Well, for the last three or four months I have been thinking about trading my truck for an E series 150 wagon. I could take out the back seat and carry my work tools around in it and on weekends I could haul the wife and kids. I know a crew cab would do the same thing but the box is to short for most work applications unless I get a long box crew which would not fit in the garage. If I get one I'll have to order one sight un seen because I live in a rural area and dealers within 100 miles don't have any on stock- new or used. Any one have any experience with E Vans, cargo or wagon? Is this a good idea or not. Thanks. R81

 

 

Had a 95 E-350 Clubwagon back in 95, very good van, lasted for a long time till I finally sold it.

 

unfortunately, you will have trouble costing the proper E series on the Ford website.

What is the proper E series? More than a 1/2 ton. A 250 with diesel is considered a commercial vehicle so you would need to talk to a sales reptile. That being said, a 250 with diesel is about the same price as a well equipped F150.

The heavier suspension and work engine will mean that this van would last 15 years with constant abuse.

 

I used a 99 E-150 cargo van for years at work till we got an 03 E-250 cargo van. They were both very good vehicles. They have had some issues with the E-250 and the cold, but I think they have gotten it worked out. I had to leave that job for an internship (hard to leave after 8 years at hte job), so have not driven the 03 very much, but from my experiences with both they were both good vehicles.

 

Some thoughts about the Econoline van...

*Depending on how you use it for work, the interior could get dirty, dusty and messed-up.
*Consider an E 250...much tougher!
*Don't expect it to drive...handle...corner like an F 150...It won't.
*It will feel more top-heavy than an F 150 too.
*Cross winds affect it more.
*Harder to back-up than a pick up.

I own both an E 150 and a F 150. The truck is a pleasure to drive...the van is an adventure.

MR

 

We have 3 E350's at our business. We've only bought 350's since the early 80's. They're great for carrying heavy loads. We carry literally hundreds of pounds of glass on each side plus, a few hundred pounds of 24' long lengths of aluminum. With all that weight the truck still handles very well.

Just my 2 cents.

Ron

 

I'm driving an '03 E250 for work. It's got the 5.4, which is a slightly detuned version of the one in the F-series. It's a van. It does get cought in crosswinds. If you drive into the wind you have to push harder on the pedal to keep moving at a decent pace. It gets 11, maybe 12 mpg (it's got the bin package, tools and stock in it) so far. I'm hoping to see 14-15 when the weather warms up and I put a few miles on it. All in all I think it's a good work truck. I drive it more than my F150.

Before the '03 we had a '99 E250 with the 5.4. Unfortuantely it was a lemon. It had the head gasket leak, front end issues, transmission issues, tire issues. It looked better than the '03 but was a death trap and not fun to drive. We got rid of it with only 50k on it. It was that bad. The '03 is your plain jane white with little hub caps. I think sticker was something like 26k.

The E-series are good. I would strongly recomend a 250. A 150 will wear out quickly. I'm not so sure I would want to drive ona as my personal vehicle. It gets tiering driving a van just about every day.