Full Size Passenger Van instead of Mini-Van

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hd181a@gmail.com - 26 Sep 2005 20:20 GMT

I am in the market for a van. I was going to buy a mini-van but none
of them have the room I want. I am thinking about buying a full size
passenger van. My questions are:
- What models are out there (Dodge, Ford, Chevy)
- Which ones have better reliablity
- Any years/model I should avoid

Thanks in advance,
PDD

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HLS@nospam.nix - 26 Sep 2005 22:25 GMT

> I am in the market for a van. I was going to buy a mini-van but none
> of them have the room I want. I am thinking about buying a full size
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> PDD

I bought a fullsize Dodge van, because it was available, at a good price,
and in good condition.
It has worked spectacularly, for the most part.

Had I bought new, I would certainly bought a front/rear air conditioner
system. I bought front only,
and have finally managed to make it cool the whole van.

My Dodge gets good gas mileage, with a 318 V8. 17-18 mpg. Its transmission
is one of the good ones.

Ford or Chevy might do as well.

Some minivans have shitteaux transmissions. And engines. Be careful.

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P&L - 27 Sep 2005 20:15 GMT

What is the model of your van. What is the equivalent in liters for a
318.

Thanks for the reply

> > I am in the market for a van. I was going to buy a mini-van but none
> > of them have the room I want. I am thinking about buying a full size
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Some minivans have shitteaux transmissions. And engines. Be careful.

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HLS@nospam.nix - 30 Oct 2005 16:26 GMT

> What is the model of your van. What is the equivalent in liters for a
> 318.

Sorry I missed your question.
Mine is a Custom Van on a B2500 (3/4 ton) chassis. I would be surprised
if they dont still make them.

The 318 is 5.2 litres. It is a strong engine with no particular foibles.
The transmission is automatic, based on the older heavy duty automatics
like the 727, which was pretty much bulletproof.

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Bob M. - 29 Sep 2005 18:06 GMT

>I am in the market for a van. I was going to buy a mini-van but none
> of them have the room I want. I am thinking about buying a full size
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> PDD

None of them have any footroom for the front passenger, and there isn't much
more for the driver.

Dodge is out of the full-size van market.

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Marc - 30 Sep 2005 01:17 GMT

> Dodge is out of the full-size van market.

Not completely. They're selling the Sprinter, which has some interesting
features. The 5-cyl diesel gets 26 real mpg. It's got traction control,
rear doors swing 270deg and the short version is over 5-ft tall inside.
Tall version is over 6-ft - standup room. SHould be a conversion target.

But they don't make it. It's a Mercedes van import, the same as the small
Freightliner.

It actually looks interesting, but it's also expensive. I think $35K for a
cargo van.

Signature

--Marc

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Bob M. - 01 Oct 2005 04:18 GMT

>I am in the market for a van. I was going to buy a mini-van but none
> of them have the room I want. I am thinking about buying a full size
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks in advance,
> PDD

There is another strike against full-size vans: most of them will not fit
in a standard garage. The half-tons might, but 3/4 and 1-ton won't fit under
a standard-height garage door.

I happen to be lucky. The house I just bought has a garage door that's 7' 6"
tall, meaning my 3/4 ton van has about 4" of clearance under the door when
it's open.

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Marc - 01 Oct 2005 11:21 GMT

> There is another strike against full-size vans: most of them will not fit
> in a standard garage. The half-tons might, but 3/4 and 1-ton won't fit
> under a standard-height garage door.

And parking garages can be spooky. I've got the 3/4-ton Dodge and it's fit
in all the ones I've tried, but the antenna scraped the ceiling in one of
them. They all had me glancing up, though. But forget the Sprinter. I doubt
it would fit in any parking garages.

I'm thinking of getting a minivan when the time comes, though. As much as I
like the full-size, I drive 24 miles to work, with very little highway, and
the gas prices are painful. Plus, my wife refuses to drive it, so when we
go camping, I do all the driving.

Signature

--Marc

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