Toyota pickup replacement: Van?

I hate to say it but I think it is time to send the littlest pickup that could onto greener pastures. With 220k miles it runs good but shows its age. It is starting to rust out around the passenger side of the drivers window. Another issue is the cylinder head is slowly rotting out and even JB weld can't control the seepage. I'm going to do one final repair on it and use either a screw or rivet and jb weld it up. This will be disclosed to the buyer. The only other thing I need to do is adjust the parking brake. I'm going to try to sell it for between 2000-2500, but figure I'll get between 1500-2000 for it. The mexicans around here love the things. The pickup is good and ugly also with peeling clear coat all over it.

I was going to buy a lumber rack for the pickup but I realized I'd rather sell the truck on and get something easier to live with that is more comfortable.

I'm thinking about getting a van as a replacement. I like the accessibility, versatility, utility and security a van offers. Not to mention the option for customization make it bitchin. I also have a motorcycle and a van could swallow the bike like a guppy.

Now the question is which van is the hot ticket. In california I see two options as far and choices.

1. 1975 before- this is so I wouldn't have to smog it. I've heard good things about ford vans with an inline 6. I figure a well sorted smog exempt van would fit the ticket. I am weary of doing too much restoration work as I have one too many as it is.

2. 1995 after- I figure if you are going to get a new van make sure I get one when obd2 was mandated. The modern van sounds more reliable and will get better fuel mileage but they look kind of blah.

As for specifications I want something that gets good gas mileage if there is such a van. My pickup returns a predictable 27mpg so if I can come in close to that or go over I'd be stoked. I would like something with a 6 cylinder engine, but I've heard sometimes a 6 gets worse mileage than an 8 cylinder.

Any suggestions?

Chevy Astro/GMC Safari
4.3L V6 will get better mpg than a V8 but not 27 mpg kind of good.
Check www.fueleconomy.gov to see and compare the EPA mpg of anything sold in the US since 1985.

The Astro is a full frame, small van. Not a unibody like a Minivan. The 4.3L is stout and reliable. These came in either rwd or awd.
Sold new from the early '90's till 2005.
Payload capacity 1,700 lbs
Towing capacity 5,400 lbs

Ford inline-6 prior to 1975 will not get you half way to your mpg goal.

Newest Chevy Express you can afford if you want to get the bike inside.

I happened into a '92 Chevy 2500 (3/4 ton, presumably) van.

It's got the 305 TBI. The PO claimed it got 10 mpg on the highway. While I haven't driven it enough yet to confirm, I figure the fuel injection and the overdrive would probably allow it to get close to that.

I kind of figure the TBI system was put into EVERYTHING (cars, trucks, vans) that GM made for quite a while, so it's probably pretty easy to maintain.

They made this bodystyle from like '75 to like '96...so I shouldn't have any problems finding parts (speaking of...I need to go to the junkyard for a mirror this weekend)

What I have isn't in your specific year range, and I'm not trying to put the hard sell on this particular vintage/brand/style/etc...just sharing my experience.

So far, I'm pretty happy with it. It's comfortable to drive (though loud, since it's a big hollow shell of a cargo van), small enough to get around in easily, big enough to tow a loaded car trailer easily. It's pretty much just what I need.

What I do miss, having traded a pickup for this van, is the ability to haul trash, branches, mulch, gravel, etc. But...I've got a line on a utility trailer for that.

Clem

The '90 E-150 conversion van I owned had a 5.0 EFI w/ a AOD trans and would get 17 mpg driving from PA to the Catskills and back at pretty much the speed limit. When you're pushing a big box down the road, speed makes a difference more so than in a car.

Cargo-wise, I had removed the rear seats and there was 10' clear from the front seats to the door and 12' to the dog house. I recently had to haul some 17 rolls of insulation home in the back of my full-size, 8' bed pick-up... I was really missing the van, which would have swallowed that cargo with room to spare.

The truck is better for hauling dirty stuff - fire wood, bulk mulch, yard debris and such... and should be better for towing if that need ever arises... but when comparing overall practicality, I miss the van often.

