John Welsh said:
I'd lean toward a modern Ford like this Enterprise in CA but given the price, I'd consider new too.
Chevy in Vegas. The seats go all the way to the rear door denoting 15 passengers
Hi John, given the price of express, I have thought about the transit. ONly thing that holds me back, is all the ecoboost horror stories.
Yeah I realized when the seats go all the way back - its 15. So I don't have to count them like I previously was like an idiot.
BUT
Do you know, if the 11 seater can have a last row added, or ONLY if the last row comes from factory can it be installed? Guess I am asking should I buy a 11 seater, and add a seat later if needed, or if that can't be done, just buy a 15, and remove last row.
John Welsh said:
Here is a company near my that upfits chassis to buses and transit vans. They have new and used There must be similar companies on west coast.
When looking there, the magic number is 15 (14 plus 1 driver.) If you get into 16 you're now in Commercial territory (CDL needed.)
Here's a lead. I went to this manufacturer's site and then clicked on find a dealer. One in Las Vegas
Sounds similar to this one local to me:
https://www.norcotruckcenter.com/custom-03?make=Chevrolet
In reply to mr2s2000elise :
In the Chevy world, I think it has to come with the additional row from the factory.
Avis listing where the picture given is:
Enterprise listing
The Avis listing is missing the "in-floor" mounting points. I think these are welded to the floor at assembly. Can you weld? Maybe. But, I just dont want you to think the attachment points are just hiding under the carpet.
It's my same complaint of Cargo vans. Chevy doesn't offer the ability to buy a windowless cargo van and then just add one factory bench for the work crew. I mean the ability to just go to a JY and get a second row seat to add to the van. The cargo van comes with no in-floor attachment points.
For the 3 GRM member texts I got - YES I am starting a new job as a Coyote due to farm labor shortage 
John Welsh said:
In reply to mr2s2000elise :
In the Chevy world, I think it has to come with the additional row from the factory.
Avis listing where the picture given is:
Enterprise listing
The Avis listing is missing the "in-floor" mounting points. I think these are welded to the floor at assembly. Can you weld? Maybe. But, I just dont want you to think the attachment points are just hiding under the carpet.
Man you have a great help as usual! That is exactly what I am looking for.
Had a 2007 Express 3500, 6.0 15 passenger. Only needed maintenance stuff on the engine and never touched the transmission in over 200k miles. Had some usual GM quality issues with the interior. Yes the white paint peeled off the hood, plastic dipped it black so I didn't have to try and match the white. Biggest headache was dealing with stuff getting rusty and failing on the chassis, and the brakes needed frequent attention as a result. Joys of living in Illinois. The pins in the side doors needed replaced, the replacements were greaseable never had trouble after that. Towed well, winter tires made it decent in the snow. Remove the seats you don't need and you have alot of space. If I sound like that I liked this, well I was never happier to get rid of it and buy a Suburban, but it was good for what it was and they are much cheaper than a Suburban.
BlindPirate said:
Had a 2007 Express 3500, 6.0 15 passenger. Only needed maintenance stuff on the engine and never touched the transmission in over 200k miles. Had some usual GM quality issues with the interior. Yes the white paint peeled off the hood, plastic dipped it black so I didn't have to try and match the white. Biggest headache was dealing with stuff getting rusty and failing on the chassis, and the brakes needed frequent attention as a result. Joys of living in Illinois. The pins in the side doors needed replaced, the replacements were greaseable never had trouble after that. Towed well, winter tires made it decent in the snow. Remove the seats you don't need and you have alot of space. If I sound like that I liked this, well I was never happier to get rid of it and buy a Suburban, but it was good for what it was and they are much cheaper than a Suburban.
I have looked at Suburban, but same problem as my Land Cruiser, the 3rd row is too hard to get to. Yours sounds exactly what I want. Rust is not a issue here on the west coast. I can see it needing lots of brakes (lots of hills here)
mr2s2000elise said:
2015 Transit - Flex Fuel 3.7L any thoughts?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?zip=32405&distance=100&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d2270
In Mustang terms the 3.7L is the Cyclone engine. Non-turbo, 300 hp V6. Also offered in F150 XL truck that gets V6. Was in Lincoln products like MKT (fancy Ford Flex) also.
John Welsh said:
mr2s2000elise said:
2015 Transit - Flex Fuel 3.7L any thoughts?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?zip=32405&distance=100&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d2270
In Mustang terms the 3.7L is the Cyclone engine. Non-turbo, 300 hp V6. Also offered in F150 XL truck that gets V6. Was in Lincoln products like MKT (fancy Ford Flex) also.
thanks! The transits definitely are lot more modern (the seats), but I don't know if I can live with that v6.
If the NV3500 V8 were cheaper that would do the trick.
