Cube or cargo van?

[Guest]

I see so many cube vans for sale and the prices are reasonable, so I am wondering what I am missing. &nbsp;It seems like a cube van would be way nicer for conversion; high ceiling, large space, access from the cab, stealth, rugged, high up for rough roads, nice square box.<br /><br />I must be missing a downside. &nbsp;<br /><br />I really want to bring my kayak along, but don't want to&nbsp;compromise&nbsp;the stealth or shade the solar panels with the boat, so a 14' cube van seems ideal. &nbsp;And with a large truck like this I wouldn't need to buy a cargo trailer for hauling the kayak and tools/etc.

 

[Guest]

Does it have to do with the commercial classification? &nbsp;Insurance?&nbsp;

 

[Guest]

Ok. &nbsp;I just spent the last hour getting passed around Ministry of Transportation departments and I spoke to a couple of insurance brokers. &nbsp;It seems feasible to convert a cube van from a legal standpoint.<br /><br />I'm still looking for the Achilles heel in this plan.

 

[CarCampire]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: black; font-size: 10pt;">I did a lot of research on this myself; but it's from a <strong>stealth point of view</strong> so pardon me if it seems a bit bias here and there.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: black; font-size: 10pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Cube/Box Van pro&rsquo;s/con's &ndash; from a stealth point of view</span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: black; font-size: 10pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana; color: black; font-size: 10pt;">Boondocking &ndash; can only do this in commercial parking lots; like a strip mall, large parking lot or near a hospital, cemetery, ect&hellip; Street parking is a no~go for anything that looks remotely like a truck &ndash; regardless of commercial plates (or so I have read).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Solar panels &ndash; Harder to reach and out of sight from the ground. This is a plus for stealth unless you park near a lot of tall building or raise them up to where you can see &lsquo;em / potential thieves can see them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Space &ndash; Heck yes! You can stand in it, build shelving on the walls, stretch out and fit a LOT more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">MPG &ndash; Sucktastic. Seriously, on a GOOD boxvan, you will be lucky to get 8MGP for a 14&rsquo;. I was looking at 10&rsquo;rs when I did my research on them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Insulation &ndash; Easier to insulate a box than a curvy cargo van but it also requitres more insulation and the metal skin makes it even hotter/colder depending on the temp outside so keep that in mind.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Cargo van Pro&rsquo;s/con's &ndash; from a stealth point of view</span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Boondocking &ndash; Easy as pie. These things can be parked on the street anywhere a car can be. Not to mention the parking is easier.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Solar panels &ndash; They give away stealth and if your thinking of doing the installation yourself&hellip; be REALLY careful &ndash; VERY sharp. Also less room for the panel, you might need a rack on top to attach it to the van.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Space &ndash; A bit cramped, need I say more?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">MPG On newer versions you can get 16-20 MPG, (Sprinter 25 MPG but their hell&rsquo;a expensive), on older 13-16MPG. With a trailer being pulled along as you mentioned, I would assume 12-15MPG depending on weight.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Insulation &ndash; Just make sure you get the vapor barrier right or it will give away your sleeping in your vehicle. I suggest a wall between the drivers area and the back to help hide a tad more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">As I value stealth &ndash; I would suggest the cargo van but that&rsquo;s jut my opinion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: medium;">Box/Cube trucks are cheaper off the bat (mostly because no one can get rid of them after their working days are over and they hold a lot more.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Hope some of this helped. Good luck!</span>

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

For me it would be the MPG and stealth keeping me from a box.&nbsp; Tho in a way it can be better for stealth, you look like a work truck and will less likely to be hassled in anything but a cul de sac <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" />

 

[Pikachu711]

DazarGaiden: That's the primary reason I'm going to go with a cargo van over a Cube truck. The MPG is a major factor when you're considering a vehicle for conversion. As much as I like the space and the ease of conversion due to the square size, the MPG is a big factor.<br /><br />Once in a while there are some step vans, cube trucks, etc. for sale here in Vegas but you do tend any degree of stealth if you plan on spending any time in a city. Plus, some municipalities have a height requirement for parking on city streets. In San Diego it's any vehicle over 8 feet tall is not permitted to park during certain hours of the day. Having a cube truck makes a conversion + parking + poor MPG not the best candidate for a conversion. But if that's what you decide to do, more power to you! That would be a heck of a conversion.

 

[minimotos95]

if i could afford a 4x4 fuso with a box&nbsp;i would much rather have one but that's not happening so i will settle for my tiny 2wd&nbsp;COE that's not a fuso but is a lot more rare...<br />i have heard everything from toyota pick up box trucks&nbsp;to semi sized box trucks(26,000+lb) refered to as "cube vans".<br />i'm not sure at what size they start using semi tires instead of LT tires but semi tires are spendy, i think my old boss spent $400 per tire on his freightliner box truck. just something to consider.