Work van/cube truck buying guide

[sxtasy]

Looking to add a company vehicle, I know nothing about this segment.

Needs: be able to fully stand up in the storage area. Reliable. Easy to drive/user friendly as a variety of people will operate (auto trans). Ideally under $30k.

Wants: 4x4 would be nice but not a deal breaker. Payload of 4-5k lbs would be nice. A reliable fuel efficient diesel would be nice but maybe hard to find in this price range?

So far I've been doing some light browsing, most of these on the used market are, not surprisingly, miled out. But more expensive than I was expecting. So far I've looked at the typical GMC Savanna cube truck, most are 16ft boxes which is bigger than what I need. I've also seen a couple Ram Promaster's which look interesting but I know nothing about them. Can beyond provide some insight on these vehicles?

[ExtraSlow]

vengie has some experience here. Transit is the right answer, but everything is hard to find. Good luck.

[vengie]

Unfortunately good luck with that budget.
The camper van craze has chewed up any decent inventory and heavily inflated prices.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Back when I was a delivery guy, the Ford Cube Van was an impressive machine. Do they still make those?
We negligently abused the living shit out of that thing and it took it. I think it had a 12' box and we would put a pair of 1,000kg pallets in it frequently and every once in awhile, 3,000kg. They would tell me "take the long way" which meant "don't drive passed the scales" and the front end was so lifted it felt like it was going to come up.
I remember another time I had to go air up the duallies because the bulges were touching between them.
Fuckin nuts.

Anyway, it had enough power and enough brakes for anything we threw at it (while driving reasonably) and it never once had a maintenance issue. The only thing that caused a mechanical problem with it was water in the diesel, one time. It hated that and was out of commission for about a week.
LoL that it was the actual, pro trucker who was driving it that day and I was swamping. Warning light comes on and I'm like "I'm pretty sure that 'water in fuel' light is serious".

"Nah" and he continues up the Malahat mountain. He was wrong.

[dj_rice]

Sprinter 2500/3500. Sure you can find used ones in your price range. Might be Dodge ones in your price range and not the Mercedes ones

[ExtraSlow]

Transit bests sprinter unless Jr ghey. Oen8s

[pheoxs]

Unfortunately good luck with that budget.
The camper van craze has chewed up any decent inventory and heavily inflated prices.

Yup #vanlife drove prices through the roof with all the wanna be fly by night camper conversions.

Sprinters are the most expensive but nicest and can be rwd or 4x4, transits are nice and can be the tallest but they have 3 height options so harder to find what you want and they can be 4x4, Promaster are fwd

If it’s just for a work van though I’d say look for a E350/450 cube truck instead or similar. Maybe a Chevy express. Much cheaper than the cargo van market.

[ShermanEF9]

We had promasters at a previous job and they were the biggest piles of shit on the planet. Of our fleet aobut 40% of them had catastrophic issues within the first month.. after that there was always two in the shop.

[redline]

Sprinter is the answer , my company has sprinters, pro master and transits. Sprinters are the work horse of our fleet.

We have a sprinter 3500 diesel that we are going to replace when we can get a new one. That would be in your budget … PM me

[dj_rice]

Damn the front end on those Promaster Rams is fugly as shit. When MB Sprinter split off from Dodge, whoever designed that front end must of been high as shit

[ExtraSlow]

I don't think "van life" has had nearly the impact on the market that all the online next day delivery stuff has. Not just Amazon, either, chefs plate etc, and all that has likely soaked up way more than some Instagram chick with fake glasses.

That and I'm sure manufacturers prioritized luxury SUV's as much as possible during the chip shortages and covid shutdowns etc.

[AndyL]

Head up to driving force and test them all ;)

I rented the off lease Telus(?) Trucks With the superkap fiberglass service cap a time or 3 when the dodge was forever broken. Still my favorite.

Bonus if something happens to the truck you unbolt and slide into a new truck, don't even have to unload.

[MOB68]

In the market for a few used trucks. Prefer F150's (3.5L/V6) crew cabs with somewhere up to 75K or so on the odometer. Minor body damage is fine.
Other than Driving Force and random dealerships are there any other places anyone can suggest to check with? Vehicles will be needed in the Edmonton area.

[ExtraSlow]

Might be just as cheap to buy new. Could always call a place like AvisBudget and as for thier uses vehicle manager, but they aren't selling for deals, nobody is. Used trucks are wild man.

[ExtraSlow]

Serious, if you could take supercabs, I'll bet you can get new for the price of a used crew cab. Good time of year, there's some incentives on leftover 2023 models. Call the bigger dealer groups and talk to the fleet sales manager.

[MOB68]

Thanks! Will definitely look into it.

[redline]

Sprinter 2500/3500. Sure you can find used ones in your price range. Might be Dodge ones in your price range and not the Mercedes ones

Anyone’s 2500 don’t have the payload he is looking for …

I am selling one of my companies sprinter 3500, if anyone is interested.

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone’s 2500 don’t have the payload he is looking for …

I am selling one of my companies sprinter 3500, if anyone is interested.
vengie is getting an erection after reading your post.

[vengie]

Anyone’s 2500 don’t have the payload he is looking for …

I am selling one of my companies sprinter 3500, if anyone is interested.

4x4??

[DonJuan]

We have MB Sprinters, Dodge Sprinters (gas and diesel), and Transits at work; all 2500. The hierarchy goes Benz>Transit>Dodge.

Biggest complaint on the Transit is the AC and the heat, both are terrible. Turning radius on the Transit is unusually terrible, and the loaded ride is bleh. Everyone complains even though they are the newest on our fleet.

Biggest complaint on the Benz is the very turbo dependent engine. It wont move at all till the turbo spools; gets worse in hot weather. There is one 3500 Benz duallie that is apparently has a v8 in it? I haven't driven that one specifially but it is apparently a gem.

The Dodge Sprinter is straight hot garbage. Everyone hates em

[ExtraSlow]

Anyone been in one of the Promaster vans? Those look disgusting, even compared to the competition.

[roopi]

Anyone’s 2500 don’t have the payload he is looking for …

I am selling one of my companies sprinter 3500, if anyone is interested.

PM me the details.

[redline]

PM me the details.

It’s gone …

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Anyone been in one of the Promaster vans? Those look disgusting, even compared to the competition.

I have two of them… FWD