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Mototown, NH, USA
So today I went an ordered a ford transit trail high roof extended. It will show up in 3-6 months, yet it got me thinking about box vans from the past. I get the appeal of sprinter style vans, narrow, modern comforts, easy to navigate, decent on fuel and the list goes on. But box vans are so much cheaper, give you an easier platform to build out and can be had for Pennie’s on the dollar used.
So why don’t more people build a Moto van out of them? What do you think? Any cool box vans for sale at the moment? I was tempted to get a Sprinter, ordered the Ford because it may be less expensive to maintain and I can find Ford dealers everywhere. Now I’m like, could I have gotten away with a box van? what do you think?
Had a Ford box van in the early 90s set up for moto. Couldn’t have asked for a better vehicle for the races. Our’s was a 14ft x 8ft box. Had room for a huge toolbox, storage, bed, 2 or 3 bikes if needed. All the gear, coolers. And it would tow a tank if it had to.
I just bought a brand new 2500 high roof crew van sprinter a couple of months ago and I was thinking the same thing you did lol.
You could definitely do it, I’m sure it would be a lot cheaper too.
How do you like the sprinter setup? Perfect size box van you had! It seems crazy to me the prices of these vans but I get it, I just keep coming back to a box van lol.
https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/salebazaar/honda-box-van#comment-6051996
Last summer I had these same thoughts of old vs new. Started poking around and with perfect timing, found a 2008 GMC Savana 3500 Duramax w/ 67,000 on it. That’s right, boxie with a low mileage Duramax. It has a 14’ box, no dents and I cut the pass-thru wall all the way open. I’m going to build a sleeper for it behind the seats. Plenty of space left in the back for whatever you do. MTB or MX.
cash paid for the boxie $13,500
airfare to get it $300
fuel to get home $450
audio (cd player, amp, speakers) $900
insurance per year $520
do the math, it’ll make you smile vs a new rig.
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Man you’re spot on! I was literally doing the same thing on the way home from the dealer today with the math! I found a few low mileage box vans under 10,000 GVWR for dirt cheap. I haven’t driven a box van in years, I remember them being a normal work truck ride. At the end of the day financially it makes a lot more sense to go the box van route.
Love the Sprinter for sure. I would love to drive it as a daily if I could.. It’s set up with a Bolt-It-On rack, which I highly recommend 👍.
The 20 plus miles per gallon is the appealing part of High vans. If you're older, nothing is cooler than a box van. Rather than drive a boxie, I cut a door in our old class c motorhome and it was awesome having bike storage and full living arrangement. I am in the process of doing a class a the same way, Electric raising bed that drops down after loading , side door for garage and all the convenience to cook sleep. Since a boxie and mh get about 8 mpg and you need a place to park them, I like having the comfort at the track.
I run the @motocrossboxvans insta account, and I see a lot of the stuff that pops up for sale and all over the country. If you are shopping for box van, make sure you get one that has a really light body. Stay away from the heavier chassis, like Utilimaster style. Those chassis are built from sheet metal and plywood. Grumman (aluminum) and Aero Cell (fiberglass) are about the lightest, from what I can tell. But there are alot of options over the years
The main issue with Box vans is fuel milage- you will be lucky to get 10 mpg on a good day. That’s a good day. Maybe slightly more with a well tuned diesel, but you won’t be setting any speed records. So if you driving big distances, they kinda suck, esp if you are running a gas (non diesel) engine in the thing. Sprinters are way better for cross country and north south runs, and if you are doing 1000+ mile runs on the regular.
And most of the BV’s out there built for moto are pretty old by now. You can occasionally find a newer one, but they are usually home built and maybe more a labor of love for the seller. A lot of the stuff I see is cool, but tired.
Having said all that, a nice box van offers way more space, as the bodies are both wider and higher. And if you get an overhang above the cab, then there is even more room to utilize. Plus they stand out in a field of white sprinters and make somewhat of a cool statement.
I opted diesel because of the obvious, power & MPG. I’ve had an underpowered BV before and it was painful to drive. You spend so much time reading the road to keep momentum up in the rollers, it gets old. With this Duramax, I set the cruise at 65 and relax. I can drive hundreds of miles and it won’t even downshift on these TX hills.
Just to ballpark the mpg’s. Last week I drove to Houston from home (DFW) 580 miles round trip. I burned $150 on diesel. You can crunch those numbers if you want, but the mileage is good enough that I don’t give a f@&$.
My point here is to say, just get the right engine so that you can relax a little while you’re in motion.
Yeah boy! It’s been a while. I quit the socials 18 months ago. We spoke often. Hope all is well.
For those of you with the MB sprinters, would you recommend a gas or diesel? I have a diesel f350 and they’re awesome for towing etc but maintenance and when something goes wrong it’s big $. I’ve heard from a. Few folks to get a gasser. Thoughts? Oh and awesome points on the box van and sprinters so thanks!
I follow that on Instagram! That's a fun page, I enjoy the content. Keep up the good work!
A box van would be better for the cargo space. But driving is better with a sprinter.
It was great seeing your post that Suzuki (race support mechanic) had bought back my Moto Hose box van and is using it again at the race’s.
Box vans are awesome, here’s my pops with his back in the day.
My local Ford dealer has a new BV on their lot. I didn’t know that they even still made them
Box vans are so sick. The biggest problem is they're all getting old with high mileage now.
Pit Row
May I recommend changing your name to "BoxvanWilly" 🙂
Drivability plus usage is why a tall van is so much better. Unless you are getting paid to transport a full race team setup only to the track. You can and I have daily driven my big van, no problem at all. Plenty of room for two bikes plus a wall and a bed etc in a modern tall van. Driving a box van across the country or even one big state would suck. There is a reason they are cheap. Just my opinion after having a Promaster, 4x4 sprinter and now a 4x4 Transit.
How are the tall vans in the wind
This topic was never about what drives better, looks better, smells better, we’re not comparing those unquestionable advantages of a new van. This is about affordability and having a vehicle that gets the job done.
$60, $80 or $100k is a lot for a modern high-roof rig. I’d rather drive less and not care about it getting dusted out at the track. Half of your motocross life is spent cleaning shit.
Wut
You know they still make box vans right? Even sprinter based ones
Yes of course, but the idea of the thread seems to be comparing the cost of an old box van and a new sprinter in the long run.
We bought a used Sprinter T1N for weekly track use. 5 cylinder diesel and love it. Always a van guy, so no more scabbed knuckles from the taller bikes. Wind affects anything with taller sides no matter but easily manageable.
Good luck convincing the wife to letting you park a big, ugly box van in the driveway. At least with a Sprinter/Transit you can run out and get groceries with it.
I worked for a shop that had an old box truck that we used to haul bikes around. Now it did get the job done, but it wasn't very comfortable, it did sit higher so loading bikes required 2 people (at least), it was a rougher ride in the back for the bikes, and it was horrible in the mountains.
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