Hard to beat a used van. Yeh, you'll have some maintenance costs but I'd rather have a truck I could spend money on during the slow times than one I had to make large payments on every month.
Vans keep materials dry, have nice large sides for advertising, and an accessible top for your ladders.
I have a 2000 extended one ton Chevy that I bought with 120,000 miles. It gets 10 mpg but I paid $6,000 cash for it. Have bought tires, done my own brake jobs, and put a ladder rack on top. I've put 30,000 miles on it will little to no money other than what was mentioned. I did put an alarm system on it for $200 (bought on Ebay). It'll tow the largest trencher you can rent and will fit 10' material inside when needed.
[This message has been edited by PE&Master (edited 04-06-2006).]
