Advice on years and mileage price

[vanbytheriverguy]

Hello all, 

So to jump right to it, I don't know a whole lot about cars and vans but have been wanting to do this a long time now so am gonna take the plunge soon.  

My goal for the van is to live around the city I work and cut my rent way down. I already know a couple good spots to park that wont give me any problems. I will prob take it on some road trips but thats further down the line. 

I am looking at converting a chevy express hightop. I don't mind doing the work. The problem is I have no idea what is a good year and price for them. 

My budget is pretty good as I earn good cash. Im thinking between 10-15k on the buy. I know I want to go newer for reliability issues, but just don't know how new to go and pay.  

Can anyone give me a idea of how much a van should cost with a certain amount of mileage for chevy.  
Is there a general rule I can follow? Like, 100k miles on anything older than ten years should be in the range x - x ?

Sorry the very newbie question.

Thanks

 

[ArtW]

Bob Wells found a really nice Chevy Express for $18k or so that was still in warranty, not a high top though.
Problem is, geographical location plays a big part in 'reasonable' prices for vehicles
I bought a 30 year old van for 2k, but not high top, and I'm in Texas, and I know my way around an engine compartment
Sorry I can't be more help, I'm sure others will chime in soon

 

[John61CT]

Yes be willing to travel if you spot a killer deal.

The hugest chunk of depreciation happens in the first couple of years, so under say 20-30,000 miles as new as possible would be great to shoot for, and with luck and persistence available for under half the new price.

Even within warrantee, a business going under, lease default or repo through the dealer network.

But I prefer going private direct, just need a trusted mechanic to inspect it for you before you close.

 

[Gary68]

chevy express 2003 on with 4.8 or 5.3 engines,i regularly see them with 200k plus

a high top one will be hard to find but do come up from time to time

hire a certified mechanic to do a full inspection before buying

 

[mayble]

A $10k van in your area will be different than a $10k van in my neck of the woods.
Start scanning craigslist and dealer lots in our area for vehicles in the $10k-15k range and see what you find.  Get behind the wheel of as many as you can.
If you get discouraged, either raise your price range or lower your expectations.

 

[jonsun]

a 3 year old van will need a bunch of stuff. a 20 year old van might need a bunch of stuff. You never really know.

What I would do is buy a 5-10 year old van with higher miles and save the rest of the money for repairs

 

[Dgorila1]

a 3 year old van  will need a bunch of stuff. a 20 year old van might need a bunch of stuff. You never really know.

What I would do is buy a 5-10 year old van with higher miles and save the rest of the money for repairs

Repairs and possibly a high top install, since it's hard to find a hightop express. Not impossible, but may make sense to buy a nice regular top if you find one and pay for the high top install.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Well, as others have said, it's hard to correlate price to year or mileage, that varies a lot by location.

My general rule of thumb is that a vehicle depreciates the most in the first 3 or 4 years or so.  So if you can find a van between 3 and 5 years old with 40 to 60 thousand miles on it, it should still be in pretty good shape (assuming routine maintenance was done), it should be good for another 100,000 relatively trouble free miles, and somebody else ate the worst of the depreciation, which makes it a pretty good buy.  Especially if it still has a transferable factory warranty left . . .

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Location determines resale costs. Some people have to travel for that diamond deal. Ask around; churches, place an ad "ISO" in search of, check with dealerships...they may get a trade-in however broker it out not selling on their lot (if you tell them you're looking they may hold one for ya'...just a thought).

 

[akrvbob]

Try to get a 2011 or newer so you can get the 6 speed transmission, it's worth it. I had my best luck with autotrader.com. It depends on where you are at, but you can probably get a high top put on easier than searching for one already installed.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Thanks Shepherd Bob!