1999 Express conversion van-5.7-worth what

[phoebeisis]

Hey van guys. A local guy has a 1999 full sized GM conversion van for sale-AC is broken, so he says he is discounting it to just $3500.
It has 130,000 miles on the odometer, but claims at 90,000 miles it had a "new engine" and trans installed.
He is looking for those receipts. If it is actually Goodwrench rebuild or new motor I'll very be interested. If it is brand X my interest will drop considerably. The "new motor" is the only reason I called about it.

So are the vans good? We would use it as a long road trip vehicle, and an evacuation vehicle second car.We live in NOLA- 3 adults, 2 dogs, 4 cats, so we need a big evac vehicle.We also drive the Flagstaff AZ(3000 MILES ROUNDTRIP) and stay in the La Quinta for 6 days when we have the $$ once a year maybe.

It would replace a good running 1998 Suburban-210,000 miles.
What do you think? How hard are they to work on?What should I look for?
Would you switch from Suburban to van? I like the Suburban-a lot.

Thanks,
Charlie

[Dezzmo]

Hi Charlie,

I'm sorry I didn't see this post earlier, I haven't been around for awhile. I traded in my 99 Express Cargo Van last month and it's retail was around $2500 so I can only assume that $3500 for the conversion van is pretty close. With a replacement motor that only has 40,000 miles should be a plus for you, and a Goodwrench motor is even better.

Yes, the vans are very good long distance drivers. For the past 4 years I let my brother take mine to Florida (from RI) for bike week and he loved it. And with a conversion van it should be much better considering it has better seats, insulation, etc...

The main reason I traded up to a later model was rust. The frame, brake lines, A/C lines, spare tire cable support and PCM were completely rusting away. But the body was rust free! So check over those items closely.

I really see no problem switching to a Van from a Suburban. That conversion van is probably a 1500 series so it would have the "softer" suspension setup for more comfort.

I hope I'm not too late with this reply Charlie:glasses:

Please let me know if you decided to get the van:happy:

HTH,

Tim G.