Hi guys i have been reading yveour forums for the past 8 months or so. Lots of good info you guys share. I a m going to be part time living in a van soon. Ill only be living in it for maybe 3 nights a week while i got to work which is 1.5 hours away. I will be using this van once i get it as my main souce of travel even though i do have a car. I live in southern missouri and we have decent steep hills and lots and lots of dirt roads. But to get to my question Ive found a 2006 Chevy express cargo van 1500 AWD with 189,000 miles on it for 4800 Bucks. Very minimal rust and it drives great It seems to have been taken care of and not abused. I think it should be ok. But i also will probally have a new engine put in it before it does go. Oh i wont be towing anything but maybe hauling a canoe and afew camping supplies so weight shouldnt be an issue. Any thoughts?
2006 CHEVY EXPRESS AWD
- Thread starter Minqua
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Stanvan
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AWD is nice to have, but they do suck some gas. Real handy in snow. My AWD experience is with the Astro van, which I've had two. I wouldn't be so quick to swap motors until you have it for a while, and seeing how well it does on oil consumption. If I were to swap out anything based on guessing, it would be the oil pump.
Otherwise, it sounds decent. And welcome.
Otherwise, it sounds decent. And welcome.
Stanvan said:
Thank you for responding. Ya i figured gas wouldnt be the best but i figure it will all even out in the end. I was originally going to buy a ford transit high top used for about 25-30k but its hard for me to justify getting allot of accesories i dont want or need. Like navigation and stuff. Even though it probbaly gets better gas milage and has the high roof. It seems like the 5.3l v8 is one of the more durable engines. AWD isnt a priority but being in Missouri and going to allot of creeks that dont get snowplowed very often on dirt/gravel roads it just seems like it would be a wiser choice even though i know Snow tires are good even with rwd vehicles. I do love love the ford transit high roof though. And i will be putting a high roof on the chevy express if i get it. Price wise 4800 for van 3k new motor 3k new transmision eventually and maybe 2k to install a high top so there is 13k roughly over the course of afew years. So i would be potentially saving 10k. Just not sure its wiser to buy one with that many miles or go with the Ford transit high roof. I can even buy a newer Chevy express with 50k miles on it but they dont have AWD.
Stanvan
Well-known member
And FYI, AWD means all 4 tires must match. Size, Make/model, and mileage (to a certain point. If you need to replace one, you can do it if there's less than 10k on the others)
ratfink56
Well-known member
No way would I replace the engine/trans just because. I've worked at a Chevrolet dealer for 21 years. The 5.3 is one of the best in the business, often running 300k and beyond. Until the flex fuel engines with cylinder deactivation. They are junk.
With proper maintenance the trannys are almost as good. I'd recommend flushing, or changing, all the fluids and drive it. If and when something goes wrong you normally have plenty of warning.
With proper maintenance the trannys are almost as good. I'd recommend flushing, or changing, all the fluids and drive it. If and when something goes wrong you normally have plenty of warning.
ratfink56 said:
If the tranny fluid hasn't been regularly changed over the years, doing the flush service on a high mileage van can mean death for that tranny. Google "tranny fails after flushing"...there are differing opinions but it seems to happen a lot.
x2 on not getting a new engine right away. I would look for a lower mileage, better vehicle with that extra $3000+ you would spend. Plus, the quality of some rebuilds isn't so good and collecting on warranties can be iffy.
slow2day said:
Thanks for all the replys. I was meaning only replace it when it went bad. But i found another van with a high top already put on it. Its a 2005 chevy express 3500 6.0 engine with only 83k miles on it in very good condition for 9 thousand. Seems like the better deal than the AWD.
Minqua said:Thanks for all the replys. I was meaning only replace it when it went bad. But i found another van with a high top already put on it. Its a 2005 chevy express 3500 6.0 engine with only 83k miles on it in very good condition for 9 thousand. Seems like the better deal than the AWD.
Actually the one thing i am concerned about is its a 4 speed. Not sure that will be the best goinup and down hills in missouri for MPG.
Stanvan
Well-known member
If traction is a concern, you might want to consider this thread. It's 9 pages, but worth the read.
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=25715
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=25715
accrete
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Just a ramble as i pass through the forum...
I'll chime in as i do have a 2010 Chevy Express AWD (which is for sale...but in the mid $30K asking price as it is a nice conversion and only 47K miles).
So yes on the milage hit, loaded ready for ~2wks of camping for two peeps we get ~15mpg~ in the 5.3L V8. Not bad for a rolling studio apartment in our opinion!
