Are vans cheaper than pick up trucks? You boys got me wanting one after the recent post. Im thinking about one of those big passenger vans that haul church kids and meals on wheels and the like. 1 ton deal on wheels. I looked at one one on Sunday , but it was gone when I went back. Next question is how to find one like that . I had thought of calling churches and schools and such……..
thanks in advance, Tim Mooney
Replies
Don't know about which is cheaper. I've only had rear wheel drive vans vs 4 wheel drive pick ups...so really can't compare. Do know that I'd never switch back to working out of a pick up! Not for what I do. Unless the tolls are dropped and picked up every few months....I'd say a van is the way to go.
But.....you idea wouldn't work for me either. Living and working in a city environment...the window/passenger van would just be an invitation to steal all my tools.
I got luck when I found mine....barn doors on the side...just the small door has a window..and just the pass siad rear door has a window. Only the 2 windows behind the full headache rack/divider. Looks real secure...and that's the idea.
Last van had windows all around...blacked out...and got messed with all the time. This one...no problems. Probably just as easy to break into....but the looks seems to be working. A good alarm definitely scares the amateures away too.
I'm sold on the one ton too. V-8 if ya live near any hills or highways. Jeff
* Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Jeff, a van like yours would probably do the trick. I was thinking about all the room the buses have to hold all that stuff. Which seems to grow every year. shhh, the wife might hear . I dont say the t word.
Like Jeff and a number of others, GMC/Chevy all the way!
Ken Hill
Do what I did. I went to a U-Haul dealer. They have an 800 number you can call and they will tell you where the closest van is to you in the country. I had to drive to Atlanta from Indianapolis but got it for $2000 less than used ones here. Its an extended 3/4 ton V-8 Chevy. 1 ton would have been nice but I added air springs and that seems to have helped. U-Haul gets rid of them when they get about 15,000 miles on them so it still had 20,000 miles of new warranty left on it. So far I have put about 45,000 miles on it and no trouble at all.
Matt,
Just curious.
From Seattle to Miami, one way, it is 3,305 miles. That is one way.
Do you seriously believe that U-Haul retires and sells their vans after only five such trips ?
Leaves me wondering what kind of mileage their cordless drills are getting in the 'odometer maintenance' department.
: )Tech serviceWrite your question on the back of a 20 dollar bill and send it to me.
Well, I don't know about this van's are cheaper and GMC/Chevy's are the way to go...
A year ago I bought a 1988 Chevy 3/4 ton conversion van with unknown mileage for $600!! Right away I had to put a battery in it (I stole the battery from the '89 Taurus we were about to have towed to the junk yard).
Now, only a year later I go out this morning and I have to get a jump to get the van started!! It ran all day and started all day, so I'm guessing the battery is questionable (I disconnected the battery when I got home tonight to prevent any drain on it).
But that's not all! When I bought the van, three of the tires were P255/70R15's. But the right rear was a P215/65R15(!)(I have no idea why!). Well, this morning, along with the van not starting, that right rear was flat!! (OK, not quite flat...it had enough air to drive the ten miles to the tire store).
I spend $600 and this is what I get! You can make your own judgements.
Rich Beckman
Why is everybody pro-GM? I've got a Gm and a Ford van. The GM is an '88 1/2 ton (big mistake) v8 with about 130k miles that I bought in '93 for $2500 and is on its second engine (I think due to the driver I had in it-he's gone!). But the van has cancer so bad and has always had alot of road noise.
The Ford is a '95 3/4 ton with about 275k miles on it. It has the old straight 6 and I gave about $3500 for it in $2000. It runs great, looks great (no rust at all), and is very quiet going down the road. When you close the doors they sound solid.
I'm a huge GM fan, but as far as vans go I'm going to have to vote Ford on this one for quality. If I could just put a GM drivetrain (for ease of maintenance and cost of parts) in the Ford body, it would be perfect.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
John, some people here might be less offended if you wrote it F*rd. I never minded swearing, but some people are more sensitive.
You've been lucky with the F*rd.
The stories of GM vans with 400,000 miles and almost no maintainance are plentiful.
I'm using a 1985 GMC low cube with about 130,000 on it. Ryder sells thm when they get to about 85K because that's when their records show the complaints begin.
You can pick one up for about 5-8 thouExcellence is its own reward!
