[Jimmy Lee]

Heya ProMaster Addicts!

I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada and stuck in a dead end career/situation I want to get out of, the owner of the company I work for the last 10 years is a sociopath who is self destructing his own business and its only a matter of time before its bankrupt. I have been living a minimalist life the last 3 years trying to save as much after tax income as possible to get out of this toxic environment i'm in and start a new chapter.

That said I've been seriously considering buying a ProMaster and am about ready to take the plunge. This will be a large investment for me as I have not a ton of savings at around 65k CAD at 30yo this purchase will drain more then half my savings, ideally I want to work as an Expediter the next year or 2 travel around living in the van but with a clean minimalist setup that looks professional murphy bed and shelving that stays flush against the sidewalls in between the wheel wells not obstructing the 4ft wide cargo floor where ideally I can fit 2-3 long and 2 tall (4-6 skids).

My first question is regarding 2500 vs 3500, if I were to use it for expediting from what I can tell the 2500 has a cargo length of 131" versus the 3500 extended has a cargo length of 146" which 144" would make 12feet allowing 3 skids to be loaded length wise; so the 2500 will fit 2 skids long 2 tall and have 35" more of length unused versus the 3500 can fit 3skids long 3 skids tall with only 2 inches of room, am I correct in that assumption?

Second question is 131" vs 146" (2500 vs 3500), I am seeing mixed opinions on whether a Diesel is still the best for expediting or if the Gasser is within the same cost of ownership? The dealer i went to told me they don't make a diesel any more but I read they may be coming back with it this year.

For expediting I would imagine 3500 is the best option assuming the 131" vs 146" spec is correct, but the Dealers close to me only have 2500's in stock and they are much more willing to deal ive been offered $8k off a $43k msrp 2500 they have on the lot so $35kCAD +HST but I have a feeling I can get it down to $32k CAD as they have 4 on the lot that don't seem to be attracting buyers, is there any benefits to the 2500 over 3500? gas consumption I would assume isn't much different from what I read some people are getting as high as 24mpg but most people state an average of 17MPG or 7.22LKM. Any help is very much appreciated i'm thinking that .

I have a Planet Fitness membership and have no desire or requirement to put a shower inside and a foldaway toilet for emergencies only will do fine. I simply want to get out of my current situation I am in now stop paying so much in rent and do some traveling while gaining some carrier experience and potentially get into long haul trucking down the road. Any suggestions or help is very much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Dwight]

There is a FedEx expediter that posted photos of his setup. He made more room for cargo by building a cargo partition on floor tracks. He would slide the wall back for more living space, then slide it forward for more cargo space. It was cool.

You just don't see many 3500 promasters anywhere.

 

[Jimmy Lee]

This is a consideration, E-Track on the floor and/or sides and if ultimately going with the 2500 there will be 34" of space that cannot be used by a skid so in "courier mode" there would be a partition that can be collapsed or moved when in "live-in mode". I do have an offer from one dealer (this is with very little haggling or calling around really) for $7k CAD off MSRP on a new factory build, so I could build my own factory 3500 but with the same options it would end up costing atleast $5k maybe even 7k more if the dealer would be willing to take 32k for the on-site 2500. I guess my first hurdle is making a decision on the 2500 or whether the 3500 will bring me better bang in the long run will I regret if I get the 2500 over the 3500 down the road. Thanks a lot for replying

 

[Jimmy Lee]

Van Buildouts

Does anyone have any links to any sprinter,transit, ProMaster buildouts that were made particularly for expediting in mind? I'm having trouble finding good examples

 

[tgblake]

I have the 3500 EXT model and the cargo length at the floor is 160 inches. Perhaps the 146 inch figure is measure higher up at the seat back, although that would depend on how far the seat is moved back and/or reclined.

 

[phil]

If this is your business get the gasser it can be repaired by any shop. An expediter will exceed the power train warranty fast. A cost analysis tells me a break down after warranty will wipe away any savings gained by 25+ mpg the diesel gets.

I could be wrong.

 

[Jimmy Lee]

I have the 3500 EXT model and the cargo length at the floor is 160 inches. Perhaps the 146 inch figure is measure higher up at the seat back, although that would depend on how far the seat is moved back and/or reclined.

Really? I kicked myself after the fact for not taking a measuring tape out when I was looking at a 2500. So if your 3500 EXT is 160" Cargo length from back door to behind the front seats then whats the measurement of the 2500? I would love to get some advice from anyone who may actually be doing expediting

 

[Jimmy Lee]

If this is your business get the gasser it can be repaired by any shop. An expediter will exceed the power train warranty fast. A cost analysis tells me a break down after warranty will wipe away any savings gained by 25+ mpg the diesel gets.

I could be wrong.

