How much van to buy?

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2011 Chevy Express 2500, 4.8 V8, it is a fleet vehicle, basic work van, cargo divider, barn doors, 110,000 miles. It has bins and things I can remove. Someone smoked in it, and on the outside there is a little ding with a little rust. Is the rust fixable? We don't use salt on our roads, (hurts the salmon), but it is awfully wet.


Well, lets see:

The good - fairly new - 2011, 3/4 ton, barn doors. 110,000 miles....a little higher than I would like to see but not bad.

Fleet vehicle - ehhh, maybe well maintained, maybe not, depends on the fleet owner.

My only concern is the 4.8 - I like a little more power in the big vans. When I want to get out of someones' way, I want to know I can do it. Also up long hills when the transports are passing me, not so fond of that.

A little ding with a little rust...not a thing to worry about. I had some minor rust issues that were all below the bottom character line so instead of having the whole thing repainted, the bottom got stoneguarded instead.

Smoke smells can be removed...get yourself a bottle of Mean Green from the Dollar Store, wear a mask cause you'll hurt yourself on the fumes. Wash with disposable cloths cause they'll never come clean. Rinse and repeat until the water doesn't run brown from the nicotine.

Good luck with the mechanical inspection onTuesday!!
 
Sitting at the mechanics shop, nervous as all get out. Car fax records look good. Drives good. Under the hood and on the rack will tell.
 
waldenbound said:
Sitting at the mechanics shop, nervous as all get out. Car fax records look good. Drives good. Under the hood and on the rack will tell.

Don't worry about the power.  The 4.8 engine and the six speed auto transmission deliver plenty of power.   The 4.8 has more horsepower and less torque than Almost There's 2002 van so that is about a wash.  The big advantage is the six speed auto both for performance and fuel economy.   The 4.8 likes to rev and will do so all day long without a whimper.  

If your prospective van has the rocker switch on the handle of the gear selection lever it has manual gear selection mode, a very nice feature.
 
Well, looks like I'm CRVL's newest van owner!

Mechanic said it was in very good shape. I need tires, alignment, and spark plugs, wires and a thermostat.
Thanks AlmostThere and 29chico.
 
You bought a Van and didn't post a picture of it?!?!?
Shame on you!!!

Dave
 
There will be lots of time for pics, got to get it posed nice and proper ;) Start my modification and build log, next summer start a captain's log and actually have something to say, lol.
I do have the manual gear selection, and a backup mirror.
 
Congratulations on the new baby!!.... :D 

New tires are a good thing anyways..that way YOU can choose what goes on!

The rest, well that's almost just regular maintenance stuff anyways!
 
waldenbound said:
Well, looks like I'm CRVL's newest van owner!

Mechanic said it was in very good shape. I need tires, alignment, and spark plugs, wires and a thermostat.

Well, if you're planning to spend any amount of time boondocking off-pavement, I would recommend that you get good street tires for the front for steering, and put good off-road tires on the back for better traction off-pavement.  You'll be way less likely to get stuck that way.
 
Sounds like a good find. The shelves and bins removal will be a workout. Did that just yesterday myself.
 
congratz, like Almost there said, smoke smells can be removed, just clean the hell out of the interior, febreeze any fabric, ans Ozium works well to mask the odor in the meantime
 
I say go for it, I have purchased many vehicles over the years, some were knee jerk reaction, others practical, some I broke even on most lost money re-selling, one thing I have learned in all these years, follow your heart, you will make mistakes but you will also get lucky. I don't care how good a mechanic is. Most vehicles early on I paid under 1500 for when I knew what I wanted from all this experience I plunked real money and got the right deal. I feel for you, but ye gotta get your feet wet sooner the better.

Darn it gotta remember to read the entire post before responding, glad you jumped in (and I love my dentist by the way)
 

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