Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:
What happened to the Mazda? Small truck to large van is a big jump
The story of my life is that I jump around between 1/2 ton vans, 4wd 1/2 ton trucks, and 4wd compact trucks all the time. A compact pickup does 95% of what I need. The only thing it doesn't do for me is tow heavy-ish things. My life is a somewhat non-stop parade of cargo-type things. At least once a week I'm transporting lumber, building materials, engines, etc.
Compact 4x4 does almost everything I need and it's so much nicer to have a smaller DD. I can actually park in a close parking spot instead of picking something out in left field that has room to open the door. With the lumber rack, I can easily haul a buttload of 12-16' lumber. The only thing it won't do is tow more than about 5000 lbs. Another wonderful thing about the Mazda is that I can reach the entire bed floor without getting a hernia or soiling my clothes on the quarter panel. It's just right there.
1/2 ton 4x4 truck gets me the additional towing, but I'm back to the outskirts of some parking lots and can't reach stuff in the bed without a ladder or small crane
1/2 ton van gets me 50% more cargo space for a given vehicle footprint, and gets me the towing I want, plus lockable, dry cargo space. Theft isn't really a problem around here, but I can't leave tools in an open truck bed for too long without something getting swiped or damaged by rain.
Last few work vehicles I've had:
- 02 Sonoma 2wd. Brilliant because it was lowered and I was in TX where 4wd wasn't needed. Useless when I moved to PA.
- 99 E350 powerstroke. It could tow a mountain, but also equally useless when I moved to PA
- So I sold those and bought an 02 Dakota 4x4... which I owned for 4 months and sold it as quickly as I could to anyone with a pulse. Hideous truck.
- Sold the Dakota and got an 02 F150 4x4. Wonderful truck, but big, tall, and it finally rusted so badly that I sold it to a farmer for a farm truck
- Bought the Mazda 2.5 years ago with 80k on it, and so far I think I've spent more on repairs and parts than the original purchase price, and I still have a leaky, misfiring, pile of E36 M3. I've done front bearings three times, new clutch, and completely overhauled the top end of the engine TWICE. New motorcraft ignition parts which have already taken a dump, and the list of sensors and parts I've replaced is embarrassing. The CEL almost never goes off (and it's OBD1). I finally had a shop do the bearings the last time, and it came home with two leaks in a brand new radiator. I replaced the heater core in May and had to do it again in November. The problems it has absolutely defy explanation and diagnosis. Seasoned Ford techs, ford ranger enthusiast forums, myself (pretty darn good with this kind of thing), and three shops including a Ford dealer have no clue what is going on with it right now. I was so excited about this truck. I put some custom wiring in it for a 7-pole trailer connection and a brake controller, lights under the bed rail, treated it like the rust-free queen it was, but I just can't do it anymore. It's like having a girlfriend you love to the ends of the earth but she became a drug addict and spends all of your money but doesn't have any time for you. It has become a caustic relationship. Above all, I can't afford to keep it on the road. I keep saying "I'll fix this and then it will be good," but it never is. So this time I'm going to fix it.... and punt before it has a chance to have another problem. I'm looking at 4th down and 25 yards. Bring on the special teams.
Long story short, I much prefer full-size vans as my work vehicle. More cargo space for the real estate it occupies on the ground. My forever dream was owning a 4wd van, but this is the first time that the AWD GM vans have been old enough to be within my budget. The AWD should be beefy enough for my needs, but if it isn't, the swap to "real" 4wd is literally a bolt-in for about $250. You just swap the T-case for a traditional one and rig up a shifter beside the seat. I think the $10k is a fair (covid based) price for this van, but if I can get a couple grand for the equipment, it will be a bargain.