Ok I'll spell it F*rd!
Like I said, if you put a GM drivetrain under a F*rd, I'd be happy. I've got and F350 that I bought only because of the Powerstroke. At the time I wasn't crazy about the 6.5TD that GM offered. The Duramax offers promise.
But I still like the quality of the 95 F*rd body over the 88 Chevy.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Well shoot.
I have a 1987 Ford extended van, with 170,000 miles on it. Runs great, but doesn't look too great.
The only thing I do with it is drive it to the worksite, and leave it while I am working that job. Then I move it to the next site, and so on. I look at it like it is a trailer with a motor. Serves its purpose very well.
Chevy vans here are WAY too expensive, even used and abused ones.
James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service
"Southeast Texas"
I know in the late 80's everything rusted...and with all the road salt up here it didn't help any. But I've got a couple of 97 chevy trucks with no rust as of yet. So maybe everybody has fixed their rust problems by now. I had an 86 Chevy truck that went 186k miles before the cam was so round it wouldn't run anymore. We dropped a new motor in and drove it a few more years. I did slam the door on a newer chevy van recently to see if it sounded solid like the newer F*rds......nope! But if it won't rust away like my '88, I'd buy it. Around here you can't afford F*rd parts unless they're aftermarket. Even the junkyards want a fortune for used parts.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
John, you said - "Around here you can't afford F*rd parts unless they're aftermarket. Even the junkyards want a fortune for used parts."
It's all supply and demand, brother. All the F*rds are falling apart, so everyone wants parts to fix 'em with. Chevys rarely need repair, so the market for parts isn't as strong.
Last week I hauled 4 sheets of 4/4 5x10 sheets of MDF home in the rain in my regular size van. Let's see you pickup with a canopy freaks do that. (man-oh-man, that stuff was HEAVY. Had to be about 250 lbs/sheet. Had a heck of a time getting them unloaded with my daughter.)
Jim, if you pretend you are a real builder they might deliver for you.
and just how the hell did you fit 5' sheets in the van? I bet you wish you were fitting them in a pickup!.
uhhhh....maybe...like...on the diagonal?
he probably wished he was throwing them into the back of a pick up......till he got home and they were still dry. Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Ya dude, on a diagonal all the way between the seats. Empty everything out of the van, torture yourself to death, wonder why you didn't stay in school.
I just want to know how he got his daughter to help. Holy, I bet that will be the last time.
that's kinda why ya build or buy bins.....then stick stuff in boxes....then ya put the boxes in the bins....then the floor is clear.
man...no wonder your van was a mess.
this ####....I checked back...all excited because for the first time...I though there was a chance at a reply being threaded right where it was meant to go........and a different freaking thread all together opened! One I didn't even post to!
This blows. Jeff
* Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
Edited 4/14/2002 8:33:29 PM ET by Jeff J. Buck
OK, I'll agree to disagree. Junkyards around here typically base their price on 50% of new. And Ford replacement parts are higher than GM. For example, I can buy a new door for a GM van for about $250 and Ford wants $700. The prices may not be current (been a couple of years since I checked) but I'm sure they're close.
Anyway what was the thread originally? Oh Yeah, vans or trucks. Depends on what you do. There are strong points to both. Vans are great if you're a carp and you carry lots of tools. Keeps everything out of the weather and more secure. The downside is that they won't go where a truck typically will. In my experience vans are terrible in the snow and mud. In my area, vans are much cheaper than trucks because everyone wants a truck these days and as nice as they make 'em these days even the soccer moms want them.
My 2 cents,John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Agree to disagree ?
What you talkin 'bout, Willis ?
Bottom line is this... F*rd parts is more expensive, new or used.
Edited 4/14/2002 11:45:06 PM ET by Luka
zactlyJohn
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Speaking of F*rds. Why did F@rd discontinue the 300 straight 6? seem that was a great engine. May have been redundant w/ the 302 which was another good powerplant.
Me, I'm waiting for Toyota to put some balls in one of thier work trucks. So it will haul my 6x12 job trailer.
Mr TLayers
Onions
Have
Layers,
Carpenters
Have
Layers
I know what you're saying. Inline engines are great, but I think they were abandoned for emission problems. But GM is bringing them back. They currently have an I6 in production with lots o' balls and are bringing out an I5 soon if not already.
