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shakran · 04-22-2004, 08:44 AM

You'll be on the road alot? I'd seriously look at a conversion van. They depreciate quickly so you can pick up a used one for a song. Find one with comfortable seats. They'll carry 7 people comfortably with enough room for luggage, or 4 people with enough room for luggage and all your gear. I'd probably plan on buying an enclosed trailer, though - band equipment can trash the interior of a car damn fast, and you'd have more room.

I'd only look at fords, honestly. Dodge vans suck, and chevy's aren't nearly as ergonomic. If you can find one with a V6, all the better - those suckers will go more than 600 miles on one tank.

I'd be looking for one with pulldown shades and the bench seat that converts to a bed - lets you drive as long as you want, while a co driver rests up to take over for you when you're too tired.

Quality Coaches, Eclipse, Starcraft, Elk (depending on the specific conversion) and Waldoch are good conversion companies to look for. Universal sucks ass. Of all of these, I'd take an Eclipse if I had my choice. They're very well done, and have a lot of thoughtful extras tucked away in there (air compressor in the back to inflate your tires, 110v outlets by the rear captains chairs for laptop use, etc)

pay attention to the ride on the test drives. Vans are weird. You can get two identical vans, and one will ride like a truck with broken springs while the other will be as smooth as a limo.

For long trips, a raised roof is a big bonus - makes a huge difference in comfort level.

I'd stay away from cargo vans myself - you'll end up paying more to turn it into a conversion van than you would just buying the conversion van in the first place.

New you can get very nice conversion vans for as little as $25,000. Used, significantly less. They're so inexpensive (for what you get) new that few bother buying used.

04-22-2004, 08:44 AM	#17 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	You'll be on the road alot? I'd seriously look at a conversion van. They depreciate quickly so you can pick up a used one for a song. Find one with comfortable seats. They'll carry 7 people comfortably with enough room for luggage, or 4 people with enough room for luggage and all your gear. I'd probably plan on buying an enclosed trailer, though - band equipment can trash the interior of a car damn fast, and you'd have more room. I'd only look at fords, honestly. Dodge vans suck, and chevy's aren't nearly as ergonomic. If you can find one with a V6, all the better - those suckers will go more than 600 miles on one tank. I'd be looking for one with pulldown shades and the bench seat that converts to a bed - lets you drive as long as you want, while a co driver rests up to take over for you when you're too tired. Quality Coaches, Eclipse, Starcraft, Elk (depending on the specific conversion) and Waldoch are good conversion companies to look for. Universal sucks ass. Of all of these, I'd take an Eclipse if I had my choice. They're very well done, and have a lot of thoughtful extras tucked away in there (air compressor in the back to inflate your tires, 110v outlets by the rear captains chairs for laptop use, etc) pay attention to the ride on the test drives. Vans are weird. You can get two identical vans, and one will ride like a truck with broken springs while the other will be as smooth as a limo. For long trips, a raised roof is a big bonus - makes a huge difference in comfort level. I'd stay away from cargo vans myself - you'll end up paying more to turn it into a conversion van than you would just buying the conversion van in the first place. New you can get very nice conversion vans for as little as $25,000. Used, significantly less. They're so inexpensive (for what you get) new that few bother buying used.