E-250 Cargo vans...

[280plus]

Anybody out there got one with the 6 cyl? If so are you happy with it? Are they dogs when loaded and climbing hills or on the highway? I drove one yesterday and it seemed ok. I took it up a nice steep hill. How's the gas mileage? Any problems I should know about. The one I drove was a 1999.

[garrettwc]

Can't speak for the van, but my dad had the pickup with the 6 -cylinder. It was worse on gas mileage than the v-8. Seemed to drive OK when loaded.

[DJJ]

My '02 F150 has a 4.3 V-6. Is that the 6 you're talking about? It moves out OK, but only because it has a 3.55:1 rear end. I towed 4000 lb up and over the San Gabriel mountains from Burbank to Bakersfield once. It made it, but without much to spare; 18-wheelers were passing me on the way up. As for mileage, it's not real good. I've managed 475 no-load, highway cruise-control miles on a 20+ gallon full tank, which is under 24 mpg.

[280plus]

but only because it has a 3.55:1 rear end.

Yea, I thought it pulled along awful nice for such a small motor. It may have a lower range rearend too. The truck is real clean with only 72,000 on it. He's high on the price though. Kellys says ~$7,000 he's got $9,995 in the window.We may have to "dicker" I still have to ask little brother though. He's the Ferd mechanic. I just ain't been able to get him on the phone.

[280plus]

Funny, I just talke to my brother. He say, "Gee, I never HEARD of an E-250 with a 6 cyl before!"

He might stop by there and take a look later.

FWIW he's saying Diesel is the way to go for fuel savings.

[Guest]

Our work truck is a E350 with a 5.4 v8. Great truck, bought with 99k on it for $6000. Ex Ore. St.  transportation vehicle- the used vans I looked at from fleet sales were all hammered, the companys buy them, do not put a nickel of maintainance in them, and sell them as soon as they are depreciated out. In contrast, since they are spending our dimes, the state changed the oil every 3k, radiator and transmission fluids, etc. I know cause I was able to get the records.  This thing gets about 18 mpg on the highway, 16 combined city/highway.
 The 5.4 gets great reviews as an engine, and I beleive the 6 is an 8 sans a couple cylinders.

[Leatherneck]

I've had dozens of E-350s in a van pool business since 1980. Great vans. I always had the 358 Windsor engines (5.8L) and became so familiar with them I could rebuild one in three days start to finish. Depending on what kind of loads you pull, the straight six may be a little underpowered. Heads and shoulders above the few Dodge Ram vans I bought over the years.

TC

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I've got a 2002 F-150 with the 4.2L six.  It's not a bad motor.  Mine has run flawlessy for 71,000 hard miles, and infrequent oil changes.  Coupled with the 5 speed manual tranny, it isn't bad at all.  I've hauled several thousand pounds of brick and cinder block without too much trouble.

[280plus]

YEa, I steer away from the Dodges. Although I notice Walker Texas Ranger drives a Dodge pickup, so maybe I've been wrong all these years. Right now I have a 2001 E-250 with the 5.4L / 66,000 mi and my only complaints are the rotors keep warping and it keeps popping those little power packs for the spark plugs at about $140 a wack. When it runs it runs nice though, plenty of power.

[grampster]

I had a couple of Ford Pkp's with the in line 300 six.  My brother had a couple too, one was a 4wd iirc.  Those motors were great.  Both of mine had well over 100,000 on em and you couldn't even here 'em run.  I don't recollect about gas because that was not an issue when I had my trucks.