# Deciding between 2 vans...



## dprogram

One is a Chevy and the other is a Dodge. I could use some advice as there are pros and cons to both. I prefer Chevy b/c i know how to work on them and I'm familiar with the general setup. This Dodge however has had a lot of repairs done and the owner has the receipts.

Chevy - 1989 Chevy G20 Classic Van. 121,000 Miles. One owner. Engine and transmission great. Interior is superb. Must see. Only thing van needs is paint and very minor work. Drive it away with clean title in hand.
http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865172713.html

Dodge - I recently got an oil change, tune up, new breaks, adjusted rear back, 2 wheel suspension alignment, fuel pressure regulator, dist acp & rotor, fuel filiter and steering repairs. I have receipts to show. The van has a very good motor and transmission. The tires & the battery is good. The body is in pretty good shape, there is no rust. The is one seat in the back, but the rest can always be replaced.The van runs very good. All it need is TLC.
http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865292913.html

Any help on deciding is appreciated!


----------



## GhostWithTheMost

dprogram said:


> One is a Chevy and the other is a Dodge. I could use some advice as there are pros and cons to both. I prefer Chevy b/c i know how to work on them and I'm familiar with the general setup. This Dodge however has had a lot of repairs done and the owner has the receipts.
> 
> Chevy - 1989 Chevy G20 Classic Van. 121,000 Miles. One owner. Engine and transmission great. Interior is superb. Must see. Only thing van needs is paint and very minor work. Drive it away with clean title in hand.
> http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865172713.html
> 
> Dodge - I recently got an oil change, tune up, new breaks, adjusted rear back, 2 wheel suspension alignment, fuel pressure regulator, dist acp & rotor, fuel filiter and steering repairs. I have receipts to show. The van has a very good motor and transmission. The tires & the battery is good. The body is in pretty good shape, there is no rust. The is one seat in the back, but the rest can always be replaced.The van runs very good. All it need is TLC.
> http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865292913.html
> 
> Any help on deciding is appreciated!


 

I used to own an 82 chevy beauville van, and it was incredible, and ran like a beast. Id go with the chevy


----------



## scatwomb

Go with the Chevy, for sure.


----------



## FLoP

I'd say Chevy. I mean it's a Chevy van. I've had 2 dodge vans. They did alright, but ate gas. It depends on the van length and engine size. I had a shorty dodge with a 3.7 v6. I liked that.


----------



## Raging Bird

Bought that same Chevy for the same price. Loved every minute of it, but had problems with the cooling system. I get the impression a lot of those G20s have the same problem, but fortunately it's not too expensive to keep on top of. It is very expensive if you don't, though.

I'd go with conversion van over 15 passenger any day of the week, but it's a question of what you're going to use it for. The headroom, track lights, and interior make the Chevy a pleasure to ride in. I'd say that unless you really expect to be hauling 15 people around, go with that - particularly since the Dodge doesn't list mileage, which is kind of sketchy.


----------



## dprogram

Ideally I want to make it as close to an RV as possible (keep it stealth) and that will require removing all the rear seats, adding a platform for a mattress, some extra batteries with an inverter, maybe a fridge, microwave, propane stove, and a heating a cooling system that could be run off the battery power alone. I've got a 1500w inverter, small fridge, small microwave, and small propane stove. I was also going to use my futon mattress in there too. So I'd be out the cost of wiring, 2 extra batteries, and figuring out a way to do a small sink and on board water supply. All the amenities would have to completed in small stages and I know I could do without most of that setup it's just I already have most of it so why not make it comfy.


----------



## Raging Bird

Hmmm, I've seen people do a lot of that in conversions, but you might appreciate the extra space of the 15 passenger if you're trying to turn it into a full-blown house and not just a car. If you're taking the seats out, you can redesign the interior to make it as comfortable as you want. Might be the better choice but either way, drop 50 bucks to have a mechanic look at it before buying.


----------



## GhostWithTheMost

dprogram said:


> Ideally I want to make it as close to an RV as possible (keep it stealth) and that will require removing all the rear seats, adding a platform for a mattress, some extra batteries with an inverter, maybe a fridge, microwave, propane stove, and a heating a cooling system that could be run off the battery power alone. I've got a 1500w inverter, small fridge, small microwave, and small propane stove. I was also going to use my futon mattress in there too. So I'd be out the cost of wiring, 2 extra batteries, and figuring out a way to do a small sink and on board water supply. All the amenities would have to completed in small stages and I know I could do without most of that setup it's just I already have most of it so why not make it comfy.


