Full Size Passenger Van instead of Mini-Van

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

Reply to
hd181a
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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.

Reply to
<HLS

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

318.

Thanks for the reply snipped-for-privacy@nospam.nix wrote:

Reply to
P&L

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.

Reply to
Bob M.

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.

Reply to
Marc

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.

Reply to
Bob M.

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.

Reply to
Marc

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.

Reply to
<HLS

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