category-name of truck with passage to cab?

When my brother worked for UPS the company called the trucks you describe a "package car". That is the vehicle that makes delivery in neighborhoods.

I have always heard them referred to as step vans. This however may be a trade mark of General Motors. I owned one until I blew a recap and ended up rolling the thing 2 1/2 times.

Currently Mercedes makes a viable alternative to the old step van it is called the Sprinter and Marketed in the US under both Dodge and Freightliner names. Nice thing about the Sprinter is that it has a 5 cyl Mercedes diesel and gets about 25 mpg. Not bad for a truck you can stand up inside of.

When I consulted for truck manufacturers we called them step-vans.

Nice vehicle if you don't mind taking it in for replacement of the front brakes and wheel hubs every 30K or so. They seem to be the weak point. The outfit I worked for switched to Sprinters from Caravans. They were hoping the increased mileage and heavier duty vehicles would cut the maintainance bills. They have now switched to Ford vans because of all the problems with the Sprinters.

Let's see, if you got 25mpg and drove 30,000 miles, assuming fuel was $3.00 per gallon you would consume 1,200 of fuel that you would have spent $3,600 to go that distance.

If you had a Ford van with less cargo room and head room and got the usual

10 MPG you would pay $3.25 for each of the 3000 gallons you would buy to drive the truck 30,000 miles,for a total of $9,750.

Are you suggesting that the maintenance work cost more than $6,150?

I have not heard of any grief like you speek of, but I know on my 83 Mercedes 300SD that has a very simular 5 cyl diesel power plant the brakes and hubs have been working fine for the last 3 1/2 years so I doubt the truck hubs are particularly week.

One thing that you might not realise is that the rotors on my car anyway are not intended to be turned. I was grousing about this untill I learned I could buy OEM rotors for about $35 a piece.

Also if you price Sprinters on the used market, it is really tough to find any going cheep. To me this suggests that most owners do not seem to agree with your former employer.

I also note that the big boys like UPS and FED-EX are switching a lot of there local trucks to the Sprinter.

YMMV

as far as i can tell, 'step van' is a GM thing. but it's kinda like kleenex. everyone says kleenex even when it's just regular tissue they're talking about.

or down here people say 'coke' when they mean 'drink with bubbles'.

Walk In vans.Step Vans.I once drove a bread truck for Sunbeam Bakery years and years ago.Of couse,all we called them was bread trucks. Don't say bread,say Sunbeam. cuhulin

I think he might be looking for a "panel truck". They look like a pick-up truck with a cap on the bed but it comes from the factory with the cap attached and it's part of the body, open to the seats up front. Don't think they have been made since late in the sixties or early 70's tho. My last one was a '68 Dodge with a slant six. Real bomb, great truck.

disston

There's always a few blow hards in the group who will spin the facts to make their point.

Why not compare a diesel to a diesel for starters.

My Ford van has 350,000 miles and is still about as solid as when it was new. I use it for expediting and get 18 to 20 mpg all the time and up to 23 mpg on trips. That's with an engine with almost 3 times the cid as the sprinter and hence lots more power. A gasser will probably get about 10mpg as you say. There's more to the body and frame in a Ford. The Sprinter looks and feels like a real light weght compared to the Ford. The long body Fords have more floor space than the Sprinters. I can get 3

40x48 pallets in there which can easily weigh 4500 pounds which is plenty. On a Sprinter the space between the wheel wells is only wide enough for pallets on the 3/4 ton models. The Sprinter is both shorter and narrower than the Ford. Can't argue with the head room. That's what makes the Sprinters attractive. Another good point for Sprinters is a lower vehicle weight conpared to their GVWR which makes it legal to haul more and stay below 10,000 pounds. They're both good vehicles, and so are Chevy's. I've also heard stories that the Sprinters were not working out for UPS. As for the price of used trucks it's a simple matter of supply and demand. There are a zillion Ford vans out there compared to the Sprinters so guess which one is going to bring a lower price. I sure don't see how they get #35K+ for new Sprinters. I have a Ford because it's more truck for the money. I'm guessing if Ford and Chevy weren't hurting so much these days they'd get their act together and make a high top version.

attractive.

I am glad to see that you like your Ford van. I was not attempting to be a "blow hard", I have had some experience with vans being a locksmith by trade and have driven Ford's Chevy's And the Dodge vans. Of the three I think that Ford is the best. I hace a partidular afinity for the Econoline of the late 60's and early 70's.

My experience with the Mercedes diesel has been limited, yet plesant. It however is limited to a clunker that I picked up used. The Sprinter is a newcomer to the scene and my observation to date is that it is a worthy competitor.

My response to Steve was based on the objections he raised.

Sorry about the "Blowhard" crack. I actually had you confused with someone else. I'm impressed that you took it without starting a flame war.

...Catch49

I remember,(I think I remember anyway,I am only 65 years young) many years ago vans were generally called Panel Trucks or Panel Vans.Or something like that.If there are any websites about those old vehicles with advertizements,there might be something about that.Take for instance the Escape from Alcatraz,Clint Eastwood movie.That was an International Panel Van they used in that movie.Back in those years,they weren't called Step In Vans or Walk In Vans.Those old Panel Vans are cool. cuhulin

I graciously accept your apology.

Never agolopize for anything. cuhulin