New member - Potential New Owner
 

Hey everybody! * Yes, I know I need to lurk and do a bunch of reading * Christos here. I am from Delaware, and actually about to drastically change my career from working in an office to being outside full time, training dogs and K9s. I currently have a Mazda Miata, which is going to make it just a hair impractical to be transporting dogs and have a good way to move stuff around like crates, beds, etc.

I have been looking at tons of different options, such as Jeep Cherokees, Ford Escapes, Broncos, and different types of utility vans and trucks, specifically the Ford E150. It would be PERFECT to have the ample space to put some type of water resistant padding down, and have a couple dog beds or crates to transport them around. Also, would be good to have the solid exterior for any advertising purposes.

Now, I am nervous when I look at all these used E150s due to the high mileage. 150k+ seems to be pretty standard, and I know I would probably be purchasing it from a contractor who beat it up. TL/DR: can somebody give me some advice on maintenance of these trucks, what goes out quickly on these, what I can expect from an E150 from 150-225k miles? I started working on my Miata a year ago, but have quickly learned how to do tons of maintenance on it. Did the timing belt/water pump job which was rather in depth. Let me know any advice you can give!!!

When you find the vehicle you think you would like, if possible ask for maintenance history because that can provide a lot of info you would not usually see.
You experience plus another experienced mechanic/tech is always a good move to have it looked over. Low miles with poor maintenance can be worse than hi miles with good maintenance as you already know.
I'm sure there are other points to consider and hopefully someone will add some other things to lookout for.

I'm a new member also. I just kind of inherited a 2001 E350 with a 5.4 liter engine and 232,000 miles on the odometer. It was used by a guy who installed carpet and I really don't know how well it was cared for, but initial inspection revealed a quart low on oil, a gallon low on antifreeze, and very worn front tires. So far I replaced the muffler and tailpipe and air cleaner. I have more work to do but right now it starts and runs fine. The engine sounds good so I'm going to invest some time and money to get the vehicle on the road. the right rear door wouldn't open from the outside handle. I put the cable back on the outside handle (it came off) so that's solved. There is some rust underneath which leads me to believe that this vehicle was not garaged. The guts of this vehicle seem at least OK. Otherwise, what this van needs is normal and superficial stuff so I think I can get it in shape. Brakes, shocks and a tuneup are next. I want something to tow a trailer and make runs to Home Depot and I think it will do that for me. Any information on the personality of these vans would be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, no maintenance records and the previous owner is no longer among the living so I'm stuck with what I have but I don't hear any unusual noises. The engine starts and runs OK so we'll see. I'm just checking everything over and doing what needs to be done. The exhaust leak is fixed, the back door is fixed, now it's a tune up, brakes, shocks, tires, stuff like that. This is my first van so I'm not used to having such access to the back of the engine but the sides aren't as accessible as I'd like. I guess you can't have everything.