I'm going to check out this van tomorrow

[MrNoodly]

I found another of the Chevy box trucks with the side door and windows, only this one is white and has a gasoline engine. But it's not cheap. 2003, 14k miles, $19k. Ouch.<br><br>

<br><br>UPDATE: I have since learned the interior measurements of the back. 10' 3" L x 6' 6" W x 5' 11" H. So while a full size mattress would fit widthwise, I'd need to stoop just a little when standing. Still, that's better than in a standard van. And the straight sides make it easier to build out.

 

[Ballenxj]

It looks good, but 19K? That "does" sound steep. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

So, here's where I am on this today.<br><br>

<br><br>It's like the one in the earlier post, but a couple inches taller and a few inches shorter. Oh, and <em>thousands</em> less. It's a retired U-Haul truck. There are lots of them available. Ten years old, slightly more than 100k miles.<br><br>I'd cut open the wall between the cab and box. I'd prefer swinging doors in the back, but not enough to pay an extra $10k.

 

[Ballenxj]

Did you buy it? <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

Soon. I think.

 

[Ballenxj]

Good luck. Post here if you get it. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

I went to see the retired U-Haul trucks. They seemed in pretty good mechanical shape and the cab wasn't all buggered up. The driver seat upholstery was fine. All the knobs and switches were there and worked, though the heater/AC blower made a low growling noise. There was a lot of play in the brake pedal, but some of the slack went away once the engine was started. I'd have the brakes serviced anyway. No drips or wet oil underneath.<br><br>I can stand straight inside where the roll-up back door isn't. The door takes away about 4" when it's open.<br><br>I knew the trucks wouldn't be pristine, that there would be dings and chips, particularly around the rear door. There were, and many of them had litte stickers U-Haul uses to mark existing damage. I was hoping for no major dents. There were none. One truck had a small patch on the leading edge of the hood where the paint had flaked off, but that's common with high mileage cargo vans. The manufacturers don't give work trucks the best paint jobs. And whatever U-Haul used to paint/cover the lower bumper white was pretty scabby.<br><br>I had wondered what they did about the U-Haul graphics. Well, on the box they just covered the old vinyl wrap with all-white wrap. You can see the raised edges of the old graphics underneath. And on the fenders and cab doors they just peeled and scraped them off, leaving adhesive residue. (On one, the bozo removing the graphics scratched the hell out of the paint.)&nbsp;<br><br>

<br><br>The adhesive can be removed without much trouble, along with various safety stickers. I'm wondering about the box, though. One school of thought might say to leave it like it is, that it looks like the truck belongs to someone who cares more about getting work done than about non-moneymaking things like appearance. "Yeah, it's an old U-Haul van. So what." Another school of thought might say that in order not to upset uptight locals when you stealth camp in nicer neighborhoods, your rig should look as nice as possible.&nbsp;My personal tastes wish there was no evidence of the graphics, but I don't want to put much money into doing something about it. If a heat gun and a lot of manual labor will get rid of them, I'm willing to try.<br><br>The manager said there was some negotiating room on the price.<br><br>I like the format of 10 ft. box trucks. Though the interior is just a little shorter than regular vans, the straight sides and extra height more than make up for it. I think it's a better package than adding a high top to a van. It's 13 ft. tall (without racks or solar), so there will be some urban parking garages I won't be able to use. But I think being able to stand is worth it.

 

[Ballenxj]

I too have considered U-Haul/Ryder box trucks, and the height inside the box is what makes it appealing to me as well.&nbsp; <br>Another plus would be the heavy frame where you might have more room to fabricate a box for house batteries. I would prefer them outside. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img">&nbsp; <br>Any word on the average price? <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

The asking prices for the ones in my area have been like $6,750 for '03s and $7,250 for '04s. If you google U-Haul truck sales, you can find out what's available near you when you enter your ZIP code.

 

[Ballenxj]

Thanks, I'll look into that. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"><br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

I'm driving 6 hours Saturday to go check out my new top candidate.<br><br>

<br><br>This has four things the retired U-haul doesn't: the aero nose, roof racks, swinging back door and there's already a climb through. The mileage is a little higher, though.