Kind of what I was thinking but in the expediting business if you are actively taking jobs your putting a ton of miles on it quickly and I've read some opinions that diesels get a bad rep from and problematic to people who aren't driving them hundreds of thousands of miles, some vets still swear by diesel for transport/expediting it could be hard headedness on those particular peoples parts cause just as many maybe even more recently swear by the gas, I'm leaning towards gas at worst costing the same if not a fraction more in there lifetime ownership costs but the gas will be much easier/faster to get serviced on the go and downtime / special trips to particular mechanics will be reduced etc

 

[phil]

Most expediter builds are cargo has priority and the driver makes his bed where the load allows. There is no site that I know that just shows expediter builds. Google is your friend.

 

[phil]

If you can get a Promaster diesel without emissions controls and a non robotic transmission then diesel is the way to go. I'm sure the engine and transmission are fine, it's the electronic controls and sensors that will put you in the shop till they can figure it out, in the mean time you are not making money.

my 2 cents

 

[Jimmy Lee]

Most expediter builds are cargo has priority and the driver makes his bed where the load allows. There is no site that I know that just shows expediter builds. Google is your friend.

Yes this is what I want to prioritize the load capacity, but there is a good amount of unused space even after insulating the walls, in between the wheel wells is the only floor space you will be using for cargo, all the room behind the wheel wells is buildable, I watched one video of a guy using a floating bed track that came out of a toy hauler he was able to raise and lower his bed from the ceiling tot he floor, also a roof rack could potentially be utilized if the ceiling space is needed for cargo you can tie down the mattress to the roof rack?

 

[Jimmy Lee]

If you can get a Promaster diesel without emissions controls and a non robotic transmission then diesel is the way to go. I'm sure the engine and transmission are fine, it's the electronic controls and sensors that will put you in the shop till they can figure it out, in the mean time you are not making money.

my 2 cents

I agree, it seems the gas becomes more "efficient" because of the in-inefficiencies that come from servicing the diesels, although the amount of miles you can put on a diesel engine compared to a gas is the tempting part but for all the service costs and downtimes associated with those extra miles is the problem

 

[phil]

I saw an old sprinter with a bed that hinged on the wall and folded down, or it could be raised up and down the wall, and it could be detached from the wall and suspended in the middle and raised up or down, all done with ropes and pulleys. He also had a shower pan that fold up against the wall and the shower curtain rod that folded down against the wall. Wasn't fancy just usable.

 

[Jimmy Lee]

I saw an old sprinter with a bed that hinged on the wall and folded down, or it could be raised up and down the wall, and it could be detached from the wall and suspended in the middle and raised up or down, all done with ropes and pulleys. He also had a shower pan that fold up against the wall and the shower curtain rod that folded down against the wall. Wasn't fancy just usable.

lol your talking about Bob Wells from CheapRVLiving interviewing the guy with the yellow sprinter? I've done alot of searching and watched hundreds of hours of build/ vanliving videos, unfortunately finding examples like that are near impossible so far almost none of the builds are made for expediting aside from those few I've taken notes on, the foldup shower was very creative and all but i would do without, hoping to get some more creative ideas that will make it more live-able for insulating, Heat/AC, Bed, Clothing storage, fridge etc, but still allow for maximum cargo usage. Thanks again for all your help

 

[tgblake]

Really? I kicked myself after the fact for not taking a measuring tape out when I was looking at a 2500. So if your 3500 EXT is 160" Cargo length from back door to behind the front seats then whats the measurement of the 2500? I would love to get some advice from anyone who may actually be doing expediting

The length is based more on the wheelbase model rather than the 2500 vs 3500. The extended model is only available in a 3500. Here is the official cargo length in the 2014 brochure. I don't think anything has changed since then:

136 wheelbase = 123 inches (1500 or 2500)
159 wheelbase = 146 inches (2500 or 3500)
159 WB extended = 160 inches (3500 only)

 

[Dwight]

Here is the fedex guy

http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34506&highlight=Expediter

 

[Jimmy Lee]

I got quite a head full of ideas but I think the main hurdle right now staring me in the face is whether the 3500 is going to be worth the 6-8 week wait (I can then chose my own color) and get a $7kcad discount off MSRP or get one of the white 2500's the dealer has on lot hes willing to deal 9 possibly 11k on. After making that decision I can move forward and build as I go.

 

[proeddie]

Welcome,

A search on the forum brought up this... might be useful to you

http://www.promasterforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34506

ed

 

[RDinNHandAZ]

Not that you can get one but the posts here show the diesel and automaticly shifted transmission are Super reliable. The few vans with issues have been long dealer fixes, which is sad but there have been very few.
I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

 

[ninjabob]

get the extended! i didnt and now wish i had.