 

Id suggest for batteries Red top optima (or otimum cant remember) Batteries..they are a little pricey, like 150 bucks..but they have life time warranties so you'll never need to buy new ones again if they crap out.


----------



## Matt Derrick

HoboSquirrell said:


> Id suggest for batteries Red top optima (or otimum cant remember) Batteries..they are a little pricey, like 150 bucks..but they have life time warranties so you'll never need to buy new ones again if they crap out.


 
actually, that's not true. i owned two blue tops this year, and their warranty is limited to 7 years. which is still better than most brands. but you can find better deep cycle batteries with more amp hours for significantly cheaper.


----------



## DoctorApocalypse

I've got a buddy with a pair of die hard platinum PM-1 deep cycle AGM batteries in parallel (and a 2kW inverter) in his van and those things are pretty amazing, yeah they're a little pricy but at 1150 CCA a piece he gets a bit more than a week's worth of power before having to dock and charge. Couple of things to watch out for with those batteries though: Sears only has a 3 year free replacement warranty, not that big of a deal if you just make up some excuse to exchange em after about 30 months. Also the AGM batteries need a high current (40 amp) charger or the cells will get wrecked. Fortunately they also sell the die hard platinum charger for when you dock. 

Prior to the die hard platinum AGM batteries he had a pair of the biggest costco marine/deep cycle batteries in parallel and the performance was pretty terrible under load. After a week of only barely getting a night's worth of power per full charge he said "fuck it, imma go big or go home" returned em to costco, went to sears and has been happy ever since.


----------



## suprhromnn

Matt Derrick said:


> actually, that's not true. i owned two blue tops this year, and their warranty is limited to 7 years. which is still better than most brands. but you can find better deep cycle batteries with more amp hours for significantly cheaper.


It depends on where you buy them, Optima used to offer the lifetime warranty but they were recently bought out and the new ownership changed it to seven years. Some places however, will still honor the old lifetime warranty, even with a new battery. Something to ask about when you're battery shopping.


----------



## dolittle

Ok, here is my suggestion. BEFORE you buy Any van, talk to people who KNOW about converting a van to RV. I had the same plan you got, give my van all the modern conveneance of home... till I found out I could buy a small (van type) used RV for about the same money. So I decided to go primative, instead. A twin bed (cot), 2 burner Colman camp stove, ice chest, folding table & a dish pan to serve as sink. Nothing electric means no docking to charge. I have over head lights in the cargo area, only because they came built in with my van. Same with my radio. I did buy a DVD player, it plugs into the cig lighter thingy. Tricking out a van can be a cool, fun thing... if you got the time, money & skill. But a primative set up can be just as comfy, less hassle & hella cheaper. Again, I HIGHLY recommend talking to people in the know b4 taking on the expense.


----------



## suprhromnn

You can do it very nicely for very cheap if you know your way around a car and have the construction/electrical/plumbing skills to bring it all together.

I turned my jeep (before I rolled it) into a self-sustaining camper (except for gas of course).

You get a high-output alternator that has enough amperage to charge 2-3 batteries or you can run a dual-alternator setup and then set up different things to run on different batteries and make kill switches that completely disconnect your electronics so there is no trickle drain coming from them when they're off.

I had running water, a two burner stove, 4 outlets, bed, lighting, cabinets, drawers and I even carpeted my walls and ceiling with shag carpet and it cost me roughly $1500 and two weeks of solid work once I was done with the planning phase.

Whenever the batteries start running low, you just turn it on and drive around for a couple hours and they're charged back up as long as your alternator(s) are putting out enough amperage.

The single most expensive part will be the single HO alternator or setting your engine compartment up with dual alternators.


----------



## dolittle

It's good you had the know how. Sounds like a Hot set up. Sory you rolled it. Like I said, it's a cool deal if you got the time, money & SKILLS. In my case, though, I woulda had to hire all that out. Mine was a rush job. At the time, I had 2 choices. Live in the van, or live on the street. Not having the time, money or skill, primative worked for me. And honestly, I'm glad I went with it. I Do love me some hassle free. But, that's just me. Different things work for different folks.


----------



## suprhromnn

The skills are surprisingly easy to pickup. The plumbing was very basic, I'd hardly call it plumbing. The construction is something that just made it easier and look nice, unnecessary. The electrical and automotive skills seem daunting (I sure thought so) but they can be picked up rather quickly on the internet.

