Hey everyone, im gonna be starting a small mobile installation business and was looking to purchase a reliable used cargo van, so i wanted to get some feedback on what you guys and gals think would be a good choice, i want to keep price under 5000.00 but i dont want a piece of S&*^ either, so far i seen a few chevy express vans and ford e class vans for a reasonable price but wasnt sure on reliability, any feedback is greatly appreciated, also open to any make model not just the ones i listed...

 

None of them are overly reliable, but they aren't total crap either. Both are considerably better than Dodge Ram series, although I do have a weak spot for Ram trucks as I owned one for a while.

With your budget, don't worry so much about the make, but look at mileage and mechanical condition.

Also, the best van out there is Dodge Sprinter, but they are very expensive and way out of your range.

 

cool thanx for the advice, i was just browsing autotrader and craigslist with some relativity nice finds considering my low budget, but maybe once my business takes off and i become extremely wealthy ill take a look at the dodge sprinter

 

does it have to be a full sized cargo van?

how about a minivan with a stripped rear? they seem to be cheaper. Get a Toyota Estima/Previa. +1 if you get it RHD

 

no doesnt need to be full size but i would prefer a cargo van just so i have room and storage for my tools, but having a rhd previa would be pretty official as a work van, i think i would start modding it though and loose interest in the sc

and i did just find a cargo windstar for 1600 with low miles,... i was never a ford fan but the price is right... ugh so many options...

 

I wouldn’t go as far as saying the best. My father bought a Chevy express for 16k with 5k miles, my uncle purchased a sprinter for 25k.
My dad spent about 400-500$ in maintenance in about 4 years. My uncle about 5 grand on mechanical failures with a shady warranty that covered about 1k in repairs My father pays 50$ for an oil change and my uncle 120$. The sprinter is a diesel and gets better mpg than the v6 express but at around 120+ on fill ups with about 400 miles per tank, that is decent but my father gets to fill up for 50-60$ a week with about 260+ miles per tank. The sprinter has a roomier cabin, a cd player, and other amenities’ but it’s very hard to justify spending that 10k more just so you have a better sound system in your work van. I understand that sueno2jz is looking for something cheap but you can find a decent GMC or Chevy cargo van for a decent price. I would have more faith in GM work/vans compared to Dodge or Ford.

 

thanx ill take that into consideration, thats really the kind of feedback i wanted, the real world experience from previous owners,.. but yeah all the amenities in the world wont make up for maintenance cost like that...

 

I've seen more then a few Scion Xb and Kia Soul being used by companies

 

We have a 93 previa dx, 200k miles with original engine/tranny that we still use for cargo hauling. That thing still runs like a champ.
Nothing major at all

We've been waiting for it to kick the bucket to look for a replacement but like what Austin Power said, "Why..... won't.... you die?"

short story, toyota

 

i would actually feel most comfortable sticking with toyota but i haven't been able to find a previa or any toyota van for that matter that's been converted to a cargo for sale... am i just looking in the wrong places, oh well the search continues

the kia and scion may be a little small for what i was gonna use it for, but thanx for throwing that out there

 

I would stick with a 97 or later Chevy/GMC, there was another update in 03 if it fits your budget, I will say this about Dodge, still driving a 1990 Ram 2500 van with nearly 300K, looks like s*** but gets the work done.

 

nothing is converted.
We just remove the middle bench and the back seats flip up.
That leaves a lot of room in between.

I saw another guy added some home made shelves, pretty cool

 

Just to be clear, when I said the Sprinter is the best van, I didn't necessarily refer to reliability. I'm well aware that it is iffy on the sprinter. But as far as cargo space, the Sprinter is just unbeatable.

 

My husband owns two types: Ford E250 cargo vans (ranging from 1984 to 2008) and Dodge Sprinter (for the stand-up head room).

He likes the Sprinter because the chassis can haul the heavier stuff, it's diesel (with more torque on long uphills drives), and he can stand up in it. In terms of being able to take the beatings the renters dish out...not so much. The side panels ding if the equipment shifts on the *inside*, the dipstick separated the top from the stick, the interior cargo light dangles by the wires, and the strut on the hood prop went. The van is 2 years old, and barely used.

He likes the Ford because they're reliable (mostly oil changes and tranny fluid flushes), they take some beating (no dangling lights or broken accessories), and they're CHEAP to repair and maintain in comparison. Ford doesn't change much from year to year, so he's able to swap parts around pretty easily, and loads of mechanics will work on them.

If I were in your shoes, I'd look for an old work E250/350 that already has bins installed - we've seen a lot of them.

If you're in CA, we're selling our old 1996 E250 to get a newer one. It's our personal van, not used for work, and has been used for camping and light towing.

Sandi

 

thanx sandi, unfortunately im in florida, but being able to stand up in the cargo area would be pretty cool, never really thought about head room in the rear, just tool storage room, but im checking out an e250 and express van today, low miles good condition and full racks/shelves already installed in the rear, ill post pics if i walk away with one of them today, if not the search continues...