Looking at Work/Cargo Vans,

[grimace]

I am looking at cargo vans for construction duties as I am a contractor. I'm not tall by any means but I'm only interested in high roof options to fit more tools in a shorter foot print. I recently drove a Nissan (v8 3500) , and have driven Ford  (6cyl) too. I like the Nissan, it has the higher tow capacity, The Ford is fine too, but in my research both have had engine issues. If I read correctly , both have internal water pumps and when they fail it takes the motor out. I don't really know so I'm reaching out to the mechanic's on the forum.

 - How is the durability/longevity in each brand. I drive +/- 30k a year so its easy to rack up a lot of miles in no time.
 
 - What is a reasonable life expectancy of the current engines?

Any advice or information is much appreciated.
 

Cheers,
G

[h20hunter]

I'm currently running a pair of ford transits for body shop parts delivery.  Run them about 30k miles a year and they are doing great. My last one....Sprinter....was a grand every shop visit. No thanks.

[grimace]

I have heard way to many stories about the Sprinter to even consider them.

How many miles do you have on the Transits and which motors?

[h20hunter]

Pm me a reminder....I'll get back to you Monday as I forget!!

[Lucky1]

I have Chevys. One 2500 panel van. Two 3500 box vans. And a 2500 HD pickup. All with 6 liter gas engines. I have had really good luck with these rigs. I had a 2003 panel van that went 275,000 before I was done with it. One of my box vans is a 2004 model.   

[jackelope]

Look at the new transit with the ecoboost.

I work for Ford. I don’t know of any engine that has the water pump issue you describe. The 3.7 v6 has a timing chain driven water pump that is a big job to replace but it doesn’t ruin the engine. We have very few mechanical issues with the full sized transits and the new one with the ecoboost will be a great setup. Also you can go AWD now too.

[RockChuck]

I’m on my second transit van for work, first one a 2017 3/4 ton had the 6cyl eco boost and was problem free with power to spare loaded down, I put 30-40k a year on and that one was swapped out at 90k ish.
The one I have now is a 19 with no ecoboost  it does the job but it’s no race van.. I’m right at 40k zero issues

[jackelope]

Biggest issue I’ve seen with the full sized transits is brake life. They go through rear brakes in a hurry. It’s a full floater rear end and if they need rotors replaced, axles come out etc. It’s a little more than a simple brake job.

[RockChuck]

Ah yes I do remember having the rear brakes done on my last one and it was a big job

[grimace]

Rock Chuck, do you see a fuel mileage difference between the two engines?

G

[RockChuck]

The eco boost was a bit better, I’d have to double check but the one I’m driving now averages 16mpg and the ecoboost was 17ish

[grimace]

That's much better than I was thinking. My old Chevy van was 12-13 on a good day.

If anyone has feed back on the Nissan it would be greatly appreciated.


G

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I drive the full size transit eco boost.  Easy and comfortable.  More power than needed and It is loaded up heavy. Wish it had a bigger fuel tank. 40k on it and zero issues. Did go through the factory tires rather quickly at 30k. I love being able to stand up in the back! Lots of years working having to crawl into van for parts and tools. 

[RockChuck]

Mine have been the standard height so not sure how much mpg difference that makes, i had the E 250 vans before the transit and think they were in the 12-14 mpg range