minivans?

[Gadget728]

After owning many Astro's, I've camped in them all and loved it. When I go full time, hopefully soon, I've decided to go bigger than the Astro. My ntm 06 Savana high top may not get quite as good of mpg than the Astro, but none of my Astro's got that good of mpg either, lol. My 2000 4.3 got the best 17 mpg ANY kind of driving. The 04 I just traded in for the Savana never got better than 15 mpg.

I'm not sure about the tranny's & rear ends of these large vans, but in my experiences, all my Astro's showed rear end & tranny troubles when you get near 200,000 miles on them. That's still pretty good.
Decide what absolutely has to go with you and then you'll know how big to go.

 

[mayble]

Just curious - have you looked at the Ford Transit Connect, RAM Promaster City or Chevy City Connect?
Minivan mpg & maneuverability in a small cargo van.  More headroom, straight (bare) walls, etc make for an easier conversion.

 

[Kitt]

Just curious - have you looked at the Ford Transit Connect, RAM Promaster City or Chevy City Connect?
Minivan mpg & maneuverability in a small cargo van.  More headroom, straight (bare) walls, etc make for an easier conversion.

I'm on a bit of a budget I can't start saving for a van until I get a second job, and with that a second income that will go into my savings in its entirety. That way I can save up a lot more a lot quicker. I've qualified for a school district job that'll give me summers off and good pay. I should hopefully go in for testing sept. 15. If I still qualify after the test then I can get an interview.

So my projected budget for buying the vehicle is around 5k if I'm buying privately from like craigslist or under 10k if I'm buying from a dealership that can do payments. Depending on the vehicle and 1. What time of year it is (only one income June-August) 2. just how much I'm making a paycheck I might be willing to go up to 15k. No higher than that.

I'm really giving a lot of thought to maybe getting a bigger Chevy passenger van. I'm wanting an English style lab or smooth collie, preferably male, for my future dog and both can get up to 90 pounds.

 

[LadyJo]

Here's a link to an album with a few pictures of my van. It's a work in progress but it does satisfy all of my real needs.  

That's pretty much what I am thinking of for a set up in my Element. The Element is shorter, but doable. I looked at a ton of stuff on line - all complicated without power tools and skills I don't have. Thanks.

 

[BigT]

Here's a link to what you can do with a Ford Transit Connect (hey, what the heck.  Everyone else is plugging their own vans.) 

imo, the high-top helps make up for the smaller size.  :shy:

https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-My-2010-Ford-Transit-Connect-conversion

 

[nahtanoj]

i really like the bed you've got there! i'm just about to rebuild mine and have been looking for ideas. thanks for sharing.
jonathan

 

[NickTheoBennett]

That's pretty much what I am thinking of for a set up in my Element. The Element is shorter, but doable. I looked at a ton of stuff on line - all complicated without power tools and skills I don't have. Thanks.

I'm glad you found some inspiration!  I like to post pictures of mine even though I know it is far from the ideal build for exactly that reason.  Some people don't have the skills/tools/budget for a fancier build and then despair when they see all of these awesome looking vans that they can't replicate.  Sometimes it's perfectly fine to start simple even if it does look a little bit rough.  

It's also still an ever improving process, which I suspect is true for just about everyone.  There's always some small tweak or improvement to be made and once you get out on the road there are plenty of friendly people in the tribe who are willing to lend skills and tools to help with things you can't do for yourself.

 

[ArtW]

I dunno how you folks di it in a TC, the cargo length just would not let me stretch out to sleep

 

[BigT]

I dunno how you folks di it in a TC, the cargo length just would not let me stretch out to sleep

I guess you didn't read the linked build-thread.  I have a folding leaf at the foot of the bed that adds an extra 10" to the length, making the bunk 6' 10" long. 
Even I can stretch out on that. 

 

[ArtW]

you're right, I R lazy, will read entire thread

 

[becida]

Hey y'all! I had some quick questions on minivans! I'd love to hear from you Astro/safari folk, and maybe see some of you conversions! I'm considering which minivan I want to convert.

I'm wanting to do a conversion similar to this one
http://thegroveguy.blogspot.ca/2011/06/toyota-sienna-van-conversion.html

o see if I can get a cot that's a little bit wider, since I am 300 pounds and need a bit more room lmao!

Any ideas, thoughts, or advice is totally welcome!

Over the years I've driven an Astro/Safari van twice, both times "I" had problems with the gas & brake pedal positions. Yes it's a personal problem with me & my feet but it's enough to put that van out of my consideration. 

My last van was/is a 2005 Town & country, I built a bed inside the width of a cot & high enough to store a 10g rubbermaid tote under it. I kept the one back seat on the pass side & the drivers seat. This had the Stow-n-go seats.

I "should" have left the front pass seat, I put a table there to cook on & that didn't work out like I hoped. I do my cooking in the back under the hatch (great when it rains but no real stealth) with a table that comes out from under the bed & is set on the bed.

I use the single retained back seat to sit on when I'm in the van killing time, reading or watching movies. I put a 100w solar panel on the roof (inside to roof rack, most people don't see it even when they are standing next to it), the two 122ah batteries in back where the rear seat used to stow. The solar controller, fuse box & 410w inverter are mounted back there also. Two led lights & two 12v outlets keep everything I use going.

Tight tight tight for living but great for traveling. I'd had a full sized ford van before this one (10' from back doors to front seats).

My plans are to redo the inside. 
Find a front seat, get rid of the seat in back. Redo the bed so it's more like the back seat/bed that you find in a VW Westy (http://www.busdepot.com/98553).

Hope this helps a little. 

Keep in mind that I had redone my full sized Ford van 3 times in less than a year as I used it, have plans to redo the T&C again (right now is #2)  and I still have way too much stuff with me...way too much!

 

[ArtW]

I looked at a T&C today, but couldn't pull the trigger, it just seemed too small (and expensive, and overly complex with power everything, including power flip n fold seats)
it did, however, have an inverter (factory) for a single 115v 150 watt device

 

[introverting]

@Kitt:  There's a guy named Jed who has an Astro van and has many videos, including a recent rebuild which turned out really nice, on YouTube.  His channel is called Into the Mystery 13

 

[becida]

I did a blog explaining how I put solar on my minivan, http://observations-on-the-road.blogspot.com/2016/09/solar-on-mini-van.html . maybe this will help someone...

 

[poprouge]

Here's a link to an album with a few pictures of my van. It's a work in progress but it does satisfy all of my real needs.  

Wow you got a lot more room than I expected.  Thanks for sharing.