Let's talk about Transits

I'd love to have a TC for picking up parts and lumber etc

Get decent MPG, not a bad daily, really. 

I, also, love the idea of a tiny camper out of one, too. 

Okay, so I'm a crappy artist, but I threw this together quickly to show what I'd like to do if I had a Transit Connect.  Should be pretty easy to do with vinyl and a couple of porthole windows.

Not sure I'd stick with the Magnum wheels, maybe a set of slot mags or Panasports would look better.

eastsideTim said:

Okay, so I'm a crappy artist, but I threw this together quickly to show what I'd like to do if I had a Transit Connect.  Should be pretty easy to do with vinyl and a couple of porthole windows.

 

 

Not sure I'd stick with the Magnum wheels, maybe a set of slot mags or Panasports would look better.

Do you mean like the one in the 2nd reply at this link.. that is apparently for sale?

Link

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Cool!  I am completely unsurprised some else had basically the same idea.  I think the cruising wagon graphics work better with the current TC versus the approximation of the cruising van graphics in the one in that link, though.

A couple of my mtn biking friends have Transit Connects.  To be honest, I don't get them.  More expensive and not as long as my Grand Caravan and only slightly more headroom, assuming you buy the high roof version.  But for whatever reason, since they aren't considered a minivan, they're OK.  Hmm... I'll stick with the cheapr GC.

A full size Transit, on the other hand, is on my want list.  350 version, LWB, high roof, 3.5EB engine.  I want one of those to build into a camper van for biking trips.  But I'm having trouble coming to terms with the buy-in cost, new or used.  

It would be very hard to come up with a good argument about how a TC is NOT a minivan. It pretty much checks all the boxes. I think the only difference is the existence of a cargo version. 

The short wheelbase transit connect briefly came with a 1.6L turbo out of a Focus ST.  I looked into them when they were new as a CUV alternative with good headroom.  Ford made it really hard to test drive one of those.  That and the 0lb tow rating pushed me away.  I really wanted those airplane style overhead bins on mine.

These seem highly overlooked in the light cargo world. There were a lot of them in someone's cable/phone installer fleet and they come up used often. 

Ram C/V is the official name. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Of course, the Grand Caravan has a cargo version too!

Never mind, John got me!

The cargo caravan looks like an extremely poor conversion of a normal van to a cargo van, especially with the sliding door alignment.

I see the appeal of the caravan, but for city usage where the TC is commonly used, the extra length and wheelbase is a penalty.

I've always seen those cargo caravans out in the wild and wondered if the side panels just painted glass or is it actual metal?

John Welsh said:

These seem highly overlooked in the light cargo world. There were a lot of them in someone's cable/phone installer fleet and they come up used often. 

Ram C/V is the official name. 

I would rock one of these! Never saw one in person in the wild though...

BBC

In reply to iansane :

I remember seeing them in auto shows and I honestly don't remember. I think they may just be covered glass. However, the way they used the seat cavities for underfloor storage is pretty neat.

My BIL repairs large-scale copy machines. In the past 2.5 years or so, he's put almost 200k miles on one of these:

Honestly, it's kind of a piece of junk. It's been in the shop a lot since he's had it. Of course, it's a company-owned fleet vehicle, so it gets driven a ton, but it also gets professional mantainence on a reguar schedule, too.

I took my OG minivan camper for a mountain bike ride today. 

...and there was a SWB Transit there. 
 

Bike rack is on the Vanagon, which is parked with the nose level with the Ford. VW is slightly longer overall - a couple of inches, but with less rear bumper - but the steering wheel on the TC is level with the back of the driver's seat on the VW. The price of crash protection and an engine that isn't flat. Definitely a lot less interior room, basically one less row of seats.  But very cool looking.

While I was taking the picture, a Transit came in with all the #vanlife. Massive by comparison. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

One of the things that annoyed me about the way Ford has been selling Transit Connects, is the first generation they sold in the US was short wheelbase, high roof only(like the one in your picture), then the current generation has been short or long wheelbase, but low roof only.  Given a choice, I'd pick long wheelbase, high roof, not available on either generation sold here.

In reply to eastsideTim :

TC only has one roof height. An axle redesign dropped it 7 inches and 2 inches came off freight height. The stated reason was it allows the TC to enter height restricted areas with a reefer unit or taxi sign. I noted at the time there is a van between the TC and Transit in Europe.

An interesting note is door opening at the rear is taller in the TC than an AstroVan or Dodge B200 (per my tape measure)

In reply to Rons :

Good point. My cousin's bakery has two Transit Connect delivery vans, and unloaded their AC pods clear the building's parking garage by a fraction of an inch.

In reply to Rons :

Did not realize the second gen had one roof height.  Learn something new every day.

My wife is very anti-minivan (the VW is a "Vanagon" which is obviously totally different) and was not excited when I told her I'd seen a cool minivan at the trailhead. But she thought the TC was cute, especially when I told her about the turbo. This is a girl for whom 400 hp is entry level. 

The business I work for uses Transits for deliveries. Currently have three Connects and a High roof Transit. Overall I am surprised they hold up as well as they do with all the abuse they get. Our oldest (2013) has a 180k miles on the clock and still runs (albeit it rattles like no other). I prefer how the older ones drive over the newer ones.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It's amusing to me how some folks can be so anti-minivan, but will drive an SUV - when an SUV is by far the soccer-mom vehicle of choice.  Having owned and experienced pretty much every vehicle, a minivan is really the ultimate SUV.

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

It's amusing to me how some folks can be so anti-minivan, but will drive an SUV - when an SUV is by far the soccer-mom vehicle of choice.  Having owned and experienced pretty much every vehicle, a minivan is really the ultimate SUV.

Yeah but my anti-minivan is roughly minivan size and shape, less interior space, BUT has a Hemi!

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

...a minivan is really the ultimate SUV.

Or to put it another way, a CUV (cause in my book an SUV has actual 4wd and off road ability) is just a minivan with less space and no useful sliding doors.

My wife likes her Mazda 5 kid hauler so much that I'm wondering if a TC passenger wagon would be a good replacement when the Mazda  gets too rusty.  It's basically the same idea, and comes in orange.  Orange is cool.

In reply to RossD :

I would almost swear that when Chrysler designed the last Grand Caravan engine bay, it was designed with a HEMI in mind.  Too bad I don't think there's a transverse transmission that could handle it.