2001 Chevy Express Cargo Van (4.7L 6 cylinder 2500 156K miles $2500)

[TexasWoman]

Found this on CL.

AT&T fleet van, well maintained, cosmetic paint damage, clean title, no accidents.
Buying from dealer in Dallas who sells a lot of these and says they go quick.
I'm going over this afternoon to look at this one.  Of course, will have it checked out by a mechanic.

Thoughts?  Thanks.

 

[John61CT]

I'd hold out pay more for one w/ bigger engine.

But at the price, if it checks out, don't travel in mountain areas, not much towing required, just keep the buildout lightweight

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yes that is the smaller engine, which means you should be able to get around 20mpg cruising on the highway.

It will be fine for a light to normal build, adequate but not a powerhouse in the mountains, limited towing...only small trailers, if any.

Drive it on the highway enough to get it up to normal temps, then when you park, be sure to check everything, including undeneath, looking for leaks or drips.

Then if your basic checks look good, have a mechanic look it over.

 

[Matty Van Halen]

Those vans are tried and true. Either the 4.3 V6 or the 4.8 V8 are very reliable. I know because for the last 17 years I’ve been driving Chevy vans for my company vehicle. My current one has 245,000 miles on it. Only in the shop for scheduled maintenance. Never been stranded.

 I like them so much I bought one to make my camper van. It’s the GMC savanna but it is virtually the same thing as the Chevy express. 

I love the size of the pro masters but I am a stickler about reliability. If I’m going to be full-time in it, I wanted the most dependable than I could afford so I traded some comfort for reliability.

I hope it all checks out good for you.

 

[TexasWoman]

Thank you all for the good responses ..

The dealer wasn't able to get the van ready today so we'll see what happens.  
Maybe he found some more issues than an oxygen sensor.

This van must be able to handle high mountain passes.
The buildout will be light for now but will go all in with solar, etc. if I like the lifestyle.
Even then I won't be having huge black and gray water tanks. Of course, subject to change.

VIN shows engine as 4.3L .. I mistyped.
Must get decent gas mileage.
Would a larger V8 engine use that much more gas?
Want to keep it above 15 mpg if possible.

Thoughts on best Chevy engine are welcome ... 
I am in no hurry to buy and want to get it right the first time.

TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

PS - I was worried about the Colorado mountains in my little Honda Fit but had no problem from Durango to Ouray.

It didn't bog down even though packed to the gills with camping gear and a dog.

 

[TexasWoman]

Those vans are tried and true. Either the 4.3 V6 or the 4.8 V8 are very reliable. I know because for the last 17 years I’ve been driving Chevy vans for my company vehicle. My current one has 245,000 miles on it. Only in the shop for scheduled maintenance. Never been stranded.

 I like them so much I bought one to make my camper van. It’s the GMC savanna but it is virtually the same thing as the Chevy express. 

I love the size of the pro masters but I am a stickler about reliability. If I’m going to be full-time in it, I wanted the most dependable than I could afford so I traded some comfort for reliability.

I hope it all checks out good for you.

 

[QinReno]

I am in no hurry to buy and want to get it right the first time.

Ummm, I had a comment but wanted to see if you had committed to buying the van you went to see this afternoon. Yes/No/Maybe committed? I have a GMC Savana myself.

 

[Matty Van Halen]

Thank you all for the good responses ..

VIN shows engine as 4.3L .. I mistyped.
Must get decent gas mileage.
Would a larger V8 engine use that much more gas?
Want to keep it above 15 mpg if possible

TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

PS - I was worried about the Colorado mountains in my little Honda Fit but had no problem from Durango to Ouray.

It didn't bog down even though packed to the gills with camping gear and a dog.

I got as high at 19 mpg with both v6 and v8. very similar. the v6 has 4 speed auto trans and the v8 has a 6 speed auto trans

 

[Mattkcc]

Yes that is the smaller engine, which means you should be able to get around 20mpg cruising on the highway.

It will be fine for a light to normal build, adequate but not a powerhouse in the mountains, limited towing...only small trailers, if any.

Drive it on the highway enough to get it up to normal temps, then when you park, be sure to check everything, including undeneath, looking for leaks or drips.

Then if your basic checks look good, have a mechanic look it over.

My 2011 5.2 V8 gets a little over 21 mpg and doesn't exactly  fly over the mountains. In the mountains I miss not getting a 5.7 V8 a V6 is going to struggle in many situations. The V6 is going to have to work much harder to get the job done. 

