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Old January 4th, 2019, 10:38 AM   #1
Finesse
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Name: Katie
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Any Cargo Van Experts?

I'm looking for a van to haul my dirtbike/other bikes around in. I currently use a harbor freight trailer that I tow with my car and it's becoming an unmanageable situation lol. I don't really wanna go into all the reasons, but I've decided to start looking for a van! (NOT a pickup truck, NOT a school bus, NOT a newer trailer)

From what I've heard/read, the 2005+ Chevy Express 2500 4.8L V8 is widely regarded as a reliable and inexpensive choice. I'm looking for something to get me to motorcycle events within about 5 hours of where I live. I want something on the newer side, 2005+ just to avoid rust, corrosion, issues that have been ignored etc. The newer the better, and original miles only, I don't want something with a rebuilt motor or trans. Willing to pay up to about $5000 for something in decent mechanical condition that passes state inspection/emissions. (Reasonable?) No Astro/Safari, too short, KTM won't fit through the doors. Would consider E150 or E250 but I heard to stay away from Dodge vans.

Can someone tell me about the differences between the 2500 and 3500 series Express or Savanna? I want something that's cheaper to work on, I'm not going to do it myself. I don't need to tow anything or haul anything heavy. I would be fine with the 1500 and smaller motor but I hear the V8 is more reliable.

Any advice about these would be appreciated. It's kind of hard to find reviews that take into consideration buying a 10 year old vehicle. All the reviews seem to be written during the year the vehicle was made. I wanna know about potential issues I may run into that are model or type-specific.

Thanks in advance!
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Old January 27th, 2019, 06:54 PM   #2
Alex
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Old January 27th, 2019, 07:24 PM   #3
Finesse
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Name: Katie
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Not really. Can't justify spending the money til I get a job. Still job searching. Sigh...
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Old January 29th, 2019, 09:04 AM   #4
VaFish
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I agree with staying away from Dodge Vans. I had a 2001 Ram 2500 passenger van, put 3 transmissions in it in 120,000 miles and the trans was acting up again when I sold it. Although the Dodge Sprinter vans were made by Mercedes and might be better.

Any van around $5,000 is going to have well over 100k miles on it though.
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Old January 29th, 2019, 12:08 PM   #5
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I've put a zillion miles on a 1973 Dodge B200, and currently drive a 1984 150. The 200 series is much better for motorcycle hauling since it's a 3/4 ton van. I put extra springs on my 150 so it doesn't sag excessively with two motorcycles in it. The 300 series, assuming its the 1-ton version, is overkill for hauling motorcycles and is probably more expensive to buy on the used market. I have nothing against Chevy vans and would get one if it came along at the right price, but with my 45 years of driving Dodge vans I know of nothing unreliable about them.

I'd get the Maxivan size if it were me, but I had the short version of the B200 127" wheelbase and it was fine. The extra 18" of the maxi would be nice, but fitting in tight places might be less convenient if you don't like big vehicles. Interestingly, the maxivan is still slightly shorter than the old "full sized cars".

The really short 150 I'm driving now still holds two bikes, but the front tire of my H2 is against the driver's seat. I miss the old B200.

I'm a huge fan of full sized vans for motorcycle carrying. They're out of the weather and road dirt, and somewhat away from prying eyes. To load motorcycles I use three 2x10s, each with a little angle bracket to hook over the rear bumper. The middle one is for the bike tires and the outer two are for my feet. Having someone to push helps, but I've loaded my old H2 alone many times by slowly driving it up the ramp.
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