as i live in central Florida, i would do as i was doing when i was OTR in a semi, go out for at least a month at a time, i will take a look at a Sprinter and a GMC 2500/3500, most important to me is reliability, maintenance costs, mpg, comfort, i would separate the front from the cargo space, i need enough space for a bed, so, i really have to look at the space available to do this, this will be a major deciding factor, as far as the weight goes, to me it makes more sense to get a 3500, the other consideration is diesel or gas, i would prefer diesel, so all this points towards the Sprinter, however i have read the 4.8 v8 gas engine is pretty solid, not sure about the ford 5.4, or the 6.0 gas. Its a shame that on forums in general it takes so much time to do research, people post a relevant topic and before you know it, someone totally changes it, it would be great if there were specific reviews by users on here of the vans they use, including: reliability, mpg, problems, suggestions and pics, i will do that when i get my van. now i have to find a good company to work for, i have applied to Fedex critical, i guess i should apply to all the major companies, it will be a nice change from driving a 53ft trailer around, easier parking, easier access, hopefully allot less loading and unloading time............Rich