The Right Van: Reliabilty, MPG and Suspension

[cortttt]

My criteria for the best van for me - not all of which may be met in one van   are

Reliability - as reliable as possible
MPG - as best MPG as possible - I'm more concerned about MPG than power
Suspension - something that can  handle a lot travel on dirt roads
Clearance - given the dirt roads - good clearance

I travel about 20K a year across the Western U.S.

Adding 4WD at some point is a possibility. 

Thus far I've been thinking a Chevy Express with a V-6. Given my preference for as good as MPG as possible.  I would like a 1500 but I don't know if it handle the bad roads or if it makes a difference?

Price - $10-15K

?????

 

[Goshawk]

Astrovan 4wd used.

 

[cortttt]

Astrovan 4wd used.

Thanks - nice that they put 4wd on those vans.  Reliability is pretty good?

 

[akrvbob]

I'm a big fan of the Express, I slightly prefer the 5.3 V8, the V6 barely gets better better better MPG but they are both great engines. You can get the Express in AWD, but they are hard to find.

The Express is a far better van than the AStro and once you load up a Astro it will even get better MPG and be much bigger inside.
Bob

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I prefer a 1 ton. Beefy enough for a home, tho it will never reach its load limit with us. Heavier suspension and lots of ground clearance, as well astaller tires.
The 5.9 does good enough on fuel that I don't quibble over a couple MPGs to haul around my whole house. Space and comfort is important for us.

 

[cortttt]

I prefer a 1 ton. Beefy enough for a home, tho it will never reach its load limit with us. Heavier suspension and lots of ground clearance, as well astaller tires.
The 5.9 does good enough on fuel that I don't quibble over a couple MPGs to haul around my whole house. Space and comfort is important for us.

Thanks....can you give an estimate on MPG...?

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I don't clock the MPGs, but by best guess, an honest 14-15. Sux in town but we're not urban dwellers.

 

[cortttt]

I'm a big fan of the Express, I slightly prefer the 5.3 V8, the V6 barely gets better better better MPG but they are both great engines.  You can get the Express in AWD, but they are hard to find.

The Express is a far better van than the AStro and once you load up a Astro it will even get better MPG and be much bigger inside.
Bob

I'm going to rent a van and check it out.

Any major problems that have cropped up for anyone?

 

[BigT]

Reliability - as reliable as possible
MPG - as best MPG as possible - I'm more concerned about MPG than power
Suspension - something that can  handle a lot travel on dirt roads
Adding 4WD at some point is a possibility. 

Thus far I've been thinking a Chevy Express with a V-6. Given my preference for as good as MPG as possible. 

I'm not sure there's a vehicle alive that meets all those requirements.  
Most newer, proven cars/trucks/vans are pretty reliable out the gate, so that shouldn't be hard to find, but the MPG thing is another story. 
A V6 may give you slightly better mileage numbers when the van is empty, but start loading a smaller, less powerful engine down with stuff, and you quickly wipe out any gas saving advantages you wanted.  Better to just go with a more powerful, slightly lower MPG V8, and keep the fuel consumption fairly even, regardless of cargo weight.  
4-wheel-drive is another gas hogging addition.  
In short, everything's a trade-off.

 

[29chico]

If you search Penske used trucks for " GMC Savana G33705 "  in the 2010 to 2012 range you will see what I'm suggesting you consider:

A one ton extended Savana van (same as the Express) with the 4.8L LS v8 and the 6L90E six speed trans. 

Surprisingly good MPG.  Lots of power.  With the Michelin LTS MS2 tires, Bilstein shocks and Roadmaster Active Suspension upgrade in the rear it drives & rides very well.

I bought a 2012 a few months back with under 54k miles on it.  They wanted $22k for it, talked them down to $19.5k.

They can be converted to 4x4.

I searched Penske for the above mentioned model and years along with $10-15k and there are 28 for your consideration...

 

[idn88]

Are you sure your not looking for a pickup truck? Get an 8 foot box with a raised roof topper - lots of 4x4 options, very reliable, slightly better mileage than a van typically, clearance and approach angles are generally better.