I learned how to do that in a matter of 4-5 months, I spent countless hours on multiple vehicle forums and bumming around car garages and friendly mechanics while I was off work.

Before I started this, I had zero automotive knowledge. I didn't even know how to change my own oil when I bought that jeep. Cars just seem so confusing and complex to people because they don't understand them and fuck, dealerships and garages like it that way but in reality... They are very easy to learn very quickly if you've got the time and the aptitude.

I was lucky in that I've always been good with my hands and I grew up with tools in them being that my dad has done various types of construction for nearly 30 years.

I would say if you have the drive to do this, you can learn this and do it all on your own on the cheap. It may take a few months to learn it all but in the end it is very rewarding and anyways... You don't want to live in a car that you can't fix yourself, mechanics are expensive.


----------



## GhostWithTheMost

suprhromnn said:


> It depends on where you buy them, Optima used to offer the lifetime warranty but they were recently bought out and the new ownership changed it to seven years. Some places however, will still honor the old lifetime warranty, even with a new battery. Something to ask about when you're battery shopping.


 

Ahh, well that makes sense, seeing as how I have not bought an optima batteries in quite a few years now


----------



## dprogram

Well both those vans are out of the equation...hrm. Luckily there is a neighbor who has 4 cargo vans from his business and I'm going to hit him up for one and see if he cant cut me a deal...otherwise the craigslist search continues...


----------



## dprogram

Finally Found the van I am going to get! Ford E150 Cargo van with metal divider and a gate to access the rear. It's in good condition with only 130k miles on it. I should have it in my possession by Monday and man am I thrilled. I might even start a courier service with this thing.

http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2915112941.html


----------



## suprhromnn

You should have him get the CEL read before you buy it. If it's been on for a good while and he has had no problems if could be something like a gear slipping in the tranny, which would be bad news.


----------



## Earth

Fords are great !!

Got me an E-350 Diesel conversion van, 1984... twin 20 gal fuel tanks (of which one's gonna be set up for veggie fuel), 6.9 ltr International V-8 thats non turbo, but the 4.88 dana rear gets that van movin quick.

Extremely ruggard and extra heavy duty BUT very very very expensive to keep running (as all diesels are)
Then again, it does get 20+ mpg on the open road, ain't nothing gonna beat that any time soon.......

Good Luck, hope you can get that Ford.


----------



## dprogram

suprhromnn said:


> You should have him get the CEL read before you buy it. If it's been on for a good while and he has had no problems if could be something like a gear slipping in the tranny, which would be bad news.


Check Engine Light? Well I didn't drive it yesterday b/c the guy was out of town and it was parked at his dads. His dad had just had major surgery so he couldnt get around very well and I didn't want to ask him to get in so I could test drive it. I'll test drive it tomorrow and take it out on the highway for a bit and make sure the engine gets hot and all then come back and check everything again to make sure there are no leaks and whatnot. I started it yesterday and let it sit for awhile running. Then cut it off and checked everything again to make sure it was not leaking anywhere and it was fine. A Check Engine Light can come for a multitude of reasons so I'm hoping it's just something simple. Doesn't the computer make you take it to the dealer every so often for an inspection. What I mean is...there doesn't always have to be something wrong with the car for it to actually come on right? Just an indication that it needs to be taken to the dealer for it 60k mile belt inspection or something?


----------



## suprhromnn

dprogram said:


> Check Engine Light? Well I didn't drive it yesterday b/c the guy was out of town and it was parked at his dads. His dad had just had major surgery so he couldnt get around very well and I didn't want to ask him to get in so I could test drive it. I'll test drive it tomorrow and take it out on the highway for a bit and make sure the engine gets hot and all then come back and check everything again to make sure there are no leaks and whatnot. I started it yesterday and let it sit for awhile running. Then cut it off and checked everything again to make sure it was not leaking anywhere and it was fine. *A Check Engine Light can come for a multitude of reasons so I'm hoping it's just something simple. Doesn't the computer make you take it to the dealer every so often for an inspection. What I mean is...there doesn't always have to be something wrong with the car for it to actually come on right? Just an indication that it needs to be taken to the dealer for it 60k mile belt inspection or something?*


 
It can, yes. But at 130k miles there's no inspection that would be due on the CEL (You were right, Check Engine Light). I forget this living in Hawaii (we don't have this service there >.<) but since you're in the real US you should be able to take it to a checkers or autozone and get the CEL read for free. Call around to find a parts store close to you that will do that, and have him get it read.