I had a Nissan 2 trucks ago that was great except for that it wasn't big enough for anything but a scooter or a light hauler. I once had 1100# in the rear and that was a fun ride. Well Nissan like toyota is bringing out a "big" truck, but boy is it ugly. At least toyota made a nice looking truck. And those toyotas will keep on running long after they rust away.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Just as likely they were abandoned due to production cost and the shape of the package (6's are long and thin - engine compartments are closer to square). Best 6 I ever had was in a Jag XKE, second was a Healy 100-6..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
how many sheets of ply would those carry?Layers
Onions
Have
Layers,
Carpenters
Have
Layers
Actually, they both carried a couple of sheets when I really had to: the Healy had a luggage rack and a roll-bar; the Jag was a 2+2 and a couple of sheets could be put on a foam camp pad and then tied down through the windows (make sure you have a small athletic passenger who can use the window for access/egress). Obviously you don't go far or fast this way..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
was it in FHB that I saw an ad for a Caddy pickup??????? oh boyyyyyy
Well, why not ? After all, they have Lincoln, Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes SUV's. It's a nice little scooter actually, it's the same as the chevy "convertable truck" (it reconfigures seating, cargo area, rear window, ... sort-of back forth between a Tahoe and a C1500), but with the Escalade trim. Yah, nice truck..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Andy, they call them flower cars
I always liked black.
(jeff, I was just picking on JB, and I did like vans, but like I said, I need 4x4. Might have also responded sooner if this place wasn't so hard to follow)
Edited 4/16/2002 5:58:56 PM ET by Qtrmeg
Thanks OK....I drive my 4x4 when it's too bad out. Till I get motivated to put more effort into it to sell.
Just got stuck once this winter in the van.......roads near my house fine by my standards....drove 50 min to customers......got about 1/8th mile away.....and got sideways off the turn on a solid sheet of ice
Buddy heading to another job just happened by and helped slid me back......waited 1/2 hour...no salt trucks...called it a day and went home to nap!
See....another advantage to vans! Real bad weather......ya get smart and stay in! Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
I use a 92 Dodge (ex-U-Haul) box step van and an 88 GMC stepvan (ex-Ryder) these have both proved to be reliable. The Dodge requiring a bit more maintenance than the GM.
I drive a 87 Chevy van . Also have a 91 ford pu with rack and a 94 Chevy pu with rack--these are our material runners--The Ford has cost the most to maintain.
I like vans over pickups because I can keep all of the tools etc. out of the weather.
Of course here in the N.W. We don't have to deal with snow except on rare occasion.
I HATE RUSTING TOOLS!
whooooooaaa..can you imagine driving up to a job in that? Is it yours???Customers would think you were way overpriced before u walk in the door....must be kinda nice to drive around in though......and hmmmmm..have a feeling if I pulled up to sold gig I wouldnt wanna get out so reckon I'll stick with my Ford Super van
Andy, they have always had those, but they are conversions.
And no, it's not mine, dont' need no stinkin car for people to think I charge too much.
Thats a good subject that probaly needs
a post of its own. Not to say that its not cool to talk about it here.
But what is the best rig for the customer to see , since they are waiting for us to arrive? I have often thoght about it. A brand new 40 thousand dollar rig might scare them, as a rig that leaks on their driveway surley would. I have often wondered if we should be under them in class but a sharp rig at that. Personally , I guess I trick them. LOL. I drive up in a pretty sharp 96 model, and work in an old looking 92 utility box rig with racks. Quite a bit of difference in the same drive way. Ive often wondered what their conversations on that subject were like. But they have never said anything to me. Hopefully the work is to look at and talk about shortly. Whats the deal with subs driveing new trucks? I feel some tension there let me tell you , of course kids pull up beside me in new trucks also.
Thanks to every bodies responses . Keep them comming ,
Tim Mooney
As long as it's in good repair, and neat, I'd think the older the vehicle the more impressed a customer should be by it. Shows you as a person who prefers substance over style, practicality over flash. But that's probably my Yankee upbringing showing through again.
Different people will draw different conclusions by your rig, your appearance, your mannerisms, your personality. You can't please everyone. I think it's best to be true to what you believe, and hope others with similar beliefs will respect you for that. If someone doesn't hire, or recommend, me because of the truck I drive, I guess we just weren't a very good fit in the first place.
