..I'm looking into buying a 2nd van,and I'm wondering what the general consensus was...Ford...or ...Chevy...????

Ford, Coke, McDonalds, Thin Elvis

Our trucks are GMC Savana's, except for mine, which is a Chevy Avalanche.

Drive a Chevy C1500 right now

My foreman has a C3500 with a knapheiede utility body with two double door top boxes on top of that.

The owner drives a chevy 3500 van with the contractor bin package.

Of course, the wife's car is a Ford Taurus.

I think that Chevys drive better (steering), but Fords handle better (suspension. But what do I know?

If you want, get the same make as you have now, and get matching keys. Saves searching for spares!

dodge

Dodge Sprinter 2500. Mother of all cargo vans.
http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/photos.html?context=sprinter-index&type=left

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=7365&page_number=1

[This message has been edited by Sandro (edited 01-04-2004).]

Attic Rat,
i don't suppose you have the need for AWD in NJ ?

btw~ checked your profile for your turf, love the interests section

spit brew all over the dang keyboard !

~S~

those sprinters would be the ultimate contractor rig. I love the fact they are diesel. I own a '97 Dodge Ram with the cummins turbo diesel. I will never own another gas aspired vehicle again, unless it's a sports car or 4wheeler.

.. Sorry,dude,...send me the bill!!

For me Ford vans hands down. My most recent Ford I had for 10 years and 160,000 miles before any problems started. E250

I have a 94 Ford E-150 with 200,000 miles on it. Everything under the hood was new including the strait 6 cylinder but it still has lots of problems. The repairs and fuel econimy was terrable.

I was thinking about one of those Sprinter vans too. I looked bigger and gets good fuel mileage. But, I did not want to spend the big money.

So I looked at the new Ford 3/4 and 1 ton vans and they looked the same as the junk I have now only $25-30,000 more. Alot of them had small v-6 like wat they used in a taurus. I dove the the newer ones where this moter died around 60,000 miles. Ford mechanic says "oh ya they all have this problem with the Piston and rings".

The chevys look different but were about the same price. I seen a lot of the newer ones had costly fuel pump, injector, EGR, and cold starting problems.

Than I found the best van. A 93 Chevy Grumman Step Van for $4,500. I has a 6.2 Diesel that saves me about $30 a week on fuel compaired to the E-150. It is 12' long behind the bulkhead. They come in all sizes from 10'-over 20'. It is maybe 7' high x 7' wide inside. It can handle way more weight with the 12,000 GVR and dulley tires. I installed more shelvindg, a gang box, and rear heater so we can work inside too. It is all allumnun to keep it light and it will never rust. It stops great with it's monster all disk brakes. It has a skylight in the top so you can see better. It is way more secure than the other vans with solid locks, doors, and tripple cut keys. I could break in a ford or chevy 6 different ways in under 1 minuite. I can stand up at a stop light and strech my legs. Sitting in the truck I am just looking over the top of the other vans. I still need to get my name on the side. It is like a big billboard. That sprinter looks very small now.

Stepvans are made to have a life of over 20 years where other vans last about 10 good years. Yous standard vans are not durable enough. They are made to fall apart when your done paying for it so you can buy the same thing again. For the $25-30,000 you could buy a new stepvan and it is way stronger, larger, and better built than a van.

I want my next stepvan to have the 14' payload, an auto transmission, and a stronger engine like cummins or freightliner. Email me if you want more information on stepvans.

Tom

Neither. They both have their fair share of problems.

Hello Attic Rat,
I was allways a Dodge guy in the past. My favorite was a 1985 250 maxi length. I put about 260,000 on it, until I sold it. I like Dodge, but I can't see myself driving the new sprinter. I'm thinking about a Ford 350 super extended. I like the way they look as compared to Chevy. The Ford looks like a work truck. I'll stay with the maintenance on it, along with synthetic oil, and hopefully it will last.
Good luck
When I'm in an attic I allways where a mask. I know some dust still gets through, but it helps.

My insurance for the step van is $880 a year with commercial insurance. My E-150 is $504 a year but has a bit less coverage. Neither have full coverage. You can always get an insurance quote before buying. That saved me from buying a Hyundai for the wife once because they wanted as much as the car payment.



I keep the pipe on the inside on top of the left wheel well. It keeps it clean dry and warm. The wheel wells are square 10” tall 2’ in from wall and maybe 3’ across. I am still working on making more shelves and I have plans for short and deep storage bins below this rack for rolls of flex, sealtight, fish tapes, etc... Below this I have some tool boxes and plastic storage totes. Above this I have 2 shelves 11’’ and 13’’ x 12’ filled with cardboard and plastic bins of parts. Above that is an aluminum shelf that came with the truck. It’s 2’x12’ and stores all the cases of cans, trims, boxes, mud rings, etc... I also have a kitchen garbage can on that side. It really helps keep it clean.



