Yeah, I'm not too fond of the handling on the older Dodge vans, or the front leg room, though I like the current prices they're at! But in the back of my mind I always figured I should spring a bit more for the Chevy based. And good point about the Chevy taking more market share in the future with Ford dropping the Econoline in favor of the new Transit which may not work for the many Class B and C motorhomes. In which case, Chevy will probably hold a lot of the market share, along with the more expensive Mercedes Benz Sprinter.
I always liked the way the long wheelbase Chevy handled when I had to drive the 15 passenger versions. As for engine choices, I'll need to research the pros and cons of the 5.0 and 6.0 V8s. Too bad the diesels weren't installed in any Class B, at least I've never seen one like that. Maybe because the gas engines are quieter and most people are more familiar with them. Not everyone knows the glow plus starting procedure, plugging in the block heater in cold weather, etc, that you need to do with most diesels, not to mention the bad rap they got in the 1980s. In any case, maintenance and repair is easier and cheaper on a gas engine, and I'm looking to make things as simple and easy as possible.
A 6 speed transmission would be nice for better fuel economy. I'll have to see what years it comes on. With a $40,000 budget, I may not get much newer that a 2006, 2007, maybe 2008. And I'll see which models came with the 5.0 and which came with the 6.0 - for some reason I though they always came equipped with the bigger engine, but a smaller one might give slightly better fuel economy. It will probably come down to finding a van in good condition for a good price, unless there's a compelling reason to choose one engine over the other, in which case I would exclude the other one in my search.
