I’m moving out of state in the near future and bought this van in January intending to use it as my moving truck. Since then I’ve decided to just rent a UHaul truck instead so I’m selling it.
According to a letter from Chrysler in the glove box dated 5/14/90, this van was owned by a church in central Illinois and was probably used as the church “bus”. It was probably used lightly for many years.
The gentleman I purchased it from in Urbana, IL in January, a later owner, told me that he’d used it for a family vacation to Alaska in 2006 and it’s mostly been sitting idle since then. I have the Carfax report for it and based on that it’s obvious that the five digit odometer hasn’t rolled over.
Since it’s been sitting outdoors in sun, rain, wind and snow for many years the paint is oxidized/faded so its appearance is lackluster but it’s in surprisingly good operating condition.
The engine is the 360 (5.9 liter) V8 with throttle body fuel injection. It has a three speed automatic transmission which I assume is an A727 TorqueFlite but I don’t know for certain. It has the optional 35 gallon fuel tank. It has working cruise control and intermittent wipers.
There’s a Coleman 800 watt continuous/1600 watt peak, 7 amp electrical inverter mounted on the interior wall behind the driver’s seat that converts 12 volt DC power to 120 volt AC power so you can plug in items that need AC power. (It also has a 12 volt cigarette lighter style terminal that allows you to plug in 12 volt powered items.) It has two 3 hole outlets.
There was a large deep cycle battery mounted on the floor near the inverter when I bought the van but it was dead and wouldn’t accept a charge so I discarded it. There’s a cable under the hood near the starting battery that I believe is the power supply cable to the old “house” battery but it’s not currently connected. I doubt it would be difficult to reconnect this cable and get the inverter running again if desired. The inverter could probably be run briefly off the starting battery under the hood but a second, deep cycle “house” battery would be needed for extended use to avoid draining the starting battery. The starting battery has a sticker on it that says it was shipped in February, 2021.
The front license plate mount is an aftermarket item that flips down and serves as a step so you can stand on it at bumper height if desired.
The van has a class 3 hitch rated for 5,000 pounds with a 2” square receiver tube. The ball mount has a 1-7/8” ball on it. Wiring for trailer lights is present.
It has two heavy duty roof racks with 1-1/4” tubes and some new hardware. The position of each tube can be adjusted forward or backward to your liking.
Somebody in the past installed some nice carpet over the original vinyl flooring.
There’s a fire extinguisher in a home made mounting installed in the step area behind the rearmost passenger side door. The extinguisher’s pressure is low but could be recharged or replaced.
The spare tire is in excellent condition.
The van comes with the original jack, lug wrench, owners manual and Haynes repair manual.
The interior dimensions are about 11’ 4” front to back (behind the two seats to the rear door), 6’ wide (above the wheel housings), about 4’1” wide between the wheel housings, 2’4” from the floor to the bottom of the windows and 4’4” from floor to ceiling. The rear door opening is 3’11” high and 3’10” wide.
At 91,609 miles in May, 2008 a Midas brake job was done. The van got new front rotors, calipers and pads and rear drums, wheel cylinders and shoes (have receipt.) The brakes work well with no problems.
The Carfax report indicates that the tires were replaced at 95,056 miles. Since the van currently has a little over 98,000 miles on it the tires only have 3,000 miles on them. The tires are not typical all season tires usually seen on most cars and SUVs today but rather “M & S” (mud and snow) type tires with large tread blocks. Accordingly, they do produce some audible “hum” while going down the road.
When I first bought the van I thought it had a problem with worn out parts in the steering system because the steering felt loose/mushy compared to the steering in my other, newer vehicle. However, I realized over time that it’s fine and there’s nothing wrong with it. It feels loose/mushy because it has a “steering box” type of steering system rather than rack and pinion steering like my other, newer vehicle. Now that I’ve driven it a couple of hundred miles it feels completely natural.
At 97,527 miles in July, 2021 it got (have receipt):
– an oil change,
– new driveshaft u-joints,
– transmission fluid and filter change,
– new blower motor,
– A/C recharged,
– new spark plugs,
– new fuel filter,
– new air filter,
– new PCV valve
Around November-December, 2021 it got (have receipt):
– new rear shocks,
– new A/C – alternator belts (2),
– new power steering belt,
– new spark plug wires,
– new distributor cap and rotor,
– new upper and lower radiator hoses and hose clamps
Since I bought it I’ve:
– replaced the windshield wiper rod plastic bushings (The windshield wiper motor was working but the linkage had come apart so the wiper arms weren’t moving. The external vent/cowl sheet metal was removed to gain access to the linkage and the plastic bushings were replaced allowing the linkage to be re-assembled to get the wipers working again.)
– replaced the thermostat
– replaced the gasket between the air cleaner housing and the throttle body
– replaced the temperature sensor that runs the temperature gauge (Gauge works somewhat but needle only comes up to first hashmark above “C” when fully warmed up.)
– had the starter replaced at Midas
– replaced the breather cap on the passenger side valve cover
– replaced the MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor
– applied spray adhesive to the door seals on the passenger side to re-attach them
– injected some expanding foam around the seal for the driver’s side pop-out window to seal it
– installed some left over foam weatherstrip I had around the rear door seal to get better sealing
Items that still need attention are:
– There’s an exhaust leak on the driver’s side that manifests as a clicking/popping noise when the engine’s under load.
– The A/C isn’t blowing cold. I’m no expert but I think the compressor clutch isn’t engaging when it’s turned on so the compressor isn’t pressurizing the refrigerant.
– The driver side door can’t be opened from the outside and the rod that the interior lock button screws on to is disconnected from the guts of the latch/lock inside the door. I’ve had the door panel off and can see inside pretty well but I haven’t had time to deal with this. The door can be opened from the inside. This should be fairly easy to fix – the door panel comes off easily.
– The horn isn’t working. I’ve taken the pad off the steering wheel and the wiring and connections look okay. When I press the pad I can hear a sound like a relay clicking behind the dash.
– The volt meter on the dash isn’t working.
– The radio isn’t working. I know it has power getting to it because the lights for the buttons come on when the headlights are switched on at night but the clock isn’t displaying and there’s no response when it’s switched on.
Here are two complete stereo kits that are pretty much plug and play to replace the radio with everything included (receiver, wiring harness, mounting plate):
Boss 550B CD receiver at Crutchfield
Boss 560BRGB CD receiver at Crutchfield
I’d say if you own a business of some type and need to add another large vehicle, with prices as high as they are right now, this van would serve you well at a comparatively low cost. It’s usable as is and if you want to fix/upgrade some additional items that could be done over time. All the essentials are solid – engine, transmission, rear end, brakes.
If you’re someone looking for an adventure vehicle to go explore the great outdoors this van would be good for you, too. It had a raised platform made of 2×4’s and plywood about 8-10” high in the back when I bought it that was used by the previous owner as a sleeping area on his trip to Alaska. I removed it because I wanted more space for moving but something similar could be installed again. The racks on top could accommodate kayaks, canoes, bikes or a large cargo carrier. The inverter hooked up to a new deep cycle battery could provide power for a few things while camping.
Since this van was made before 1996 it’s exempt from emissions testing in the state of Illinois and probably other states as well. It’ll also be cheap to insure due to its age.
The current Illinois title with seller’s signature will be provided to the buyer at time of purchase. A bill of sale, which the buyer will need to sign, will also be provided.
Price: $4,500
More info: Listing has ended. Click to search on eBay for similar 1989 Dodge (Affiliate link)
Seller's other items: gearhead3000
Location: Wheaton, Illinois, United States
