Comfortable ride, high seating position, handles well, roomy. This vehicle seems to be well-suited for motor home conversion. Very pleasant for long-distance traveling and camping.

Very poor gas mileage; body has a tendency to rust, although it has held up well considering it has always been kept outdoors. Original 22-gallon fuel tank is inadequate, requiring frequent fuel stops. Brakes are inadequate and I discovered one rotor was cracked after I bought it.

This vehicle is a 19-ft, high-top Class B motorhome van conversion which I bought used in 1995 with about 93K miles. I've driven it about 22K miles. It has all the amenities of a small RV except a generator, and is very heavy. Its weak point is its gas mileage: the maximum is about 6.7-7.0 mpg, highway, depending on whether the engine AC is in use, and the viscosity of the engine oil. 20-50WT oil reduces gas mileage to about 6mpg; 10-30WT seems to be the optimum. It has the 351W engine with Motorcraft 2150 2-bbl carburetor; C6 3-speed transmission with no overdrive nor lock-up converter. Engine is relatively easy to work on and replacement parts are usually cheap. Vehicle was poorly maintained before I bought it and required several thousand dollars worth of refurbishing, including new tires, professional replacement of rear axle seals and bearings, wheel cylinders, one brake rotor, exhaust system parts, right side exhaust manifold, oxygen sensor, engine and auxiliary batteries, catalytic converter, radiator, new roof AC, and replacement RV electric converter panel. The money was well-spent--the van has been 100% reliable and has generally been a pleasure to use.

Similar Products Used:

No previous van experience.

am a locksmith and I use this ambulance for my business. The vehicle is set up for locksmithing and I did not change anything, I just added A workbench and left everything in place. The 7.3 diesel is an excellent workhorse. I can leave the engine running while doing service calls and I do not have to leave the keys in the Ignition. Overall the vehicle is built for work and the Medtec interior is excellent. If you are a locksmith, this is the van for you.

The specifications on this van are; 7.3 diesel, automatic overdrive, ambulance package.
This van requires a lot of attention. 7.3 diesels have to have special maintenance required on them. You have to;
1. The engine oil needs to be changed every three thousand miles.
2. The air cleaner needs to be changed every four to five thousand miles.
3. The crankcase depression regulator has to be changed every forty thousand miles.
4. The fuel injection pump needs diesel additive or the pump will fail.
5. The antifreeze needs an additive so the piston cylinders will not pit and cause holes.
6. The transmission needs to be serviced annually, the cost of rebuilding the transmission is about two thousand dollars so it is important to have the filter and oil changed about thirty thousand miles so the mechanic can spot any problems occurring with the vehicle.
Any of these areas of the engine that are not serviced will lead to engine failure.

Overall, the rating of this vehicle is great, I would recommend it to any one whom needs a vehicle for work. The only draw back is knowledge. You need to read up on the service for this vehicle from different sources not just from a Ford manual.
In addition, before you buy a used ambulance, you need to do a complete check of the vehicle. Ambulance companies are supposed to be good at maintaining their vehicles however I had to do a lot of work that was not done on this vehicle before it was road ready.

Similar Products Used:

Ford vans from the 1980's. Easer to maintain.

This van has awsome power with a 351 and a 4 barrel carb. Comfort is excellent and reliable as the sun. Drives nice, pretty tight steering, looks very sharp.

Front tank does not work. Guessing it has a crack in the hose inside tank. It likes to stutter over 45 mph when using this tank. Rear Ac unit doesn't work(wasted space) so i may remove it. Gas mileage is poor w/ 4 barrel, i may change this if gas prices get much higher!!

I have been driving this van for 2 years on trips up north, sporting events, fishing, concerts and any where else that me and my group want to go. AND they love "THE VAN" and they call me "CAPTAIN RON". Most people my age (27)don't own these types of vehicles and love the fun drive to where ever we are headed!!!

Similar Products Used:

My parents had an 1984 Chevy (305) and i believe them to be equals. They put 205,000 miles on it before it died. I have 95,000 now. Hope to get that many!! I have way more power than that van.

Not a bad van, although it sucks gas and parking it is a major problem. If they shortened it by about a foot to foot and a half, it would definately be much easier to use in an urban environment.

My brakes and rotors needed replacing after 20,000 miles. I never had this problem with ANY large vehicle or van in the 15 years I have been driving them.

major gaz guzzler, and the brakes wear VERY VERY quickly....at least on the model I purchased. Dealer support is typical...they overcharge, and basically give no feedback. Overall...I'd look more closely to other manufacturers before spending as much on a van again as I did on the Ford

Similar Products Used:

Dodge van (2). Not as easy to handle as the Dodge in traffic or urban areas. I took the dodge thru Manhattan during rush hour once without a problem...the Ford I wouldn't even make the attempt since it's longer and doesn't handle as well. I had no problems with the Dodge at all, and any replacement in brakes or servicing didn't even start to occur until after 50 to 60 thousand miles. I've already had to spend 800 bucks on new brakes with the Ford...and I don't ride my brakes. This is the 1st vehicle in 30 years fo driving that I have ever had this problem with

I purchased my 1979 Econoline100 in 1995 and it was a mess.. i probablt have never seen another vehicle that was so badly neglected as this van was by its previous owner.Body repairs,Engine work,Transmission work,and brakes were all badly needed. During the repair process i was suprised to find that the parts to this vehicle were so inexpensive and easy to get a get a hold of. it is currently at 197,000 miles and still has the original engine a (302)and it still runs great with no rebuilds. my only complaint with the engine is the poor gas mileage (about 11 miles to the gallon highway).

poor gas mileage and the stock stereo was a joke.(Rest assured that that was upgraded)and keeping up with the body work as it is rusting bad in a few places.

