[VanShopping]

So I went van shopping today, after doing some online research, and came home with a loaner 136 low roof PM for the weekend. Thought that was very generous of the dealer.

Things I've noticed so far (running fully empty):

Great pickup.
Nimble driving around town.
Much wider than my Mazda pickup (almost ended up in the snow bank in my driveway)
Bouncy when hitting frost heaves on the highway
So far so good on icy roads in town. Highway was dry.
Noisy inside on the highway.
Taller than I expected (although I understand its low for what it is)

My plan (should I buy it) is to use it for a combo of work (building contractor) and play, will be my only vehicle, although my wife has a subaru. Will outfit the rear with a small kitchen and storage for tools, and some sort of setup for a bed than can be removed. It'll need a roof rack for ladders and lumber, and someway to get up there to load/unload. Weekend usage is a mix of skiing in winter and mountain biking in summer.

So what should I pay attention to while I have it this weekend? One question on purchasing, does ordering get you a better deal, or just what you want. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a better deal because both of the ones I'm looking at are heavily discounted (under $27k).

Thanks, this is a great forum.

Dan

 

[GuyT]

One question on purchasing, does ordering get you a better deal, or just what you want. I'm guessing it wouldn't be a better deal because both of the ones I'm looking at are heavily discounted (under $27k).

Hi Dan

Welcome on the forum.

You are right, ordering just gives you all the options you want, you'll get a better deal for one that's on the dealer's parking lot.

 

[jostalli]

Are they 2014's? Now is a great time to snag a 2014 for well under invoice.


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[Dwight]

When you add a floor to the cargo area it will get a lot quieter on the highway. Until I added my floor, it was so loud using the radio was pointless.

 

[VanShopping]

Thanks for the feedback. The road noise certainly didn't surprise me, and I'm sure it'll go away as I finish out the back.

 

[VanShopping]

Question about extended warranties. Dealer is offering a 5 year/100k miles bumper to bumper at his cost, $1895. Is this a good deal, or should I shop elsewhere for the extended.

Thanks

 

[Allhandsondeck]

Welcome Dan. Ordering is only better if you want a lot of options, especially a color other than white. You will pay more for it of course, but if your not real picky as far as options go, you can get a **** of deal on a 2014 off the dealer lot. Noise is greatly reduced with flooring in back and further reduced with a cargo partition which makes it as quiet as a passenger car. Hope this helps.

 

[Allhandsondeck]

Welcome Dan. Ordering is only better if you want a lot of options, especially a color other than white. You will pay more for it of course, but if your not real picky as far as options go, you can get a **** of deal on a 2014 off the dealer lot. Noise is greatly reduced with flooring in back and further reduced with a cargo partition which makes it as quiet as a passenger car. Hope this helps.

I can't believe he double hockey sticks is considered an inappropriate word? WTF!

 

[GuyT]

Thanks, this is a great forum.

Dan

Dan, there is a problem with your registration, your 2 last messages are not visible to users other than mods.

Second time this happens to a new user. I will write to the boss (AG Jeff) to get it fixed.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

[GuyT]

Since VanShopping posts can't be seen, here a question he asked:

Question about extended warranties. Dealer is offering a 5 year/100k miles bumper to bumper at his cost, $1895. Is this a good deal, or should I shop elsewhere for the extended.

Thanks

 

[bobojay]

You can leverage the extended warranty price as part of the deal as a whole package. Also if it's a Chrysler warranty, not some aftermarket, you can shop other Chrysler outlets for the same one maybe at a better price...

 

[Dave's not home]

Dan,

The only thing a factory order guaranties is a really long wait. My order took 6 months!

When it arrived it was the wrong colour. There were were missing options left off the order and missing parts.

One of the more significant options my van arrived without was power heated mirrors. It has no controls at all, nothing just a blank spot where the controls should be!

On the upside the van totally rocks. I have owned a lot of van over the years and I can say the Promaster is better in every aspect.

Best of luck!

Dave

 

[Todd]

Empty is noisy but it depends on the road. The more I drive my van the more I like it. Todd

 

[Dwight]

Bumper to bumper extended warranty seems like a bad investment when you get that free for drivetrain, and that's the expensive stuff. Bumper to bumper covers the cheap stuff.

 

[makevx73]

Bumper to bumper extended warranty seems like a bad investment when you get that free for drivetrain, and that's the expensive stuff. Bumper to bumper covers the cheap stuff.

I tend to agree with you on this but as vehicles get more complicated and parts more expensive and complicated, extended warranties are starting to look better.

Look at GuyT's post on replacing a broken door lock as an example.

One door lock turned into having to get both door locks plus all his keys replaced. I think it ran near $900 or so?
(Yes his was damaged by a thief but the hassle and expense would be the same if it had just broke.)

 

[Brian P]

Empty is noisy but it depends on the road. The more I drive my van the more I like it. Todd

Wait till you drive empty on a freshly chipsealed road with far too much loose gravel on top! THAT was rather entertaining (and thunderous) ... ! ! !

 

[VanShopping]

I think first order of business is building an insulated floor, that's where I notice most of the noise.

 

[msauna]

Mine came with the factory wood floor (ply w/ abs load surface). It's bonded to the metal with blobs of glue which seems to isolate the sound really well. I get sound from the wheel wells, but not much else. I searched regionally for a couple of months to find mine 350mi away. Got a decent price, most of the options I wanted and they delivered it to me.

 

[Administrator]

Since VanShopping posts can't be seen, here a question he asked:

Question about extended warranties. Dealer is offering a 5 year/100k miles bumper to bumper at his cost, $1895. Is this a good deal, or should I shop elsewhere for the extended.

Thanks

Ok he should be fixed up and bale to post now.

Jeff

 

[keeponvaning]

Question about extended warranties. Dealer is offering a 5 year/100k miles bumper to bumper at his cost, $1895. Is this a good deal, or should I shop elsewhere for the extended.

Thanks

As a rule, I make it a practice to never buy extended warranties on anything. If you follow this rule your whole life you will come out ahead (I believe) but as soon as you break it, the odds change.

One huge problem with warrantees is the deductable. If there is/was no deductable it could be worth consideration possibly but even then, I would take the gamble. The very fact the cost of the warrentte is negotiable tells me to watch out.

Of course, others have had totally opposite experiences and I'm sure there are many who wouldn't ever consider not going the extended warrentte route (those are the buyers that the dealers love the most)!