Hello again: looking at used vans

[akrvbob]

First, the price is ridiculous!!! But even worse it has the 4.3 V6 which is the engine in the Astro. It will be a nightmare in a 3/4 ton!!!!

Run away, run far, far away as fast as you can!!
Bob

 

[muddy]

Thanks. I did not know about the difference in the engines (shows how much I know about vans, or vehicles in general).

 

[Almost There]

The 'Overview' says it's an 8 cylinder, the 'model' details show a 6 so who knows what's actually in it. Gas mileage as stated is what I'm getting with the 5.7L engine in my 3/4 ton.

I agree with Bob that the small 6 is totally underpowered for in a 3/4 ton van...it's underpowered IMO for in anything but an Astro.

And the price is way out of whack. I bought my 2002 GMC 3/4 ton WITH the high top 2 years ago with less mileage than that one has for less than half what they are asking. And that's here in Canada where we pay through the nose for everything.

 

[muddy]

I've been having a heck of a time finding vans that aren't pretty high mileage and beat up. What should my budget be like for a Chevy/GMC that has no major maintenance issues coming up? I will not be towing anything.

 

[29chico]

I've been having a heck of a time finding vans that aren't pretty high mileage and beat up. What should my budget be like for a Chevy/GMC that has no major maintenance issues coming up? I will not be towing anything.

I would focus more on repair issues popping up rather than regular maintenance costs.

I looked and Penske has a $2000 off sale on now that includes cargo vans. 

For example the Penske Unit #598434 : 2010 Savana extended one ton van.  It has the 4.8L engine and the six speed auto & 85,346 miles.  $15,750 after the discount.  

While the G2500's should be cheaper, the G3500's have better brakes & cooling and drive better.  So safer and more durable.  My research, and personal experience, makes me think that the internet chat on these recent GM vans that the one tons get a bit better highway mileage than the 3/4 ton units is probably right.  Most likely due to less stringent emissions requirements on the heavier chassis.

My 2012 G3500 extended (model #G33705) gets stunningly good highway mileage when driven for fuel economy.  So much so that I usually don't post it's mileage for fear of not being taken seriously.

Do not by a Penske van from a re-seller.  Any sound unit is sold directly by Penske, the questionable units are auctioned off.

 

[muddy]

I may very well end up taking the Penske route. There don't seem to be any vans in Texas for some reason, but there are a few in places where I could stay with friends and family.

 

[muddy]

Looking through them now. What's driving one of those extended vans on forest roads like? Doable?

 

[Temporarydweller]

Alright, been a few weeks since I have been able to seriously look at vehicles. Finished up my contract and I have a bit more cash on hand now, and plenty of free time. I test drove a few this week but nothing stuck out to me.

2001 Chevy Express - 75k - $9k

Any strong feelings about this van?

I work at a GM dealership and according to the VIN breakdown, this van has the 5.7 V8 and  4L80E heavier duty transmission.  I would say whoever did the ad made a huge mistake.  So don't shy away from it based entirely off of the 4.3 engine listing. But feel free to shy away from it based on the price. 