At 130k I'd think it might be a little more serious of a problem if it hasn't been regularly taken care of. It shouldn't be a checkup at that mileage; however it could be something as simple as a misfire due to a poorly gapped spark plug, or on the other hand, it could be a nasty surprised like an unfelt slipping tranny or running rich/lean...

No way to know without getting it read. I personally wouldn't go near a vehicle with the CEL on without knowing what error codes it's spitting out.


----------



## dprogram

suprhromnn said:


> It can, yes. But at 130k miles there's no inspection that would be due on the CEL (You were right, Check Engine Light). I forget this living in Hawaii (we don't have this service there >.<) but since you're in the real US you should be able to take it to a checkers or autozone and get the CEL read for free. Call around to find a parts store close to you that will do that, and have him get it read.
> 
> At 130k I'd think it might be a little more serious of a problem if it hasn't been regularly taken care of. It shouldn't be a checkup at that mileage; however it could be something as simple as a misfire due to a poorly gapped spark plug, or on the other hand, it could be a nasty surprised like an unfelt slipping tranny or running rich/lean...
> 
> No way to know without getting it read. I personally wouldn't go near a vehicle with the CEL on without knowing what error codes it's spitting out.


Good advice. I'll take it to the nearest Autozone on my trip out to see what it is. I'm sure the guy will be hesitant to do this with me but I'm sure he'll understand since $2500 isn't just chump change. Thanks for the advice!


----------



## dprogram

I didnt take it ti Autozone but the van is fine!. I'll figure it out or take it later on. I changed the oil and the van runs excellent. Shifts smooth. Good power. Heat and AC work. This should last me a long time. I plan on doing a conversion thread once I start converting it. I'll be vandwelling tomorrow night in Memphis. Anyone want to meet up? j/k


----------



## Eager

dprogram said:


> One is a Chevy and the other is a Dodge. I could use some advice as there are pros and cons to both. I prefer Chevy b/c i know how to work on them and I'm familiar with the general setup. This Dodge however has had a lot of repairs done and the owner has the receipts.
> 
> Chevy - 1989 Chevy G20 Classic Van. 121,000 Miles. One owner. Engine and transmission great. Interior is superb. Must see. Only thing van needs is paint and very minor work. Drive it away with clean title in hand.
> http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865172713.html
> 
> Dodge - I recently got an oil change, tune up, new breaks, adjusted rear back, 2 wheel suspension alignment, fuel pressure regulator, dist acp & rotor, fuel filiter and steering repairs. I have receipts to show. The van has a very good motor and transmission. The tires & the battery is good. The body is in pretty good shape, there is no rust. The is one seat in the back, but the rest can always be replaced.The van runs very good. All it need is TLC.
> http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/2865292913.html
> 
> Any help on deciding is appreciated!


 
Hey, I'm actually from Memphis, and have been rubbertrampin with my partner in an RV for a little over a year now. I say forget getting a van, converting it, and goin "stealth"; just buy an older small class C RV, its a lot cheaper, the equipment inside it is more reliable, and it makes for a way nicer place to live (vans are fine for sleeping, but hanging out all scrunched up -- fuck that).


----------



## austinoram

The passenger van has a lot of windows for you not to stand out if you don't want to give a burglar a reason to take your stuff. Cover the windows and you call the attention of the police. I would otherwise advise against the conversion van due to the bulk of unnecessary stuff. If you're going to gut it anyway then get the passenger van for less time, money and energy - although you could sell parts from the conversion if possible. They are ice boxes in winter and a sauna in summer so a little more space (without an AC) is ideal with the passenger van. It's also lighter so you'll get better mpg.
Take them both for a test drive. To make the ultimate decision take both to a mechanic to take a look, should be no problem for the seller to allow you to do so. And finally do not pay the asking price. Don't low-ball them but do not pay asking price. Offer $200 less, cash, at the right time.. they really want it sold, and most likely added that $200 to begin with. That's business. Good luck.

Also don't store the batteries in your cabin as they release toxic fumes from time to time.


----------



## LeftCoast

So you decided getting the E150    I'm stoked you chose a Ford. SUPER EASY TO WORK ON. Man, you should really put up some pictures so we can take a look and compare  Man, that didn't sound a little too gay now did it?


----------

