Yes, the seat bed should fold out nicely in a shorty van. I pulled a set from a shorty van from the junk yard.

On the other hand, I still have a gap between the front edge of the rear bench and the rear (top) edge of the front once I put them both down. Some other owners tell me that they have no such gap between the seats.

 

Mine came together nicely, no gap. Thanks for the info.

 

also consider a hvy duty camping air mattress, queen fits perfectly in back with no seats in EXT.
we find it more comfortable than the sleeper seats

 

You live in NY and probably could use or need AWD, so I would just get that. One main reason I have avoided the 3.0L in any vehicle is changing the oil filter is a big hassle compared to the 4.0. If you put enough mileage on the van to worry about MPG, then that means changing the filter at least 6 times a year.

I averaged 16-18 mpg city/hi and up to 21 highway (loaded with people) on an extended trip, which surprised me.

 

Well, I use Royal Purple Oil myself. It save me a bundle. I drive about 2800 miles per month. With regular oil, I'd be changing it every 3,000 - 5,000 miles. With the Royal Purple and extended service oil filters, I change it every 10,000 miles instead. I know everybody has their opinions about what oil is best and how to best save the money. For me this a no brainer.
I either buy a substandard oil at lets say 2.20 per quart and time out every month to change the oil (costs time and money, since it is a business vehicle), and replace the oil filter, all the while not protecting the engine as well as I could, Lets for the sake of arguement say I get my oil for a total of $ 11 for the 5 quarts. Then an oil filter at $2.50 which would a a cheap filter. Now lets take the time it takes to do an oil change, lets say an hour to DIY complete with cleanup and taking the old oil to a recycling center. Lets say my time is worth $15 per hour. This puts me to a grand total of $28.50 not counting shop supplies. Now it I had this done a a qquick lube, it could cost me more or less, but I hate letting those people touch my car. The only mechanics I would let touch my vehicles are the ones whos services are far more valuable. Now this bid was with a cheap oil that looks like tar after 3,000 miles and absolutely has to be changed. Now lets go with Royal Purple and do the math.
Lets start with a top of the line Mobil1 oil filter meant for extended service. This filter is good from 7,500 miles to as much as 15,000 miles, depending on engine condition and oil. $11 Lets include the same time listed above at a value of $15. Now lets add up the 5 quarts at $7 per quart for a total of $35. This same bid aside from the shop materials is $61. Now lets add up the cost over 30,000 miles. In this time period you will have changed the conventional oil 10 times at a total cost of 285 dollars. The Royal Purple will have been replaced 3 times for a total cost of 183. Thats a savings of $102.
Now in my case, I measured a temperature drop of the oil pan temperature (using a temperature strip that measures peak temps) of 40 degrees (peak). Without changing any other parts, the tempearture guage went from running at the O to just below the N most of the time. My fuel economy improved by an average of 1.2 mpg (measured over the coarse of 3,000 miles on regular when I first bought the van versus the 3,000 miles following my first oil change with Royal Purple). which over the coarse of 30,000 miles @ 2.50 per gallon is a savings about $330 dollars. So my total savings not counting shop supplies is a total of $432.
We all have our opinions regarding oil, and I respect that, but I just thought I would relay my experiences regarding the matter. My van for the record is an AWD Extended, no rear seats, but instead I carry about 350 to 900 lbs in the back of that van almost all the time. I am also a little bit on the lead foot side (I'm sorry, I just like the power of that 4.0L). I also drive up a lot of hills, and my average economy could be higher, but I tow a trailer a lot too. On a day to day basis I get about $ 18.2 mpg but with the trailer it drops to 15.1. It averages out to 17.2

 

We have a '97 3.0 shorty with about 120K. Our best ever tank was a little over 24 MPG. Staying between 70 and 80 mph, and avoiding full throttle, you should never see less than 20 mpg. The Aero is very economical for the space it has.

WRT oil, I have used M1 0W-30 and 5W-30, Syntech 5W-30, and RTS 5W-40. I have seen no difference in fuel economy with any oil. One of our 24 MPG+ tanks was seen on RTS 5W-40, the heaviest oil I have tried, so I don't think you can expect any motor oil to yield any improvement in fuel economy.

In any event, an Aero is a great traveling machine, if you need the room.