Looking To Buy

[Clear To Land]

Hi everyone. I am new here and looking to gain some education before I jump into this. I pretty well know what I am looking for, but it's been a nightmare trying to find a used van with the options on it that I desire. Then, of course, there is also the issue of looking at the pictures and reading the descriptions that are listed. So far, it has turned out to be like looking at homes on realtor.com. They look and sound real nice until I actually go to see the vehicle and it's like someone did a lot of photo shopping the pictures before they posted them or they switched vans on me. 

I am looking for a 2008-2012 GMC Savana 1500 or Chevrolet Express 1500 conversion van. Those vans are easy to find, but when I add on my desired options, that's when things go south. I want the van to be smoke and pet odor free. As for options, it should have 20" or 17" tires (wheels), GPS with Backup Camera, Leather Interior, Third Row Seat Should Slide Into A Bed, Front & Rear Heat & A/C, Body Free of Any Huge Dents, No Rips In Interior Seating, Blue Tooth Headphones and the Carpets Should be Absolutely Clean. Also, the van should have fewer than 100,000 miles on it.  

I have found some with all of the bells and whistles that I described, but the prices have been absurd. For example; I found two 2011 GMC Savana 1500 vans with everything on it that I have described. One was priced at $37,000.00 and the other was priced at $24,000.00. All of the pictures looked really good, but when the prices become that much different, I become very skeptical. 

I am a former airline pilot, so I get to travel for free. I have made a few trips to look at vans that were "supposed" to be absolutely perfect or in cream puff condition, only to be sadly disappointed. So, any suggestions on how to solve this problem?

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Keep looking, patient and persistent.
Widen your search area.
Compromise.
Find comparable alternatives.
Build out a base van the way you want it.

 

[DannyB1954]

If you plan on doing a full build, a 1/2 ton vehicle will soon reach it's maximum take off weight. Water, fuel, batteries, camping and cooking gear, coolers, etc. If you press the limit, you may get away with it until you are in less than perfect circumstances, (like trying to stop while going down hill).

 

[Jacksonricher]

Conversion vans are all way over priced and rode hard. Usually a family owned them and played hard in them. Designed for comfort freeway drive to Grandma's home on the weekend. Not designed for a dirt road or extra weight.

Find a used cargo van for a third and build it exactly to your desire and buy a 3/4 ton at least.

 

[johnny b]

17" or 20" wheels--not a good choice...short, stiff sidewalls & wide tread give poor ride, lower mpg and are more susceptible to damage. One good pothole and you've dinged or broken a rim. 16" wheel with 75 series LT tires are the way to go.

Ever sleep on a fold down bench seat/bed?....not something I'd want to do regularly.

Rear heat/AC? as in OEM?...are you planning to run your engine while parked and hanging out or sleeping in back?
Bad idea....carbon monoxide=death!

Headphones? Really? I wouldn't want somebody's old headphones...I don't know where their ears have been....you want everything else 'pristine' but you'll wear old used headphones! :s The airlines use disposables for a reason.

Compromise is key to 'used van' success...get a solid ride, then outfit it to suit your needs.

 

[Almost There]

If that's what you really, really want then you're just going to have to be really, really patient!

About the only thing I'd want out of that whole list is the mfr....the GMC/Chev platform are the best IMO.

If you're planning on full-time living in it the rest of your specs need to be re-examined.

The conversion vans only have a sitting height, not standing height. The 'high top' is only a mid top. My 24" high top gives me a 6'2" standing height with the floor and ceiling finishes I installed.

As Danny said, the 1500 (1/2ton) series is going to be a little light on carrying weight when you add all the interior and equipment.

The fold down beds are notorious for being uncomfortable and unless you're 5'4" or less, sleeping across the width of the van is going to be even more uncomfortable.

The vast majority of those that full-time and bought a conversion van soon tear out most if not all of the interior and start over again from scratch. Better to buy a cargo or window van that meets the rest of the criteria and do it yourself. Takes a little bit more time and effort but less money and you get what you truly want instead of adjusting your needs to the manufacturers' vision of what the customer needs.

The conversion vans were built mainly to appeal to the family weekend and vacation travellers who wanted luxury comfort for the rear passengers including tv and game devices, etc. etc.

 

[highdesertranger]

17 inch tires are available in a wide verity of configurations. basically anything you want from pavement princess profile to Baja racing to rock crawling. however 17's cost considerably more money then 16's and you can get anything in a 16, something to keep in mind. as for 20's, why? 20's are strictly in the pavement princess category and very expensive at that. highdesertranger