# Wish Toyota would make a full size cargo van



## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

My van has been nothing but trouble I bought it new in 2003 Chevy Express 2500
nothing but problems ball joint, wheel bearing, fuel pump, stupid anti theft lock out issue, driver side cargo door stuck and now leaking antifreeze
Stalled climbing a few steep hills now I have the change the fuel feed tube to the tank because it rotted Sad part it only has 48,000 miles on it.
They must of had a hang over when they put it together at the Chey plant


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

UnclogNH said:


> My van has been nothing but trouble I bought it new in 2003 Chevy Express 2500
> nothing but problems ball joint, wheel bearing, fuel pump, stupid anti theft lock out issue, driver side cargo door stuck and now leaking antifreeze
> Stalled climbing a few steep hills now I have the change the fuel feed tube to the tank because it rotted Sad part it only has 48,000 miles on it.
> They must of had a hang over when they put it together at the Chey plant


Yea and they probably would make it in the US instead of Canada and Mexico...

GM SUX!
I say and have said Let them go under!


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## user823 (Feb 3, 2009)

I'm using a 2004 GMC Savanah 1 ton cargo van, has 38K miles, no problems. I don't put a lot of miles on it, my service area doesn't cover 20 miles! I love it. Knock on wood! LOL


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## PLUMB TIME (Feb 2, 2009)

Chevy Express cutaway 3/4 ton with Knapheide box, 94,000 miles. One set of front brakes and a new starter:thumbsup:. 

Dont get me started on the Knapheide box


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

UnclogNH said:


> My van has been nothing but trouble I bought it new in 2003 Chevy Express 2500
> nothing but problems ball joint, wheel bearing, fuel pump, stupid anti theft lock out issue, driver side cargo door stuck and now leaking antifreeze
> Stalled climbing a few steep hills now I have the change the fuel feed tube to the tank because it rotted Sad part it only has 48,000 miles on it.
> They must of had a hang over when they put it together at the Chey plant


Make sure that antifreeze leak isn't the intake manifold gasket. those are known for that and can screw up your truck if not fixed.


Plumber Jim


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Plumber Jim said:


> Make sure that antifreeze leak isn't the intake manifold gasket. those are known for that and can screw up your truck if not fixed.
> 
> 
> Plumber Jim


Been there done that.
It was in the shop for a intake leak and they botched it...
Fired it up with a cylinder full of anti freeze...

2 engines, 1 fuel pump, 1 tranny rebuild...
The rest of it was all normal front end brakes etc...

A freakin lemon mine is...

Now I get to bail out the idiots?:furious::furious:

Throwing good money after bad is what it is....

Next time it dies I hope I get a bit of warning so it can...
Stall on the RR Tracks....


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## user823 (Feb 3, 2009)

PLUMB TIME said:


> Chevy Express cutaway 3/4 ton with Knapheide box, 94,000 miles. One set of front brakes and a new starter:thumbsup:.
> 
> Dont get me started on the Knapheide box



I had a Knapheide box back in 1995 on a Ford F250, the box was great for about a year and then started having door, lock and hinge problems, more less just started falling apart. Ok, got ya started!:thumbup:


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Buy an isuzu NPR HD.........


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## Nevada Plumber (Jan 3, 2009)

I've got a Knapheide box on the back of my Chevy van. Three times now the handle and lock on my back door has fallen apart on a job. I have to strap the door shut from the inside, drive to the shop, and rebuild the lock mechanism. Other then that, I really like the box.​


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## pauliplumber (Feb 9, 2009)

I've got a 1999 chevy k2500 4x4. I have three dia plate truck boxes and a plastic tote to keep cheap supplies in. I do 90% residential service with this set up. I'm the orignal owner, it has 108000 miles on it (almost all city). So far i've done front brakes 4 times, rear twice. Alternator, shocks, fuel pump, and brake cables as well. Just like every american truck with 100000 miles or more, it leaks a little oil and a little antifreeze. If I can find a toyota tundra with steel bumpers I may purchase one for my next truck.


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## Song Dog (Jun 12, 2008)

Heres my Chevy and I will not buy another Chevy.








Shocks me all the time and gotta be carefull when getting gas I mentioned this to them many, many miles ago. Around 3k and guess what nothing done until now at around 59k. Also I can't keep light switches in the back to work. Only thing good about it is, it stands out and you can see it from a good ways away.

In Christ,

Song Dog


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

Just wait for the fun to start at around a 100K

These things are the biggest POS I ever owned...:furious:


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

Nice Truck Songdog, Leak 1


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## j.funk (Mar 31, 2009)

*buy american.*

man that sucks. maybe should of went with a ford. just make sure u stay american my brother.


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## j.funk (Mar 31, 2009)

thats a prerrty sweet truck though.:thumbup:


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## Redwood (Sep 8, 2008)

j.funk said:


> man that sucks. maybe should of went with a ford. just make sure u stay american my brother.


Yea, then we could get into the story of the second biggest POS I ever owned...

Fortunately I wasn't dumb enough to get a Dodge...

*Funk, It may surprise you to find out just how "American" the big 3 automakers are...*

The truth is that they are American Based Multinational Corporations and they all have manufacturing facilities off US soil...

If you have bought a GM, Ford, or Chrysler product in the last 30 years you probably have a better chance of having a Canadian or, Mexican vehicle than a US built one....

Wherever they can go to get it done cheaper...

Toyota the Japanese Multinational Corporation has plants in West Virginia, 2 in Kentucky, 2 in Indiana, Tennesee, Alabama, Mississippi, 2 in Missouri, Texas, and 2 in California. They also have Nano Operation/Manufacturing Facilities in California, Arkasas, and Michigan. Design centers in Michigan and California. They also have research facilities in California, Arizona, Michigan, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

Kinda muddy isn't it?


