Jack of all trades tow rig... On a $4000 budget?

In reply to Storz :

actually.. he should do that.

In reply to Storz :

What color is it?

In reply to akylekoz :

I had totally forgotten about your van.   

I will say this... when you say "jack of all trades,"  the answer is a van.  So much more useable interior cargo space without adding exterior real estate.

Comparing a cargo van to something like a 'Burb or Excursion, the van is a little smaller outside, but MUCH larger interior volume, more headroom.  I love vans.  If only I could find one with a Duramax, 4x4, and an NV5600 I would be a happy man.

spitfirebill said:

In reply to Storz :

What color is it?

White

Two owner vehicle, lots of maintenance. Tiny bit of rust on the rockers, but not bad considering age and miles (214k) Bought it from the original owner in Dec 2016

IMG_20180813_160654 by _Storz_, on Flickr

IMG_20180813_160945 by _Storz_, on Flickr

IMG_20180813_160744 by _Storz_, on Flickr

6.0 AWD 345hp/385tq 

Two owner vehicle, very clean inside and out. No accidents, non smoker. Long list of updated and new parts since I purchased the vehicle in December of 2016 from the original owner.

Truck runs and drives great. Includes third row seats. Loaded with touchscreen Navigation, BOSE stereo, front and rear AC, front and rear heated seats, rear DVD player. Have original window sticker. Weathertech mats 

The transmission was professionally rebuilt in early 2017 with updgraded parts, along with all new fluids in both differentials and transfer case. To prevent future trans issues the rebuild was done with a "Beast" Sunshell and TransGo Stage 1 shift kit. Truck has been my daily driver family vacation-mobile since purchase.

Repairs/Upgrades/Maintenance

Oil Change Dec 2016 
Rear window struts Dec 2016 
Wiper Arm Dec 2016 
Foglights Dec 2016 
Coolant Flush Dec 2016 
Trans Rebuild Jan 2017 
Rear Brake Caliper Jan 2017 
Rear Brake Pads Jan 2017 
Front Brake Rotors Jan 2017 
Front Brake Pads Jan 2017 
Differntial Fluid Jan 2017 
Tcase Fluid Jan 2017 
Tires Cooper Discoverer HTP Feb 2017 
Transmisson Lines Feb 2017 
Air Filter March 2017 
Serpentine and AC Belts April 2017 
Oil Change April 2017 
AC Blower Resistor July 2017 
Oil Change Dec 2017 
Rear sway bar end links Feb 2018 
Monroe Rear Shocks March 2018 
Monroe Front Shocks March 2018 
Oil Change April 2018 
Water Pump/Tensioner/Thermostat June 2018 

In reply to Storz :

Noice, and the right color.   Was it a northern car?     

spitfirebill said:

In reply to Storz :

Noice, and the right color.   Was it a northern car?     

Yep I am in Michigan. 

Looks pretty good (on top) for age and miles. And it looks like its period of needing something every month or two for two years straight has just recently passed, so it should be peaceful for a while! 

yupididit said:

V10 Excursion

Remove the 3rd row seats and you can fit a full size mattress back there. Roof rack for your tires and the second row seats can be folded down to be extra storage space. 

Here is something I neglected to mention so far... I don't own a trailer yet (been renting u-hauls), don't have space to store one. I have five vehicles at my property and need to downsize. ('83 RX-7, '86 RX-7, '03 Avalon, '03 350z, '04 Silverado.)

Short of the 7.3L I don't feel as if the excursion has any compelling engine options, however they are a good looking truck. I'm curious if I could find one in a scrapyard locally to go take some measurements and get a feel for them. The size difference between the Excursion and Suburban could be the difference between fitting a proper full or queen size mattress pad behind the second row of seats. That's what your post leads me to believe about the excursion. I'm biased towards the tried and true 6.0/4l80e setup but that's because I'm familiar with them. No so much interested in Escalades. If I had to choose I'd go Denali, however they're all half ton. It would be fine for the time being but if I ever choose to upgrade to an enclosed I've been told they do not fair well. I could get my hands on a slightly rusty but well maintained two owner Yukon XL 5.3 for $2500, coworker owns it. has had it from 30k-215k miles.

Leaning towards a RWD van, GM 6.0. Clean it up, partition off a "garage" in the rear (27" or so of space for a set of 350z wheels, toolbox if possible), full or queen size bed, small counter space, 1/4 ply walls.  Could all be done to assemble quickly without tools yet come out for maximum hauling capacity/versatility... I'm spending too much time on r/vanlife....
 

In reply to TheAbstractHero :

I say v10 because your budget constraint of 4k. I have a 7.3 excursion that I bought while looking for a v10. The v10 while thirsty, is tried and true. Very reliable and powerful engine. The interior space is great. I have my 3rd row removed and recently moved had learned that my son's full size mattress laid down perfectly in the back. You can fold the second row forward and make even more floor space. I will be removing the whole interior to clean my carpet and I'm sure without the second row it'll be extremely spacious. 

The roof is pretty long so you can add a big rack basket to carry tires or whatever you want. Also, the rear has its own AC system that works pretty well. 

My answer:

2001 Chev 1500HD - 247k kms - under $3K