[lurchi]

that´s the question. :help:
Hi everybody, I´m pondering if or if not one of those vans is a good buy. I´d appreciate everybody´s opinion. They have got the 5.9 l, 360 cu.inch? engine, made in ´80 and ´87. Kilometres between 16000 and 20000, in miles round about 10000 to 12500. They asked a price of 6450 € to 8900 €, would be 9400 $ to 13000 $. I read somewhere, there might be some kind of transmissions, that tend to cause problems??? One with an overdrive, if i recall correctly. It would be great to hear your ideas about it.
I live in Germany, by the way, those vans are ex swiss firefighter vehicles, and are located in Switzerland.

Michael

 

[alloro]

What do you plan on using the van for?
Do you get a lot of snow where you are?

The OD trannys were a problem with V6 engines, not with V8 engines.

 

[lurchi]

Hi alloro,
first thanks to your reply. Well, i intend to use the van mostly during winter, it is not that high up here, but we do have our share of snow. The hills are only about 200 to 400 meters above valley level (600 to 1200 feet), but there are steep and narrow streets. Therefore a 4wd makes sense to me. I would use it for shopping, maybe trailer towing too, and maybe sometimes as a "mobile tent", if needed. I drive an old Mercedes 190, ´89, and with that rear wheel drive i had just a few problems in winter, to get home. Good to hear those tranny problems don´t affect V8 engines.
Thanks, Michael

 

[alloro]

Considering what you intend to use it for, that one in the last picture is probably your best bet. I say that only because it doesn't appear to be an extended van, so that makes parking a lot easier. Even more so when you have a trailer on the back. It also looks from the picture to have tinted rear glass, which offers a bit of privacy and security when you have your items back there from shopping, or when using it as a mobile tent. The red color kind of stinks, but that aside it's probably a good deal for you.

 

[stev]

lurchi,

I'll agree with alloro about getting the badged number 41 unit. That makes it a B250 or something in the B2XX series. And judging from the front grill and the square headlamps on the "41", it looks like a newer year for the generation-1 Ram Vans.

Besides, the "41" has a really neat stripping in the rear that really looks good vs the silly stuff on the others.

The "41" maybe the 1987 or newer era with the TB injection. A little better power and fuel improvement prior to the Magnum series engines.

 

[alloro]

Plus I just noticed that the 41 has a sliding side door. Those make it much easier to load stuff when you're in a parking space with another car right next to you.

 

[lurchi]

Thanks for your replies. @stev: Yes, it is an `87 one. @alloro: I recognized that too. And: it´s the one that got to the dealer last. Now it depends on the price. I wrote to lakota, he thinks the dealer wants to much. There should be better opportunities. I´ll see. Thanks again, it definitely helped making up my mind.
Michael

 

[lurchi]

Well, just wanted to keep you up to date. I bought the "41", not as cheap as i hoped for, but it is in a very good shape. No rust at all, 18000 km, seems to me a reasonable buy. By the way, not a Dodge at all, they renamed it Mowag B 300 (Swiss company that did the 4x4 conversion, didn´t bother to change to B 350). Has a max. permitted overall weight of 4.0 metric tons, but i´ll change it to 3.5 tons max., due to several limitations (speed, towing trailers on sundays) if exceeding 3.5 t. Several smaller problems getting it licensed in Germany, but they have to find something to keep it from being simple.
Michael

 

[DANVAN]

Its Got A Gull Wing Door On The Rear, Nice!

 

[Dodgevanman]

I like the one in the first pic. I'm partial to older vans though.