1988 Chevy Van

I am looking at buying a van and selling my 93 Honda Prelude. I am trying to get my moble detailing business going but need a vehicle. I was trying to use my 66 F100 but it just isn't enough room with the water tank in the bed and not enough room for the pressure washer and generator and all my materials. Anyways I am looking at a 88 Chevy van with 45,000 original miles. Guy isn't sure the motor or tranny but said it's a V8 (I am assuming 350) and it's a 3 speed automatic (again, assuming it's a TH350). He said it's power brakes and steering and good suspension. It drives and stops very good, all gauges work, all lights work, all glass is great, all windows go up and down, wipers have 3 speeds and they work, etc. No rust at all he said. The hood is fading and the side door too with VERY hint of surface rust starting but that's it. He said that he bought it at an auction from the college and it was used as a maintanance van only on campus so that is why it has such low miles. He said he has an air and heating company that he bought it for because he is selling a service truck and wanted a van and the auction online said that it had a ladder rack and air conditioning. He said when his wife picked it up she said there was no A/C and no ladder rack and that is why he is selling it. He doesn't have the time and doesn't want to have A/C added so is going to just get rid of it and hasn't looked at it much more when he found out. He said it doesn't even have the controls or anything for A/C which I really need it but for the price I dont know... He said if I did a maintanence check on it then it would be great because he drove it for over 2 hours away from the college and never had a single problem and it drove great. It also has a new battery.
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/1123998106.html
Tell me what you guys think. If I can get it for about $900-$1000 then I can sell my 93 Prelude for $4000 and have money left over for A/C and to do a plain repaint on it and possibly some nice wheels like Torq Thrusts. I need it to look pretty decent since I am using it for detailing or else I wouldn't care about wheels and paint. Also if you have any info on the kind of motor and tranny combos they came with that would be great and info on adding A/C and specs on these vans. I am sure it's HORRIBLE on fuel since I know my 85 C10 longbed with a 305 was very bad but I need a van so I have to make some sacrafices.

Oh and as far as the seats go, instead of recovering them I am going to try and find some Astro or Suburban seats in cloth and throw them in there if I even get the thing.

FMXhellraiser, You would have plenty of room to advertise on the sides, looks pretty good for the money. You may be lucky and have a transmission like I had in an 86 Chevy Conversion Van ¾ ton we bought new and started off on a cross-country trip. At first I thought there was something wrong with the trans going up a hill or incline it would shift go so far and down shift again. Going over the Black Hills I thought it would burn the trans up it shifted so much. I was getting pissed off. When we came to a town that had a Chevy dealership I had them to check it out. It was supposed to get better mileage I guess like an overdrive or something. It did do ok, I’m not sure the exact miles per gallon 18 or 20. I’m not familiar with overdrive but it must have been something on that order.

Richard

a guy I work with, has a Vandura 2500 from the same era, same type windowless work van.. 350/ 700 R4 trans, and he gets about 7 MPG on average with it....

Buy a Plymouth Voyager work van or a Dodge Carevan Work van if you need a work van.. they actully made windowless work van's in the 1st and 2nd gen Mopar Mini vans which is IIRC 1984-1995.. with the 2.5L 4cyl they get mid 20's for MPG

Hmm yeah 7 MPG is horrible. I would think it would get about 15-16 tops but not that low... Some 350 trannies have a lock up on them like my 85 had that had an extra gear I guess you could say and it would shift a ton up and down hills and I hated it but it supposedly got better gas milage with it. You can actually put that on a switch and use it when you'd like. I didn't like it because if I were going up a hill and hit the gas it would kick on and lag and just didn't have the power like it should have when they downshift so I would manually downshift it.
I thought that for $1200 it is very cheap, I can't find an Astro or mini van around here with less than 100,000 miles for any less than $5000 and I dont even have $4000.

I'll give you an old man's view on it.

You said this....
"I am trying to get my moble detailing business going"

Do you really need an air conditioner project right now? And will the cost of doing this exceed the value of the vehicle on the open market?

And this.....
"do a plain repaint on it and possibly some nice wheels like Torq Thrusts."

Do you really need a paint and wheel project right now? And will the cost of doing this exceed the value of the vehicle on the open market?

And how is a plain repaint job going to look on a van that is owned by a detailer?
And do you really need a V8 to haul what you have? You have to consider operational costs if you plan to show a profit at the end of the year.

In the end, you'll have to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. I'm just trying to inject a little reality.

Tech, that's why your here. :) I will take your info into consideration. I am going to at least go take a look at it in person and drive it but you are right I understand. I will see what I can do. I am in a limited budget so I am trying to do what I can and make sacrafices on what I can.

I understand completely. Life is a series of choices.

As for the paint and wheels, it doesn't need it (besides the hood) but it was something I'd like to do just to have it looking nice. I think for $1200 I can't beat the deal but again, I need to go look at it first and that's why I'm not getting my hopes up or anything.

I agree with Tech.... You may end up having $3000.00 tied up in a $1500.00 van. You could find a much nicer one for your 3k and not have to put much work into it.

I owned an 85 and a 88. You should get ~12city-14hwy mpg not 7.

Kitz

Well the guy called me this mourning (I thought it was nice of him) and he said it is actually a V6 NOT a V8 so I may pass on it. I dont think the V6 is going to get better fuel milage, it is going to push to hard with 150 gallons of water, a big generator, pressure washer, steamer, extractor, Shop Vac and all my materials. It is an older gentleman and he said that when he won the auction and found out that it had no A/C that he didn't care to look at the details on it and a lot of things on the auction listing were incorrect. At least he called me and told me before driving up 2 hours away.
I did find another one that is very close by to me which is a little older and the exact same thing but with windows and it has a 350 with a 700r4. The motor is making noise though and the guy isn't sure what it is. I do have an extra 350 laying here and the thing is going for $450!!! It's in very nice shape from what he said and the pictures show (even nicer than the one I put up here). They added A/C to it and it only needs a few more things for it to be hooked up and completed. I am going to take a look at it but if it's got a ton of miles on it then of course I will look away. I think my best bet right now is like you guys said, find something for more money and A/C and get it. I just like the old vans that's all. :)