used van ownership Q's

[Ghostyman]

Originally Posted by team ftb

Does anyone know if you get a standard length van and move the" bench seat that folds to a bed" from its rear position to just behind the front seats............................can you load a dirtbike behind it and close the doors?

I have a '73 Dodge Maxivan (extended length for 15 people). There is 11' from the back of the drivers seat to the rear door. I measured my DR350 at 7' so that leave 4' for a fold-down bed. A bit more if I angled it but then I could only fit one bike in. I don't know if it's going to work out but I'm planning on checking into it. If anyone knows the dimensions of commonly used beds, I'd be interested.

[papalobster]

Originally Posted by Ghostyman

I have a '73 Dodge Maxivan (extended length for 15 people). There is 11' from the back of the drivers seat to the rear door. I measured my DR350 at 7' so that leave 4' for a fold-down bed. A bit more if I angled it but then I could only fit one bike in. I don't know if it's going to work out but I'm planning on checking into it. If anyone knows the dimensions of commonly used beds, I'd be interested.

They must have grown a bit over the years, I have 16.5 feet from the base of the doghouse to the back door in my 99.

Bed sizes

With the middle row seats in and the dirtbikes tied to the rear of the seats, I have about 2.5 feet from the back tire to the door. I don't think there's enough room for bikes and a bed. But, being 6'7" I need a little more bed than most.

[Limey 1]

On the Ford Modular engines I think between 2001 and 2007 not really sure of the exact dates. ...the spark plugs can be a Major issue.....The plugs separate on removal.and you are left with the bottom piece stuck in the hole....(.Google Spark plugs Ford triton) etc..The dealer will quote upwards of $800.00 to replace them, but warn you it will be much more if the cylinder heads have to be removed!...
Different people have their own ways to remove these things, but there is a special tool to help get the broken piece out...It's a royal pain in the rear....There is even a class action law suit ongoing with the design of these plugs...pos!...If I was looking at a clean high mileage Ford I think I would insist on a New set of plugs before I signed on the dotted line....

[Ko]

Originally Posted by papalobster

They must have grown a bit over the years, I have 16.5 feet from the base of the doghouse to the back door in my 99.

You sure?!? I never measured one, just seen them around, but I doubt there's 16.5ft inside. Both Chevs and Fords have about 13.5ft, a bit more if one removes the map/drink holder.

Ko

[garandman]

Originally Posted by PaddedHat

Interesting to see that you have such a negative opinion on the 1/2 ton vans. I have an '06 Chevy with the 4.3. It runs like new with 120K on it, it gets 17ish in rural driving, and it's stupid cheap to operate. I know plenty of painters, trim carpenters and others who have gotten excellent service from 1/2 ton GM and Ford vans, including several that have ten years and well over 200K of service so far. Better mileage, cheaper parts, doesn't ride like a brick, I'm happy.

In many cases there's a lot of overlap in how they are equipped anyway.

We tow boat trailers up to 6,000 lbs so things like 8 lug rims, higher load rating tires, and standard oil coolers are worth the extra money. The equipment we move is seldom over 1,000 lbs so otherwise the 150/1500 would work just fine. We use the Transit Connect for most light hauling as it gets 25+ mpg.

At the moment the price difference between a Ford E150 and E250 is about $1200. On the Chevy website, the MSRP of a 1500 is $25,750 while the 2500 is $27,255. Go figure.