Hey brother,
Try this one (not mine).....low miles, nice AWD full size Chevy cargo RHD Van for great price...up in the tri-cities of Washington State:
https://spokane.craigslist.org/cto/5403335948.html
Very cool van, and at 10K reasonable price. However don't think the SO will stand a RHD vehicle for something she'll be driving occasionally.
Right now I'm leaning towards hunting down a late model Gen 2 Trooper or Gen 3 Montero with reasonable miles. As I see it:
Pros
- More off-road capable than an AWD van to expand where I can get to in CO/WY/Utah for camping, hiking, climbing.
- With decent tires (31" should be plenty) and maybe OME springs (Trooper) should be more than capable for the sorts of trails I would be interested in (overland/adventure, not crawling.)
- Higher initial build quality and more reliable than the Astro platform (maybe I've just had a bad experience)
- Enough space to build a convertible platform inside to sleep 2.
- Can carry 5 or 7 adults when need be.
- Nicer interior amenities than a van.
- Reasonable MPG (17-20 combined). Similar to AWD Astro/Express and better than Land Cruiser.
- Resale value is lower than Toyotas. Think I should be able to find a lower mileage version in clean shape for my budget.
Cons
- Troopers have known weak-link auto transmission, and gen 2 is hard to find with manual.
- Troopers will eat a bit of oil -- doesn't seem to big a big problem if you keep on top of it (or find the last couple model years.)
- Both Montero and Trooper have less after market support (not a big issue as I would be staying close to stock) and limited/no dealer network. Repairs may be more costly than Toyota.
- Less space for hanging out / sleeping than a van platform.
Are there other vehicles that should be on my list to compare with Montero / Trooper?
Things I have crossed off the list for now:
- Land Cruisers: too low MPG, more off-road than I need. Very high resale in my market.
- 4runner: smaller interior. For the same price, looking at 2x the mileage on a Toyota vs Mitsu/Isuzu.
- Rodeo/Passport/Pathfinder/Xterra: Affordable and reliable, but too-small interiors to be comfy camping in.
For reference this will be a weekend driver / road trip vehicle (~7-9K per year) with about 70% highway miles, 10% stop/go city driving, 15% Forest Service / Fire Roads, 5% easier 4x4 trails.