If you’ve got places to go and a penchant for the posh, then today’s Nice Price or No Dice Chevy Express conversion van may be the ride for you. Let’s see if the price offers a similar personal connection.
While yesterday’s 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT may have looked as classy as a black-tie affair, it raised enough red flags to throw the vast majority of you off its $18,750 price tag. First and foremost was the car’s DuoSelect auto-manual transmission, which requires a special kind of masochist to enjoy. The other was a set of tires that, while new, were a brand more befitting an old Mustang beater than an Italian luxury car. The culmination in both comments and the vote was that this was an unfortunately-priced car, with the outcome being a 68 percent No Dice loss.
The world of full-sized conversion vans is unique and interesting. It’s generally populated by people who consider child-rearing a competitive sport and those who like luxury but think it shouldn’t be too showy. One big advocate for the category is our buddy, Tyler Hoover who has waxed frequently on how much he loves his old-school Chevy conversion van. These are somewhat oddly referred to by some as “Upfitter vans.”
This 2004 Chevy Express not only features a full interior and exterior update by venerated van converter StarCraft, but also All-Wheel-Drive. That makes it perfect for family outings to the ski slopes and flood basins or for taking business clients out into the field… and perhaps even bringing them back.
The basic van is Chevy’s standard 135-inch wheelbase passenger van. Powering the beast is a 310 horsepower 5.3 liter V8 and that’s paired with a four-speed automatic talking to a full-time all-wheel-drive system. Just like on Monday’s Mercedes limo, there are three doors per side, and in this run of the model, Chevy offered asymmetrical 60/40 doors for rear cabin access. StarCraft added unique rocker moldings and rear side windows that offer more light into the back, but annoyingly don’t match the factory embossing in the panel beneath.
The interior has been fitted with two rows of captain’s chairs and a rear bench altogether offering seating for seven. There’s also a good bit of luggage space behind the third row proving just how commodious a van this size can be. Whether a plus or a detraction, the van has its standard roof height. That makes it garage-able but a bit less roomy inside. A couple of other features that could be useful are a bull bar and a winch mounted to the nose. Out in the back, there’s towing capacity for up to 6,500 pounds.
The ad details all of the van’s other add-on goodies, including leather upholstery, redundant audio systems, and a notably large fold-down video screen for the rear seat passengers. The ad also tags the mileage at 136,112 and claims the van to be in excellent condition and carrying a clean title.
That’s a lot of van, and perhaps as well, a lot to take in. Let’s then get to the important part, which is the price. The dealer offering the van is asking $27,850 for its sale, and as a point of reference, a plain-jane Chevy cargo van today starts at $32,500 without any options, albeit with a warranty.
This one is a good bit out of any expected factory warranty time but looks to not have any obvious issues. It’s also a heck of a lot of vehicle for someone looking for just such a conveyance. The question, of course, is whether it could be worth that $27,850 asking.
What’s your opinion on these conversion vans and this one in particular at that asking? Does that make it the perfect family hauler for hauling sizable families? Or, does this full-sized van come with an oversized price tag?
You decide!
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, although the van is apparently located in Lincoln, Nebraska. Go here if the ad disappears.
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
