Meet $Name. My van doesn’t have a name yet, so for now $Name will have to suffice.

$Name (I promise I’ll drop that bit after this post) is a 2007 Ford Econoline E-250. The van has 128,000 miles on it, and I paid $6,500 for it on May 13, 2022 (Friday the 13th). The van was previously owned by a local vending machine delivery service that recently went out of business. Coincidentally, I unknowingly looked at a different van belonging to the same company just a few weeks ago. That one needed a little more love than I was able to give it. This one, however, is much more in line with what I was looking for. Most important to me is that the van’s engine and transmission appear to be in solid condition. The cab area looks surprisingly clean for a work van. The rear portion of the van looks like a heavily used work van.

Here’s what the front portion of the van looks like. There’s some scuffing from work boots, but the seats and dash appear are in acceptable condition. At least for now.

And this is what the cargo area looks like. I took this picture after removing the metal cargo shelves that came installed in the van — I’ll be writing a bit more about that project tomorrow. The metal partition divider will be coming up later this evening or tomorrow morning. We’re in the middle of an Oklahoma heat wave and it’s over 100 degrees inside the van at the moment.

(The gray paint bucket is mine — it makes a perfect seat for removing shelves. The black paper plate, on the other hand, belonged to the former owner.)

I suppose with one set of eyes a person might see a lot of scratches and work that lies ahead. To me, it looks like a blank canvas. I have some deconstruction and a few repairs that need to happen before I begin adding things to the van, but in between panic attacks I can see the potential.

Now all the van needs in a name. To be fair, it needs a lot more than a name, but a name would be a good start.