Keep the suggestions coming, sounds like pre-1975 won't work if they get lousy mileage.

What I need to know is which vans get the best mileage, I would like to see at least 20mpg.

This pickup truck might be harder to get rid of than I thought, maybe I'll just drive it till it dies, but it won't.

The old Ford with that 6 will live forever if you don't have to worry about rust. I have owned Dodge and Chevy vans for work trucks over the years, actually preferred the Dodges. Had a '74 Dodge shorty with 318 and 3 speed stick. That was a fairly quick truck. 20mpg if I was way careful. '79 Chevy 1 ton with a 350- hard riding, got 12mpg whether towing a car on a trailer or empty. Could never figure that out. Had a '98 Dodge for a while, sold it to a guy that didn't believe in oil changes. Two years later it's on it's third engine. I like vans, but coming out of that little truck, a real van will feel HUGE!

benzbaron wrote: What I need to know is which vans get the best mileage, I would like to see at least 20mpg.

www.fueleconomy.gov
Once there try the "power search" function.

benzbaron wrote: What I need to know is which vans get the best mileage, I would like to see at least 20mpg.

That's going to be tough. I'm not sure even the GM or Ford diesel vans can manage 20mpg. A Sprinter will, but those are on a whole different level of purchase costs and maintanence risks.

Historically, when it comes to mpg's, it's GM > Ford > Dodge.

Dajiban.

I've been quite happy with my Astro. Fuel economy is a bit worse that I would like because I got an AWD (I figure 14.5 city/18 fwy), but I got an '04 for just under $4k, owned by a mechanic who took care of it. It was just a family hauler with parking-lot scars and kids' food stains.

The far-back seat stays out permanently now and it hauls lots of stuff and I can sleep in it at the track (I remove the middle bench for that). It has a "tow/haul" button, 16" wheels, and 4-wheel disks.

you will not get a full size van doing 20mpg highway unless you go diesel.
Give serious thought to a minivan, measure how tall your bike is and then measure a few minivan insides. FWIW the astro has a lower ceiling height than a caravan.

jrw1621 wrote: The Astro is a full frame, small van. Not a unibody like a Minivan.

The Astro has a unibody frame, with a bolt on front subframe.

Not that it matters.

I'd be looking for a well-maintained later-model diesel GM or Ford, or just take the easy way out and buy the nicest 2WD GMC Safari/Chevrolet Astro you can find.

I wouldn't think selling the Toyota Pickup would be hard. People offer to buy my '85 all the damned time.

In reply to Zomby woof:
Ah, yes and being correct does matter. I do not want to be that part of the internet that puts out misinformation and misguided truth.

My Astro is an '88 2WD and one E-check away from historic vehicle status in Ohio which is 25yrs. After that it's smog exempt. It gets about 20mpg on the highway towing the mini on an open trailer (so a pretty light load but with tires, spares and tools inside for a weekend at the track).

In reply to rl48mini:
Sandusky says hello and welcome to Amherst.
Move just a little to the left into Erie County and all that smog worry goes away.

The truth about Ford E-Series Vans. Well, my version of it.

78 Chateau E150, 300 I6 and a 5 speed. 18 MPG. Wouldn't pull a sick whore off a bed. Good cruiser, but I wouldn't tow a lawnmower with it.

95 E150 panel van. 302 V8, automatic. Good truck, great engine, borderline gas mileage. This one is on the original engine and second transmission. It has 325k on it.

97 E150 Conversion van. 5.4 and automatic. Great truck, but I'll never own another conversion. 13-14 MPG highway. Towing my 20' enclosed at reasonable speeds, 11MPG. Towing at interstate speeds, 7MPG. With an open trailer at 75mph it gets around 11MPG. The 5.4 is a great engine except for a couple of things. They are a little low on bottom end torque. Some of them have been known to launch plugs. The coils SUCK. I have replaced two this year. This van has 170K on it. Original engine and transmission. It is also for sale.

