Ford Econoline 170 cubic inch

I bought this van when a utility company traded it in. It had side windows on the right side only. I fastened a camp cot to the other side for my kids to sit on. This van had truck tires on that lasted forever. They rode a bit rough but when you buy a work van that don't matter as much. The smallish six cylinder engine meant it was no road rocket but it was very dependable and cheap running. Cold weather never kept it from starting.

My van was pretty stark. Manual everything. Stick shift, even a manual choke. No radio but had a heater. The only plastic in the whole thing was the control knobs. That suited me because I hate plastic. The high road clearance meant that I could crawl under it to make repairs without jacking it up. It also meant the van could wade through nearly knee deep water without flooding out the engine. And, when I drove it into the woods it would "step" over logs and such, not to mention the short turning wheelbase and turning radius made it very agile. In my eyes it was the perfect vehicle and should have remained unchanged. If they built one exactly like that today, I'd be among the first in line to order one.