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## j.funk (Mar 31, 2009)

yah i know you right. we all want american cars but the truth is foregn cars will last twice as long as any american cars. and everyone knows it.


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

I am currently shopping for a second work van. The current one is a 2006 GMC Savana 3500 extended wheelbase. I have been happy with it, but its hard to find a used extended. Most of the ones I find are regular wheelbase.
I am probably going to get another GMC Savana/Chevy Express 3500, but I was wondering what else might be recommended. I can't find anything else that looks suitable. I know GM sucks mechanically, but the used vans are really cheap, so even if I have to spend on repairs for a slightly used GMC/Chevy, I think it will still save money.
I looked at SPrinters...too tall and too much money.
I looked at Isuzu NPRs, not much to choose from and a box truck is a bit too big for what I need. I also looked at Ford vans but they look kind of crappy compared to similar GMC/Chevies.

Anyway, i like talking about work trucks/vans so let this thread continue.:thumbup:
I recently bought a Honda Pilot 4x4 for the family and it the best car I have ever owned, I love it and I wish Honda made work vans.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

I use a 1 ton box van I know its kind of big but i can carry all my machines in it and still have all kinds of room left. I have a tommy lift on the back which is nice for loading and unloading. Plus when i go get something I can stand up . Also room for a porta potty for those emergencies mentioned in an other thread. 1 little note though.....be sure to empty the potty before it gets to full!!!!!


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

al said:


> I use a 1 ton box van I know its kind of big but i can carry all my machines in it and still have all kinds of room left. I have a tommy lift on the back which is nice for loading and unloading. Plus when i go get something I can stand up . Also room for a porta potty for those emergencies mentioned in an other thread. 1 little note though.....be sure to empty the potty before it gets to full!!!!!


I found some great used 1 ton box vans with tommy-lift-gates for sale.:thumbsup: The only problem is they look a little TOO big. I am worried about the height. They look like they would be hard to park, scrape tree branches, get stuck, hard to turn around...etc. I live in a mountainous area, so the box truck maneuverability kind of scares me.
Other than that they look GREAT! I love the huge space in the back, and the lift gate would be awesome for unloading sewer equipment. I need to testdrive one and see how they maneuver.


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## Protech (Sep 22, 2008)

Just get an NPR with a short wheelbase and put a small box on it.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

service guy said:


> I found some great used 1 ton box vans with tommy-lift-gates for sale.:thumbsup: The only problem is they look a little TOO big. I am worried about the height. They look like they would be hard to park, scrape tree branches, get stuck, hard to turn around...etc. I live in a mountainous area, so the box truck maneuverability kind of scares me.
> Other than that they look GREAT! I love the huge space in the back, and the lift gate would be awesome for unloading sewer equipment. I need to testdrive one and see how they maneuver.


I don't have any problems with. its like driving a big car to me.but yea you do have to watch for for them trees :laughing: I have never hit one but i had a helper at my other job who was busy running his mouth and hit a tree and knock it down not to mention the big hole in the side of the truck:laughing: his excuse was the tree must have been falling at the time for hiom to hit it:laughing: I hada ramp in that one and it was hard getting those machines in and out but on mine I have a tommy gate and so far it has been great. will take pics one of these days and post them.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

service guy said:


> I found some great used 1 ton box vans with tommy-lift-gates for sale.:thumbsup: The only problem is they look a little TOO big. I am worried about the height. They look like they would be hard to park, scrape tree branches, get stuck, hard to turn around...etc. I live in a mountainous area, so the box truck maneuverability kind of scares me.
> Other than that they look GREAT! I love the huge space in the back, and the lift gate would be awesome for unloading sewer equipment. I need to testdrive one and see how they maneuver.


forgot to mention I would get the dual wheels instead of singles. The singles rock too much I got mine for a reasonable price too it is a 2004 with 80'000 miles for 13 grand. I have had it for almost a year now with no problems.


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

*gonna try to put pics of truck and equipment on here*








DSC01758.jpg (103.4 KB)


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## Bollinger plumber (Apr 3, 2009)

*ok got it to work*

Here are some pics of my truck and equipment. As you can see I put all that equipment in there less the porta potty and it all fits in with plenty of room. I built some shelves on the left side where the wheel wells are and a closet on the other side for my digging tools and wrenches. You can get them without the wheel wells but I felt it made the truck sit up to high and hard to get in and out of. even with all the equipment in there I have plenty opf room to build more shelves if I ever need them. 


DSC01758.jpg







DSC01763.jpg DSC01767.jpg


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

The NPR's are sweet with the Hackney box, alot of doe ($50K) You can buy a chevy 3500 cutaway with 12' box for 1/2 that. It may not last as long but, it's alot smoother ride.


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## CleanMyPipes (Apr 5, 2009)

Plus when we go to Talladaga we just have to throw the bed in .... 

Suzy


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## para1 (Jun 17, 2008)

Talladaga.....sweeeet!


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## service guy (Jun 26, 2008)

I ended up buying a chevy 3500 aerocell body van. I can stand up in the back and it stores as much as a box truck but sleeker and more aerodynamic, lower profile, etc. I loves it!:thumbup:


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

im looking to buy a 05 isuzu npr 4 cyl diesel, does anyone have one? the one im looking at is in excellent shape-11ft. utilityfullbox, tons of shelves &room. the thing i need to know is fuel mpg, and good points &bad points.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

service guy said:


> I ended up buying a chevy 3500 aerocell body van. I can stand up in the back and it stores as much as a box truck but sleeker and more aerodynamic, lower profile, etc. I loves it!:thumbup:


 

Take a close up picture of that.


You could do wonders with that body given that rolling top. I'd do a full wrap on that. It'll cost 5-8 grand but the look will be awesome.


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