I think the search continues for NV3500 v8 vs Express 3500 6.0L
I would go for the Chevy , they have been making the same van for decades so lots of parts at junkyards or Napa ,
you do not see may Nissan vans and every few Nissan window vans
And buy a white one , yes they have paint problems which are fixable ,
your passengers will be better off in a white van out in the desert and many of the Chevys have front and rear air ,
Happy hunting
californiamilleghia said:
I would go for the Chevy , they have been making the same van for decades so lots of parts at junkyards or Napa ,
you do not see may Nissan vans and every few Nissan window vans
And buy a white one , yes they have paint problems which are fixable ,
your passengers will be better off in a white van out in the desert and many of the Chevys have front and rear air ,
Happy hunting
Thanks. I was leaning toward the Nissan essentially but reading the 5.6L motor fiasco with new shortblocks, oil consumption on the NV/Titan forum has me spooked.
Agree with you, Express is the way to go.
Buying white - gives tons of options!
Local Chevy guru mechanic says. Anything pre AFM with an LS. So post 2002 ish. Pre 2007ish.
or. 2015 or after. Most of the gremlins are worked out.
He also had nice things to say about the ecoboost unless it has had infrequent oil changes. If you have good maint history he says those are mostly a buy.
Chevy from 2004 I believe had Stabilitrak. I think it would be worth having
My 06 does not have Stabilitrak FWIW, but it's also an AWD.
I also was looking today. Mine is an 8 passenger, but it appears the seat rails continue as if it were a 12-passenger. If I feel down through the carpet it seems like the seat rails continue past the third row. Not sure what they actually look like under the carpet, but it's possible that the mounts are there but missing the carpet holes and plastic trim.
Pic of my van's butt end. The seat rails feel like they continue back for another seat like the 12-passenger, but I'm not sure. This pic is shown with the 3rd row removed, and the "bulge" under the carpet seems to come back far enough for another seat.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
very interesting indeed! I am still keeping an eye out for 2500/3500 Express with sliding doors
My father drove a Chevy Van for as long as I can remember. Since his passing, I have been holding onto his latest one, an 8-passenger window van in white. Like all white GM vans, the paint along the top is falling off. It has barn doors on one side, which is the first in a long while that didn't have the driver's side doors. It is an 8 passenger, but has rubber mats on the floor, so I can see if it has the lugs for the 3rd bench tonight.
Mechanically, he traded in his last one at 180,000 some miles. It was running fine, it was just starting to need more maintenance than he wanted so he got a low-mileage used one. This one is at 80,000 or so and is running great. AFAIK, it has only needed the normal brakes and such. I replaced the mirrors and rear-corner pieces a few times, but that's because he ripped them off backing into things.
Full-sized passenger window vans are few and far between, but if you look long enough you should be able to find one. I don't know about the AWD system, but that seems like a good idea to me. Bottom line, from my experience you cannot go wrong with a GM van.
Its too bad that we can't get the Euro 9-passenger vans here, seems like Sprinters and Transits are either 2, 5 or over 12.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
The AWD system uses a Borg Warner transfer case with a limited slip diff. It's super simple. It uses a cartridge of clutch plates surrounded by a silicone fluid. If it slips, the fluid heats and swells increasing the friction for up to a 40/60 F/R torque split. The downside is that if you abuse it, the cartridge can develop a leak (either letting lube in or silicone fluid out) and either end up locking the plates and clutches or preventing them from locking.
Front diff is a 7.2" ring which was vaguely adapted from the 7.5/7.625". Input torque rating is not fantastic, but way more than enough capacity for 40% of what a 5.3L puts out.
AWD was only offered in 1/2 ton vans and all of them were 5.3L/4L60E. The only exception was that they did a limited run of 3/4 ton vans in 2001, but it was just a badge. It was just a 5.3L/4L60E 1/2 ton van with another leaf in the rear springs and a 2500 sticker on the door.
For me the AWD isn't necessary. It rains 6 days a year - when it does, we stay home. If I go to the mountains for skiing etc - we take one of the Land Cruisers.
There was a time people in Utah used the passenger vans a lot. Looks like everyone has moved to NV3500, and the chevy's have disappeared.
wspohn
SuperDork
10/1/22 2:25 p.m.
No contest. Chrysler Pacifica has Stow 'n Go seating that folds flat into the floor when you need cargo space.
wspohn said:
No contest. Chrysler Pacifica has Stow 'n Go seating that folds flat into the floor when you need cargo space.
Interesting factoid though, the hybrid version gives those up for batteries.
wspohn said:
No contest. Chrysler Pacifica has Stow 'n Go seating that folds flat into the floor when you need cargo space.
hilarious post - totally irrelevant to my needs but thanks for the suggestion
Is that what they're going for? Just as a counterpoint, I got my 06 with 80k-ish mid-pandemic for $6500. I shopped hard and negotiated harder, but I can't imagine 170k miles for $8k.
I might be wrong, but that feels like at least 60% more than what it should cost. You've shopped them more than I have recently, just a price point from 1.5 years ago.
