Hi,

I've never owned a diesel before, but have an opportunity to get
what appears to be a good deal on something I'd like to have. There
is a small bus similar to this one:

http://tinyurl.com/2ob3yb

but without the wheelchair lift which I don't want anyway. It has
a power stroke diesel, but I don't even know what that means. It
is in a 1998 Ford cutaway van with 171K miles on it.

The man selling it is a diesel mechanic. He regularly pulls motors and
transmissions out of used vehicles he buys, often just junking the body.
That's what he planned for the bus, but he said he'd sell it to me for
what he thinks the motor and transmission would be worth: $3500
Since it's so cheap, of course there is an issue with it. What he told
me, and I don't understand, is that the turbo charger was replaced and
somehow part if it went through, compromising an intake valve. The
thing starts up and sounds like it runs fine to me, but he says there
is a skip or something while it's idling, but it's fine at higher rpms.
I don't care about the skip as long as it still runs okay and the skip
(or whatever it is) won't do any more damage than what is already
done. He assured me that it won't hurt it to run it like it is, and that
the problem won't make things get any worse. If that's true, I believe
it would be worth it to me and I'd like to get it. Can anyone tell me if
it would be okay to drive it like that? I wouldn't be driving it all day
every day with a business, but just a few times a week, probably
just a few hundred miles each week at most.

Thanks for any help and advice!
David

 

If there is a chunk of metal floating around in the motor I'd say run far far away... No telling what damage has already been done without pulling the heads.

 

I think I would pass on that deal also. Driving a vehicle with a know problem won't make you feel right. It doesn't take much of a piece of anything to destroy a motor. would turn away and try to find something else.

 

If there is metal in it it seems he should have mentioned
that, especially since I specifically asked him if it would do
further damage to drive it and he just said no. If whatever
did the damge is still loose in there, it sure seems that he
should say so, shouldn't he?

 

No.. probably won't until he cashes your cheque..

 

Hmm...I still want to get a little bus, but sure don't want to ever
get comfortable with that level of dishonesty if I can help it.