 

[cortttt]

I'm not sure there's a vehicle alive that meets all those requirements.  
Most newer, proven cars/trucks/vans are pretty reliable out the gate, so that shouldn't be hard to find, but the MPG thing is another story. 
A V6 may give you slightly better mileage numbers when the van is empty, but start loading a smaller, less powerful engine down with stuff, and you quickly wipe out any gas saving advantages you wanted.  Better to just go with a more powerful, slightly lower MPG V8, and keep the fuel consumption fairly even, regardless of cargo weight.  
4-wheel-drive is another gas hogging addition.  
In short, everything's a trade-off.

Yes, indeed everything is a tradeoff..

A diesel could handle the MPG problem but they are expensive and the only diesel vans I know of I don't trust and they tend not to have good clearance.

A diesel pickup with a camper shell could do it.

 

[cortttt]

Are you sure your not looking for a pickup truck?  Get an 8 foot box with a raised roof topper - lots of 4x4 options, very reliable, slightly better mileage than a van typically, clearance and approach angles are generally better.

Agreed. It might be the best for me. I have the odd added problem of having chemical sensitivities which makes a camper shell problematic and a cargo van a more reliable option but I agree that a pickup truck probably fits better.

I'm at the Rendevous and a guy here has a big Ram pickup with a diesel; that provides good MPG and clearance. He says its been pretty reliable.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

 I have the odd added problem of having chemical sensitivities which makes a camper shell problematic

I don't know what your finances are, but both ARE and Century, to name two, make camper shells that are all metal.  I was quoted $2200 for an ARE with a 36 in height for a Ford F250 with an 8 foot box.

Regards
John

 

[Gary68]

toyota 4x4,sunrader,with slid in,with that chinook shell posted in trading post

 

[Goshawk]

Was doing a search for AWD van and found a van that is a 2500 engine. Had no idea they existed. Thought only the astrovans had that. Will need to look for one as a base platform for a stealth vehicle.

Know most do not need AWD or don't need stealth. But to me these are the holy grail of useful practicalities living in rougher areas. Just the trade off of less MPG and more complicated systems are there.

 

[cortttt]

I don't know what your finances are, but both ARE and Century, to name two, make camper shells that are all metal.  I was quoted $2200 for an ARE with a 36 in height for a Ford F250 with an 8 foot box.

Regards
John

Thanks a lot John - ARE is a good choice and I was wondering how much they were....Appreciate it.

 

[cortttt]

Was doing a search for AWD van and found a van that is a 2500 engine. Had no idea they existed. Thought only the astrovans had that. Will need to look for one as a base platform for a stealth vehicle.

Know most do not need AWD or don't need stealth. But to me these are the holy grail of useful practicalities living in rougher areas. Just the trade off of less MPG and more complicated systems are there.

I was surprised too. They are definitely out there - most I found on the East coast using autotrader.

I agree that 4WD is not a necessiity. It's probably the first thing on the list I would drop. Driving around for 2 years in the Western US with a 2WD 4Runner I've got stuck a couple of times in sand but that's it. 95% of the roads are quite fine and I'm not interested in going cross-country off-road at all.

There was the time on small road overlooking a canyon that I started sliding towards the crevasse that makes me think though :s .

I worry more about getting up into rainier areas - I wouldn't look forward to digging myself out of a mud rut...I just don't have much any experience in the Northwest, Canada or Alaska - and I hope to get to Alaska this year. It's the mud in combination with the 2WD that I'm mostly thinking about. I really don't know if it would be a real problem or not.

 

[cortttt]

Agreed. It might be the best for me. I have the odd added problem of having chemical sensitivities which makes a camper shell problematic and a cargo van a more reliable option but I agree that a pickup truck probably fits better.

I'm at the Rendevous and a guy here has a big Ram pickup with a diesel; that provides good MPG and clearance. He says its been pretty reliable.

I think diesel is out of m reach. I would have to buy a truck with lots of miles and I'm afraid the rest of it would fall apart

For me MPG is not a cash thing and its not a necessity: I would like given global warming to have a van/truck that leaves a lower carbon footprint. (I have a degree in environmental sciences!) I also drive a lot - about 22K a year the last two years as I explore the Western U.S.

 

[cortttt]

I think diesel is out of m reach. I would have to buy a truck with lots of miles and I'm afraid the rest of it would fall apart

For me MPG is not a cash thing and its not a necessity: I would like given global warming to have a van/truck that leaves a lower carbon footprint. (I have a degree in environmental sciences!) I also drive a lot - about 22K a year the last two years as I explore the Western U.S. but higher MPG is not a necessity either. I may need to ditch the MPG idea in the end.