to take me for a serious buyer!!)
I brought it home without incident. I had to get an out-of-province inspection, which was no big deal. A week later the right front brake seized up when I had to make a hard stop. I replaced brakes all around. I had no further problems to this very day.
IMHO: moral of the story - There are good deals and good folk out there. Talk to the vendor, assess the story, try other due diligence, perhaps vendor will meet you 1/2 way driving?