looking to buy a cargo van

brycey2010

Seasoned Expediter
2005 or newer cargo vans ??

If you were to buy a 2005 or newer cargo van, which gas engine one would you buy? same question for a diesel engine?
 

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jelliott

Veteran Expediter
Motor Carrier Executive
US Army
Re: 2005 or newer cargo vans ??

If you were to buy a 2005 or newer cargo van, which gas engine one would you buy? same question for a diesel engine?

Extended Sprinter
Extended Sprinter
Extended Sprinter
Extended Sprinter
Extended Sprinter
Extended Sprinter
 

Moot

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Re: 2005 or newer cargo vans ??

If you were to buy a 2005 or newer cargo van, which gas engine one would you buy? same question for a diesel engine?
I would buy the gas engine one that came with the van. Same for the diesel engine one. It just seems a whole lot tidier that way. But that's just me.

Being that Mr. Elliot is the owner of an expedite company, his recommendation of an extended Sprinter has some merit. I'd go with his advice but get the Sprinter and engine as a package deal.
 

Zoli

Veteran Expediter
If is your first van, buy a Chevy Express extended 2500 4.8 V8 engine. Very good vans. I would not buy a Sprinter .Way to expensive .You out to make money ,no?
 

Freightdawg

Expert Expediter
Re: 2005 or newer cargo vans ??

I would buy the gas engine one that came with the van. Same for the diesel engine one. It just seems a whole lot tidier that way. But that's just me.

Being that Mr. Elliot is the owner of an expedite company, his recommendation of an extended Sprinter has some merit. I'd go with his advice but get the Sprinter and engine as a package deal.

I do prefer the engine and the van together, especially when it is installed and working!
 

brycey2010

Seasoned Expediter
thanks for the replies, there are some funny f---ers out there, yep, this will be my 1st van, read the forums, seems allot of people favor the older vans because of more reliable motors, but FedEx wants the van to be no more than 5 years old, so that is why im asking, i would rather have a diesel than a gas truck, but harder to find, unless i get a sprinter.
 

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brycey2010

Seasoned Expediter
Re: 2005 or newer cargo vans ??

I would buy the gas engine one that came with the van. Same for the diesel engine one. It just seems a whole lot tidier that way. But that's just me.

Being that Mr. Elliot is the owner of an expedite company, his recommendation of an extended Sprinter has some merit. I'd go with his advice but get the Sprinter and engine as a package deal.
OH, can you do that!!
 

Freightdawg

Expert Expediter
thanks for the replies, there are some funny f---ers out there, yep, this will be my 1st van, read the forums, seems allot of people favor the older vans because of more reliable motors, but FedEx wants the van to be no more than 5 years old, so that is why im asking, i would rather have a diesel than a gas truck, but harder to find, unless i get a sprinter.

Yeah, lots of jokers here! I'm a guilty party on that! Good luck on finding the right van!
 

brycey2010

Seasoned Expediter
Yeah, lots of jokers here! I'm a guilty party on that! Good luck on finding the right van!

im used to it, been trucking for years, we all need a good laugh, what really makes me laugh is the application process we have to go through to lease on to a company, talk about paperwork!!!
 

guido4475

Not a Member
Why limit youreslf to a 3/4 ton?And the small engine that may die prematurely do to working itself to death? Some on here went that route, and had nothing but trouble.Why not a one ton, 6.0, or a Ford 350, 5.4?extended?Try looking at ryder used trucks .com and see what they have,They have sprinters in their fleet now, dont know if they are old enough to be for sale, though.Jumbo used trucks in Florida has a ton of vans,, also.Why not consider a spartan body van, you could end up with the best of both worlds,as long as you get a single rear wheelone,12 ft box.That's my next move,and maybe gasser at that.I have been running into alot of people getting 900,000 miles on a gasser,and still going strong.It all depends on how you take care of it.
 

Zoli

Veteran Expediter
Why limit youreslf to a 3/4 ton?And the small engine that may die prematurely do to working itself to death? Some on here went that route, and had nothing but trouble.Why not a one ton, 6.0, or a Ford 350, 5.4?extended?Try looking at ryder used trucks .com and see what they have,They have sprinters in their fleet now, dont know if they are old enough to be for sale, though.Jumbo used trucks in Florida has a ton of vans,, also.Why not consider a spartan body van, you could end up with the best of both worlds,as long as you get a single rear wheelone,12 ft box.That's my next move,and maybe gasser at that.I have been running into alot of people getting 900,000 miles on a gasser,and still going strong.It all depends on how you take care of it.