 

[John61CT]

Bottom line, hold out for a V8

as long as you aren't really budget constrained.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I had assumed the '6' in the title was a typo along with the displacement typo..(we get LOTS of typos here)...so...I was thinking you meant it's the smaller V8 engine. My previous answer was based on that. My apologies.

If it's really a 'vee six', 'four point three liter', I'd pass. They are pretty gutless, especially in a 2500 size van with a full build in the future. I had that same engine in a little half-ton pickup and at only 175 hp or so, it was not happy in the mountains.

 

[John61CT]

A lot of delivery fleets are in-town runabouts, depending on location may never see speeds nor hills

 

[bullfrog]

I bought an old milk delivery truck to build out. Thought the heavy frame and drive train would work really well and it did all the way to its max speed of 35 MPH !!! Not as bad as a friend of mine that got a really good deal on a city bus he was gonna use as a tour bus for his band. Come to find out the lower compartments had been filled with concrete for ballist to keep it from ever turning ouer and again nice big diesel could almost do 40 MPH. Be carful what you buy, sometimes they are cheap for a reason!

 

[tx2sturgis]

A lot of delivery fleets are in-town runabouts, depending on location may never see speeds nor hills

And assuming it is being sold in the DFW location, where I believe she is, (I could be wrong) then that van would have been well suited for city deliveries or field service work....and no mountains (to speak of) within 150 miles. (The Texas Hill Country and the Arbuckle Mountains in southern Oklahoma and the Ozarks in Arkansas/Missouri/SE Oklahoma BARELY count as mountains, although a few steep grades can be found here and there)

 

[JeffJones]

I used to work for AT&T as a manager and those Vans are extremely cared for. The shop would come in all the time and take several Vans for scheduled maintenance. Plus if one of my crew had a slight issue with their van, into the shop it would go.
Good luck on your van search, get a V8 extended is my two cents

 

[TexasWoman]

I had assumed the '6' in the title was a typo along with the displacement typo..(we get LOTS of typos here)...so...I was thinking you meant it's the smaller V8 engine. My previous answer was based on that. My apologies.

If it's really a 'vee six', 'four point three liter', I'd pass. They are pretty gutless, especially in a 2500 size van with a full build in the future. I had that same engine in a little half-ton pickup and at only 175 hp or so, it was not happy in the mountains.

Thanks for the good advice.
I will keep looking.


TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[TexasWoman]

Thanks for all the good advice.

I'll keep looking for a bigger engine  because, in this case anyway,  size does matter.

 

[TexasWoman]

Ummm, I had a comment but wanted to see if you had committed to buying the van you went to see this afternoon. Yes/No/Maybe committed? I have a GMC Savana myself.

Didn't commit to buying this one.
My mechanic told me that Chevy Express parts were easier to get than GMC Savana.
Is that true?
I thought they were pretty much the same van.

TexasWoman
:heart: :heart: :heart:

 

[QinReno]

Didn't commit to buying this one.
My mechanic told me that Chevy Express parts were easier to get than GMC Savana.
Is that true?
I thought they were pretty much the same van.

Ah, I can't say about the parts, but obviously the bodies are about identical. I have had only the GMC for just one year. Maybe someone else knows about parts. 

What I did want to say is, I have the Savana 4.8L V8, 6-speed automatic, and I average about 18 MPG on most trips. I typically get 20 MPG on the flats as long as I don't push it too fast. I was actually amazed at this, . I think the 6-speed is a real help in improving mileage. Drops to about 12 MPG in the mountains. I think I would hold out for a V8. It has a lot of passing power. These things weigh about 5,000 pounds.

I bought the Savana rather than Express because I wanted the side and rear windows, and all of the Chevys around here seemed to not have those windows. Even with the windows, there are nasty blind spots, and you have to check meticulously when backing and changing lanes.

No one mentioned it, but have you been looking at cargurus.com besides CL? If you buy from a dealer, then they will probably (???) at least check the van out before selling it. You can filter by style: different models and engines, mileage, price range, extended length, etc. You can search by "lowest price first" for older ones.

- https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...d=true&modelChanged=true&filtersModified=true

- https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...d=true&modelChanged=true&filtersModified=true

 

[makenmend]

''Ah, I can't say about the parts, but obviously the bodies are about identical. I have had only the GMC for just one year. Maybe someone else knows about parts''

As far as parts go almost all parts are interchangeable, the major difference is cosmetics/trim. Mechanical and electrical items are mostly the same.

MM