I am looking at a 1996 b350 and upon trying to set up an appointment with my regular mechanic he flat out refused to work on it without even know the issues. He said parts are too hard to get and he doesn't want it sitting there for a month. Called a transmission place (it needs a pan and gasket) and he said he can do that no problem but other parts can be hard to get. This would be my everything van including my house and I want to avoid a situation where I cant find or get parts for it.

Any suggestions? This makes me think I should just get a ford.

The b3500 has 124k and a lot of decent upgrades that I wouldn't have to do myself. Insulation, of road tires, solar panel and battery set up. Price is 7.5k

 

Engine? Trans? Location?

It IS 26 years old..... though, it is low mileage for the age. Driveline parts are likely readily available, body parts, etc, maybe not so much. Given that you plan on living in it, maybe something newer might be a better idea??

 

Does body parts into ball joints and stuff like that? or is that just doors, panels, bumpers etc?
I am starting to lean to spending a bit more for something ill still have to build out and just take my time in doing so. I dont have a lot to spend so my options are limited.

 

Mechanicals, like the engine, transmission and such are fairly easy to get. Suspension, probably available. Body panels might not be quite so available. Especially glass. In some ways, vans are easy to work on with the inner dog house coming out. Water pumps and stuff on the front of the engine can be problematic. I don't think Ford or GM vans will be any easier to get parts for. Newer vehicles will be easier to get parts for.

 

Thanks for that breakdown. Are their any other specific parts to worry about? Any items you can think of would be helpful. Ill try to see if there is something that seems really hard to get. timing chain has been replaced which i guess is a big one. Looked up the water pump and its available. I would think Glass could be done custom for a premium and it since this engine was around for quite some time I could find used parts at a bone yard?

I am mechanically inclined just don't have experience with cars. ill definitely carry tools and maybe even get some parts ahead of time if they seem cheap enough and hard to get.
Thanks for the help. Its much appreciated!

 

That's not even thought! Since there are still a lot of used vehicles around you shouldn't have any issues depending on what specific part you need. Try finding parts for a 50 year old vehicle where there is no aftermarket support for. Things where real hard to find before the internet. Now just about anything can be found(with in reason).

 

There should not be any issues finding what you need for the van. Maybe your mechanic has a lot of work already? Except for body parts most pickup parts will interchange with the vans.

 

Since he's refusing to work on it without even knowing what the issues are, the "hard to find parts" is just an excuse to refuse the work. Find a new mechanic that wants the work.

 

When I had my 1982 Mercedes 380SL, anything I needed, Mercedes would supply. It might not be cheap, but they want you to keep driving your car. Just don't lose the keys. I only had one key set and wanted a second. I had to take my registration to the dealer along with my drivers license, they then ordered the keys for THAT car from Hamburg Germany. They are laser cut and only the factory can make them. If you have to replace the key cylinder, the same thing applies. You have to prove it's YOUR car. I think some pre-war stuff might be hard to get, but anything post war is available.

 

Don't worry about finding parts.........there are networks of salvage/junk yards that have vans and they are everywhere.

Recycled parts have previous experience and seem to work well, at least in my case and with some machinal leanings working on cars is not so tough. I am legally blind with only about 39% vision in one eye and do all of the work on our '92 1500 conversion van. Sure, it takes me a long time to get things done but, they get done.

Get your van...put it together....get out there on the road and be a 'Nomad'. What could be better? Its what I would do but, my wife won't let me drive anymore. ;-)

If you haven't seen the movie "Nomad" you should.