Buy or Pass: cargo van

As I've posted before, I'm searching for a 3/4 or 1-ton cargo van. I'm not in a hurry to buy, but I don't want to pass up a good deal either. While I'm not opposed to putting money into repairs, I don't need a project - I need a van that will be reliable for at least 10-years, for under $4k.

That said, locally it's been slim-picking. It seems it's either overpriced dealer crap, or old beat up junk.

I checked out a '99 Chevy 1-ton earlier this week. 80kmi, body is very solid and clean, with just a couple tiny spots of surface rust that will need dealt with. It drives nice, but as I posted the other day, I think the intake manifold is on the way out. KBB private-party for "good" condition is $3k, if not for the gasket problem it would certainly meet the "good" criteria.

Based off prices I've seen around here, this seems like it should be a $5k van(disregarding the possible leak). He's asking $4300, and just came back with $3k bottom dollar.

Should I buy or pass?

Just the thought of doing an intake on a van makes my skin get up and run away.

Vans are like that here too. Either practically new with new pricing or beat all to hell and back and sort of cheapish. If the van is $3k and doesn't need a complete suspension overhaul, you're ahead of the game. Ask yourself this, if the price were $3k plus whatever a shop would charge you for the intake, would it still sound like a good deal because you would know that you wouldn't have to do it?

It's normal that all the used vans you see are beat to hell because they are usually bought by small bossiness'es that will use them until they aren't worth fixing. That's what we use to do. And you don't want to buy those van's because they were beaten on five days a week for their entire life.

If you don't want to regret your purchase, try to hold out for a privately own van. Those are super rare, but definitely worth it. They are easy to spot, they are the only ones that aren't white.

In reply to mazdeuce:

It wouldn't seem out of line with other vans at $3500, no.

I'm just wondering if this is some kind of temporary price spike in cargo vans due to other influencing factors, and 3-months from now there will be $2000 10-year old vans all over the place? Or is the fact that new vans are near $30k driving the price of good used vans up indefinitely?

petegossett wrote: While I'm not opposed to putting money into repairs, I don't need a project - I need a van that will be reliable for at least 10-years, for under $4k.

How many miles per year? What is your definition of "reliable"? Maybe I'm jaded from my more recent vehicle purchases, but this seems like a tall order to me. I'd love to get $4000 for my E30 and I wouldn't consider that car reliable by any stretch of definition.

Of course, I live in a bizarro world where the most reliable car I've ever owned has been a Mk IV VW, so my view of reliable is a bit skewed. Personally, I too would love to find a "reliable" van for $4000. Something I can hop in and drive once every couple of weeks or so doing nothing more than changing the oil once in awhile. Maybe I just have sh1tty luck with 'cheap' cars, but I don't see spending less than $20K to get this.

There are only two kinds of people who buy cargo vans. The first are businesses that buy them new and drive them until they are mostly dead. The second are the guys who buy the mostly dead ones and limp them along for a few more years until they are truly dead. price dynamics are based purely on how many there are in each group in your area. You might also consider going outside your geographical area. It might take you $500 in gas to drive south and buy something, but you could conceivably get a 15 year old van that has never seen a winter and is rust free. The older I get the more I appreciate a lack of rust on things I work on.

Ian F wrote: Something I can hop in and drive once every couple of weeks or so doing nothing more than changing the oil once in awhile.

This pretty much sums up my usage, though these trips will include going to setup at antique shows & flea markets, hauling more old junk back from wherever, and hopefully eventually towing a Europa to autocrosses.

In reply to mazdeuce:

I've been searching eBay & Craigslist nation-wide and haven't seen much of a price difference. And honestly, finding the time to make a 500-mile trip to check out a van would take me weeks to plan at this point in my life, so I really need something within about a 100-mile radius(which does include Indy and Chicago).

I have access to an auto auction, but I'm not sure I'd find a much better deal there?

fanfoy wrote: They are easy to spot, they are the only ones that aren't white.

