I just picked up a 2001 GMC Savanna 3500 hicube van w/10.5' box & single rear wheels. Yeah! I've been struggling working out of a '98 Pontiac Transport extended for the last year & a half since I had tongue cancer 2 years ago & sold my 2001 Workhorse stepvan while I was out of work 6 months gettin' treatment. Can you feel my excitement? It's gonna be so nice to have a designated workvan again. Now I just gotta get it dialed in. This last week alone I've been short something 3 times I had forgotten to load for the day. It will be nice to have most everything I need on most jobs. The timing of the van find is really good since I just bought a bank repo house I will be remodeling & reselling within 60 days or so. Although it's pretty amazing how much you can cram into a minivan. Full sheets of plywood, etc. & still close the hatch. If the kids would just agree to ride on the roof, I'd keep the minivan! Not! I am keeping the minivan, but just for hauling kids & stuff. Maybe I can trade the wife for the Lexus once in a while. I have a '99 E320 4matic Benz for sale if anyones interested. Erik

I just picked up a 99 e-250 Cargo. After a big time detailing and 2 days of peeling vinyl lettering it looks almost new. I traded it for a LNR-409D Samsung. It books for about 10k with the 70k miles it has on it. It has been fleet serviced so mechanically it is awesome. The 12 mpg is rough but I will save with no return trips for things that didn't fit in the old van.

I started using a Pace Cargo trailer behind My 2001 4x4 slilverado. Double duty vehicle really , as it hauls kids, ATVs, trailers and Large Televisions and racks. 12-15Mpg


I declined to get the Trailer lettered, because it would be a target for thieves.

I have been considering the "Digital Sign Printing" VS. Van Wrap VS. Vinyl Lettering. The Wrap is 3k The Vinyl is cheap and the Digital printing is $10 a square ft. I am very familar with Wraps and Vinyl but has anyone done the "Digital" stuff? Where would you get the art? I have lots of hi-res pics of my work but none tells the story I want to convey. What says " I do lots of stuff like home theater and structured wiring"?
I remember a thread a while back about Wraps and one about a site with some free art that pertains to our biz. I guess next step is the ole search button.

I'm going stealth, no signage at all. My previous van was a billboard & I would constantly get all kinds of people approaching the van if I was in it & bang on the window or side of the van & ask stupid questions that I did not want to answer & I was usually on the phone. Or I would pull some stupid manuever on the freeway & somebody would call the # on the side of the van & ask to speak to the owner or manager! Now I can drive like an ass & not worry about it! Seriously though, almost all of my biz these days are refferals, repeat & word of mouth so I just don't want the "retail" exposure. I don't even have an ad in the phone book anymore. I feel pretty fortunate, but it's taken 14 years to get here.

[Link: vectorsplus.com]

These guys do great work, I have had them do several jobs for me over the years

Whose Lexus are you going to trade the wife for, and wouldn't it be more of a temporary swap?

Just got my own van problem solved, too, with a screaming deal on a 2005 E150. Such a deal that if I end up overloading it, I will just 250 it by having another set of leaves added to the springs. Now, if only the floor mat will come in so I can start putting things into it!

By the way, anybody know where to get inside racking and shelving in the southern California area, LA in particular? I hear there are several places in Long Beach, but it's hard to sort through the million responses on google, and the only name I have turned out to be in Joisey.

Hey Ernie, this outfit is not local for you, but you can find everything you will ever need here... http://www.americanvan.com/

Well, no, those are the boysies in Joisey I was talking about. And what I can't find there are the used, or floor sample, or whatever non-catalog items they have around.

I built my very first six foot long three foot wide sliding drawer out of plywood and angle iron and sliding glass door wheels after seeing the prices and the weight of the products they carry.

In California, insurance costs more if you have lettering on the van. Makes sense to charge more to insure an identified target.

edit: fixed a typo

http://adriansteel.com/

idodishez, thanks for the further suggestion. Michigan is closer to Los Angeles than New Jersey, but I was hoping to do the shopping trip in way less than a week. Say a day.

12 to 15 Mpg!!!!

aggghhhh!!!!!!!!

anything under 30 is considered heavy here!!!

jeez, bush was right with 'we're addicted to oil' - well, perhaps not the buyer, but the manufacturing of thirsty vehicles has to stop.

sorry to go a little off topic, but it winds up me paying nearly 5 UKP for one gallon of petrol, or around 6UKP for diesel (but with better economy of around 45mpg) and 'those accross the pond' have the oportunity to drive vehicles that are unbeleivably un-economical.

rant over.
Jonathan

I'll stick to my 97 Ranger and my 5x10 cargo trailer. I am getting ready to letter and logo my trailer in the next couple of weeks. Already got a guy who will produce and install a wrap for under $1200.00. Would do my truck too, but I live in a neighborhood that is full of HOA Nazi's.

You should build a trailer,and for the rear door area, put in a rear projection screen, and stick a projector inside with a 110 converter thingie, and project pornos as you tool down the freeway with your logo occasionally scanning across the screen...

OK......Mr. Stanley....I am really beginning to wonder about you....
After a couple of weeks with the new van I am happy to report I am still on the first $75 tank of gas. I have made it 350 miles and still have 1/4 tank left. This a College football town not a pro town so we have no end of January spike in Biz. So...as we get busier I may regret the low MPG as I have to fill up once or twice a week. I still have not heard from anyone on the digital print vinyl.