So I have a third kid on the way and while I have an SUV and am cool to buy another, I want something different. I have the car seats and capacity to move three kids around with my current fleet but, I want something different. This is different:
I don’t have to take the kids out one at a time especially in winter. They can all get unhooked and ready to go while inside in comfort
We travel a lot and since airfare and managing kids on a plane is about to become a no go, this would be phenomenal for long trips
If I buy this I will buy a 3500HD which is capable of towing my camper so I can easily take vacations ANYWHERE
Who the fuck else owns one of these. It will be a complete one off designed and built how I want
I get to build this. It may not be as cool as most of the builds here, but it is pretty awesome in my head.
I can browse the board/watch a movie/play a game all while reclining and being chauffeured around.
Sex. In a van. Down by the river.
Cons:
It is fucking huge and unless I somehow keep a car I have decided to sell it would have to be driven daily by my wife. A female. A female driver :hang::ohnoes:.
I am pretty sure loaded out that I would be getting the gas mileage of a Hummer
It is almost 30K for the base van then about 10K in outfitting to make it like this. That is nice used Land Rover territory.
Resale, I feel like the market for this is so small I may have to just light the fucker on fire when I am done with it.
I’ve driven several of the Mercedes platforms like this. They’re like mini limos / private jets. Uglier than an SUV sure, but it’s pure function over form. If I had 3 kids I’d consider it especially if traveling was a big deal.
For starters, the van has a much lower load floor than most trucks on the market, particularly the high-riding 4WD heavy duties like our long-term Silverado 2500HD. Loading and unloading heavy and/or unwieldy equipment is much easier when you don’t have to lift it above your waist – and when you don’t have several feet to jump up/down to get in/out.
On top of that, the NV has the advantage of being an intelligently engineered vehicle. There are handles near both rear doors and by the side sliding door that make ingress and egress a snap, multiple dome lights, and perhaps most notably, the wide-opening doors that stayed open thanks to magnets. Simple yet brilliant.
I like the Escalade but it does not have the tow capacity of the Nissan.
This is basically the Mercedes sprinter but it again does not have the tow capacity. I do like the sprinter conversions though.
IT comes with no windows. I have to install those and it will have motorized blinds, not velour curtains.
This is exactly what brought me to this. We were shopping for 2500/F250 trucks to tow with and they are so hard for my wife to get the kids in and out of. The NV 3500 has a 9,000# tow rating and can be made to be comfortable.
Here is what I saw that really set the hook on me:
Do it. I was looking at these for work vehicles for a while and they are sweet. I think Ford is coming out with one next year as well called the Tranist.
I figured the part about the low entry access would appeal to your wife. Yet it still rides high like an SUV.
And you can get a tech package with Nav, USB, Bluetooth, rear view camera, etc. from the factory instead of having some installer do a wire hack (no offense to any car audio guys out there.)
And this is the same 5.6 as the Titan right?
… it’s not like fuel consumption is going to be great anyway…
From an auto enthusiast standpoint, you have officially turned 79.
That means you were in your 40’s back when conversion vans were even remotely popular.
If size and towing capacity are an issue…
how about a Kodiak?
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Your kids will love climbing into it, and your wife will love that you can tow 2 campers at the same time.
And, when you are done with camping, you can turn into a firetruck instead of a van fire.