The right side is a 4’ long greenlee gang box for the power tools. I also have a number of storage crates pilled up, blankets, benders, and a kerosene/diesel heater. I installed a rear heater I found on ebay. I have lots of room left there for shelves and storage lockers (for tool belts) I plan on building. Above that is an aluminum shelf I lay a 10’, 8’, 6’, & 4’ step ladder. It has room for 1 or 2 more ladders there too. Also on that shelf I store my low voltage phone, TV cable, and stuff. In the back sides I have over 40 spools of # 12 & # 14, and # 10. A few # 6 & #8 spools.



The back door is a roll up we don’t use much in the cold. We take small amounts of pipe thru the front passenger door. It has a 3’ clear path front to back to walk thru. The passenger seat I had to buy separate on the internet. It flips up when you don’t sit on it to make a clear path out the side door.



We don’t put anything on the top. It has a fiberglass roof to keep the weight down and is transparent in the center to let in some light. I have to watch for low tree branches on the small back roads. It is maybe 11’ tall. I saw some of these trucks with a steel platform over the whole roof and a ladder up the side. I don’t want this because it may make me too tall to fit under some small 12’ 6” bridges. I also saw the ladders on the side. I don’t know where to get these side racks I just planned on making some out of angle steel. There is some room above the side doors to hang ladders so the openings are not blocked. For now I put the 24’ extension ladder on the back floor when I need it. If it was a few inches shorter it would fit on the shelf with my other ladders. That is one reason I would like one with a 14’ cargo area next time. The 16’ step ladder for now we can just fit it in with the top touching the front cap roof but it’s really in the way of everything. It did not fit well on the E-150 because it’s so big.



It also has an aluminum bulkhead from front to back and sliding door. All the doors slide open making it easier to get in and out in tight areas. The whole front end flips open and the cab floor comes out to make repairs easier. The big double side mirrors and all glass side door give better visibility than a van with no windows. I found some of the special parts are cheaper. Like a blower knob Grumman $4 where ford is $12. The rear step bumper is a metal grid you’ll never slip on. I don’t know how many times I slipped and fell on the different ford ones. It looks to be spring loaded for backing into loading docks.



They told me this truck came in a 9000 and a 12000 GVR version. The 12k has rear disk brakes 19.5” tires and front leaf springs. The 9K has rear drum brakes front coil springs and smaller tires. They said the 9k rides a bit smoother. I got the 12K because that’s all I could find. It has a stiff ride. It was worst empty. It’s not so bad loaded. It loves weight and I don’t think I’ll ever over load it unlike the E-150 was always ridding low. A shop told me they can put in lighter front springs for $1200 but it’s not that bad. It drives like a big truck. It is slower than an Econoline. It is noisier to drive because of the diesel, no insulation, and metal rattling. It makes it more difficult to talk on the phone. One reason why I have been insulating the back with 1 ½” foam and 1/2” plywood (it’s helping). With 160,000 miles on it the steering is tight. I seen 14,000 GVR ones listed but I notice now some streets that limit trucks to 12K GVW rating.



They also told me the Isuzu one would only go 55 mph. I look at one that had 4 wheel drum brakes. I could not get it to stop.



It will make an Econoline feel like a Cadillac. The vans are built softer and quieter more for families where step vans are built sturdier for the delivery industry. The problem with the econoline is there is not enough room for all the material and ladders. Material was getting damaged and lost. It would take too long to find something. I would end up being the gofer because no one could find things. Always climbing in and over things to get something. The van would always look messy because we tried to carry too much. If you did not have something then time is waited just getting one thing.



I had to look hard to find step vans. I found a few dealers and trucks on the internet. I had the best luck with local truck trader magizeens. Even if you want new they had a lot of deals in the ads.



Sorry no pictures yet.



Tom



For parts www.walkinvan.com good company for parts
http://workhorsecc.com/
http://www.buyastepvan.com/
http://www.step-vans.com/
http://www.walkinvan.com/grumman_stepvan_p1.htm parts
http://www.stepvans.com/thoughts.html Nice inventory but after talking to them I wonder if some trucks are and pieced together with older used parts
http://www.grummanolson.com
http://www.bright.net/~ucbc2/

http://www.utilimaster.com/