 

[Ballenxj]

Looks like it may have been a Plumbers service truck. Check it over carefully as some of those monkeys beat the poo out of their trucks. <br>Other than that it looks good. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

That was a long drive just to be disappointed.<br><br>Whatever the Ford box truck had been used for in it's previous life, it involved something wet and drippy and probably salty. A fish monger, perhaps? There was rust all over the back of the truck from the bottom of the door on down. There was a 2" x 8" paint flake on the driveway. I could tell where it had fallen from the bumper. And the back door hinges were rusted, too. Oh, and rust on the roof racks. There was even rust coming out of old bolt holes in the wood &amp; fiberglass side walls. But the tires had been Armor All-ed and it had just passed inspection, so what more could I want? I could want, after driving six hours, for the seller to not keep me waiting another half hour. Such is Craig's List shopping.

 

[Ballenxj]

Sorry to hear it turned out to be a rust bucket. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>Gotta just keep looking. You'll find the right one eventually. <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

I made another schlep today. This time only 166 miles and back. A guy had a '99 extended Express with about 110K miles, a rebuilt transmission, it's partially wired for 110V electricity and has some track lights. Nothing terribly wrong with it. A little slop in the steering and it's time for new tires. It has had at least two cheap paint jobs, there are some wavy areas in the side panels and the guy is a smoker, so the headliner and seats stink. It has swinging doors on the side, which I prefer. Windows on the side doors and on the back, which I also prefer. New windshield (the guy is an auto glass man). It's a solid maybe at the moment. I'm still thinking about the retired U-Haul boxtruck, too, and ways to replace the roll-up door with something else.<br><br>Oh, and when driving the thing I had no sense of the wheelbase being too long. All turns were made easily, including a corner that was tighter than 90 degrees. I even made a tight loop in a parking lot. So that concern is gone.

 

[wagoneer]

Mr. noodly git yer feet wet if yer know what I mean, dive in de pool. QUOTE ME...

 

[Ballenxj]

I hope this new find turns out OK. That person was a smoker? I wouldn't like that either but I would bet that Fabreeze might help. <br>-Bruce

 

[MrNoodly]

It's interesting to drive and compare vans. Today I checked out two extended Express 3500's. On the older one with fewer miles the steering was loose and imprecise, and it was no jack rabbit from traffic lights. But that's to be expected with big van, right? Especially compared to my Civic. There was flaking paint on the front.<br><br>When I got in the newer one with higher milage the steering was much crisper, and&nbsp;the way it pulled strongly from stops&nbsp;made me think it had the 6.0 engine instead of the 4.8. But the salesman confirmed it had a 4.8L engine. Interesting. This one is at the top of my list even though it needs new tires all around. The paint is all good, though.<br><br>As for the longer wheelbase compared to other extended vans, I easily did a U turn in a suburban intersection. Crank the wheel and around she goes.<br><br>Earlier I called a dealer about a clean low mileage Express he'd advertised on Craigslist. It was still available. But I got there one minute too late. Another guy was just taking it for a test drive as I walked in. He came back and bought it. Oh well.<br><br>I'm looking at another one tomorrow morning. It's not extended, so it will need to be fantastic for me to choose it over the one I drove today.<br><br>I also drove a windowless van. Man, <em>that</em> would take some geting used to. And it felt like a tomb in back.<br><br>Anyway, I've sold the house and I need to be on the road at the end of June.<br><br><br>

 

[MrNoodly]

After all the running around all over the Southeast and considering different styles of vans, I finally picked one. I get it Thursday. <br><br>I laugh at myself, because it's just a basic standard length '08 Express. But it has only a bit more than 100k miles and is in great mechanical shape. I'm buying it from the owner of a security systems company. Being the proprietor, he took good care of the van. It wasn't beat up by chuckleheaded employees thinking, "Screw it, it's not <em>my</em> truck." <br><br>There are some Adrian shelves/lockers that I might repurpose, and a swing-down ladder rack that would let me tilt a solar panel for the winter sun. There are no windows on the side, making insulation and privacy easier. I wanted swinging side doors, but I can live with the slider. The side and back doors have interior panels.&nbsp;There are no loose door seals.&nbsp;&nbsp;he back windows have perforated white vinyl on them and security mesh. The rubber floor mat has a fiber backing and isn't damaged or bunched up. Unlike many vans I saw, the jack and tire iron are in place and there's actually a spare tire. (Imagine that!) It will need new tires. There's no flaking paint, no dents.<br><br>Having the van will make emptying the house easier. Boxes of books to the library, cans of paint and petrochemicals to the recycler, furnishings to friends/buyers/charities/dump...<br><br>I turn the house over to the new owner at the end of the month. My build out won't be done by then, but a friend is letting me crash at his place while I finish it.<br><br>Whee!

 

[wagoneer]

Good to see you have landed something., sounds like a great fit. newer is good.