Sold the step van and now I have $3,500-$4,500 to buy a van with, HELP!!! Please (:

[SoulRaven]

Be mindful that with the longer wheelbase, sometimes when going over a crest in the back woods, it will high center and become a teeter totter. A friend with a LWB Express is having that problem.

 

[akrvbob]

I have an Express 3500 with a LWB and I have no problem with clearance because the 1 tons are a little taller. But the turning radius is terrible! That's what will get you in trouble in the backcountry, you can't make the switchbacks. You'll have to make cuts and sometimes that puts you over at an extreme angle which is risky. If I had it do over again, I would not get the LWB. I'd still get the extended van, just not the LWB.

Mine has the 350 and I really regret it. Be sure to get the 5.3 or 6. If you think you'll ever tow, the 5.3 is good at it but the 6 is better. The 5.3 gets great MPG!

The 4L60e transmission in my van is one of the very best made, far better than the Fords. People I trust say you can't buy a better tranny than the 4L60e. They are so popular there is a huge aftermarket for them to build them into anything you could possibly want them to be or do. It's been replaced with the 6L80e but i don't know much about it.
Bob

 

[TucsonAZ]

Bob, you're saying you wouldn't get the LWB again but would get the extended, this means you would have to go with a Dodge or a Ford correct, they didn't make an Extended Express (or G-series for that matter) that wasn't a LWB did they?

The trans and motor I agree on, I was checking parts prices though and I think the 350 has the edge there and I would much rather the 5.7L GM than the 5.4L Ford from all I have heard and read.

 

[akrvbob]

I just assumed that you could get the extended with or without the LWB, but maybe not. I'd still buy an express the question then would be regular length and short wheelbase, or extended and LWB. That's a tough decision! If you do much backroads I'd gt the regular length.

I have no idea about the differene in parts prices, but you will get an easy extra 20-30% better MPG and I think the savings in gas will much more than pay for extra parts.
Bob

 

[TucsonAZ]

I just assumed that you could get the extended with or without the LWB, but maybe not. I'd still buy an express the question then would be regular length and short wheelbase, or extended and LWB. That's a tough decision! If you do much backroads I'd gt the regular length.

I have no idea about the differene in parts prices, but you will get an easy extra 20-30% better MPG and I think the savings in gas will much more than pay for extra parts.
Bob

It's a tough call for sure, that extra room is well, well worth it for me though.  The LWB versus the extended back, I think you made the better choice.  As somebody with a lot of off road experience I would much rather contend with the longer WB and not be so concerned with approach angles.  I called about a Dodge today, it's a 1994 with a 360 and has 150,000 miles ($3,100 asking price), I couldn't imagine dealing with that overhang in the rear on rugged terrain.  

I looked up the MPG and it seemed pretty much the same with any of the engines, maybe not in the real world but online anyway.  

I think you made the right choice with the LWB and it's much better on the roads and at speeds which is where you'll be using it 99% of the time.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

I think 4 panels that wide would work on an extended van. If you are doing a rack, no reason you couldn't extend a little too with ply to mount on if you had to.

 

[akrvbob]

No doubt the overhang on the Dodge and older Fords was extreme. I've always thought that contributed to their roll-over problems--it moved too much weight aft of the rear axle lifting the front axle.


Off-road the problem with my van is the switch-backs. It simply will not go around a lot of them. In the forests curving through trees will also be a problem because you can't cut back and forth to make it through.

If you've ever done the Alpine Loop out of Ouray, CO, the LWB would simply not let my van come in from that side.   

this is a picture of one corner that when we did it in a friends Jeep I thought a regular van could make it, but mine could not. It's not as bad as it looks but the corner coming up simply will not let you make any cuts and my van couldn't go around it. Tht is a very sheer drop-off:

See the whole post here:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/report-from-the-road-jeeping-the-alpine-loop-in-colorado/

 

[wagoneer]

No doubt the overhang on the Dodge and older Fords was extreme. I've always thought that contributed to their roll-over problems--it moved too much weight aft of the rear axle lifting the front axle.


Off-road the problem with my van is the switch-backs. It simply will not go around a lot of them. In the forests curving through trees will also be a problem because you can't cut back and forth to make it through.

If you've ever done the Alpine Loop out of Ouray, CO, the LWB would simply not let my van come in from that side.   

this is a picture of one corner that when we did it in a friends Jeep I thought a regular van could make it, but mine could not. It's not as bad as it looks but the corner coming up simply will not let you make any cuts and my van couldn't go around it. Tht is a very sheer drop-off:

See the whole post here:

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/report-from-the-road-jeeping-the-alpine-loop-in-colorado/

Amen to that North fork of the Yuba river has a few knarly drops getting to the point if I get butterflies I back down.

 

[TucsonAZ]

That entire area has some serious pucker factor! The only thing that managed the stress for me on the million dollar highway was making jokes about the name like "I bet they call it the million dollar highway because they saved a million dollars making it by not installing guardrails" and on and on and on. Just happy I didn't have to head south from Ouray in the Stepvan!