VIN: 1GCGG25R211109276
VIN
Code Description
1 U.S. BUILT
G GENERAL MOTORS
C CHEV TRUCK
G GVWR RANGE 8001-9000 BRAKE SYSTEM - HYD
G2 EXPRESS, SAVANA 4 X 2, 2500 (3/4 TON)
5 VAN (EXPRESS,SAVANA,ASTRO,SAFARI)
R ENG OPT - L31 DISPL(L) - 5.7 CYL - V8 FUEL SYS - CPI PROD IN - U.S.
2 CHECK DIGIT
1 2001 MODEL YEAR
1 OSHAWA (T&B) ON
1 WENTZVILLE (T&B) MO
1 OSHAWA #2 ON
109276 SERIAL NUMBER
© 2016 General Motors
VIN: 1GCGG25R211109276
RPO
Code Description
1SA PACKAGE-OPTION 01
50U EXTERIOR COLOR ,PRIMARY,OLYMPIC WHITE
6XA SPRING COMPTR SELECT FRT LH
7XA SPRING COMPTR SELECT FRT RH
92I INTERIOR TRIM SHALE/PEWTER
92W TRIM COMBINATION VINYL, MED DK PEWTER (W) (97)
A12 WINDOW,FIXED,REAR DOOR
A13 WINDOW,SIDE DOOR GLASS,FIXED
AJ3 RESTRAINT SYSTEM,FRONT SEAT INFLATABLE
AR7 SEAT FRT BKT, STANDARD
B38 COVERING FLOOR VINYL, FRONT AND REAR, FULL WIDTH
B3P BAILMENT COMMERCIAL
C60 AIR CONDITIONER,FRONT,MANUAL CONTROLS
C6P GVW RATING 8, 600 LBS/3, 900 KG
DE2 MIRROR,OUTSIDE,LH & RH,DIRECT CONTROL,FOLDING,PAINTED
E24 DOOR,HINGED SIDE REAR CARGO/SEAT ACCESS
FE9 FEDERAL EMISSION CERTIFICATION
GT4 AXLE,REAR,3.73 RATIO
JD7 BRAKE SYSTEM,HYDRAULIC POWER DISC,DRUM
K68 GENERATOR,105 AMPERE
KC4 COOLING SYSTEM,ENGINE OIL
KD1 COOLING SYSTEM,TRANSMISSION OIL
L31 ENGINE,GAS,8 CYL,5.7L,CPI
MT1 TRANSMISSION,AUTO,4-SPD,THM-R2(4L80-E)
NA4 EMISSION SYSTEM,ABOVE 8500 LB GVW
NF2 EMISSION SYSTEM,FEDERAL,TIER 1
R9Z CONTROL - SALES ITEM NO. 100
SLM STOCK ORDERS
U73 ANTENNA,FIXED
UM7 RADIO,AM/FM STEREO,ETR,CLOCK
UP8 RADIO,PROVISIONS FOR STEREO INSTRUMENTATION
V14 COOLER,OIL,TRANSMISSION,AUXILIARY
V73 VEHICLE STATEMENT - US/CANADA
VK3 LICENSE PLATE,FRONT MOUNTING PACKAGE
VXS LABEL COMPLETE VEHICLE
WEN PLANT CODE - WENTZVILLE, MO, BOC
X88 MARKET BRAND CHEVROLET
XHF TIRE FRONT LT225/75R16/E BL R/PE ST ALS(9591204)
YD3 AXLE FRONT (BASE EQUIP) FOR SCHEDULING GVW PLATE
YD5 SPRING,FRONT(BASE EQUIPMENT)
YD6 SPRING,REAR(BASE EQUIPMENT)
YHF TIRE REAR LT225/75R16/E BL R/PE ST ALS(9591204)
ZHF TIRE SPARE LT225/75R16/E BL R/PE ST ALS(9591204)
ZW3 WINDOW PACKAGE SIDE RR DOOR
ZW9 BASE BODY OR CHASSIS
Code Description
ZX2 SEATING ARRANGEMENT,DRIVER & PASS HIGH BACK
ZY1 COLOR COMBINATION SOLID

 

[29chico]

Looking through them now. What's driving one of those extended vans on forest roads like? Doable?

I discovered how sweet the extended current GM 3/4 & one ton vans are last spring when on vacation around the southwest.  I had to rent a 2014 G2500 extended Express to continue the trip when my vehicle had a strange issue.  Paid for the full damage waiver and drove it like a rental on plenty of rough dirt roads.  I was the loose nut behind the steering wheel. Thought that I might bottom out between the wheels with the long wheelbase, it did not happen.  Did not even manage to knock the front end alignment out, it drove straight and true when I returned it.  Impressive.

The long wheelbase made the ride much better on rough and washboard roads.  The fuel economy was great.  The only thing that I did not like was the too soft suspension.  That is one of the reasons that I upgraded to the GMC G3500 van when I bought from Penske.

I am going to have a Detroit Truetrac limited slip diff installed in the rear axle soon.

 

[muddy]

Thanks temporarydweller and chico. I am probably gonna go through with this, I just need to get on the phone with the Penske people.

I wish I hadn't written off flying out of state so quickly actually.

Just a heads up to others, pay attention to diesel v gas on Penske's site if you only want one or the other. They do have both.

 

[muddy]

Just got off the phone with Penske and here are a couple questions I had answered.

(1) To organize an inspection, you just call the hotline number (I thought maybe there would be a local number for the specific Penske lot, but nope).
(2) Purchase typically takes 2-3 weeks from offer acceptance so if you are flying out to get it, there is plenty of time to find a reasonably priced plane ticket and a couch to crash on.
(3) They come with a 15-day guarantee where you can take it to them and they will look at it if you have issues. They offer 6-month, 1-year and 2-year warranties for purchase.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

A couple of years back, I looked into buying a box van from Budget.  Budget would allow you to RENT the van you were interested in buying, drive it as much as you want, take it to your own mechanic, and so on.  You could keep it for up to 3 days, and if you bought it, the rental was free.  If you decided you didn't want it, you just paid the regular rental fee. 

Unfortunately, they don't seem to have any regular vans for sale right now, only box vans.

 

[muddy]

Yeah I checked through Ryder, UHaul etc and most have few to zero normal cargo vans.

 

[muddy]

Well it seems that barring some kind of last minute issue, the van situation is now resolved. Thanks very much to everyone who took the time to educate me and especially 29chico for the winning submission (I went with Penske).

 

[muddy]

Needless to say there is a beer on me if anyone from this thread meets up with me IRL...