Chevy & GMC Vans

astroturf wrote: I stand behind what I said, and will say it again.

A 1500 dollar van is not a good long-term business investment.

buying a $25,000 van is not a good long term business investment.

i can get 8 years out of it @ 25k miles a year/junk it with 200k. that van costs a little over 3 grand a year over its usable life.

or i can buy an astro with 1xxK miles and use it for 2 years and junk it.

my 95 was $800 including repairs over the 2 years and i junked it for $550. the net cost of the van was $150 a year

my 98 was $800 and i have not put a dime into it, drove it for 2 years, will get $550-600 from it in scrap. same deal, net of $125-150 a year for my work van.

so the last 100k miles i have put on astros to the tune of about $600 out of pocket could have been spent in a new van to the tune of $12,500. i can keep repeating the astro process until there are none left for over 50 years before the cost hits that of a new van that will get me 8 years. usually i'm on the ball and have another one waiting ready to go, but i don't right now because i was not expecting my 98 to be out of commission, but if you plan right all you need is a day to swap ladder rack/hitch/tools/plates when one dies and move on to the next. the problem with astrofaris is that nobody made something similar enough to replace them, and they are perfect for so many guys working that do not need a fullsize van but need to do more than one of the little FWD crapbox caravan/venture/windstar can do. cable guys, phone company guys, painters, handymen, etc.... i'm a remodeling contractor and prefer my astro over my big dually with enclosed trailer. 2.5x the mpg allows me to park the big rig 90% of the time and save tons of money. if i were doing drywall or something else that involved big sheets of stuff an astro wouldnt make sense, one of the bigger ones would, but i can carry a ton of tools and still slide stuff down the middle like countertops or doors, and hook up a little trailer if i need to carry more.


plus it makes 10000% more business sense to pull up to my customer's house in an american vehicle. if someone showed up to work on my house in a foreign truck i would send them away and tear up the contract and let them know exactly why i did so.

So I found a rwd 2000 or 2001 safari one owner cargo super clean with 223k on it for $2995. Bad vac line that controls the vents. Had this on my Astro and replaced it for 30 minutes and $2.00.


So what does anyone think. It seems like a nice van. And for Michigan for a car to not have one spot of rust. You have to appreciate that

Here is one that I am eyeballin...

http://richmond.craigslist.org/ctd/2756539848.html

I think it would make a nice second business van.

Jim

astroturf wrote:Here is one that I am eyeballin...

http://richmond.craigslist.org/ctd/2756539848.html

I think it would make a nice second business van.

Jim

WOW, I wish my '04 were that nice.

I second that....

Only bad thing about the vans I have been finding is they r just rwd not awd

200k+ for $3k seems high to me for a RWD that is 12 years old. Too bad you weren't near me...2005 RWD $3.5k. Another one: 2003 AWD $4k. Another: 2002 AWD $3k. These are within about an hour of Syracuse, NY

Just for reference, I bought my 2005 AWD with 122k and fresh rebuilt tranny, new brakes and 2 new tires for $4250. Just have to keep looking for a deal. It really depends on where you are as to how much you are gonna pay.

astroturf wrote:Here is one that I am eyeballin...

http://richmond.craigslist.org/ctd/2756539848.html

I think it would make a nice second business van.

Jim

astroturf wrote:Who said they were worthless?

Show me something in an Astro's size range that is made in North America, and I'll buy it.

Purchasing any older vehicle that is out of production for a busy and reliant on the van type vehicle is foolish. Hell, They won't even repair them after a wreck nowadays.

I stand behind what I said, and will say it again.

A 1500 dollar van is not a good long-term business investment.

I don't get it Jim. No to $1,500,,,, you'd rather spend $13,000????
They are the same discontinued van. I'll grant the difference in milage and years but if you get in a wreck the ins. company will still likely total it. An '04 cargo w/ 20,000 miles accorrding to KBB is only worth $6,000 in excellent condition for a private sale. Do you think the ins. company will pay more?

Very Good Points Wood.

I'll start with the insurance. I am not pleased with the way that they so quickly count our vans as totaled in the event of a collision.
It is an issue that I need to discuss with my insurance carrier. More on that after I have spoken with them.

As far as real value to me goes... I paid about 6 grand for my 05 2WD Passenger style van in 08 with aprox 82,000 miles on the clock.
I have since driven it for 3 full years over 85,000 miles using aprox 4,700 gallons of gas costing over $13,000.00. I have really only done minor maintenance to the van. I expect to get 2 more full years out of it.

I could not have done or said that with a 1,200 dollar van. Sure it could be bought and brought up to the standard of any new vehicle, but at what cost.

Hence, My response. He already has one that is giving him trouble. How long before a second van might give him the same troubles?

My real gut feeling on the matter, would be for the OP to fix what he has before he spends money for a another vehicle. That is the direction I was hoping he would realize/take.

Jim

PS I am still in love with My Astro, and am counting the days until I can drop a V8 into my retired from work toy.

"Could it be a ............ (period) ?"

No value to twice the value. Hate to love.

"Isn't that special"

As the Church Lady Said...
Could it be...... Satan?!?!

doyoulikeithere wrote:As the Church Lady Said...
Could it be...... Satan?!?!

Come on now Mike...

We don't believe that nonsense now do we?
We know there is no such thing, But give me a bottle of JD and all bets are off.

LOLz, Jim

astroturf wrote:....... But give me a bottle of JD and all bets are off.

I'm for whatever gets you through the night be it prayer, pills, or a bottle of Jack Daniels.

doyoulikeithere wrote:As the Church Lady Said...
Could it be...... Satan?!?!

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled on the world was convincing us he didn't exist.

astroturf wrote:
Hence, My response. He already has one that is giving him trouble. How long before a second van might give him the same troubles?

My real gut feeling on the matter, would be for the OP to fix what he has before he spends money for a another vehicle. That is the direction I was hoping he would realize/take.

Jim

PS I am still in love with My Astro, and am counting the days until I can drop a V8 into my retired from work toy.

Gotcha.
These are also good reasons, at least to my way of thinking, that makes me want a second or spare. It cost me about 5K back in 2000 to make my '97 w/ 125,000 miles good for my wants and needs. Cost me 3k to buy and put 2k more in paint and tires. For the 125,000 miles I've driven I needed a waterpump, exhaust and rear end so add another 3k to get where I'm at. $8,000 for 10 years and 125k miles?
$3,000 of that (at least) was labor and now I'm doing most of this work myself.
This year I did the intake manifold gasket, a rebuilt transmission and rear end, the most difficult part being that this is my daily driver.
If I were to buy another I would be set. A spare, one breaks, AAA tows to my house I swap trucks and I'm good to go.