I've had everything over the years from the mid 70's chevy vans, 4x4 pickups, to what we use now. I drive a 4x4 etended cab pickup. I don't do as much of the hands on work now as I used to. The truck does have a ladder rack and tool box so I can carry around the basic tools, ladders and pumpjacks, etc. when needed. The four wheel drive I need for winter plowing at the jobsites, and just getting on and out of some of the more difficult site we seem to get. We see anywheres from 100 to 200 inches of snow a year so this truck is used a lot. We also have a 1995 Mitsubishi panel truck with a 4 cyl. diesel and 14' body. This is our main tool truck that carries the framing tools, etc. Our newest truck is a 2001 GMC panel truck with 4 cyl. diesel, 14' body. This has toolracks for our finish trim tools and also serves for material pickups when needed. Just yesterday I had to run and pickup 22 sq. of 30 yr. roof shingles because the supplier was short of trucks and the roofers showed up early. I can carry a whole unit of plywood if needed. Bottom line, I think these units are the best all around trucks out there for guts like me. They carry a lot more than a pickup or reg. van, get good milage, and we've had excellent luck with them as far as repairs... almost none needed. The 95 has about 130,000 on it now.
They also make fantastic driving billboards for your company when painted up nice.
Bish
I got a thrifty nickel paper today . [its a free advertiser] I compared pick ups to vans in there. Vans are cheaper , by quite a bit if we are talking about four wheel drive pks. Bout four thousand dollars cheaper. I have done some heavy duty thinking on the subject. Tool caddy is the biggest plus with the vans, along with dry, and lower theft, plus they will hold more tools.
The minus seems to be they wont go any where in mud or snow. They get stuck in wet grass is what I've been told by people I interviewed that have them. That is a heavy concern in Arkansas. Seems no one here fixes a road to drive into a job till the owner can afford it at a later date. Like the kids graduate college. I've got two four wheel drive pks, and I use the four wheel drive all the time.
But I'm still dreaming of a van. Thanks to every one who responded,
Tim Mooney
Tim,
If you're doing to get a van, a couple of things that help would be, look for one with posi-traction type rear end. I used to run my old chevy van with an aggressive tread tire on the rear and kept some weight over the rear axle and had pretty good luck with it. It wouldn't go where my 4x4 pickup will, but it would certainly handle wet grass and even snow pretty good. The mitsubishi box van I've got now has duals and with a good snow tire on them it goes thru a lot of snow. Again, not like the 4x4 but better than a lot of vehicles.
Bish
Tim....I've had work vans the last 5 years. I'm betting Pittsburgh gets a little more snow and rain than anywhere in Arkansas....and I've only missed a total of 3 work days in the last 2 years......last 2 due to an ice storm......and even the 4x4's didn't have a good reason to be out.
I knew better...and kept both the work van...and the Jeep 4x4 pickup at home. A van loaded with tools ...a good set of tires.....and a good driver will get ya where you need to go 99% of the time....on normal roads. Backwoods trails would be another story. If ya want a van...don't let the weather slow ya down. Jeff
...for getting up close to the job site...here's an old van drivers tip......a rear wheel drive van in reverse....is alot like a front wheel drive! Now those things go everywhere, don't they?
"That's like hypnotizing chickens........."
Edited 5/11/2002 12:05:08 AM ET by Jeff J. Buck
If they're smart, they'll look at the price, not the car. On my earthquake retrofit, I got a great job at a great price from a guy who showed up to bid the job in a brand new bright red Mercedes. The day they did the work, they had pretty much average looking trucks -- at least nothing that stood out in my mind. Other people I've talked to remember getting their earthquake work done by "that Mercedes guy".
-- J.S.
I guess they needed something after Rancheros and El Caminos disappeared - PS, I hear GM may be bringing out a new El Camino soon (??).
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
RE: GM rust....and more rust....and paint pop
GM started switching to galvanized panels in the mid 80's. GMC trucks went in the early and Chevy in the late 80's-not sure where the vans fell into line. Remember when it seemed like every chevy pickup had a paint mohawk? The paint was just flying off the hoods and roofs because the powers that be hadn't worked all the bugs out of the primer-galvanized metal combination.
That 300ci six in that F**D yer wheelin is a workhorse alright-run forever-but then all them straight/slant sixes did. GM is releasing it's own straight 6 soon.
more useless info from mike
Straight 6 is already out in trailblazer.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
Yup, just came out this year. I'm waitin to see how well it stays together.
