My Van Situation

Hello All,

I have been lurking here for a while now and just decided to make an account as I would like to ask your opinion on my current van situation. First I should say that I am currently in school in Charlotte NC but still travel home to Richmond, Va on a semi-regular basis. Recently my friends and I bought vintage motorcycles, there have been all sorts of problems with that idea but my main issue is that now I need a way to get my bike from Richmond to Charlotte and back in addition to the occasional road trip to Blackburg, Va to meet up and go camping and riding through the mountains. So I have decided to sell my 94 Caprice Classic in order to put myself in a classic van. I am mechanically inclined and can appreciate the simplicity and usability that these vans have to offer. So at the moment I have my eye on two vans in particular. The first of which is a 65 windowless HD extended van. It has been off the road for a year and would need to be gone through again. This being said the body is extremely straight and original and the only rust is in the rear floor where the vent in the roof leaked and ran down in the corner. Very fixable and isn't really a concern to me. The second van is a 65 falcon that's 2 hours away. I haven't seen the van yet but he said he would be willing to trade for my car. I believe both vans are 240 sixes and 3 speed column shift which is my ideal drivetrain. The guy in south Carolina drives his a couple of times a week but it doesn't look nearly as clean as the no window. Anyways both links are below. I know I could probably find a better van if I take my time but I am very tempted with the option of trading one running driving vehicle for the other. Please let me know what you think and if I need to move this thread to another location.

Thanks, Thornton

White Van  

Black Van

My Car

I would trade the car for the window van.

First off, welcome to the site Thornton! I'm sure others will chime in here and this is just my opinion because I'm no expert...Since you are mechanically inclined and the white one is close where you can actually put your hands on it to get a good look and one of the toughest things to battle with these is rust issues, unless you're a body man. I would lean towards the white one because of a few reasons.

Number one, the body looks nice, straight, unmolested and if the rust is limited to something minor like you said, that's half the battle.

Number two, it's longer and would give you more room for storing your bike and any other accessories you might want to carry.

Number three, the other van is 2 hours away, which really isn't that far but it's seen a little bit more wear and tear. You can see some daylight coming through the floor pan by the drivers feet. Hard to tell what the body is like cause of the paint and primer. Front bumper has some distortions so probably some bodywork has been done on the nose(primer). That being said, it is also running and driving so it might be worth checking out especially since he's willing to trade.

Basically, you need to make this decision based on what you feel is most important to you and what works best for you. Even though I'm not a big fan of the extended vans and I like the look of the shorties, especially the window vans, my gut tells me that with this white one, you're getting what you see with no hidden surprises and if you are mechanically inclined, a little attention in the way of a tune up could go a long way towards getting it to be the daily driver that you're looking for.

Remember, that was just my opinion, for what it's worth! Good luck and keep us informed once you've made your decision.

Paul (vanny)

Welcome to VV..!!!..  ... "Sharp Looking Chevy"..  I am with Vanny the Panel Van is Much Straighter and Nicer and would clean up Easily..The Window Van has some body issues witch can get expensive quick plus the rust issues in the front floor also ....Primer hides a lot too. the White One is way nicer See if "HE" is willing to Trade..???....JMO..Good Luck ...Keep us Posted...  .

Thanks for the quick response guys! I am still discussing options with both buyers but my gut tells me that the white van is ultimately the better buy. I suppose the window van is the more desirable of the two if I were to decide to sell it later on, though I am not planning on selling anytime soon. I worked at a body shop for the past four years and though I do not consider myself to be a full fledged body man but I know my way around a car so either van will be treated to what I would call a decent driver quality paint job. I want it to look nice but still be able to use this van and not worry too much about the little stuff. Ill keep yall posted

Here is a picture of the rust in the back of the white one

Rust

I am not a body man but you do have a "Issue" there what does it look like from underneath that area.???  Frame, Springs, Spring Hangers, you could always find a donor Van for that section of the floor...If that's the only rust issue then it should not be to hard to fix...JMO..

Welcome to VV. I vote for the white one. It will be much better for hauling the bike, out of view to others and no danger of busting a window.

Welcome to V V and NC.

Does the Falcon have the 240 engine? The ad does not say. The 240 usually comes with the better 9" rear axle. That combination will run forever.

lol I thought for years about buying an early Dodge Van to haul my bikes. Now that I have a van neither one of my bikes fit in it.