kooka7 wrote:
I did show hubby the E350 and he died in the proverbial when I mentioned to him a V10 engine.... i'm quite happy to drive it as a daily commute for school/kindy/grocery etc... he is more worried about fuel consumption.... I did mention to him if we went 'new' we could get provisions for a hook up of LPG/propane tank/s (not sure if there'd be a compromise of boot space tho or whether the tank gets installed under chassi side (if that makes sense).
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Is there a big differece on the EL model as apposed to the standard length one, and is it better to get the greater axle ration 4.x as apposed to 3.x?
They do offer the Ford vans with a Natural Gas / LPG prep package, which includes hardened valve seats. You will have to send it to an approved up-fitter for the tanks and injection system (you buy it all through the dealer, and it shows up ready to go). You do not lose inside space with a dual fuel setup on the extended vans, because the LPG tanks can go behind the axle.
The EL-body vans give you an extra row's worth of space. You don't have to order with the 5th row however.
You do want the highest-numbered differential ratio, with is 4.10 on the Fords. Higher differential ratio means more overall gear reduction (and therefore more torque), which allows for a higher tow rating.
That all said... while I use my extended van as a daily driver, its far from ideal. My fuel costs aren't terrible (not enough to justify getting a new 2nd car...) but I have to park out away from all the other cars in parking lots, because its really too big for most spots. Parallel parking sucks (I work in downtown Portland!) and its REALLY high for kids to get in an out of. If I had kids, I'd probably have to install electric steps.
A used minvan would be a far better daily driver.
