hi,
these vans are solid but there are of corse some things to look for it.
starting at the drivers side front left look behind behind the bumper on the front panel. if there is rust or dents or kind a waved metal surface it will mostly come frome a little front accident and is a lot of work. going to the drivers door check the step from undernease. this is a typical place for rust. turn the wheel to eather side to get access to the rocker arms. check the balljoint and all rubbers,.. this is pain in the a.. to replace them. going on try to have a flashlight with you and try to get a look between body and tank that is placed in the front behind the front axle. there are sometimes rust holes on the top of the tank. going further check the side panels for rust bubbles at the groove area from the upper panel to the quarter panel. rust here is very often for campers about condensating water from the inside,... means,.. when allready rust to see it comes from the inside,.. means ,.. a lot of work because that has to be welded (unibody). take your look by this up to the window frame... rust here is not that worst but still work and you have to do it because water is running inside down the panels,.. this is recommended for all windows. go to the rear wheel and check the rubber sleeves (all 4)on the driveshaft, if they are damaged they have to be replaced. driving with a damaged can kill your u-joints. ask the seller if he ever did the brakes or wheel bearings on the rear. if so ask if it was done by profs. because there is a huge torque needed to tighten back up the center screw. one point is to check the lower corners of the windshield about rust bubbles. the windshield frame sometimes start rusting from the inside about condensating water that comes inside from the roof about bad rubbers.
this are not all points to look at,.. you have to check of curse all the usual things like brakes and tires and how the engine and transmission works,.. if the van is original and complete,.. are there upgrades ore even downgrades. a lot of things to look for. like you say,.. its 25 years old and there are a lot of things to consider. those vans can kill your budget easyli if you overlook something and you are not able to work yourself on it.
please make a used car check plus this some specials. and remember,.. this is not a frame with a body on it,.. the hole care is ment to be the frame (unibody) so watch for rust underneath. holes have to be welded.
i hope this helps a bit.
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