Not true......my work van is metallic brown. I see more red and black panel van's in my part than white.

petegossett wrote: > This pretty much sums up my usage, though these trips will include going to setup at antique shows & flea markets, hauling more old junk back from wherever, and hopefully eventually towing a Europa to autocrosses.

Up until last week when I decided to buy a Mini instead, I was debating between a used 2006 Sprinter (last of the 5 cyl) or just finding another conversion van. I may still have this decision, but now it'll have to wait another year or so providing the MIni purchase goes through.

I've done a bit of digging and decided on the 06 because it was saddled with less emissions stuff and by that point they had worked out all of the bugs.

The less expensive option is a 3/4t domestic conversion van. Not common, but they're out there. Diesel versions are even less common. The deal breaker for me is it must have a raised roof. No if, ands or buts. Having been down this road before, a raised roof is required for how I want to use the van. Granted, this is also why I want a Sprinter - more so for the additional height and length than the better fuel mileage. In a perect world, I'd have a 170" WB, extended length Sprinter with a GM gas V8 drivetrain.

My father's Chevy Van has 143,000 miles on it, and is more beat than any work van I have seen. Don't count on private ownership to be gentle, he works his as hard as anyone. That said, it is all cosmetic. (Dad, you have to LOOK when backing up!!!) The motor, trans and underneath are 100%. No rust either, which is weird for Pittsburgh. He swears by Chevy Vans, but finding new, two-row windows vans is getting really hard!

Dunno 'bout 3/4 ton or bigger, but I have seen a LOT of vans on the local lists for dealers who specialize in selling surplus cop cars.

In reply to stroker:

Hmm... true. There's one of those dealers in PA (off Rt 1, just south of Trenton) not far from me and I've noticed a few vans on the lot. I pass by it all the time, but never have an opportunity to check them out.

Want something a little bigger?

I've got a GMC E350 with a 14' utility box on it that I am ready to part with. No rust- great mobile shop.

In reply to SVreX:

While I'd love the utility of a box truck, but I don't really need the capacity; and the combination of added fuel costs, 50% more tires, and higher load height really is more of a liability than asset.

Thanks though!

Is 99 new enough for the LS engine? Not a deal breaker, but I would take a LS equipped van over an old 350 if you are looking at GM stuff from that time period.

Nope, old skool Vortec 5.7L. Not sure when the switch to LSx occurred, but I've found nothing newer in my price range with less than a quarter million miles.

I wouldn't let the mileage scare you too much. Most fleet vans get pretty good maintenance. The last big company I worked for, the vans came with a coupon book. At X miles you took it in and had X services done. It didn't matter if they needed it, they got it like clock work. If you were late on a service you got a nasty phone call from the fleet manager and since they tracked the mileage through the GPS and the fuel card they knew if it was past due. They ran the vans 175-200K and dumped them.

My current work van has over 330K on it, and the van my son drives is over 435K. I paid $2500 for one with 180K on the clock and $1000 for the other with 260K on the clock. As long as the bodies still look good, we'll keep driving them. The one with 260K on it, I did have to put an engine in, but it went to 375K before that happened. That comes out to less than a penny a mile buy in. These were both fleet vehicles that were dumped cheap.

Thanks everyone! I picked it up today, 1999 Chevy 3500 with the 5.7L, 80,000mi no rust, and it drives like new!

I need to monitor fluids, as the coolant and brake fluid were both low. I'm suspicious of an intake gasket leak, and may eventually replace it and flush out the Dexcool just to be safe. The brakes don't appear to have been bled in a really long time(ever?), so that's on the short list, as well as a pair of front tires. It seems like a really nice van for $3k.

I ran one that body style for work for a while, but it was a V6 1500 with a LOT more miles. It was a great vehicle and got surprisingly good mileage for what it was.

Good luck with the van, be sure to post another pic once you get the 'free candy' signs on.

In reply to ultraclyde:

My daughter said I should get plates that say "CREEPER". And she volunteered to paint "Free Candy" on the sides too.