Considering a van for my next rig...seeking opinions about make/model reliability.

outdoornate65

Adventurer
I'm currently driving a 2008 Toyota 4-Runner with an Autohome Maggi RTT. The T4R has been very good to me and served my needs well exploring the mountains of CO and beyond.

Lately, I've been thinking how nice it would be to build a rig that allows me to get out of the elements instead of standing under my tailgate in the rain.
I previously owned a 1984 VW Westy. Loved that vehicle for its functionality but it spent WAY too much time on a tow truck and was woefully under-powered.

So now I'm starting to research "modern" vans and eliciting help from you guys who have been in my shoes.

Considerations:

Budget: $25k

2wd vs AWD/4wd: I don't do hard off-roading but would like to be able to get down Forest Service roads and deal with winter weather....is AWD enough?

Would be my DD: I have a seven mile commute so not huge mileage but MPG is a consideration.

Regular roof height (HOA restrictions....sorry, not moving) Might consider a pop-top down the road.

**Reliability: I'm not a mechanic....well I'm a "human mechanic" but that doesn't count.

OPTIONS:

Ford Transit: I was really interested in these until I started reading reviews from Transit owners. Scary feedback about all types of problems....are they really that bad?

Ram Promaster and Nissan NV: seem to receive decent reviews but lack some of the features of the Transit/MB.

Sprinter: is out of my price-range.

Chevy Express/GMC Savana (2014 and earlier): are offered in AWD. Unsure about the reliability of these vans.

Ford Econoline Series

I appreciate your thoughts and experiences as I start this research.

Thanks,

Nate
 
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sackettmw

Member
Professional mechanic here. I recommend the Chevy without hesitation for several reasons:

You can get AWD in your budget.

Not that hard or expensive to make it 4wd

They have proven reliable. I have worked on many fleet vans with 4-500,000 miles on them that were not taken care of.

If you want to do some of your own mechanical work, they are the easiest to learn.

Parts are cheap and everywhere.

Decent fuel economy and comfortable for a daily driver.
 

tgates

New member
Nate,
I’m considering the same change, currently using a 2004 Nissan Frontier with a Tepui RTT and the family is looking for something more comfortable and usable. I’ve been looking at VW Eurovans but these are getting pretty expensive for a low mileage camper version. Hopefully we can get some recommendations from the experts here at EP. Thanks for posting.

Terry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Choff

Adventurer
Go AWD GMC OR CHEV Van, we have 190,000 miles on ours , very reliable and go camping !!!
I use for daily driver also.
 

macexpress

Observer
I have a 2013 awd express with 211,000 miles and it has been ultra reliable for us. We just got back from a trip from our home in northern Wisconsin to Houston and back and not a hiccup. The last 3 hours coming home was 27degrees and rain and cars in the ditch and the awd gave us great traction. Overall I can't think of a better vehicle for our needs of a daily driver and weekend camper
 

Factoid

Three criminal heroes
Another nod to the Chevy/GMC van. Super reliable, easy to work on, parts interchange for many years making maintenance and upgrades fairly easy, and you can get a nicely optioned, low mileage and reliable used one in your price range. I would shoot for the extended wheel base version given your family size and then upgrade (mechanicals, pop top, camper components, etc.) as the budget and need arises.
 

wjeeper

Active member
I'm currently driving a 2008 Toyota 4-Runner with an Autohome Maggi RTT. The T4R has been very good to me and served my needs well exploring the mountains of CO and beyond.

Lately, I've been thinking how nice it would be to build a rig that allows me to get out of the elements instead of standing under my tailgate in the rain.
I previously owned a 1984 VW Westy. Loved that vehicle for its functionality but it spent WAY too much time on a tow truck and was woefully under-powered.

So now I'm starting to research "modern" vans and eliciting help from you guys who have been in my shoes.

I made the switch from a RTT on a Jeep to a van a few years ago. Loved the Jeep, but the van is a true four weather camper in the intermountain west. plus it has taken me down nearly all the same trails that the Jeep did. (minus the "rock crawling" trails)


Budget: $25k
I paid less than $10,000 for a 2007 Chevy Express AWD with 190,000 miles. I bet I am less than $2000 into my conversion, granted its still not done and its all been 100% DIY. That leaves plenty of money for either a nicer van, more mods or money to start enjoying it.


2wd vs AWD/4wd: I don't do hard off-roading but would like to be able to get down Forest Service roads and deal with winter weather....is AWD enough?
With AWD and the factory G80 locker and I have been happy with the trails we have taken it down. We have started down more than a few trails saying "Lets see how far we get before we have to turn around" only to make it clear to the end. There have been a handful of times having low range would have been nice, but it made it. I really like the AWD going up hill on a washboard road because the rear axle doesn't hop around like it does in a 2wd rig.


