Which one would you buy ?

Since scrapping my last van ive mainly focused on tvs and batteries so theyll fit in my explorer nicely. But now its time for a new van and i have 3 options. 1997 ford e250 for $550. alot of small things wrong with it but still runs great. 2000 chevy astro van for $2000 has decent mileage 120k and its a v6 doesnt seem to have anything wrong with it except being ugly. or 2003 ford e350 amazing van low mileage 2 year warranty for $5500. would you guys put work in the older van or go with the newer one ?

don't sweat the small stuff, e250 is a 3/4 ton + , for 550 you can deal with the small stuff. My first test for any gas motor is the ol finger in the exhaust pipe ( after looking underneath to see if it's all there and no bad leaks anywhere ), if it comes out clean, cool, if it comes out black, leave it. Hek, at 550 you'll get most of that back when you scrap it ; )

For me, time is money. Spending the afternoon working on rigs is a scrapping day lost. I would go for the E350. Plus it's a one ton so if you ever get to the point of getting a trailer, you don't want to be limited by your van.

The cheap van is a gamble, could be the best deal, could be a big waste of time and money. You'll probably spend a few hundred right off the bat and then keep your fingers crossed. It's likely what I would do, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially if they are not doing their own repairs.

Originally Posted by Winefelly

The cheap van is a gamble, could be the best deal, could be a big waste of time and money. You'll probably spend a few hundred right off the bat and then keep your fingers crossed. It's likely what I would do, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially if they are not doing their own repairs.

that's a good point, you've got to be mechanically inclined. I've been doing my own repairs since i was a kid, and the very few times i've taken anything to a shop, i've always regretted it, either for price or shoddy work. The rare exceptions to this was in needing parts machined or something like that, where I've had fairly good luck

I would ask myself which one I would regret more. The one that may need time for repairs or the one that will cost me more up front.
Good point on the 350 being able to haul more and trailer more. That along with the warranty is a big plus. That can make you more money in the long run.
Of course the other side of the coin is whether or not the older one will cost you $5K in repairs, down time, and loss of opportunities due to capacity.

mileage is an important consideration these days too, you didn't really mention what motor the fords have

Originally Posted by drozenski

@ 4 bucks a gallon a $550 buck car and quicky surpass a $2000 car with much better gas mileage.

absolutely! exactly my point, a serious consideration. Even a "free" one could do that! There's really no substitution to inspecting them(and in knowing how to) each vehicle (and each contract) in person, or in deciding what ones own wants and needs are

Originally Posted by taterjuice

Bought a $ 750 pickup,still driving it, and four years later probadly have round $4000 into. Is the puck up worth it ? No, wouldve been better off buying something newer and better.

i've made that same mistake myself tater, bought a cheap vehicle and put more in than it was worth, not a good experience at all. I've also taken a free vehicle, invested about what it was worth, and driven it well beyond having a more than suitable return. Used vehicles are just that, used vehicles, and if you're going to drive one(actually, Everybody does), and you don't wish to spend your hard earned money in ongoing repairs, the best thing to do is get a repair manual, and learn how to efficiently maintain it yourself

thanks guys for the responses nd both fords are v8s the astro is a v6. ive decided to go look at the 250 and if that doesnt work out im going with the 350 ive heard astro vans trannys arent as strong as fords

dang, i was wondering if that 250 mighta had the straight 6 300, that was a darn good engine, put it with a c-6 tranny and you could pull about anything. when you test drive em ron, take notice where it shifts out of first gear into second(i'm guessing they're auto?). If it shifts into second before you get across the road from a 4-way stop, it's probly the c-6. If it takes awhile to shift into second, probly the c-4, still a decent tranny if well cared for, only not as strong