On August 13 we purchased a 1985 Ford Horizon XL17 High Top Van advertised on e-Bay: Item #251125770180: "In mint condition", "Low miles", "Runs and drives great", "Serviced and ready to go", "Ready for family fun, " "No reserve", inspected and road tested", etc., etc., etc. (75pp of ad with more than 120 photos.) Ad showed the mileage at 24,515. VIN# 1FDEE24FXFHB27412.
I had spoken on the phone with one of the volunteers at Give.org before buying the vehicle. He assured me that the mileage was correct. Give.org claims to be a charity that sells donated vehicles. The title was from Caring Cars, Inc.
We live in Thermopolis, WY. We flew to LAX on Aug. 27 to pick up the van & drive it home. Joe met us at a small office, 24363 Sunnymead Blvd, in Moreno Valley, CA.
We picked up the van at 4pm, Aug. 27 and headed to Phoenix, AZ. The van started missing near Banner, CA. We stopped for gas and added some gasoline additive to the fuel, because the motor wasn't working right. The missing got progressively worse; and we were only able to go 35-45m/h on I-10, and by now it was dark. This was dangerous, as trucks would come up upon us at 70m/h. We 'limped' into Blythe, CA at 10pm.
Tue, Aug 28th, we took van to D&C Auto Mechanic Shop. He put in a Carburetor kit and a new Fuel Pump for $477.07. The motor ran some better, but still missed. This same day, we arrived in Phoenix at 10pm.
Aug 29th, I took the van to Pep Boys Auto. They told me the van needed a new Timeing Chain, a Distributor Shaft, and that the Radiator needed flushing. Advised me that the motor had at LEAST 200,000 miles on it; and we shouldn't try to drive it to WY.
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