Best Van/Minivan//Station wagon to sleep out of as a courier

[xcross20]

Hey guys im new here and I wanted some tips on the best cars to sleep in while preserving a 20+mpg in the city..

I want to live out of a van or mini Van or wagon but I wanna keep my job while having a minimalist approach to living in the car

I don't need a fancy set up just enough for a mattress some clothes and a few storage containers 


As mentioned I would drive this vehicle a lot so mpg is my first priority then space then I'm 6 feet tall if that helps



Thanks everyone 
Immanuel 

PS my budget is around 3500 for this vehicle 

Thanks everyone

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Welcome xcross!

Over 20 mpg city and under $3500 (model year of vehicle and region where purchased prices may vary):

2002 Subaru Forester
2007 Dodge Caliber
2006 Suzuki Forenza
2005 Volkswagen Passat
Saturn Station wagon
2000 Subaru Legacy
Early model Prius

 

[skyl4rk]

Grand Caravan

 

[sometimesido]

Earlier 4 cylinder Honda Odyssey gets 19mpg city.

Edtied to add early 2000s Mazda MPV. Bigger than some station wagons, smaller than a minivan.

 

[skyl4rk]

We get about 25 mpg with the 3.8 liter V6 in a 2007 Grand Caravan. It has Stow and Go, the seats fold flat and it holds a piece of plywood, so it is about 4'x8' in back. It needs ventilation, adding a roof vent is recommended.

 

[xcross20]

Wow guys this is such great advice thanks so much. The mazda mpg looks interesting and also the earlier version odyssey. I already love this forum.. By the way is there anything made early 90s or 80s that would be good as well mpg wise?

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Is there a reason why you want to go 90s or 80s? Safety factors increase with newer vehicles; insurance costs lessen.

You have to leverage mileage and maintenance. You won't have a big window of inventory opportunity with 80s/90s vehicles. They are out there; may take time to find the diamond.

 

[Gideon33w]

You can pretty much discount every wagon option if you're 6' tall. Even a modern full size wagon (like an early 2000s Taurus wagon) will come up short as far as sleeping space.

That leaves minivans. In the mechanical section I have a write-up on common options that might be helpful. My personal suggestion is a 2001-2003 Ford Windstar. Like most minivans of that era you can expect about 18 city and 22 highway when laden. Keeping in mind that driving style can easily mean 15% up or down on those numbers. Also consider that adding frontal area (by mounting rooftop solar) will affect you highway numbers.

At the end of the day, you will find most people will suggest you suck up the lower mpg numbers and go with a full size van. FAR more reliable, MUCH easier to work on, A LOT more room, and the difference will be that you end up around 15 city and 17 highway or so. That is a whole lot of benefit for a 20% mpg hit.

With the average driver doing 13k miles per year that equates to about 18 gallons of gas more per month. That extra $50 per month will EASILY pay for itself in lower maintenance costs alone.

In other words ... Go with a full size van ...

Is your $3,500 for the vehicle alone or vehicle plus vandwelling build-out?

 

[steamjam1]

I think these mini vans are often over-looked, but a SWB 1996-2005 Dodge Caravan, or Plymouth Voyager with the 2.4L L4 engine. They get 24-28mpg and I know a person 6"2 or so can make a go of sleeping in it. And you can get one in great to excellent condition for under 2G's....

Just like all other Dodge/Plymouth vans, the A404/413/470 transmissions all need an oil cooler to be reliable... But the engine (ala Dodge Neon) is rock reliable if you keep up with the timing belt replacements.. They will go 400,000 miles if you know what your doing...

 

[Gideon33w]

The little EDZ is a solid motor. The opposite for the trans as noted. But, you need a light foot and load if you want to get near those mpg numbers.
Even the bare vehicle is a lot to ask from the 2.4L I4. Add vandwelling type weight and the mpg numbers drop quickly.
Mind you, those vans are rated at 20 city and about 25 highway. Only 1-2mpg more than the same van with the 3.0 v6 or 3.3 v6 options.

At the end of the day, a little poking around at ecomodder.com can go a long way towards improving mpg numbers.

 

[jonsun]

my 2002 grand caravan gets realistic, tested, and proven 15-16mpg town, 18-20 highway.

 

[steamjam1]

The little EDZ is a solid motor. The opposite for the trans as noted. But, you need a light foot and load if you want to get near those mpg numbers.
Even the bare vehicle is a lot to ask from the 2.4L I4. Add vandwelling type weight and the mpg numbers drop quickly.
Mind you, those vans are rated at 20 city and about 25 highway. Only 1-2mpg more than the same van with the 3.0 v6 or 3.3 v6 options.

At the end of the day, a little poking around at ecomodder.com can go a long way towards improving mpg numbers.

Yes. The EDZ and A588 twin cam are excellent engines. The transmissions are highly modified torque-flight automatics.. So all the same rules apply for longevity.. The reason why I exclude the 3.0 and 3.3 is serviceability. The 2.4L is easier to work on when your "in the bush" and yes.. If your going to go van dwelling in a caravan/voyager equipped with the engine.. You going to pack light.. really light.

I have always wanted to experiment with a Caravan/Voyager 4cyl. Add a small (2") lift kit, off road tires and an LSD.. Would it be a half way competent off road camper? We are not talking rock crawling here.. Haha... No just green-laning through not so good trails... Yeah I know.. The gas tanks in these vans are in a sh*t place for off road..

 

[Gideon33w]

I was only bringing up the 3.0 and 3.3 for the mpg perspective. Not really much difference. I wouldn't rock one of those sludge generators.
A real world understanding of the mpg numbers is important. Repairs on a fwd are substantially higher and that eats up mpg savings quick.

For off-road, the early full time awd Astros were beasts with just good tires. Not the greatest fuel economy wise but what is with oversized rubber?

 

[hausmutti]

We get about 25 mpg with the 3.8 liter V6 in a 2007 Grand Caravan.  It has Stow and Go, the seats fold flat and it holds a piece of plywood, so it is about 4'x8' in back.  It needs ventilation, adding a roof vent is recommended.

I have a 2005 Caravan and since the kids are grown, I usually keep the seats stowed.  I've camped in it, hauled drywall and hay bales.  For my size, it seems to be a comfortable fit.

 

[Gideon33w]

If I was really trying to push the mpg issue and was 6' tall I would probably find myself a 2wd Toyota pickup with a 22RE and 5 speed.
Stick a cap on the back, run bucket seats up front so I could have a pass through in between them, and mod from there.
Over 20mpg city no problem, great reliability, lots of parts to play with the vehicle, and a reasonable sized space for living/sleeping.
Plus, it wont have any issue with the extra vandwelling weight compared to a wagon which will likely suffer.

 

[sometimesido]

Over 6 foot tall and go through a small opening in a mini pickup? Sounds painful...

 

[Gideon33w]

No different than trying to deal with a wagon. Which wont even be long enough anyways.

 

[sometimesido]

Heh. Found a pic. I guess it depends on how involved OP wants to get.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/107187329/custom-toyota-chinook

 

[skyl4rk]

I get better gas mileage from my Grand Caravan than I did from my Toyota Pickup.

 

[drysailor]

Hey guys im new here and I wanted some tips on the best cars to sleep in while preserving a 20+mpg in the city..
I want to live out of a van or mini Van or wagon but I wanna keep my job while having a minimalist approach to living in the car
I don't need a fancy set up just enough for a mattress some clothes and a few storage containers 
As mentioned I would drive this vehicle a lot so mpg is my first priority then space then I'm 6 feet tall if that helps

If you're not using the front passenger seat, you can remove it & get 6' of sleeping length in almost any wagon / hatchback.