Can anyone give a good advice on a good cargo van. Chevrolet express or Ford Econoline, or GMC Savanna.Or any other suggestions? Thanks
This might sound like blasphemy, but Mercedes Benz makes really good Sprinter vans.
From personal experience, they are classic Mercedes.
Expensive to buy, expensive to maintain, and you will have breakdowns and electronic problems from mile zero. Not to mention a terrible cabin design.
Really? I always thought the diesel sprinter vans were expensive, but very reliable. I guess I need to change my opinion of them then!
Yup everything is overcomplicated, and you could be stuck waiting for weeks for special Mercedes parts to arrive.
What a shame!
Express and Savana are the same thing.
The last Econoline rolled off the assembly line in 2014.
Can you talk a bit about what your needs and expectations are, budget, and what you will use it for?
I do house painting and handyman work, my budget is 10,000 dollars.And I work for myself no employees.I know Express & GMC are the same thing ,buy someone told me the GMC has a beef up frame and suspension.Thanks
Frame, suspension, and all other mechanical things are identical. The only differences between Express and Savana are cosmetic. Badges, front grill, and maybe some other trim options and other unimportant things like that.
My old man use to paint houses, and he always drove Econoline vans. They seemed very robust and sturdy, but the ride was rough and I found the seats uncomfortable. Steering is poor. And it seemed like he was always fixing something on it hah 😆 The chassis and everything were very beefy, but simple and primitive.
I am more familiar with GM vans. They are not as robust, but I think the suspension and interior is more refined, and comfortable to drive. It also seems like they go longer without needing repairs. The GM wheelbase is shorter, so they're easier to turn around. I think the floor is a little lower too. Sharp steering and comfy double control arm suspension. It will go for a very long time. Parts are like jelly beans. common, inexpensive and easy to get.
Do not buy a WHITE GM from between around 2004-2010 because they had paint problems. Other colors are fine.
I think they are both possible candidates for you. It just depends on what you like. Test drive them and see which one suits you.
The only other possibility is the Ford Transit Connect, but I think it won't be big enough for you. You need floor area, not height. I drove them a bit and didn't like them. They seem very "light duty". Small noisy engine which probably don't last. The have a long nose in front of the wheels like a pickup truck, which makes it harder to manoeuvre in tight spaces. The dashboard is enormous and fills up too much of the cabin.
Yeah I notice a lot of the white vans the paint was coming off. GM will not fix the problem. It should have ben a recall on those models too repaint those vans, but that would cost them a bundle of cash.That's GM for ya. Yeah I am going withe the GMC,but they want a lot of money for these vans it crazy. It cost about 15,000 to get a decent one with the bins and under 100,000 miles. I live in Nashville,TN and they jack up the price big time here, because of all the construction going onThanks Joe.Stay safe.
My dad bought two of his vans over the border. The price was so good it was worth a plane ticket and fun road trip back home.
@mountainmanjoe
You seem to be a van family eh?