Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 1998 Ford E150 Cargo Van with AC. It only has 11,000 miles on it and is in excellent condition. Kelly Blue Book has it valued between $2800 - $3100. I do not remember if it is a V6 or V8. It does need new tires which I did not deduct anything for since I did not calculate in the bins in the back. I own a 2000 model that is identical and has 73,000 miles on it. The van belongs to an elderly man in my church. He is in his 80's and used the van to carry his photography equipment before he retired. I did not drive it but it started right up. He wants the $$$ to get his work done on another car he has. Does the price seem fair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchico Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 1998 Ford E150 Cargo Van with AC. It only has 11,000 miles on it and is in excellent condition. Kelly Blue Book has it valued between $2800 - $3100. I do not remember if it is a V6 or V8. It does need new tires which I did not deduct anything for since I did not calculate in the bins in the back. I own a 2000 model that is identical and has 73,000 miles on it. The van belongs to an elderly man in my church. He is in his 80's and used the van to carry his photography equipment before he retired. I did not drive it but it started right up. He wants the $$$ to get his work done on another car he has. Does the price seem fair? It would be a lot easier to answer the question if we knew what the price was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 It would be a lot easier to answer the question if we knew what the price was. He hasn't asked for any specific amount. I went over his house today and did some work for him. As I was leaving he asked if I wanted to buy rhe van. I asked what he wanted but he didn't know. I told him I would check the value of Kelly Blue Book. The value seems to be $3000 plus or minus a little. I just want to offer a fair price if I decide to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprofessor Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 11K miles and it needs new tires? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 11K miles and it needs new tires? Tires not used tend to dry rot which is the case on these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Man, thats crazy. My grandmother sold a 1988 Honda Civic 4-door sedan that had under 30K miles on it... in like 2004. How do you value cars like that? You'd think they'd almost be better off if someone was using them over that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 Man, thats crazy. My grandmother sold a 1988 Honda Civic 4-door sedan that had under 30K miles on it... in like 2004. How do you value cars like that? You'd think they'd almost be better off if someone was using them over that time. I agree. He is using it now and has used it now and then to keep it running. Its hard to valuse something like this. Blue book says what its suppose to be worth but just am not sure if thats the case with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I have seen situations like this go both ways. Many who have bought an older vehicle with no miles on it have received a real bargain and others a real nightmare. Being a van it is a bit tougher to check the telltales of neglect. My guess is that this vehicle was well maintained based on the prior owner. That is just a guess of course without being able to see it myself. One thing that often dooms one of these low milers driven by the "little old person" is the fact that they rarely sell soon after the owner stops driving them. They tend to sit for a year or 2 while everyone tries to decide what to do with the vehicle. That not being the case here bodes well for you. The van itself is known as a work horse. I service many Ford vans and prefer them to the other American competition. I tell everyone the same thing when they are looking for a work truck. Look at what you see on the road as far as fleet vehicles. The large fleets get a deal for buying in bulk but also want dependability as well as a truck that can take a beating. Ford has long proven to be that when it comes to their service vans! I am not as much a fan of the 1/2 ton P/U but the E150 has been solid. Offer 2000.00 knowing that will leave you with plenty of money to buy a real good set of tires. If he balks then bump to 2500.00. Going that route leaves you both some wiggle room. I do tend to start way on the low side when I make my first offer. I have nailed down some really good deals on cars by doing that. I am also rarely actually looking for a car when I buy one so if I lose out on it I really don't care!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 Appreciate the advice tbimm. I will ask more questions about how long the car has sat without being driven. It appears to be in excellent condition except the tires. I think I will need to offer more than $2000 since he has the bins in the back. I bought some Michilin Tires for my van about a year ago and it cost me $500. I don't really need the van but it seems like to nice a vehicle to pass up. Mr Tatum is a really nice man and depends on my wife and I to help him out from time to time, his kids are not helpful. I want to make sure Mr T gets a fair price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Appreciate the advice tbimm. I will ask more questions about how long the car has sat without being driven. It appears to be in excellent condition except the tires. I think I will need to offer more than $2000 since he has the bins in the back. I bought some Michilin Tires for my van about a year ago and it cost me $500. I don't really need the van but it seems like to nice a vehicle to pass up. Mr Tatum is a really nice man and depends on my wife and I to help him out from time to time, his kids are not helpful. I want to make sure Mr T gets a fair price. Before making an offer see if you can get him to give you an idea how much he wants for it. Only problem with that would be if he starts asking around you may wind up in a situation where there is more interest in the van than you would like. I guess the bins are worth something so I understand what you are saying. I also applaud the idea of being "fair". Just make a decision rather quickly one way or the other, as not everyone will have the same feeling of fairness that you do. If he had the van serviced on a regular basis, in this case seasonally as he drove it so little, you should be fine with the minimal usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I want to make sure Mr T gets a fair price. Is this really Joe posting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Tires not used tend to dry rot which is the case on these. Need to inspect hoses and belts on cars like that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitansFan Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I think I found the real reason he wants the van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 Is this really Joe posting? Now you know I am just an ole softy. yeah, its me. This is real life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Need to inspect hoses and belts on cars like that too. Indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Indeed. It only has one belt and usually the hoses will hold up pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Does the price seem fair? He hasn't asked for any specific amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 It only has one belt and usually the hoses will hold up pretty good. i've got one belt and one hose "Make Offer" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Footballjoe Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 i've got one belt and one hose "Make Offer" From what I hear the hose is kinda soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) As Tbimm said (in so many words) a car that just sits can have problems. I bought my Mom's car back around ~1984. ($2500 w/ 19K miles on it) Long story short, my Dad bought it NEW in 1971 (Impala, 2 dr HT, w/ standard equip.). He died in 1972. My Mom never had a driver's license, but got one in 1973. She hardly drove it. I'd drive it weekly when we'd go see her. She changed the oil every 3K. Long story short...after I bought the car there were major problems. From not driving it's wires got funky,just disappeared! AC went south, and the replacement compressor/condensor was never up to snuff. The gas tank was so loaded w/ crap, I'd have 3 replacement filters on board so I could keep driving (got that down to a science..replacement took <10 mins.). It was a nightmare, mostly due to no one really driving it daily or even weekly. About 2-3 years later I sold it for $1.8K. The funny part is the day I sold it it snowed. I went out to wipe it off and as I did a big chunk of paint fell off the trunk! When the buyer showed up, he wanted a discount. I said "No way, but if you want your deposit back, no problem." He paid the balance, but everytime the car would fart he'd call. me! After the 3rd call I said "I'm not GM! Deal w/ it!". End of story. My point is a low mileage old car can carry a negative legacy. Buyer beware! Good Luck! Edited June 8, 2009 by rocknrobn26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 From what I hear the hose is kinda soft. Keg's a Liar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexgaddis Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Write up a purchase contract for $5 and wait till he croaks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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