Brother Dallas has tasked me with helping him get a new daily.
Requirements:
Under 20k price
Under 70k miles
New enough to finance
Able to pull a 26 foot enclosed car hauler
Able to pull a LARGE camper
Fit 4 kids, 2 adults, 2 dogs, and a weekends worth of crap inside
Prettymuch a use case for a 12/15/18 passenger van in our minds. Probably a 1 ton.
Around here, its a unicorn near as i can tell.
I know chevy, ford, and nissan all make them and have made them in the last few years. But i dont know which ones will do what he wants, or if there are others.
His pipe dream is a 1 ton 4x4 diesel van, but i think those exist about as frequently as an honest politician. However....
So, what van will be the best choice for his needs? It will be a long term van. 250k, 10 years is the goal. So reliability and maintenance are concerns.
Better yet, finding him one that fits the bill would be even betterer! No rust. No rusty states (so, southern, southwest, California, etc. Sorry ohio.)
Ideas? Craigslist links? Reccomendations?
Ford or Chevy with a 3/4 ton chassis will probably do what he wants. The 1 ton chassis would be better for towing but would ride like a buck board when empty.
That's going to be a tough vehicle to find. 95% of the full size vans on the market are cargo. Of the other 5%, they are 1/2 ton chassis.
I'll keep an eye out.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
We own a 2006 E-350 (one ton). The wife daily drives the kids around in it. 225k miles and no problems. The one ton pulls a trailer Amazingly well.
Check out Govdeals.com
just a random sample of what's possible, this one even in NC.
Problem will be low miles ,
Chevy has longer wheelbase ,
Ford and Dodge just added length behind the axle of the stock van.
I have a 2005 Chevy / GMC 3/4 ton van
Cooter
UltraDork
8/21/19 8:53 a.m.
In reply to Indy-Guy :
+1 on GovDeals. There are a ton (heh) of one ton passenger vans that have been used for government purposes, and they usually get sold on GovDeals.
Towing rating on the Transit passenger vans is terrible, and even the cargo ones top out @7k#, so they are probably out, and the Nissan is about the same. I think the Sprinter does a bit better on that, and is available AWD, but the price range and mileage requirements are incompatible. Cab chassis versions of the Ford E van could get you there, with an aftermarket cab back and flatbed, but not in something that could be financed.
That pretty much means that you are looking for a Chevy Express.
If you get a Dodge I have these in 5x5.5 that will need to go on it...
Nissan NV3500 van, the full sizer built off the Titan Pickup frame. They have a tow rating of 8,600 lbs because of 5.6L engine.
They are popular with the rental fleets so the car sale websites of Enterprise and Hertz may have discounted, very new ones.
Built in the south and should be plentiful around Nissans Nashville HQ.
The recent car hauler/shipper I used said he loves them. In here was a Prius (3k#) and a Gator (near 2k#) and 2k# trailer had to make for 7k#
06HHR
Dork
8/21/19 1:00 p.m.
oldopelguy said:
Towing rating on the Transit passenger vans is terrible, and even the cargo ones top out @7k#, so they are probably out, and the Nissan is about the same. I think the Sprinter does a bit better on that, and is available AWD, but the price range and mileage requirements are incompatible. Cab chassis versions of the Ford E van could get you there, with an aftermarket cab back and flatbed, but not in something that could be financed.
That pretty much means that you are looking for a Chevy Express.
He's right. Chevy still sells conversion vans on the 2500 Express chassis. It's what your friend wants, but he definitely doesn't want to buy it new. I'd try to find a gently used one to see if depreciation will help. 2500 Express passenger van
Cooter
UltraDork
8/21/19 2:29 p.m.
chandler said:
If you get a Dodge I have these in 5x5.5 that will need to go on it...
Gaaaah!
I need those. For...
REASONS
NV Pass Van gets my vote. I work at a dealership and a couple larger families use those for transport and bring them in for service sometimes.
Vigo
MegaDork
8/21/19 3:30 p.m.
I would go with the Nissan in this case. Great engine, least offensive exterior looks for something that's supposed to be a passenger vehicle imo, and probably easiest to find too.
In reply to John Welsh :
Local BMW / Ducati dealer tows with one of those NV3500 Nissans. Says it’s a beast. Really surprised by the power.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
I recently saw a 4x4 diesel cargo van listed locally...he can just cut in some windows and bolt some seats in the back, right? There are a few decent looking passenger vans too. I’m looking for one myself, but it needs to be in the $2k range & those are pretty scarce here.
In reply to chandler :
Those would look great on mine.
Dusterbd13-michael said:
New enough to finance
Most banks have stricct rules on how old of a vehicle they will finance. Most credit unions don't have the same age rules.
See this thread about PenFed Credit Union and financing old cars
Dallas is watching this thread. Keep it up!
And he has an irrational hatred of the nissan vans. I think hes a moron for negating 33% of tge market segment....
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
If he has driven the Nissan and dislikes them then thats fine. I have not driven them but what I like about the Nissan is that it is more akin to what an ole Chevy Panel van used to be:
If i were considering a 200k mile vehicle I would much rather be facing a future of just lifting the hood of a Nissan Van rather than removing the interior (dog house) and quite possibly the entire front grill work of a Chevy/Ford Van
Agreed. And i think he has never actually driven one to be honest. Id much rather work on one with a hood vs a doghouse though.
In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :
Not sure if this one can be bought for $20k, but it also has way less miles. However l’m sure this one could be bought for $20k and it still has way lower miles.
ojannen said:
In reply to chandler :
Those would look great on mine.
Pm me! They would look awesome on that
purple dajiban on Minilites?!?! yes plz!
