we are about to get another van and in the market for a new van rack. what are your alls thoughts on nay besides the typical 3 bar set-ups or anyhone know of any great deals?

try www.americanvans.com. You can equip it any way you want.

buy a chevy - they come with free bins. Typically i find a van without the bins installed yet and have the shop costumize to my specs. the last 2 i had done this way. they installed the additional stuff for free. Thats a big deal to me anyway. ever install a ladder rack? chevy uses adrian steel bins and racks. hope tihs helps

oex,

Does that apply to the "Savanah" (sp?) vans as well as the full size vans or is the Savanah all they make in a cargo van anymore? I would like to purchase a new Astro cargo van but it seems that they are no longer made. I am looking for something slightly smaller than the Savanah. Is the Savanah that much better of a van?

yes.

Dont know - all mine are entended express cargo vans

This has been talked about here but it isn't available until the end of January they're saying. I don't know what it is going to cost but it should be less than most racks. It definitely doesn't get any newer than "not yet available".

[Link: alhansen.com]

This message was edited by ChicAugur on 11/25/04 10:20 ET.

The savana is the exact same truck as the express, although I find the nose styling to be slightly less offensive. These trucks were fully updated in 2003 and as far as I'm concerned will drive circles around the current Fords. I bought a fully loaded GMC Savana AWD 2500 last year and I'm continually amazed with how well the truck drives and how solid everything is put together. I'm a driving enthusiast/European car nut and I've been through this truck front to back. It's just solid.
If you decide to go that route PLEASE email me. I did enough research before I bought mine that I know these trucks better than GM does.

As far as I know the Astro/Safari are still available but that truck hasn't been updated in a really long time. It's based on a truck chassis so it does have a lot more carrying capacity than a mini-van but it's showing it's age and as of last year GM had no plans of updating it. It's probably gone very soon.

the Aluminum System One racks are fantastic but pricy. I keep trying to justify one for my own truck but I really don't have to put a ladder on the roof very often. Otherwise just go with a standard crossbar setup. I prefer a lighter duty aluminum one.

We are considering replacing our fleet with Dodge Sprinters - with the diesel Mercedes engine. Thoughts on these? They look nice so far. We are a week or two away from ordering at least one to see how it works out.

As far as I know those trucks are Mercedes trucks rebadged. They look pretty good to me and it's what I'll do if I need a bigger truck. FedEx just ordered a small fleet of hybrid versions to try out. I believe the diesels are getting about 18 MPG.

We just bought one last week, but it's not registered yet, and I haven't driven it... I'll let you know what I think...

The benz is the sprinter it gets 22 mpg. My unlce owns an oil company has a few of them says they love them. We plan on getting ours after xmas.

Lonny
BTW, there is a threat about sprinters on here that i had posted

I have spoken with more than a few Sprinter owners, and while it has some strange attributes that lend to compromise. It's made up for them in mileage and capacity.

I also think the www.JetRack.info is a great addition to any existing fleet.

What?