Lets Talk Mini Vans

drainoil wrote: Ive seen way too many pretty new Sprinter vans with rust to have any faith that Germans can rust proof their van products any better than the Americans can.

Agreed. Not to mention the number I've seen leave parking lots on flatbeds for some reason that prevents leaving under their own power.

But if I keep racing mtn bikes, another full-size US conversion van may be in my future. The convenience of being able to show up at an event the night before and be ready to go the next morning has an appeal right now that outweighs fuel mileage economics. I like my GC, but it's just a bit too small for camping considering the amount of gear I have to bring along.

For some odd reason the Euro styled vans now remind me of when Ford introduced the old Aerostar van. How many Aerostars have you seen on the road in the last 5-10 years?

Aerostars looked just like everything else Ford sold in 1986, and i dont see much of any of the rest of that stuff around either (besides fox mustangs and f150s, sort of). I would say they are more similar to the Metris in the sense of purporting to be more cargo/towing friendly than the competition (rated to tow 4900 vs 3600 for a Chrysler van, for example).