Scotty, My uncle recently passed and left me a 1989 Ford Econoline 250 Coachmen conversion van. It has sat unused for 18 years. It has 82,308 miles on it. Is it worth trying to fix it? Or should I post it for sale?
Vehicles do not like sitting around unused. After sitting that long the entire fuel system will need to be cleaned and probably at least some parts replaced. All fluids will need to be flushed out. Seals in the brake system are probably shot, calipers and wheel cylinders seized. Rubber hoses will have deteriorated. Radiator may be corroded. (Coolant anti-corrosion additives will long have since expired.) Engine might be seized. Seals in the AC (if so equipped) will have dried out. You'll probably discover lots of other issues if and when you can get it running.
So it is potentially a very large job. If you can do the work yourself it might be worthwhile. If you need to pay a mechanic be prepared for your bank account to be considerably lightened.
Is it worth ...
A vehicle's "worth" mainly depends on two things:
- mechanical condition. Does it start and run? Does everything work?
- Physical condition. Is it clean? Is the paint intact? Is it rusted through?
So, you need to provide some information about this thing, or at least post a photo, because you gave us almost nothing.
The one thing going for it, is the relatively low miles on the odometer.
trying to fix it
that depends on what needs fixing. If it looks decent and not a just a rolling pile of rust, then bring it to a mechanic so he can get a look at it, and assess the mechanical condition.
