E-350 owners: Anyone feel like they bought the wrong length?

[Coyster]

Cliff's notes: I constantly seem to fill my AWD Astro with stuff: bikes, dogs, camping gear, etc. I'm beginning a search for an E350, and I have a question: anyone who bought the RB wish they had gone extended, or visa versa?

I'm leaning to RB as it'll be my bad-weather driver and grocery getter.

 

[Railvan]

I bought an RB six years ago and have never wished it was an EB. It works for me but I either travel alone or with one other person.

Brian

 

[bknudtsen]

I initially searched for an EB, but finding the right combo wasn't easy, so when the RB Wagon showed up locally, I jumped on it. Now that I have been building the interior I find that, every now and then, I still wish that I had found an EB. That extra bit of room really allows for more flexibility in the interior layout. However, the RB is way more maneuverable and actually a tad shorter than the Avalanche it replaced. It all depends on the van's intended mission. I am just glad I found a good one.

 

[cowboy4x4]

I like my RB.....

 

[1leglance]

My EB was a must as it was setup for wheelchair users and still needed room for the couch/bed and all that.

If I was doing it again just for me & the family I would still go EB as there are 3-4 of us on a trip and that extra space makes a difference. Then again I am not a hard core wheeler who is worried about departure angle

 

[McZippie]

Don't know which is long or short one, we had the shorter E250 Passenger van for 12 years, purchased new.
Sold it after 180,000 miles, lots of road trips.
Two rows of bench seats, rear OEM bench seat was replaced with a conversion van electric tri-fold sofa/bed.
Even with two rows of seats, still had plenty of room for luggage and coolers behind rear sofa/bed and under seats.
If our kids weren't along we'd remove the first row bench seat and move the sofa/bed in it's place.
Kept it stock except for rear sofa/bed and larger diameter/width 16" tires and aftermarket rims.
Been on many rugged mountain Jeep roads with it (2WD) ... White Rim was a cake walk
FWIW Michelin tires were the only ones that held up to both off-road abuse and high speed Interstate Highways.
Never wanted the longer van.

 

[Gvan]

Since both are the same wheelbase the only real difference is space unless you do a lot of real off roading where the EBs extra body length can bottom out more easily. Myself I love my EB but that said there are a lot of other things like what motor 5.4, V10 or diesel, cargo or window, colors and options that may come into play too. Getting the right van can be tough.

You could always get a trailer for your Astro.

 

[Toolman]

I have the EB and I thought for sure I'd be dragging the rear end up everything, however I rarely drag. I like the extra space inside the van and also underneath. I travel with my girl and my dog and there's plenty of room for all of us, plus gear with no need for a roof rack, except for Kayak transport.
There are several late 90's 2wd SMB out there you can find under $20k, and to my amazement I've seen them as low as $10k. Get the UJOR kit installed and you're every where you want to be in comfort.

Good luck with the search.

 

[Coyster]

You could always get a trailer for your Astro.

It's a bit of "penny wise, pound foolish," but the reason that's not really being considered is that a fullsized van gets roughly the same mileage as the Astro does.

Thanks for the thoughts, you guys. It's heartening to see the consensus seems more to be "I'm happy with what I have." At this point length will probably be moved to a more secondary requirement, barring more revealing testimony.

 

[pratty85]

I sometimes wish I had a RB when offroading, biggest problem is when you have a really tight spot to turn around (IE, I have had to knock a couple of trees down). Once my van is completely loaded for a long trip, I realize how much I enjoy having all that extra space!

 

[deserteagle56]

The receiver hitch on my van works as a "skid plate" all the time, and it's the short van. i can't even imagine climbing in and out of some of the washes I have to cross with an extended body van. I've given up on bending the trailer electrical connector back down after crossing a deep dip. Having said that, it would be nice to have a bit more room when I'm carrying my quad (Yamaha Kodiak) inside.

 

[Gooseberry]

I like my RB and really dought I would have a EB. I made a bike rack storage box to get those items that end up at the back door RB30 layout and put them in it. If I had the EB and this box/bike rack I would be tail wagin and then I might not have needed it. But I can take the box off if I need to get turned around and its hard to do that to a EB.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Mine is an EB (extended body vs RB=regular body, for the guy who wasn't sure). I wanted a reg length passenger van, with windows and diesel power, but I came to the realization while shopping, my budget didn't allow me to be too picky. So I got an extended cargo with diesel power. Diesel was the main determining factor, pw and pl were a plus.

But, back to your question, If something happened to my van tomorrow and I had to replace it, I would def want another EB, no question. Mine's a daily driver and I don't mind the extra length at all. I too am planning my interior build out and realized how well certain things will work out because of the additional room.

 

[cwsqbm]

We've never needed the extra length, but one reason we've always have standard length vans is simple - an EB wouldn't fit in our garage.

 

[Jeffh555]

I have an 5.4L RB cargo, I bought it for next to nothing to see if I was really gonna like owning a van. It turns out I do and will be replacing it with a newer, nicer van in the nest year or so.

My next van will definitely be a a V10 EB cargo (or 7.3L if I find an amazing deal) I'm 6'7" and my girlfriend usually joins me on camping trips. By the time we have the queen size bed and all the camping gear in there, it's pretty full. If I were shorter and could sleep across the back, I could see a RB working.