1977 dodge sportman

tatest wrote:
Sportsman was what Dodge called the passenger vans in that era. Cargo vans were Tradesman.

1977 was towards the end of the first generation of the "B" van introduced in 1971 and produced through 2003. First generation powertrains used the 225 slant six, 318 and 360 versions of the small block (LA series) V-8 or 400 and 440 versions of the big block (B series engine). Automatic and manual transmissions were offered, depending on the engine.

The slant six with manual transmission was used only in the short wheelbase 150, usually the Tradesman, so if what you are looking at is a Sportsman it is likely at least the 318 V-8.

Could be built to carry 8 to 15 passengers, using two different wheelbases, a rear extension, and different gross weight ratings (roughly equivalent to 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton in the Dodge pickup trucks, using corresponding borrowed parts).
The longer vans were 250 and 350 models, but the rating of the 350 was more like a heavy 3/4 ton rather than a one-ton or Class 3 rating by DOT standards.

Whatever V8, gas consumption will be determined mostly by how fast you try to push the big box through the air. My E-350 wagon (more modern V8) gets me about 14 mpg running 65-75 on the Interstate, 16 mpg cruising the trunk roads at 55 to 60, with some help or hurt from tailwinds and headwinds. That's running light, carrying driver and a 20 pound suitcase.

Victorville to Baltimore is about 2600 miles via I-40/I-44/I-70, probably the most direct Interstate route.

If you can drive slow enough to get 14 mpg (if a van that old can even do that well) it will cost about $750 for gas at $4 a gallon, one way. I was paying a little more, about $4.50 to $4.80 last month driving my van to Michigan last month, but prices here are down from the holiday weekend. Then again, once you get past Missouri going east, gas taxes jump quite a bit, raising prices 20-30 higher than in Oklahoma and Missouri, and the stations at the Interstate exits and "travel centers" are a few cents higher than going through small towns.

But it is going to cost more than gas, because a vehicle that old starting on a cross country highway trip needs new tires, needs brakes and suspension checked, fluids checked and changed. The tires are going to be something on the order of $600 to $1000 for four light truck-grade tires in those sizes.

What a van that old is worth, any mileage, depends on what the buyer and seller work out. That's the kind of vehicle, if you were to try to trade it to a dealer, you might get $500 just to make a deal on what you were buying, and it would either go to scrap, to auction at about that price, retailed somewhere around $1000-2000 if it could be sold without having to pass any inspections.

If it is a RV, that maybe adds some value, depending on the condition of all the RV stuff.

OK, now, if you are not talking about a van, but some kind of motorhome built on a Dodge van (would still say Sportsman on the door) it is worth whatever the RV part of it is worth, depending on condition. Old usable motorhomes in good condition often sell for $2500 to $5000, but if the house is junk or it is a rebuilding project, getting it free is a paying too much. It takes a lot of money to repair a rotted out RV.

it's a rv, thanks for the in put on this matter.