How Big of a Factor is Mileage When Buying a Van?

[Haystack]

Let say you were in the market and you came across a super super clean van within your price range, but it had close to 250k miles on it. Would that scare you away at all? To me that sounds about when a vehicle gets tired and around the time when major parts seem to ware out or break. Any thoughts on this subject?

Here's the van I'm talking about if anyone was wondering, but its more of a general question for when buying a van.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/5584998202.html

 

[Kim Chee]

When I want to buy a vehicle I look at:

How many miles has it been driven?
How was it cared for (maintained)?
How was it used? (Highway/city driving, cold weather, church on sunday?)
What recent work has been done? (A recent oil change with no other maintenance done is a red flag for me...I like records of lots of oil changes).
Somewhere in my list of stuff I look at is make model and year of the vehicle in question.
Price and overall condition is important.

I'll go look at the van you have in question in a moment and make another post.

 

[Kim Chee]

That's a lot of miles AND a lot of money for an old ass van.

It sure does look good though.

 

[Haystack]

That's a lot of miles AND a lot of money for an old ass van.

It sure does look good though.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Personally I would like to pay more for a clean van like that, but that's A LOT of miles. Also there's the fact that I live in the Bay Area so prices on anything are way higher than other places in the country. I don't intend to buy that van because of the miles for that price, but I'm looking for something clean like that. If it had 100k miles I might be more than willing to pay that price for that van, but close to 250k no way. I just wanted to hear what others thought about miles in general and what they would consider too high to buy.

 

[kokomojoe]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Personally I would like to pay more for a clean van like that, but that's A LOT of miles. Also there's the fact that I live in the Bay Area so prices on anything are way higher than other places in the country. I don't intend to buy that van because of the miles for that price, but I'm looking for something clean like that. If it had 100k miles I might be more than willing to pay that price for that van, but close to 250k no way. I just wanted to hear what others thought about miles in general and what they would consider too high to buy.

Might not be a bad idea to broaden your area of search and just go on a trip to get the actual van. Better chance of finding something good

 

[Haystack]

Might not be a bad idea to broaden your area of search and just go on a trip to get the actual van. Better chance of finding something good

That's a possibility too, then driving it back here to set up how I want it since I have access to tools and what not here. Then setting sail to wherever the wind takes me..

 

[kokomojoe]

That's a possibility too, then driving it back here to set up how I want it since I have access to tools and what not here. Then setting sail to wherever the wind takes me..

Definitely man, depends how far you're willing to go to get it, might find a good one in Sacramento or Reno or who knows where. Just gotta keep a sharp eye out

 

[Haystack]

Definitely man, depends how far you're willing to go to get it, might find a good one in Sacramento or Reno or who knows where. Just gotta keep a sharp eye out

Thanks again man, I'll keep my eyes peeled.

On a side note I dig your tags!

 

[kokomojoe]

Thanks again man, I'll keep my eyes peeled.

On a side note I dig your tags!

lol thanks man, have you seen many of them in person? I love hearing people tell me when and where they spot them. It's like when I'm not on the road at least there's some part of me circling the country lol

 

[Haystack]

lol thanks man, have you seen many of them in person? I love hearing people tell me when and where they spot them. It's like when I'm not on the road at least there's some part of me circling the country lol

I haven't seen any in person, but if I do you'll be the first to hear about it haha. I've been wanting to do my own for a while now but my artistic abilities haven't been honed yet. I'll get it down one day..

 

[Itvo]

If you have anyone that knows or is a mechanic, that is your best bet in my opinion. From experience and 20/20 hindsight, people can really make a pile of bolts look like a polished turd. There are tons of "Granny's Old Remedies" that work long enough to sell something off. A few I have personal experiences with are transmissions with sawdust put in them to silence grinding noises. Gear oil or any thick goop in the engine oil to stop smoke and or increase oil pressure to normal. Rolling back odometers on old vehicles. Eggs in the radiator. etc etc

A professional mechanic will catch most of the cheap tricks. They can pick out most of the reasons the previous owner is selling it. They are selling it for a reason after all. At least from my experience, it is almost never because they just want to sell it and get something different. It is almost always because something is going wrong. At least that is how it goes here when dealing with <$5000 used vehicles. I've been through ~5 vehicles bought from craigslist under $2k and all had something major that was masked or broke something major 3 months later. Your mileage may vary of course but the best used vehicle advice is take someone who works on them for a living. Even if you have to bribe them with beer or money. Even better if you can round up someone who knows the "tricks."

 

[huckfinnegain]

as a 'retired' auto mechanic, I'd say it's generally hit or miss with reliability when it comes to how much milage has been put on a vehicle if the vehicle has been maintained well (with receipts of the maintenance history being a bonus). Looking into what kinds of problems are repetitive for people who have owned a particular make and model could provide some insight, but eh, as the mysterious ways of the world would have it, there are still many vehicles not even pushing 100k on the odometer that are going through major transmission and engine overhauls while older circa 80's are running just fine at 300+ k.... (toyota anyone? heh)...which comes back to how the owner of said vehicle has used it. Ah Kim Chee pointed out pretty well all the crucial inquiries. though there are vehicle that are definite no-no's for me when it comes to purchasing - the ones that have been sitting stagnant for over a year. a whole year's worth of time where running gear oil's haven't coated the working metal components (so as to stop pitting) and brake caliper pistons gathering rust and ''getting too comfortable'' where they sit, etc. can bring about somewhat of a headache in the future.
another factor that may be advantageous to consider, is purchasing a vehicle that is/has been 'popular enough' that parts are easily accessible, in the wrecker yards and such. I learned this after buying my 93' mazda b2600 4x4 eight years ago. parts have always been pretty elusive for it, but I remedied that by swapping in a ton of toyota parts

 

[Haystack]

@Itvo and @huckfinnegain I appreciate both of your insights on this topic. Defiantly very helpful for me and I'm sure others as well.

