Vans are undoubtedly cool, but they often suffer from the conditions of their ownership. For one, they can be used as workhorses, which inevitably results in the interiors being trashed or the body get scraped up by tools and supplies. When they’re used as miniature campers or RVs, people live in them far longer than they should, and sometimes out of desperation. Finding a van like this 1990 Ford E150 that is set up for long-distance cruising and the occasional overnight that remains in excellent condition is a treat, especially with some modern entertainment features included. Check it out here on craigslist for $10,000.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip. The E-Series van is one of the more successful vehicles in Ford’s history, with a production run spanning decades. The van went through a variety of refreshes with its reputation for being a workhorse remaining consistent throughout. From payload limits to interior storage capacity to low maintenance requirements, the E-Series was essentially built to be a plumber’s truck or a transport vehicle. When conversion vans (along with SUVs) became popular platforms for aftermarket companies to build and sell, the E-Series began its second act.
Now, obviously, wild van creations were a big deal in the 70s, but those were built by private individuals. Vans like this one were built at a far larger scale and even sold by dealerships. I’m sure you could find out which vendor built this particular conversion van, but they were all more or less the same. A couch, captain’s chairs, curtains, and the occasional TV and VCR combo transformed how we all perceived this brick-shaped utility vehicle that was previously a roofing contractor’s best friend. The seller’s rig looks like it has been loved since new, and from the wheels to the interior, every detail seems to be in great shape.
The story here, beyond the condition, it the list of recent maintenance. The entire fuel system has been gone through with the dual tanks both dropped and cleaned, the fuel pumps replaced, a new fuel pressure regulator, and much more. The engine has been serviced and the automatic transmission has been rebuilt and still carries with it a balance of its warranty. The 302 and 351 were common engine options in 8-cylinder E-Series, with power ranging from 185 to 210 horsepower. The asking price seems fair for a van in this sort of condition, and one with safely under 100,000 miles.
Not sure how the site does it, why just earlier, I was looking at vans,,,again. Naturally, there’s a few, and you totally get what you pay for. From raccoon homes, to some nice units, like here. I think, the same people that are selling their classic cars, are the same folks selling these vans. I have a hankerin’ to get out this Spring, and do some searching as to where to run the clock out. After careful study, the only place I could afford, would be the UP, der hey. Plus, I LOVE THE UP,,,Colorado, not so much anymore. So,,a motorhome is too much hassle to travel in,,if I move, the van would have to be able to tow the Jeep, so a V8 something would be needed. Naturally, in accordance with the site, this van is way overpriced, a neighbor has a 2001 Dodge, semi custom like this for $8K, and I thought that’s too much. Again, nothing is selling, and vans are going for half that. MY biggest concern with an older vehicle, is repairs on the road. A valid charge card with unlimited funds is needed, I can hear it now in Bugtussle ND,,,”Yep, that Illudium Q-36 modulator is shot, by golly, haven’t seen one of those in a while, I can have one Tuesday,,,BUT IT’S WEDNESDAY, and an unscheduled stay in Bugtussle happens.”,,,and so on. See, as a truck driver, I think of those things, mainly because that happened to me, where as most people think, yeah, traveling could be fun, just wing it, and cry later. @$150/hr., it adds up quick, it’s not 1978 anymore. Unobtainium modulator aside, these are just the best vans.
Stay tuned, eh?
Get a one ton van Howard 👍 💪
I remember being on the lot of Ricart Ford in Canal Winchester, Ohio (Columbus suburb) in the late 80’s or early 90’s. They had dozens of these conversion vans in stock. I was considering one at the time. It appeared to me that some companies used quality materials and processes, others not so much.
This example looks pretty good, from what we can tell. With all the maintenance work it might make for a good van. And with the dark red/tan theme the conversion company looks to have been playing off of the Eddie Bauer vibe.
Bit of a conundrum here. Very good looking van but unfortunately the 302 & AOD is very weak for this application. And it’s too nice for hacking with a 4BT/4L80 conversion. Finally, it’s not a high-roof & no mention of rear air.
Alas, these things are becoming rare as hen’s teeth & the late bullnose E-series is about the most handsome van there ever was. The seller isn’t unreasonable with his ask but for my purposes, it’d take quite a bit of modding to bring it to my standards. Good thing it’s nowhere near me, I’d probably already talk myself into buying it. Maybe not the most fun thing to drive but for your passengers, the comfort in these things is unmatched!
The van thing caused a lot of grief and it all started with GMAC as the story goes. It starts out with van “modifiers” selling units to non-brand dealers to sell. What that means is that a Chevy dealer could buy a new Dodge conversion van to sell to whoever wanted to buy it as a new car/vehicle. (State laws and requirements pretty much make this “out of brand” selling a thing of the past.” So since most new car dealership don’t own the vehicles on their lots. (They are floored. Which means they pay interest while the vehicle sits there.) They have whoever “floors” their cars (can be new and used, but mainly new.) flooring. Pays for their “instock” vehicle and the dealer then pays the interest until the unit is sold. So one day a GMAC honcho is driving to work one day in the Detroit area. And is listening to a conversation this a honcho from Chrysler. The Chrysler guy mentions that they are completely maxed out on van production and can only produce X number of vans in that model year. The GMAC guy says to himself, “I think I have more Dodge Vans than that number floored!” So he gets back to his office and does a little research. Come to find out, he is correct. So, the whole GM nation gets a flooring audit. (That means GMAC people on your lot, checking VINs against their records.) Back in the day, all you had to do was provide a VIN and GMAC ( and I suspect Ford and Chrysler were the same.) would front you the money. (If you ever watched the movie Fargo, then you understand it better now.) Well, guess what? Several dealers were out of trust. This means usually as losing your franchise. (Meaning they had sold the van and not paid for it within 5 days.) Or were closed down for fraud for providing fake VINs. Now days you have to provide a copy of the MSO. (MANUFACTURERS STATEMENT OF ORIGIN) Since the original state of sale prints the first title. This changed the whole landscape of how flooring lenders, manufacturers and dealers have to do do business these days. This happened just after the dealer/manufacturers business changed because of factory reps taking bribes to provide more vehicles to one dealer than another based entirely on the bribe amount. Known as Autogate! It started with a Honda Rep. and went downhill from there and there were murders involved.
Nice looking van. It would be nice if the location was put in the article. Too often location must be searched for.