Recommend me a box truck

[DoubleApex]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask or if anyone is familiar with box trucks. I'm looking for a used box truck between 16-18 feet in length in the $8000-$12000 range but will go up higher if needed. Hopefully I can find something decent in that price range. I heard from someone that used budget trucks can be bought in that price range and are maintained fairly well.

Which brand makes the most reliable truck? I like the look of the GMC's a little bit more over the Ford and Chevy, but if it's a truck that's going to break down then I don't even care. I'd also prefer a gasoline truck. I'll be driving about 300 miles a week, mostly in town, but with 2 highway trips a week about 30 miles away.

Thanks

 

[QuietPortage]

GMC/Ford/Chevy; just pick the one you find most comfortable.

I'd probably be looking at a diesel Sprinter if you don't need a huge one, although they're pricy.

Maintenance history and how the vehicle was used would be my major considerations. Try to avoid anything that was loaded to capacity for trips around town.

 

[mrsilv04]

Don't think I'd get one with any Ford gas engine that would have the shooting spark plugs, the weak exhaust manifold studs, or the cam phaser issue.

Nor one with the 6.0 or 6.4 diesel engine.

 

[Brons2]

I hear nothing but good things about Sprinters. See if you can find an older one in your price range. Will get better mileage than V8 domestic iron too.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Up here the sprinters rust horribly.

 

[bullwinkle]

I would get a GM one, either gas or diesel, avoid the Sprinter-they are EXTREMELY expensive to repair (at least ours were), not to mention they seem to have odd sized tires (I've seen 3500s with 15" dually wheels & tires). GM seems to be more common & cheaper too, I've even seen TopKick & Kodiak chassis ones cheap in my area.

 

[DoubleApex]

How are the Isuzu's?

 

[01rangerxl]

Ford E-350

Chevy Express 3500 / GMC Savanah 3500

Most box vans in those lengths are built on these platforms because they work well.

You are less likely to find an F-350 or Silverado 3500 / Sierra 3500 with a box body in that price range, but those would be good options too.

I rented a Budget Savana 2500 SRW box van a couple years ago and it was a ragged out piece of junk. U-Haul and Budget will let their vehicles get torn up, but they let them go pretty cheap too. A small business selling the 2002 F-350 box truck with 200K that they bought new will probably ask top dollar.

I would check municipal auctions. A lot of municipalities buy box trucks and only use them occasionally.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: DoubleApex
How are the Isuzu's?


Not bad actually. Just make sure there is an Isuzu truck dealer in your area for parts. In most places you should have access to at least one big regional medium truck dealer.

A lot of NPRs have GM 350 V8s.

 

[Jarlaxle]

They switched to the 6.0 a while ago.

One thing to check into: they have high miles (150,000+), but you can get a 2000-2002 17' E350 U-Haul (gas V10) for under six grand. A newer one (2005-2006 E450) will run maybe $10K.

 

[Nick R]

If you can find the Isuzu with the 5.2L I4 Diesel, that thing seems to be pretty reliable, and get decent fuel economy (for a truck). I drove one for a month and a half back in the spring for work all over NYS, and averaged about 13mpg on the interstate at 65mph. Not the most powerful thing in the world, but more than sufficient.

 

[DoubleApex]

The reason I don't want to go diesel is the gelling up in the cold weather. I hear about trucks all the time gelling up when it gets down to around 0 degrees and I just don't want that headache and extra expense of replacing the fuel filter or using fuel additive to get it to run right. If it wasn't for that I'd have no issues going diesel.

 

[dishdude]

I don't blame you for not doing diesel in CT. If it were me, I'd look for a truck based GM or Ford. Van based GM or Ford boxes are very good too, they just aren't as easy to service - but will be easier to find and probably lower purchase cost.

GM and Ford have the advantage that parts are dirt cheap and anyone can work on them. An Isuzu or Sprinter not so much.

 

[supton]

Ive driven my diesel car for 11 years now. Only one gelling incident, and that was from filling up in a Shell in Concord. I guess they had low turnover. You can use additives, but I have not for years. I just fill up in a couple of places which have good turnover, and not hole in the wall places.

Just saying. If I did not drive lots then I would probably avoid diesel on account of the repairs cost.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
They switched to the 6.0 a while ago.

One thing to check into: they have high miles (150,000+), but you can get a 2000-2002 17' E350 U-Haul (gas V10) for under six grand. A newer one (2005-2006 E450) will run maybe $10K.

Be careful buying U-haul trucks. It seems in ever story I hear, U-haul doesn't maintain and repair their vehicles when they should. I suppose if you can get one cheaply enough, it could be worthwhile.

 

[KD0AXS]

What are you going to be hauling with this truck?

A one-ton box truck isn't going to give you much payload capacity. It will be very easy to overload. They work great for U-Haul trucks because household items are usually rather light.

If you're hauling anything that has some weight to it, you'll probably want at least Class 5 truck, and maybe a Class 6.

 

[DoubleWasp]

Stay as far away from the Isuzus as possible. You will never believe the cost of parts for those things.

I maintain a fleet of 7 of those things. I wouldn't recommend these things to my worst enemy, unless new, or very very young.

They eat EGR valves like a donkey eats hay

They all eventually leak oil from the rear of the cylinder head

Ever bought an $1100 radiator that you know you're going to have to buy again in the near future?

Ironically, our gasoline models are the most trouble. (The Isuzu ancillaries, not the GM engines)

Get yourself a Chevy van based box truck and be done with it. That's our backup truck for the Isuzus, and the owners wish every single one of them was it.

It has almost 400,000 miles, has been treated like a prisoner in a concentration camp for most of it's life, the entire cab has nearly been beaten piece by piece from the frame, and it's never failed to go out on its runs except for once, due to a bad cap/rotor, which was definitely due to neglectful maintenance by the previous mechanics. It was just old.

If your needs do not exceed the capacity of a Chevy van based box truck, go for it.

If you need something mightier, go with a UD. It's the Cadillac of box trucks, and aside from our's oil reading slightly low one time, we have heard absolutely nothing from this truck at all. Sometimes, we forget it even exists, until it's ID shows up on our maintenance schedule. Sometimes we wash down the undercarriage and scrub the engine just so it doesn't feel unloved by us.

Parts are even more expensive than the Isuzus, but we never have to get any.

 

[DoubleApex]

It will be used for hauling chips around to deliver to stores.

I'll definitely avoid the Isuzu then. I have a little while before I need one. I'm just trying to get my research in now that way I know what I want when the time comes.

DoubleWasp, is that Chevy truck with 400,000 miles on it diesel? If not how long are the Chevy and GMC gas box trucks good for? Should I be worried once a gas truck hits over 200,000 miles?

 

[SteveSRT8]

We have run an all GM fleet of 3500 vans and 1500 Silverados for decades here.

Just sold a Savana 3500 with half a million miles on it, loaded at 9200 pounds its entire life here! Still working daily in Michigan. 6.0 gas engined vehicle.

We have found them to be very reliable and have excellent resale even when thoroughly used...

 

[QuietPortage]

Every company that I've seen hauling snack foods around town uses step vans or Sprinters with a box truck body.

I think the step van would make your deliveries easiest. Something like this might do the trick.