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I could drive right over there and have them make and install one for me. With the vertical side walls you get so much more useful space. I love those walk in doors too, and the aluminum paneling gives them a retro look. the trick would be to get the tallest one you can, but that could still squeeze into the garage. Or just get a real tall one and keep the truck in my driveway. Problem there though is the HOA might have in issue with it.
The HOA will be the least of your problems when the Santa Anna winds come up. You'll probably find your truck laying on its side or better yet, turn over while you're driving it. Those flat sides are about as aerodynamic as a wall. Maybe you should just look at a bicycle.
We have a conversion van and a pickup. My wife drives the can, I drive the pick up. If I had to choose only one, I think I would choose the van.
The van is more comfortable. It can hold most of the things a truck can and still seat a lot of passengers more comfortably. For camping trips etc, your stuff is inside, so it does not get wet or dirty. On reaod trips, you ahve access to all of your stuff so people can get something they need, change clothes if needed etc.
Obviously the truck is more useful for some hauling tasks (dirt, rocks, bicycles, canoes, trees, lumber, drywall, firewood, compost, furniture).
You "look" cooler driving a pick up than a van.
If you have use for 4x4, it is much easier to find in a truck than in a van. In fact pretty much only the astro vans and some essentially useless minivans with very little space in them are 4x4 or awd. But a big heavy van does very well int eh snow with good tires, until you try to stop, but a 4x4 truck is not better at stopping. It is off road, in mud or pulling something where a truck excels and 4x4 becomes truly important.
A van can be like bringing your house around with you. Ours has pretty much all the same things in it as our house does. If you have to sit and wait for something, or sleep in your vehicle, the van is the clear winner. For road trips, the van smokes the truck. If we are going to visit grandpa (50 miles) or even just out to eat, if we ask the family which vehicle, they always choose the van (not sure why, the truck is much more fun to drive - because of the 393 h.p. engine mostly).
A conversion van and a luxury truck cost about the same. Trucks will be a bit more. However used, vans are really cheap while trucks hold their value. Good if you buy new and sell used. Bad it you buy used and drive it to its grave. I think that is because trucks are more popular.
You can always instantly find your conversion van in a parking lot. Your kids know it is you when you approach to pick them up. We have had 4-6 conversion vans. We never saw one exactly the same as ours with any of them. Pick ups are everywhere, especially black ones. Sometimes from a distance it is hard to even tell different brands apart. A blck truck looks like a black truck.
Full sized vans have pretty good clearance. We have gone on some off road trails in ours with no problems.
Trucks have no place to put your stuff (two straps, jack, first aid kit, rain gear, hard hat, boots, tools, throwing knives, etc). With the exception of some dodge trucks and the avalanche, you either need a bed tool box, which eats up your bed space, or the stuff rolls around in your back seat and hits you in the head if you stop really suddenly.
I am not including trucks with a cap on them. Those make no sense to me. It is just an SUV without the option to put seats in the back. Sure, you can take the cap off if you want to haul a tree or furniture or whatever, but that is a PIA, you cannot do it alone (most trucks most people), and you cannot do it on a whim if you encounter something you want to buy. (e.g. you are on a trip 300 miles from home and find the perfect bed in an antique store, You cannot take the cap off and leave it there in order to load the bed into the truck bed - unless you are going to drive home then drive 300 miles back to get the cap. That is an extreme example, but I would not want to even leave my cap at home depot 7 miles away and then have to go back for it (and hope it is still there).
Forgot to add, my wife prefers driving a van over anything else because you sit up high and have no hood in your way. She has driven a van for 29 years or so, and she now hates driving anything else. I haad her look at SUVs, hybrids, sporty cars, etc. She hated them all.
Don't remind me, I need to ride the bicycle more for the exercise. I bought a Cannondale mountain bike that I've only taken on the trails a few times. I tend to take the Harley out instead, it's a more comfortable seat
Since you're familiar with conversion vans maybe you can answer a puzzling question relating to the exterior height. I went to Explorer's website (conversion van company). On their lowtop Chevy Express conversion, they list the height at exactly 82.00". Well that's awesome, that would fit in my garage without even rubbing the weather seal.
But when I look up the dimensions of a 2016/2017 Express 2500 cargo van, I'm getting results of at least 84" in height, which wouldn't fit in the garage.
How can there be a difference of 2 inches, when the Explorer is built on the same exact van? Even the tire diameter is the same. All I can think of is that the conversion van is loaded up heavier, but still that would take alot of weight to bring it down 2 inches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
We have a conversion van and a pickup. My wife drives the can, I drive the pick up. If I had to choose only one, I think I would choose the van.
Have you looked at the Mercedes-Benz Metris? They will tow 5000 pounds and would probably fit in your garage. I've been researching them, but I have no personal experience with them yet.
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Height of Chevy Express 2500
