Thanks Mark, and cool photo!

 

The PT boats had 3 huge engines that were turbo charged, some boasted to squeeze 1500 horse power from each one of them.

 

Yes it's about 4,000/month.

Very interesting math you did there. However my employer buys my gas, so no big benefit to me there.
And I average $5-$7K gross profit each week for my route, so $300 worth of fuel doesn't really matter enough to count. Literally pennies on the dollar.

Nonetheless I have decided against GM... But now not sure what to do.

 

How does $300 worth of fuel not matter enough to count, but a $300 payment does? I get that your employer pays for fuel, but money is money. Whether you spend it on fuel or a loan payment doesn't matter to your checkbook.

 

Two GM 3500 extended 4.8l gas vans, just under 800,000. One engine replaced and 3 transmissions. The engines and transmissions are harder to find and more expensive.

It's possible that the GM 6.0l is a better engine that works the transmission less. Also possible that I just had some freaks. But I'm pretty sure that 6 speed GM transmission is trash.

The 4.6 Ford does work the tranny harder but with 4:10 gears you'll still get respectable mileage out of the 4R75. I think over 500k if i recall right.

We had one 4.6 Ford make it to just over 1,000,000 before the valves leaked too much to run it. Another one blew the head gasket at 440,000. The replacement engine is a 4.6 with 400k on it now, but it's got a bad oil leak that i think it's the head gasket. Runs ok though, getting by on stop leak.

The 5.4l's have all made it past 800,000. From my perspective, that engine with the 4R75 is the best combo of power, fuel economy, longevity and cost.

 

Because the $300 isn't my money
If it was MY money then your explanation would have me shopping for a 17mpg van TODAY

And the small amount ($300) doesn't matter to my employer whether I get 12mpg (current V10 E350) or 24mpg (most other guys have Transit Connect).

 

If you could do your job with a Transit Connect, I would recommend a Honda Odyssey if you could get by with blanking out the windows (no cargo versions). And if there is no negativity from your driving a foreign nameplate (The TC is made in Spain formerly Turkey, the Odyssey is 75% American, more than almost every Ford.)

I know multiple people with Odysseys well over 200k miles that have had close to zero problems (once you get past 2002 or so when they had a run of trans problems).

It's not about gas, but low long-term maintenance costs. You would have to keep a beast around to tow with.

George

 

I could not do my job effectively from a smaller van… I would actually like to get the extended body E series. ( most of the other people in my industry have one trade/department. I do three. So I need more parts than they do )

But yes those Honda Odyssey's are nice vehicles. Not sure if I would trust a front wheel drive unibody (any brand) for hauling parts and doing the miles I do though.

 

Gotcha...when you said Transit Connect I thought maybe...

I would probably have bought an Odyssey if I wasn't concerned about driving a domestic nameplate. Seems about half my friends (and my son) are tied to the Big 3 so I put my money where my mouth is when I bought a Dodge. (Plus it was about 6 grand less than a similarly equipped Odyssey--I am considering buying a "lifetime" warranty for $3k because the etronics may get to be a nightmare in its old age.)

The Mercedes Metris is a great midsize van package that is a serious RWD truck and a size up from the minivans--I think payload is ~2500 lbs. But it's a small turbo gas engine and they're too new to fit into your price range I think.

Nothing wrong with unit bodies. Every van started as a unit body; Ford went body/frame in 1975, GM not till 1996, and Dodge never did.

George

 

The only body-on-frame vans still in production are the GM vans and the Nissan NV. The NV is a nice van, but the GM twins are quite dated. Sadly those are the only two options when it comes to pulling heavy thins. I like the Nissan quite a bit, we came very close to buying one. They make too many sacrifices to keep it Titan-related though; longer than any extended length van, but with a regular-length interior. I don't like semi-floating axles at that weight capacity either...the Transit and GM vans have full floaters in the back.

 

what does this mean?

 

It's about the dimensions of the thing.

The NV3500 has 120.7" space behind the driver's seat for people and cargo. Your regular-length Econonline has 122" of cargo space. An extended Econoline has 142.4" of cargo space and is 236" long overall.

The NV is 240" long overall. Longer than an extended Ford van outside, but shorter than the regular length inside. This is the biggest reason we didn't get one. Our Transit is 4" shorter than the NV outside, but has 24" more interior than an NV.

 

One reason I couldn't even look at the NV when getting a new van was the length (has to fit in my garage). It's basically proportioned like a pickup truck with a 10' bed, and a cover over the whole body. It's kind of like a long Suburban/Excursion but with a lower floor and taller roof.

You rarely seen them in Detroit, but when we took our vaca to Florida this year, the NV's are really common down south. (Detroit is a bit light on import brand cars compared to the rest of the country.) I do think the NV is really ugly (looks like a big dumb shoe or something), but function>looks for trucks IMO.

George

 

To be fair, I believe the NV has the nicest interior and one of the best power trains. The NV models we drove were really nice vans that we would have enjoyed owning. But they're expensive, thirsty, and hard to find used. My wife really wanted the NV over the Transit.

 

If you're not paying for fuel but you are paying for the vehicle and repairs/upkeep, and you are concerned about down-time then to me the choice is pretty simple. 2013-14 Ford E-x50 with a 5.4L V8 gasoline engine.

Unless you tow heavy things, 5.4L is enough and between that engine and the 4R75 transmission you're going to have the lowest cost of maintenance and initial purchase price in a capable vehicle for years to come.

Caveat, if you're the type to grow tired of a vehicle and trade it in after a few years then that's another factor. Ford E-series aren't likely to hold resale value. Best plan if you buy one is to run the wheels off it because it's cheap to maintain and reliable. Resale is crap.