Talk some sense into me please.

[454cid]

I have been seriously thinking about looking for a Chevy Express 1 ton van because service bed trucks and just trucks in general are a lot harder to find in good shape but just in my looking for trucks I found plenty of vans so I may have to settle for a van. If I get a van I would like an early LS style motor because they seem to be a lot lower maintenance. I've seen the Chevy Express are actually near the top of some of the reliability charts.

Talking about GMT400s using Tapatalk

I think the first year for the redesign was 2002. That gets you the better GMT-800 brakes besides the LS engine. Beware the side door hinges go bad and get very hard top open/shut so make sure to check that when shopping. I used to work for a company that had one, and I basically never used the side doors unless I had to because of that, and one set of hinges had already been replaced.

 

[stutaeng]

I have been seriously thinking about looking for a Chevy Express 1 ton van because service bed trucks and just trucks in general are a lot harder to find in good shape but just in my looking for trucks I found plenty of vans so I may have to settle for a van. If I get a van I would like an early LS style motor because they seem to be a lot lower maintenance. I've seen the Chevy Express are actually near the top of some of the reliability charts.

Talking about GMT400s using Tapatalk

Funny, I was going to mention a van in my previous responses, but didn't know if that would work for you. I've seen some of those 1 tons with big boxes, usually plumbers run them. You probably want to stick to the 03-09 years.

My neighbor is a handyman/painter and has a 1500 Express, 2011 or something. I was talking to him just a few days and he said he sank like $3k on a transmission that had to be redone twice. His 4.3 engine had to be rebuilt as well, another $4k. Said he'd spent almost $10k on it with all other things. But he drives it a lot. Stick to an 8 lug.

The good thing is the vans are the last hold-out on GM's technology hierarchy, LOL. Even the '10-19 get the 6L90 with the 6.0. No AFM garbage, etc. The '20 4.3 Ecotec and the baby Duramax get the 8 speed, which kinda tells me the 8 speeds are not as robust as the 6L90? Dunno. Even the new 6.6 GAS (400HP/464 TQ) engine gets the 6L90! 6 speed seems archaic when everyone is raving about their 10 speeds, LOL.

I'm currently looking for a passenger version for wife. Probably with the L96/6L90e, but still see plenty of LQ4/4L80e for good prices. We have outgrown our T&C.

 

[someotherguy]

Some of 'em have the 6.0; pretty rock solid. Just beware once it does need a swap or a rebuild, vans are much more work.

Whatever you do, don't buy an old plumbing van (or truck) - some of the most overloaded, overworked vehicles ever.

Richard

 

[R422b]

Funny, I was going to mention a van in my previous responses, but didn't know if that would work for you. I've seen some of those 1 tons with big boxes, usually plumbers run them. You probably want to stick to the 03-09 years.

My neighbor is a handyman/painter and has a 1500 Express, 2011 or something. I was talking to him just a few days and he said he sank like $3k on a transmission that had to be redone twice. His 4.3 engine had to be rebuilt as well, another $4k. Said he'd spent almost $10k on it with all other things. But he drives it a lot. Stick to an 8 lug.

The good thing is the vans are the last hold-out on GM's technology hierarchy, LOL. Even the '10-19 get the 6L90 with the 6.0. No AFM garbage, etc. The '20 4.3 Ecotec and the baby Duramax get the 8 speed, which kinda tells me the 8 speeds are not as robust as the 6L90? Dunno. Even the new 6.6 GAS (400HP/464 TQ) engine gets the 6L90! 6 speed seems archaic when everyone is raving about their 10 speeds, LOL.

I'm currently looking for a passenger version for wife. Probably with the L96/6L90e, but still see plenty of LQ4/4L80e for good prices. We have outgrown our T&C.

Unfortunately I am currently making a half ton Tahoe work so I'm pretty versatile but yeah I can make a van work I just don't like it. I like to be able to walk up to a side box on my truck and get most of my parts or tools instead of climbing around in a van but a running vehicle is better than one that doesn't run so there's always that. It seems I can get a newer decent mileage van for half the price of a truck in the same condition. I do not understand America's craze with trucks because personally I'd be driving a small car if I didn't need the big truck for work.

Talking about GMT400s using Tapatalk

 

[R422b]

Around here the residential AC guys all drive vans and the refrigeration guys mostly drive trucks. I believe the reason for this is primarily that the refrigeration guys can afford it. In my trade that's where the money's at not messing with homeowners who don't want to spend money on fixing what they would not have to be fixing if they had simply spent some money on maintenance. So I guess that's the biggest reason I want to drive a truck I don't want to be a residential AC technician so I don't want to look like one either. Unfortunately for me right now that's what I am but I intend to change that.

Talking about GMT400s using Tapatalk

 

[Erik the Awful]

we had our own standards but nissan would accept ANY wheel that would hold air however we melted them instead. they had low standards and that has stuck with me ever since.

That was Carlos Ghosn's doing, and it was somewhat justified. I was a Nissan technician in the late '90s, when Nissan was building Rolls Royce quality and selling for Chrysler prices. They were half a billion dollars in debt. Then Renault, with loans backed by the French government, made a leveraged buyout and put Carlos Ghosn in charge. The first thing he did was lay off half the top staff at Nissan. They were all pencil whipping deals with their suppliers who were ripping them off. Then he gutted the insane quality standards and started putting the screws to the suppliers. Nissan was back in black in just a couple years, but yeah, their reliability took a nosedive.

The Titan was on my watch list when I ended up buying WCJr. For the money I've spent rehabbing this truck, I could've got a decent Titan, and probably should have.