Would be my DD: I have a seven mile commute so not huge mileage but MPG is a consideration.
I DD my van a similar distance, my van realistically gets 15 MPG± commuting. I figured once that it cost me an extra 300-350 a year to DD a big van compared to a Civic.........me playing the devils advocate that MPG and a short commute really don't matter too much.


Regular roof height (HOA restrictions....sorry, not moving) Might consider a pop-top down the road.
Bummer on not being able to have a high top. We love being able to stand up in our van, it has been our favorite modification so far. Pop-top would be a good alternative.



Ford Transit: I was really interested in these until I started reading reviews from Transit owners. Scary feedback about all types of problems....are they really that bad?
I read some reviews for promaster vans, it was enough to scare me away from them!


Ram Promaster and Nissan NV: seem to receive decent reviews but lack some of the features of the Transit/MB.
I dont have any experence with the Nissan Vans, but they seem like they would be a good rig, although they seem to lack the aftermarket support of the other options out there for some reason.



Chevy Express/GMC Savana (2014 and earlier): are offered in AWD. Unsure about the reliability of these vans.
I have 210,000 on my express, original engine/ trans, I wouldnt hesitate driving cross county tomorrow with it! My brothers work van has 300,000+ on it and has not exactly been taken care of, besides the transmission starting to show its age its still going great.


Ford Econoline Series
Never dealt with a Ford, but there are so ubiquitous and have a super strong aftermarket following.

Regaurdless of what van you end up with my advice is get out there and use it a bit before you go crazy converting it. There is a whole list of things we thought we "needed" that ended up not making the cut in our van.
Just my $0.02
 

North

Observer
AWD vs 2WD is a personal decision. Ask anybody who has AWD and they say it's absolutely necessary. Ask anybody with 2WD and they say it's no problem, AWD is not necessary. Once you figure out what you're comfortable with, for better or worse, the options become more clear.

I personally chose an AWD Express because:
1) I wanted AWD. May van is used for skiing and pulling snowmobiles - getting stuck with a trailer sucks.
2) Price. Express/Savana is the cheapest AWD option

I haven't heard many firsthand accounts of reliability but it's a GM used by for work so parts are plentiful.

The only pal I have that owns that same van blew up 3rd gear in his transmission at ~160K, but his daily commute is up a steep mountain road and the transmission tends to hunt in those situations. Recommendation from the shop that rebuilt the tranny is to shift it into 2nd or 3rd for steep roads.
 

Haf-E

Expedition Leader
As a long time sprinter owner (since 2003) - 2WD sucks with big vans - the rear end ends up being too light and so I've been stuck too many times. I'd consider a AWD with a pop top at your budget point - put some money into good wheels/tires, lift and possibly a rear auto type locker if it doesn't already have one.
 

outdoornate65

Adventurer
Thanks guys for all the great feedback....please keep the advice coming.

I think AWD at a minimum will be a requirement for this next rig. That really helps narrow-down candidates based on my other criteria, namely my budget.

I'll be researching Chevy/GMC build threads tonight here on the EP.

Thanks,

Nate
 

rex_1_mn

Observer
I have an old unibody g20 that looks like it’s been through a nuclear war and it has treated me really well. Trutrac in the back and good tires and it gets you some surprising places.

I still have the old chev but my current van is a E350 with the ujoint lift.

I don’t think you can go wrong with either if you do your due diligence before purchase. I sometimes think an AWD Chevy would be just fine for me. I wish this would have come in a 3/4 and 1 ton option.
 

Jsweezy

Explorer
Does a mid roof transit clear your HOA restrictions? Those are pretty nice and offer alot more space than most of the options considered so far.

No 4wd or AWD yet unless you want to spend some serious cash.

Edit - saw you considered it in your original post. I wouldn't pick one up for a standard roof over a chevy or ford e-series but if a mid roof will work i would definitely go that route.
 

outdoornate65

Adventurer
Does a mid roof transit clear your HOA restrictions? Those are pretty nice and offer alot more space than most of the options considered so far.

No 4wd or AWD yet unless you want to spend some serious cash.

Edit - saw you considered it in your original post. I wouldn't pick one up for a standard roof over a chevy or ford e-series but if a mid roof will work i would definitely go that route.

Current HOA is not a problem. I'll be relocating to the mountains of AZ in 18-24 months and the HOA there has provisions against vehicles not being in the garage. Even though my folks built the place with an oversized garage and 8.5 foot door, a mid-roof Transit will not fit after the addition of solar panels, fan, lift.....

I wanted to like the Transit but it just doesn't meet enough of my criteria to lead the list of contenders.

Thanks for the feedback.
 

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