How old is your van?

[NWShortyFord]

I am very curious. How old/what year are all of our respective vans. I know that clearly most people prefer to live in a more modern environment. My van is 40 years old. I was wondering what all of our vans age was. I am a classic car lover, I wouldn't want a new rig, many people do. Lets all post up what we got, I like to hear about all of our rigs. In fact it is neat to see how different we all do the "van life" thing. I will hopefully have pics this weekend, have to borrow a camera.

 

[Howiet]

I am very curious.  How old/what year are all of our respective vans.  I know that clearly most people prefer to live in a more modern environment.  My van is 40 years old.  I was wondering what all of our vans age was.  I am a classic car lover, I wouldn't want a new rig, many people do.  Lets all post up what we got, I like to hear about all of our rigs.  In fact it is neat to see how different we all do the "van life" thing. I will hopefully have pics this weekend, have to borrow a camera.

1988  Chevy G20

 

[wagoneer]

2001 Ford E350 7.3 because it can do all that

 

[Magicwolf]

1995 GMC Vandura.

 

[mconlonx]

1998 e350, 5.4 Triton/gas, Stahl utility body, 95k mi.

Because it's freakin' awesome and at the time a better deal than even newer straight cargo vans.

 

[akrvbob]

2001 Chevy Express 3500 extended van--5.7 V8
Bob

 

[Wyatt2]

1994 Dodge B250 Cargo - 108,000km

 

[ahh_me2]

I run a 1982 Dodge 250 Ram Van/slant six engine/short box as a daily driver, and for my van conversion a standard length
1986 Ford Econoline/351 engine with semi extended roof.

 

[minimotos95]

1987 mitsubishi SWB low roof, wow 28 years old, I guess I never really realized how old it was since they still sell the same basic van in NZ using the same block for the 2.4l 4 cylinder.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

2014 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 2500 high roof ext 4 cyl, 8k miles

I still have my 2002 Freightliner Sprinter 2500 ext 5 cyl, 400k miles

 

[gramakittycat]

2003 Ford Windstar minivan!

 

[SoulRaven]

Currently driving:

1986 Dodge Ram 3500, 15 passenger window van converted by me, stock low top, 318, automatic, 15/18 mpg. Factory floor, walls, ceiling, and insulation. Interior built mainly from repurposed household items and kept totally portable. Simply removed all rear seats and moved interior in. Complete with toilet/shower, and designed to never need shore power.

This is the newest of my 3 camper vans, I also have a 1969 Ford w/ pop top, and a hightop 1974 Chevy.

All are road worthy, and totally reliable. I choose which one to drive according to my plans, and switch between them accordingly. Each has their own personality and advantages, and all are designed to never need shore power.

Luckily I have a friend with a big barn to park my collection in.

 

[Theadyn]

1996 Ford E150 conversion van, 5.7 V8 with 117k miles on her. I can almost stand up straight in her.

 

[karl]

I'm a classic fan as well- '80 G10 chevy- aka "the Perfect Storm", and the big house is '87 Chevy based Grumman step van-aka Thirsty.

 

[Seeker]

2006 Chevy Express 2500 6.0 V8.  Really like the towing ability with the 6.0.  Also running oversize tires Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac.  Tires were probably a mistake but I had extra cash at the time and they look bad ass and ride good.

When checking for fit mostly checked left side clearances and all was good.  Found out later if turned fully left will rub sway bar on passenger side.  May have to find offset wheels although its not a problem and I know how far to turn with out the rub.

My vans name hasn't stuck yet.  I mostly call her Honey but sometimes Dusty as she mostly is.  Call her Godzilla when parking in tight spots and The Hog when filling up.
A SEEKER

 

[LeeRevell]

Daily driver: 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT, 3.8L V6. 11 years old.
Project van: 1988 Ford E150 Conversion Van by "Action Vans", 302cu in V8. raised 'mid-top'. 28 years old.

 

[Almost There]

2002 GMC Savana 2500 with high top.

Currently covered in 18" of snow and shall be fondly referred to as 'The Big White Money Pit' until all the work and improvements are done on her. Future travel name to be determined...

 

[sparky1]

My work/ B.O.V. is a 86 G2500, 3 on the floor, dual Batterys & dual heaters.Hidden porty potty, side hinged drop down bed. My other van 1990 G2500,dual battery.porty potty, frige, plastic sink,bench/bed.ready to go.

 

[Reducto]

89 Toyota van with 260k miles. It was the perfect mix of big inside, small outside, weird but still reliable. I wouldn't recommend anything this old for someone not up to doing their own repairs but for me it's perfect.

I may get a newer van someday (NV200's are looking good right now) but in the meantime I'm going to see how long I can keep this old thing going.

 

[Almost There]

Re the bench seat beds that fold out. If you're going to leave it in bed position then the topper might provide you with enough comfort. Be aware of what the upholstery is on the seat though, leather or naughahyde is most likely to cause condensation issues between the topper and the seat.

The bench seats also have a lot of mechanical parts underneath that detract from the placement of storage containers.

If you're going to be returning the unit to seat position, that further detracts from storage and then a place for the mattress topper also has to be found.

Some have found that sleeping on the convertible unit leaves something to be desired, others are fine with it.

The benefit of buying a conversion van is that some of the work has already been done for you. The downside is that some of the work has been done for you and not always to your satisfaction. I find most of the commercially converted vans to have a lot of space taken up in décor with minimal USABLE storage resulting.

Depending on your budget you might be better off buying a completely stripped van and building it from the ground up to your specifications.