Need advice!

[RandaOnTheRoad]

Been browsing for my future home
As I'm looking it's hard for me to decide which is best, or to envision the inside being completely changed. Which vehicle is best for reliability, space, and stealth all together in your opinion??

 

[ramblingvanman]

IMO, you will not get a spacious stealthy vehicle. Those two are a trade off, one for the other. As for reliability, you can't go wrong with a Ford 300 straight 6 and a C6 transmission. Unfortunately, they seem extremely rare these days.

 

[Gary68]

a sprinter

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Without trying to pry too much into your personal business, you really need to give us SOME kind of idea of your budget.

How much can you afford to spend on the initial purchase?

How much can you afford to spend on any needed repairs and whatever modifications you want to make to the vehicle?  (House battery?  Solar panel?  etc.)

How much of an emergency fund will you have left to deal with any unforeseen problems that might come up down the road?

Once we know THAT, a round dozen of us will give you at LEAST 20 different opinions at to what you MUST, ABOLUTELY MUST buy.

Regards
John

 

[akrvbob]

It all depends on your priorities. Here are my recomendations:

* Minivan if MPG is your highest priority, also has very good stealth
* Hightop Conversion Van for the most comfort
* Cargo van for ease of insulation/conversion and stealth
* Extended van for the most space
* Class B if you need all the comforts

Here are my recommendations for reliability
1) If you can afford it I think a newer Chevy Express (2003 or newer) with a 5.3 liter V8 is your best choice.
2) For a less expensive van an older Dodge with the 318 V8.
3) I also agree that the Ford 300 inline 6 is a great motor but it's unlikely you will find one.
4) After that a Ford with the 302 V8
5) Finally the Chev 350 or Ford 351 are great, reliable engines but burn more gas
Bob

 

[RandaOnTheRoad]

Without trying to pry too much into your personal business, you really need to give us SOME kind of idea of your budget.

How much can you afford to spend on the initial purchase?

How much can you afford to spend on any needed repairs and whatever modifications you want to make to the vehicle?  (House battery?  Solar panel?  etc.)

How much of an emergency fund will you have left to deal with any unforeseen problems that might come up down the road?

Once we know THAT, a round dozen of us will give you at LEAST 20 different opinions at to what you MUST, ABOLUTELY MUST buy.

Regards
John

Im looking to spend 10-13 k on a vehicle, another 2k on repairs, and hopefully 1k in emergency fund.

 

[RandaOnTheRoad]

It all depends on your priorities. Here are my recomendations:

* Minivan if MPG is your highest priority, also has very good stealth
* Hightop Conversion Van for the most comfort
* Cargo van for ease of insulation/conversion and stealth
* Extended van for the most space
* Class B if you need all the comforts

Here are my recommendations for reliability
1) If you can afford it I think a newer Chevy Express (2003 or newer) with a 5.3 liter V8 is your best choice.
2) For a less expensive van an older Dodge with the 318 V8.
3) I also agree that the Ford 300 inline 6 is a great motor but it's unlikely you will find one.
4) After that a Ford with the 302 V8
5) Finally the Chev 350 or Ford 351 are great, reliable engines but burn more gas
Bob

Wow thank you so much! Very helpful

 

[akrvbob]

Probably the single best all around vehicle is a high-top conversion van. It does everything reasonably well and being able to stand up is a very good thing!

$8-$10K will get you a nice, fairly low mileage van and then you can put the rest into the conversion and an emergency fund. Ideally your emergency fund will be enough to rebuild or replace the tranny or engine--usually around $3000. that's ideal. Heck, you can buy a pretty decent van for $3000 so you know that no matter what happens you will be okay with that much in the bank.
Bob

 

[ZoNiE]

Probably the single best all around vehicle is a high-top conversion van. It does everything reasonably well and being able to stand up is a very good thing!

$8-$10K will get you a nice, fairly low mileage van and then you can put the rest into the conversion and an emergency fund. Ideally your emergency fund will be enough to rebuild or replace the tranny or engine--usually around $3000. that's ideal. Heck, you can buy a pretty decent van for $3000 so you know that no matter what happens you will be okay with that much in the bank.
Bob

X2

 

[Almost There]

Probably the single best all around vehicle is a high-top conversion van. It does everything reasonably well and being able to stand up is a very good thing!

$8-$10K will get you a nice, fairly low mileage van and then you can put the rest into the conversion and an emergency fund. Ideally your emergency fund will be enough to rebuild or replace the tranny or engine--usually around $3000. that's ideal. Heck, you can buy a pretty decent van for $3000 so you know that no matter what happens you will be okay with that much in the bank.
Bob

x3

It doesn't need to be a conversion van, but standing height is an excellent thing.

Actually, I'd hold out for a van with the price topping out at the $8K mark and have a bigger emergency fund.

Emergencies ala Murphys' Law rarely run singly. After years and years of never having an emergency fund except in knowing that there was another pay cheque coming in shortly, the relief of having a decent emergency fund is immense - knowing I can handle whatever is thrown my way is life changing.

 

[Willy]

Personally, I'd go with (and have done so) a Grumman aluminum body step van. One with a 10' box and single tires at the rear would give you an extremely tough vehicle which has a lotta room. Pair that with an inline 6 and a 4/5 spd tranny (and highway gears) and the fuel economy will probably be pretty good too. ..Willy.

 

[DannyB1954]

Personally, I'd go with (and have done so) a Grumman aluminum body step van. One with a 10' box and single tires at the rear would give you an extremely tough vehicle which has a lotta room. Pair that with an inline 6 and a 4/5 spd tranny (and highway gears) and the fuel economy will probably be pretty good too. ..Willy.

I wanted to do that, but found insurance companies have toughened up their policies. I was not a business, so commercial carriers did not want it. It had yet to be converted, so rv carriers would not touch it. The rv carriers would not give me any idea what they would charge me if I spent my time and money to convert it. The Nevada DMV said to convert a commercial title to recreational,  I would have to do the mods, then get a licensed mechanic to sign off on the work.
Before you buy a commercial vehicle, get the vin and go shopping, see if you can get insurance.

 

[DannyB1954]

When shopping for a high top van, be advised, most of them you can not stand up in, it has to be a very high top, like a 20" lift. Most conversion vans were made as commuters for van pools.  The tops are just high enough for passengers to climb into the back seat without crawling.

Also a 1/2 van will not allow you to carry lots of water or anything heavy. Batteries, generators, camping gear all have weight. If you pack it full, you will probably be overloaded. 3/4 ton is a better choice if you are a boondocker. The gas mileage will be less, but the breaks will work a whole bunch better.