 

[Itvo]

all that

Fully agree with everything except for junkyards. Every junkyard here stopped carrying anything older than 10 years old sadly. But that may be different elsewhere. Sitting vehicles never last long in my experience or anyone else's that I know. Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan are exceptional vehicles from my experience. The only few American vehicles I would be inclined to use for long term reliability are Ford's with the Inline 300 6 Cylinder or Chevrolet's with 350 engines and the Muncie transmissions. The American vehicles are honestly mostly only good because they are so easy to fix and parts are everywhere. At least the 90's and earlier versions. Japanese vehicles are great for just getting in and going without any regard.

I can't attest to the validity but a guy I know who tours the USA yearly uses an old diesel Ambulance. He swears by the thing. Maybe something to consider? Edit: He got it at a gov't liquidation so he may have gotten it cheap. Fleet usually gets pretty rigourours maintenance. I'd imagine doubly so for EMT/EMS vehicles.

 

[beastcoast]

I got my Toyota van a 300k, and its been great other than a bad wheel bearing from when I got hit by another car.

 

[callmeG]

There do seem to be a few decent looking deals on sfbay craigslist. I think that one you linked is too much money for the age and mileage.

 

[StinkyD]

If you want a nice working van you have to go looking on the streets and somewhere that's not California its just on Craigslist your bound to get fucked

 

[vantramp2016]

i have an 06 MB sprinter van with almost 800 k miles on it never any issues other than regular maintance. no emissions crap on it either no DPF diesel particulate filter no DEF tank.. and no i don't support all this new emissions crap as it results in more problems!! i bught it new soi know how its been driven and how its been cared for wich to me is a big difference than buying a vehicle from a stranger!!! the only problem with the sprinter vans are lack of customer support you can't take into any dealer and have them fix it.. and when they do break down they cost an arm and a leg to fix and since there so unique you may be waiting days for parts!!! id'e say take the vehicle your looking at for a test drive and take it to a good mech that you can trust.

 

[that one guy]

If you want a nice working van you have to go looking on the streets and somewhere that's not California its just on Craigslist your bound to get fucked

YES! rule #1, don't buy any niche vehicle (VW, conversion van, "sports car" or fixie bicycles for that matter) in California - your paying nearly 25% more just cause of what it is and where its being sold at; California - go to washington, oregon, idaho, nevada, arizona, new mexico or colorado.
Rule #2, don't buy from someone selling more than one vehicle at a time, often they are in a vacant parking lot, never at their home residence, be sure to ask "do you have anything else?" They will asume you are asking for other vans (if thats what your trying to purchase) and will offer something like "No other vans, I got a 79 BMW and a dodge 2500 diesel" these are shitty people selling vehicles for profit, not cause they no longer need/have use for or want said vehicle, they are like a dentist offering you a pearly white veneer in stead of a steel crown - they are trying to turn a buck, they could care less about you after they take your money, and honestly I have been a lemon mechanic and done horrible things to make cars sell fast . . .

Rule #3 I think its already been stated, keep away from something that has been sitting for a while, NOW there is a way to properly go about it, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EVER LET THE SELLER "FIRE IT UP FER YA" tell them that if they turn that starter you will not even consider the sale, brake parts excluding, the most important thing is the piston rings, when the oil seeps low in the crankcase the spring steel rings eventually fuse to the piston sleeves and when they are broken free from rotation it brakes little chips in them; this means that significant blow by is in the near future, this means lower MPG, overheating potential, oil consumption, and scoring of the sleeves which furthers the damage and it eventually will need a complete rebuild or replacement engine.
Now, the way I was taught was to remove the spark plugs and put roughly a tablespoon of automatic transmission fluid in atop the pistons, similar to this post
but the important thing is that the rings are lubricated, leave that shit in there for at least a day or more before you attempt to turn the motor. I have successfully revived many old cars this way.

Personally I swear by G series GM vans, my current is a 1995 GMC 2500, but I've mostly had Chevy's anywhere from 1975 to 1992 and they are alwase a charm to drive, spacious to live in and easy to maintain.

 

[Kim Chee]

...UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EVER LET THE SELLER "FIRE IT UP FER YA" tell them that if they turn that starter you will not even consider the sale, brake parts excluding, the most important thing is the piston rings, when the oil seeps low in the crankcase the spring steel rings eventually fuse to the piston sleeves and when they are broken free from rotation it brakes little chips in them; this means that significant blow by is in the near future, this means lower MPG, overheating potential, oil consumption, and scoring of the sleeves which furthers the damage and it eventually will need a complete rebuild or replacement engine...

I go so far as to tell the seller on the phone that I would like the engine to be cold when I get there (then make sure it is).