Ford vs Chevy van

The DuraMax diesel is a good option. I'm actually surprised you found one in stock, they are generally very rare, almost a custom order item.

GCWR is 17,000 pounds so you still cannot quite tow 10,000 pounds if you have any decent load in the van. Also it's detuned from the truck version, at 250 HP, so it'll actually climb slower than the 6.0 gasser, at least at lower elevations. But it will get going easier, and be more civilized since it'll stay at low RPMs most of the time (it does make lots of torque!).

Also before the front axle is the same as the gasser vans, rated at 4600 pounds so there's no extra capacity for an aftermarket bumper. It uses the GM 6-speed not the Allison, so I don't recommend pushing the GCWR because the torque converter is at its limits in that application. I was considering one myself since my V10 has 422,000 miles already, but the limited front axle capacity and torque converter problems made it a no-go for me, since my combined weight is usually 22k and can hit 25k on some trips.

We are a family of 7. I guess you can never have too much room, but not sure we want that long of a vehicle to drive around when we aren't towing the TT. Is the longer one better or worse for the towing part? That diesel would be quite a puller I would think.

Gleaner wrote:
How rare are the diesel versions? The extended ones are longer wheelbase right?

In my opinion, the passenger diesel is pretty rare. In a quick search I was doing for something the other night I found a new one.

Yes, the extended is the long wheelbase which is 155" vs 135" for the standard.

What kind of activities do you do? I know you said you wanted seating for 7, do you always have 7 or is that accounting for when friends or family need to come along?

The 12 passenger offers plenty of cargo space with the last row removed, or even half of it removed. But if you are looking to haul bikes without removing wheels, then you have to pull out the second and third rows. In the long wheelbase you could leave the first two benches, and pull the fourth and fifth rows and put bikes and luggage in without having to pull wheels off.

I did see a 2014 Chevy Express for sale with a Duramax. It was the extended version. I was just looking for a 12 passenger. How rare are the diesel versions? The extended ones are longer wheelbase right? I just figured I didn't want one that long.

As mentioned, if you look for a 2010 or newer GM it will have the 6 speed transmission. When I shopped 4 years ago I looked for a 2010 or newew for that reason, amongst some of the safety features that were standard in those models as well (Side curtain airbags, ABS, traction and stability control).

We had our 2011 nearly four years and didn't have any issues with the paint.

I believe that it was in 2013 that the 4.8L V8 was offered so if you look at one newer than that, make sure you know which engine it has.

It does appear a 6.0 Chevy van may be easier to find than a v10 Ford. I'm just keeping my eyes open for the time being. I should at least look at both brands of vans to see what the DW prefers.....

Be prepared to pay for it. I just sold my 2003 V10 for $7,600 (50% over KBB value) and had people lined up to buy it at that price. One guy called from 6 hours away and was ready to leave home immediately but I had to tell him it was already gone. I don't know if any are still coming out of the rental fleets but if they are a one year old one can probably be had in the low 20's. When I browsed the used market to price mine it seemed that they just didn't depreciate much after the first year. You should be able to get a dealer to check the auction list and see what is coming up. That is how I bought the 2003 twelve years ago and got a good value then. I just had to be willing to buy sight unseen but it was still under warrentee and the condition ratings are very accurate.

I prefer the drivetrain of the Ford but prefer the front suspension of the Chevy.

The Ford will have more capacity. The Chevy will ride better empty. The 6.0 6-speed will use less fuel however the 4-speed doesn't have that same advantage. The E350 V10 has more much more aftermarket support than the any motor in the Express.

V10 E350s have become very hard to find however, and command a pretty good price premium now. Express vans are much easier to find, and the 6.0 was the standard motor in the 3500 series, so even rentals got that, which helps finding them used.

I would recommend a 2005+ V10 simply because its matched to a better transmission. Same with the 6.0. The 6-speed is far superior to the 4-speed.

While out driving, watch to see how many white Chevy/GMC Express vans have peeling paint. A lot. Both passenger vans and panel vans. For our small business, we have 4 Chevy Express passenger vans, a 2009, two 2010's, and a 2013. The 2009 and the two 2010's paint peeled badly at about 3 yrs of age. We had to fight with GM to get anything done about it, and then they only paid half of the repaint. And now a year and half later, they are peeling again. Now a new fight.

The 2013 van has not started peeling.....yet.

Don't know what years are involved in the bad paint, or even if they have corrected the problem.