99 E250 panel van. 4.2 V6 and automatic. Great van. This is a work truck that travels on average 40K a year. 12-14 MPG is normal. The van weighs in at about 8000# and it takes some fuel to move it. This one has 410000 on it. It is on the second engine and second transmission.

2002 E150 panel van. 4.2 V6, automatic trans. This is the truck I drive daily. I put over 60K on it in the last year. It just crossed 250K. Original engine and transmission. Driven easy and at the speed limit it gets 18-20MPG. Driving the dog mess out of it I get around 15MPG.

If you are looking for gas mileage, get the 4.2 V6. It is an outstanding engine. Reasonable power and gas mileage. Easy to care for. It will tow a flat trailer loaded without a problem. It won't merge well, but it will do the job.

If you are looking for tow capacity, go with the 5.4. The minor issues are worth the power. Merging isn't a problem. Try to find one with a tall rear end gear. The 5.4s love to turn the RPMs. Mine seems to be happiest north of 3000. I drove an 04 with 4.11 gears in the back and it did everything well and got 15MPG.

That's my experience with the Fords. All the above are still in the fleet with no plans to replace them any time soon. There is a reason they are the most popular in the US.

Edit. The 78 isn't in the fleet any more. It was my parents. I drove it as a teenager. It went through two transmissions in four years.

Thank you, Toyman. I will refer back to that in the future.

I just did the math and I think I'm going to try and drive the pickup until either it rots away or dies catastrophically. I'm not ready to eat 7mpg right now so I think I'm going to focus on making the pickup truck easier to live with. A set of bucket seats out of a carolla would make cruising easier. A lumber rack over the shell would give put truck into a "super-utility" class of vehicles. The only thing I don't like about the truck is getting into and out of the back and that the seats are crippling. Oh and the bike won't fit in unless I either lay it on its side or take the front rim off. Other than that I think it ticks too many boxes to get rid of. The toyota pickup truck also doubles as a commute vehicle and most of the time I'm not hauling a bunch of stuff.

Thanks to everyone who contributed I appreciate your advice. Thank you for the breakdown Toyman sounds like you have much experience with the van. Conversion vans are cool but for a work vehicle won't cut it.

Thanks again folks!

another thing to think about in a van is the dog box... engine work SUCKS on a van "proper" van (including the astro...

but that being said i'd do another astro van in a heart beat if the cost was right...

an habor freight trailer would prob take care of the bike issue...

then again I think a good utility trailer with even a compact car is the best pick up truck you could buy... it rides and drives like a car... gets MPG like a car... but you have a TON of towing room when needed...

I've had my '96 Astro from new. It's about to turn over 400,000 Km. I've had to do all the usual water pump, PS pump,rear axle bearings and u-joints, but nothing major like the engine or trans. I'm very pleased with the service I've got out of the old beast. It towed my race trailer for a decade with no ill effects. 17 MPG on the freeway last trip we took and that was at 75 mph, so I can't complain.

internetautomart wrote: you will not get a full size van doing 20mpg highway unless you go diesel. Give serious thought to a minivan, measure how tall your bike is and then measure a few minivan insides. FWIW the astro has a lower ceiling height than a caravan.

ceiling height, potentially but not rear door opening height. the astro is pretty well completely open, if it would fit inside the van height wise it will fit through the rear doors. the caravan drops a couple inches inside the rear door and the door opening is not close enough to the interior height. many times have i cursed a caravan for not being able to fit things through the back door that would otherwise fit into the van.

i am an astro fan, i came from caravans and voyagers to astros and would never go back. i would never think of hooking up my flatbed trailer and pulling a car with a caravan, but i have done it with success when i do not feel like unhooking the work trailer from my big truck.

Can you get the E-x50 in diesel AND 4x4? Because that idea gives me wood.

Osterkraut wrote: Can you get the E-x50 in diesel AND 4x4? Because that idea gives me wood.

Not from Ford, but there is a company that does the conversions. Not cheap though.