Overall i have really enjoyed this vehicle, the convenience of being able to haul my ATVs,all my friends and everything else big that i want is great! Plus it goes great in snow cuz of its weight.i dont think this vehicle plans on quitting anytime soon and i plan on keeping it around for years to come.

Similar Products Used:

before this van i had a 1980 chevy van with a straight 6. it was dependable but very loud and rickety and the engine would race at only 60 miles an hour. naver liked the dodge vans and never heard good stuff about them.

Loads of room,lots of power,great visablity, very smooth,privacy glass.

Likes to eat gas,little bouncy when empty,

I've owned this truck about 3 months now and think it is great!!It's a 15 passenger van extended with a v-10.triton,as a carpet installer I can really load up a truck with weight, and this truck has all the power i'll ever need.sits nice and highso i can see well over the other traffic,travel on average 150km's per day and find it a very comfortable truck.When i'm at home on the weekend's I put some seats in it and my 11 year old special needs boy likes to go for a drive and look all around.Overall Ithink I'm going to be happy with this truck as I think Ford has done a good job this time!

Similar Products Used:

I owned a e-150,and a gmc1500,this truck has everything the other 2 did not have, power!!!ltos of room too!!

Lots of room, comfortable, can tow anything. I ow a 27foot boat that weights approx 8000 pounds, and the 460 doesn't even break a sweat.

Poor gas mileage, rough ride when empty. Allignment techs love to see me coming. Twin I beam suspension a bit goofy, front end is always out of alignment. Rear heater/AC control only controls fan speed, not temp.

This is my second full size ford van. The first one was a 93 e-150 club chateau. It did ride better than the newer one, but was a little underpowered with the 351. The view is great for everyone, including little kids in car seats, thanks to the "theatre seating". Speaking of kids, the van allows moms and dads to go back and dish out a little discipline while underway, or at least the threat is there that it can be done. Take the seats out (not easy) and you have a moving truck, this thing is huge. Great tow vehicle with transmission cooler and limited slip rearend, I haven't got stuck on a boat ramp yet. I needed one vehicle that could do everything I asked, carry the family, tow the boat, and be a truck as well. A minivan just doesn't cut it.

Similar Products Used:

1998 ford pickup with the 4.6 litre motor was screaming trying to tow the boat.

it is a good ride when we do sci fi cons we load it up with our stuff
and 6 people and still have a lot of room as the holds the load well.
with 2 capt chairs and 2 bench/bed units like i say still a lot room.
for 78 it has its rust in places but ease to fix.plus the brakes are
strong and powerfull.

boy whats up with that tiltstreering?the strering wheel move from
side to side and up and down.i called a local ford dealer.and the
response i got was over 95% of the tilt streering go bad with age
and the only way to fix is to change out the whole steering calume.
the 351w is a strong engine with a gas drinking problem has 2 barrle
carb.when it comes cross winds it like to dart from side to side but
ease to correct.noise wise it is loud when we going down the highway
at 70mph but at low speeds its ok.

over all it is not a bad van.plenty of room for loading stuff or
going on short to med trips.when it come to campimg with the bench/
bed you can't go wrong.the tilt streering could be up graded but its
a 78 ford van were talkin about.its show its age but i'm going try
to keep it alive for a few more years.
jay and jocelyn sharpe
ford owners

Similar Products Used:

the chevy and dodge are layed out very uncomfortable and ride like
hay wagons.

It rides high, can see traffic ahead over many other vehicles. Rides like a large car and has enough pulling power to pull my 30' travel trailer. Reliable transmission and engine, though it's had a little work at 140,000 miles, but uses no oil yet. Front and rear heat and air are fantastic, has kept me cool in 118 degree temperatures and warm at 5 degrees. Power everything in the Bivouac conversion, has lots of little switches, about 40 interior lights (wow!), a lot of dark tinted windows (most open with small insect screens on them), a very comfortable sofa-bed (electrically operated), VCP, TV, headphone jacks, lots of cup holders and plenty of seating for passengers.

Not as much hill-climbing power as some of the newer 460 engines, 9-11 miles per gallon hurts the pocketbook a bit. Like all vans, the repair shops see you coming..."A van? -- It'll cost you an extra $40 just to remove the doghouse," though it only takes about 2 minutes to do it.

The 460 is a VERY reliable engine, the C-6 coupled with it (along with a transmission cooler) will probably last the life of two engines and is a difficult one to destroy by a reasonable amount of abuse. You have to have deep pockets for fuel costs, however. It only gets about 6-8 mpg when towing my loaded 30' trailer (about 11,000 pounds). It weighs about 6,000 pounds as equiped (without me inside), so it's probably getting about the best gas mileage it can. Very stylish looking, makes a good conversion platform. Lots of room.

Similar Products Used:

Dodge - noisier and stiffer ride, Chevy - choppier ride and harder to get in and out of.

extended body, rear heat/air,

351w had poor power.

I would not recommend the 351w engine. It is a dog. I ended up not hauling cargo in this van due to the lack of power, but I was extended financially and couldn't do anything about it at the time. Just a little over a year later, I traded it in on a Chevy 3500 with 350 and boy what a difference. My present employer operates a fleet of Ford 15 passenger E-350 vans, and some still have the 351w. My opinion of that engine is the same as it was 6 years ago when I bought one new.

Similar Products Used:

Ford E-350 with 460, Chevy 3500 with 350