Yes on four (near) matching tires. We put upsized (265 70r 17) All Season E rated radials and the rig drives great, never had any road hazards or crazy wear. We are religious at getting them rotated/balanced every ~5K miles.
Standing height? Ours has 5'10" to the drop-headliner with the fiberine top that was professionally installed.
: ) Thom
I'll chime in as i do have a 2010 Chevy Express AWD (which is for sale...but in the mid $30K asking price as it is a nice conversion and only 47K miles).
So yes on the milage hit, loaded ready for ~2wks of camping for two peeps we get ~15mpg~ in the 5.3L V8. Not bad for a rolling studio apartment in our opinion!
Yes on four (near) matching tires. We put upsized (265 70r 17) All Season E rated radials and the rig drives great, never had any road hazards or crazy wear. We are religious at getting them rotated/balanced every ~5K miles.
Standing height? Ours has 5'10" to the drop-headliner with the fiberine top that was professionally installed.
: ) Thom
One thing to remember on all wheel drive is a computer decides which tire power goes to and it makes it assumes your tire pressure is at manufactures suggested level. If your tires are over or under inflated it make bad decisions, and you are in for an expense repair, I found out the hard way.
JD GUMBEE
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Minqua said:
Unless it has been abused or overheated, that motor should not have troubles @ that mileage.
Have you looked into what it costs for an engine swap?? Those are a pain in the ass to swap.
If the mileage scares you on the van, I strongly suggest passing on it and just buying one with lower miles on it.
Unless the thing has low compression, knocking or burning major oil, you need not worry. They run for a lot further than that.
The Achilles heel on that is actually the transmission. Not because it is terrible...but as you get past 175,000 the trans is much more likely to have issues than the engine.
On that one, because it is AWD, the trans is not as common, so a rebuild would cost more than a regular 2wd.
The price is good if the thing is in good shape without having had ten owners.
I would suggest having the trans flushed and filled again with synthetic. (Amsoil is the #1 fluid to get.)
The trans filter is not what I mean, BTW.
The flush...or "pump-through" means they remove one of the cooler lines and feed the trans with a barrel of new fluid.
Then they start your van. When the color of the fluid coming out changes to gloss pink, (the color of the new stuff) all your fluid has been replaced. This is a MUCH better service than the standard way.
When they do it the old fashioned way by dropping the pan and changing the filter, half your trans fluid never comes out, because it is stuck in the tq converter.
The filter does not need to be changed. That was factory filled with synthetic, which does NOT leave deposits behind.
(The filter is nothing but a screen anyway. Even when they come apart after 250K of very hard use, the filter (screens) are not plugged.)
That is a pretty decent setup for AWD. You don't even know it is there and depending on which options you have, it may be one that will divert power to the wheel with traction.
(GM had "Stabilitrac" back then. Not sure if the van you speak of has it or not. Mine did not.)
The one I had would give me 17 MPG HWY if I was paying close attention to my right foot and driving mellow...and had more power than you would ever need.
Mine had no hightop though, so the numbers being reported are right in the range.
Keep in mind, this is a highway AWD. Not the same thing exactly as an off-road vehicle. You won't want to "mud-bog" it. Not made for that.
For dirt road terrain and snow situations, it was one of the best 4WD/AWD I ever owned. Super smooth without anything to switch or worry about.
The new owner has 210,000+ on my old van now and it is still going strong.
A starter, a couple of minor front end steering parts and U-joints is all that has gone wrong.
Again, that motor should go another 100K if it was treated decently.
JD GUMBEE
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Minqua said:
That should be the big auto. (Used to be called an "L80.")
At 125,000 or so, have it flushed. Besides that, you should be set.
They put 1,000 HP turbocharged drag motors through those transmissions. Unless you run it out of fluid or overheat the thing...it is very unlikely you will ever have a problem.
That engine does not know what a hill is. Neither does that chassis/brakes on the way back down. That engine has more power than big block 454's that power 34 foot class A RV's.
You will find it a joy to drive.
If the ride is too rough for you, tires can make a huge difference.
Expect 15-17 highway MPG.
E85 has been an answer to some people with that drive-train combo.
Minqua said:
Well i bought the van and it is in extremly great condition. 1 rust spot on th side. Underneath looks good no oil leaks or anything. Drove 70 all the way back and it drove like a dream. A little wobbly when the wind picked up but not bad. The inside is 6foot exactly but the guy put 2 inches of plywood on the floor for some reason so it will be 6.2 foot when i take them out. So far it gets 14-15 mpg and that was with me gunning it allot just to test it out. It suprisingly has good passing speed. It will speed up allot quicker than i thought it would.
How do i find out what exact engine it is so i know if its that big auto you wee talking about?
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