Edited 4/17/2002 12:53:41 PM ET by Mike Gabriel
I talked to an old fart driving one and he said it was a real screamer.. Being an inline vs. V , I think it will hold together just fine. Only time will tell.
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
http://www.lazarobuilders.com
I wasn't talking about all of their trucks. I was only talking about their cargo vans. When I bought mine it was a year old. The title showed them paying $2000 more than they sold it for. I don't hold stock in U-Haul but I don't believe they would turn back the mileage. Most of these vans are rented for around town. It only cost them two grand to get a years worth of rental. Not bad if you think about it and they get rid of them before any problems.
Sounds smart to me.
: )Tech serviceWrite your question on the back of a 20 dollar bill and send it to me.
a 10 ft cube van is next. I like the low box one's some rental companies have. Walk thru from cab to box would be ideal.
Or...that utility box van I see every now and then. But,,,,that price tag of around $30K is a bit steeper than the $5K I paid for my 1 ton, used in great shape. Jeff * Jeff J. Buck/ Buck Construction/ Pittsburgh, PA *
2nd Generation Buck Const, 3rd generation Craftsman
I do not know if they are 'cheaper', but in atlanta every single 10-30 year old 'custom' van is used for construction trade. There is nothing like watching the blue smoke spew from the tailpipe of a 25 year old custom van (not commercial version, bt consumer one) hauling a load down the highway with the rear tire wells constantly landing on the tops of the tires. If it weren't for the bazilion ladders they have on top followed by the 3-tons of 'whatever' inside, plus 6-10 families crouched in the remaining space ...
I can only imagine that these dang things must be free! If I were a confident enough driver, I'd take some pictures while driving. Unfortunately, I do NOT trust Atlanta traffic, and as a result could never take my eyes off of the road long enough to look through the camera's TTL to snap a good pic.
There needs to be local laws against using a 'passenger vehicle' for commercial or consumer-work use, but there are none that I know in my area.
The conversion van may be cheaper, I know they have sit beside peoples house as a second vehicle. I think it is hard to sell an old conversion van. I will check that out. But the bus type van is a comercial vehicle. I was thinking that churches dont put a lot of miles on theirs.
I don't know if vans are cheaper than pick ups, but they're better. No one with a lick of sense would dispute that. And it goes without saying that Chevy/GMC's are far and away the best work vehicles on the road - unless you believe in propping up the economy by buying and pouring money into inferior machinery, that is.
If you are considering a van, you owe yourself a wait until Mercedes rolls out their line of diesel vans.
Some are already being sold (assembled by Freightliner) and Federal Express bought about 1,500 (?) of them.
Dodge dealers will handle the passenger vans, starting around 2003.
Some of the Freightliner models have a roofline high enough for standing room and Diamler's diesels are legendary.
Go to the Freightliner web site and check it out.
These things are going to stir up the van market in this country.
This site ####....oh sorry....right VAns!
I've had vans my whole career. Fords Chevies etc etc....IMHO The Ford super(extended ) van is the best. Why folks get pickups is beyond me. MAkes no sense at all..(kinda think they see pickups in action movies and wanna emmulate those duchebags).THENNNNNNNNN they get a cap. Go figure. Point is to keep your tools and supplies dry and safe....go figure?????
One reason vans are cheeeeper for me is that the materials and tools do not get wet. Cant tell you how many ckt breakers, rolls of insul etc. I had to toss becuz they were in the bed of my truck.
BTW couldnt buy a Ford in good conscience. Had an 86 F150 that went thru three engines in two years. Geez wanted to shoot somebody
I look down my nose at people who dare to look down their nose at people.
A pickup truck is the way to go, then hook up the trailer and life gets real good. Lots of space and I can leave the tools at home and have a vehcile to drive with no tools.
Andy, I have to have 4x4, and a stripped 4x4 costs about the same as a van. Do the math.
I use a Suburban for most of the running around, but have a couple of pickps for when I need to plow/bulldoze or scrap out. It works. I used to run vans all the time and they have as many negatives as pickups, so I guess we gravitate to what works best for us.
As for the rust thing, I had a couple of '88 chevys that rustd out, but have a 91 and 92 that have zero rust, next issue.