I have Chevy 2500 and Chevy 3500 vans. They have more than 3-400 kmiles. The only difference for me is is the gas millage. Trust me , in expediting the 2500 with the 4,8 L can do the same work than the 3500 with the 6.0 engine. We do not carry heavy loads.
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
We do not carry heavy loads.

That's great but a lot of us do.

The problem with shorting yourself on cargo capacity can mean limiting yourself with revenue.

Beside that, there is a mrgin of wear that people tend to forget. Maybe it is me and hanging around engineers at GM and Ford but I would not want to load a 2500 GMC near its max capacity with a load but would rather take it in a 3500 just because of the wear factors involved.
 

TonyG

Seasoned Expediter
Sprinter is a very nice and comfortable vehicle but as said here the main problem is your maintenance costs, not everyone works on sprinters and go to a dealer for your basic service will run you around $300 to $500 depending what all you get done. Versus a 3/4 ton or 1 ton cargo van you can go to Walmart and get out the door for about $50 to $60. But advantage to Sprinter is you can haul freight that can not fit into regular vans because of height of freight, and much more room. I own a Sprinter and a Ford 350 extended, my wife and I chose the sprinter for one reason this is our life syle & stay out on the road together for 3-4 month at a time come home for a few day and go back out, so we had the Midway conversion installed and it is our home on the road. Our belief is as my signature says!!!!
 

brycey2010

Seasoned Expediter
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
 

bobwg

Expert Expediter
I just started in expediting last November after about 20 years driving big trucks I hooked up with a pretty good owner with a 2002 Sprinter and have been driving it and I am now in process of buying it from the owner. Yes the parts and labor are more expensive than GM or Ford depending on where you go to get the parts and labor I would not go to a Mercedes or Dodge dealer to get any parts or work done on the Sprinter for the most part Freightliner gives a better price on parts and labor and there are web sites where you can get parts cheaper than the dealers and one big plus over the regular cargo vans is more space for more frieght especially taller frieght and I can stand up and walk from the front to back of the Sprinter If I were to buy a new or newer Sprinter it would be the biggest one I could find and still be under the 10,000 gvw thats my advice good luck
 

bobwg

Expert Expediter
Sprinter is a very nice and comfortable vehicle but as said here the main problem is your maintenance costs, not everyone works on sprinters and go to a dealer for your basic service will run you around $300 to $500 depending what all you get done. Versus a 3/4 ton or 1 ton cargo van you can go to Walmart and get out the door for about $50 to $60. But advantage to Sprinter is you can haul freight that can not fit into regular vans because of height of freight, and much more room. I own a Sprinter and a Ford 350 extended, my wife and I chose the sprinter for one reason this is our life syle & stay out on the road together for 3-4 month at a time come home for a few day and go back out, so we had the Midway conversion installed and it is our home on the road. Our belief is as my signature says!!!!

Basic oil change at Frieghtliner is $125 -$150 if you add a fuel filter with oil change it runs about $150-$200
 

Phoenix4774

Seasoned Expediter
Trust me , in expediting the 2500 with the 4,8 L can do the same work than the 3500 with the 6.0 engine. We do not carry heavy loads.

Interesting view, I have narrowed myself down to going with the Chevy/GMC extended gas vans, due to hearing the 155" wheelbase rides good and that the weight and cost of the diesel engines offset its fuel economy. Anyway, I'm hoping someone could answer the following:

1. What is the difference between Chevy Express/GMC Savana cargo vans? Is there any?

2. I see Chefdennis and others think the 4.8L is good enough for both the 2500 and 3500, rather than the 6.0L. Anyone else chime in on this view?

3. The usual answer is the 3500 is best for its 9600gvw, but there is a 2500 with 8600gvw, so anyone want to offer their opinions on how much cargo weight they can haul with the two different models, and how they would weigh the variable of saving gas in the 2500 vs. missing heavy loads going to the 3500?

Thanks.
 
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