Looking for a race van

In the traditional US full frame vans I prefer the GM also. Drives nicer I feel.

 

Yep, most v8 vans are 4.8 or 6.0 it seems. I searched around for one with the 5.3 and it's great. Excellent fuel mileage for what it is.

 

The majority of the GM vans actually have the 4.3 V6 as in the Astro Van.

It won’t pull the skin off a day-old pudding...

 

I've found that all of the v8 vans I've come across had v8s in them.

 

My 07 E250 extended w/hi-top and 5.4L towed/drove perfect....It's towed a 6x12 v-nose, 7x16 v-nose, and 28' Powerquest boat.
And lengthy trips at that....1500 mile roundtrippers.

This thing drove like a car. Precise, no body roll, tight steering...waaaay better than my Chevy 2500 HD CC 4x4 ever did.

Had 230k trouble-free miles except for a flex plate. Owned it for 5 yrs. Bought it for $2000, sold it for $4400.

 

Helluva deal for $2k.

Did you get it cheap because of the flex plate issue?

 

The only difference between the GM 4.8 and 5.3 is the stroke. Block, crank, pistons, heads, cam and everything else is identical. Either one will be a bulletproof motor.

I haven't driven an Express in a while, but I know with the trucks, the 6.0/6.2 motor gets better gas mileage (loaded or unloaded) than the 4.8/5.3 only because the bigger motor doesnt have to work as hard under acceleration.

 

I now work on a car lot that sells used fleet service vehicles (mainly vans) and this is what I have seen. There are a lot of Spectrum Cable (and old Time Warner around here) vehicles out there. We have had good luck with them as they are seemingly better at maintaining their fleet than providing good service.

Ford
If you get a Ford with the 5.4 make sure it is the 2 valve (early 2000's). The three and four valve motors have issues with breaking spark plugs when changing them because they are just an odd config to get to and replace. Google it and you will see what I mean. The 4.6 is a great V8 in any year and should do the job. They are about 225HP and close to 300 ft/lbs torque. Many of the Ford's will have the 4R100 tranny which is what they put behind the ford diesel motors so it is a tough tranny. Make sure you don't feel any tranny shudder when changing gears. That is a sign of a bad torque converter. If people did not get them serviced it will happen. With proper service they are good.

Chevy
You will not find many Chevy's 1500's with anything but a 4.3 V6. There are some with the 5.3 V8 but are few and far between but if you find one they are good vans. The 4.3 V6 is a good motor but it will struggle pulling. More of the 2500's will have the 5.3 than anything with some having the 6.0. The 5.3 or 6.0 are good motors. The Chevy 1500's will have a 4L60 tranny which is fine. The 2500 and 3500 have a 4L80 which also is a decent tranny.

Honestly the Ford or Chevy are about the same in my eyes on their vans.

 

Probably not the best option but you would be the coolest in the paddock.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1...mail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2018-07-31

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

Badass!

 

I've found quite the opposite. 6.0 struggles to get better than 15mpg. I've owned a 5.3 in a truck and a van. Consistent 18-19 not towing. Just got back from a 6,300 mile trip in our 1/2 ton 5.3 van. Avg was 18.1 over the trip, bike, scooter, ezup, tools, etc. Towing anything substantial though and I'd be buying a 3/4 ton with the 6.0 GM for sure.

 

I could milk 18mpg out of my 6.0 if I drove staring at the Scangauge on the highway. Right at 62mph and easy on the gas. Since that rarely happened I got more like 16 on long trips and about 13 around town.

 

I love my 1995 Chevy G30 with the 350. Bought it for $1,500 six years and 60k ago. Just got back from a 1,200 mile trip on Sunday. Other than the usual consumables, it hasn't given me any issues. Ugly, yes, your friends will make fun of you, yes, but damn is it functional. 12-13 mpg if I keep it under 80.

 

Yep, my experience also with the 6.0. The trip I just took speeds were mostly 76-84 mph depending on speed limit. Mileage dropped a bit with my last set of tires also. Only had Firestones in stock, lost a solid 1mpg with them. Michelin next time, I'm almost due anyway. Any van will get the job done though for the op. I'd pass over poorly maintained GM's if you found a cream puff Ford/other.

 

Those are big issues in my book.

 

They were when they first started happening, but at this point, there are relatively easy and inexpensive solutions. Take the broken spark plug thing. When it first became an issue, it cost so much to fix that it was nearly worth it to junk the truck, but now Ford has created a special tool, and techs have done enough of them that it's not really a big deal at all.

 

Amen. With "minor issues" like those it's pretty sad that the ford and chevy are still neck and neck. I wish I could get a Sprinter sized van made by Toyota with the 5.7 or a smallish diesel.

 

When the 4.6/5.4 engines were new it was a head removal project.

Ford's repair kit consisted of a new head and gaskets.

 

No love for the Dodge? 2000 B2500 here, 12 passenger (non-extended) version with 360 engine (5.9 liter?). With front bench (the one behind the driver's seat) installed I can transport two bikes. Two dirt bike, supermotos (yeah, same thing I guess), a couple of Ninja 250's as well as canopy, generator, a couple of tires, and tools in the back. Cooler in the front between the front seats. I have towed a couple of 12' open trailers stacked with dirt bikes with no change in MPG (still get 12-13, regardless).

Major issues:
Blew up a tee fitting at the heater core while climbing a mountain with two dirt bikes in back; rerouted the coolant hose, filled the cooling system with whatever water we had. Made it to the top of the mountain, rode bike, made it home safely. Eventually installed the $1.98 tee (installed a block heater while I was in there).
Water pump failed about six-nine months later (likely because the engine overheated when I blew the coolant fitting). Removed and replaced the waterpump in about six hours. Could have been done faster at the dealership for more money, but I'm too cheap for that.
Last issue: Aluminum AC tubes have corroded out, allowing freon to discharge. Need to get this fixed quick like, but not a huge setback.

That's pretty much it in the eight years/30,000 miles I've owned it (bought it with 95k, now up to 125k). Oh, I had the blower motor resistor fail, that was a quick 5 minute fix. Bought it from the county Vanpool surplus yard for a good discount.

 

I just picked up a 2003 Express 1500 with AWD for $4500. I drove it 3,000 miles in two weeks without an issue. BRAPVAN life is legit!