Jimpaulette

Nice. I get the impression that these things are bulletproof from what I've been reading. I've seen a few for sale with over 300,000 miles! And the "550K in 32 months" infographic blew me away. Test drove a Transit today - that one's definitely out. The NV is the clear winner. This is the one I've been eyeballing - thumbs up or down? https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/viewDetailsFilterViewInventoryListing.action?sourceContext=forSaleTab_false_0&formSourceTag=112&newSearchFromOverviewPage=true&inventorySearchWidgetType=AUTO&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity=d2189&entitySelectingHelper.selectedEntity2=&zip=04330&distance=500&searchChanged=true&formSubmissionTracer=true&modelChanged=true&filtersModified=true&sortType=undefined&sortDirection=undefined#listing=146975411

Would you trust a used NV with 51,000 miles? Found exactly what I wanted and it appears to be gently used at a good price.

Are payments comparable to traditional financing with a trac lease?

I just watched that video... yeesh. Granted, the Promaster is a FWD vehicle but that wasn't even close. It mirrors the experience that I had with a U-Haul Transit rental. The dealer quoted me $34,995 for a new SV V6, and $32,495 for an S V6. That seems pretty reasonable for a new NV. If I can't find a gently used one, I think I'll order a new S. I don't want an SV because the carpeting will get trashed in short order. I'll be trucking shipbuilders back and worth to work so I want something that will be easy to keep clean... plus there isn't enough in the SV to justify a $2500 price difference IMO.

It looks to be mostly off-lease fleet vehicles. I checked the CARFAXs of a few and that seemed to be a common theme. I'm not sure who would dump a leased car after less than 10,000 miles, but there are many similar examples floating around in the Northeast. Looks like mostly 3.7L V6s.

I've been told that the Transit will get around 17mpg loaded down. My calculations are based on 15mpg for budgeting fuel costs for either van. I know that the NV will be a little thirstier than the Transit, but that's fine. I'm not sure what the story is, but I've seen a ton of very low mileage 2015 Transits in my area that are discounted about $14,000 off of a new price. Getting a 2015 Transit for $27K is appealing, but what good is it if it won't work for me? :)

I test drove an NVP SL today and liked it very much. That said, I don't need or want the leather, Navi, and other fancy bits. The salesman actually walked off on me after the test drive and said I was "wasting his time" because I wanted to price out an S instead of making a deal on the in-stock SL. No bueno - looks like I won't be going there to order one. I liked the visibility, MPG and price of the Transit 350 more (found a used XLT with 5,300 miles for $26K), put the passenger comfort will be a tough sell. I won't be sitting back there, but even at 5'6'' I felt kind of cramped and couldn't squeeze through to the 4th row, whereas comfort seemed more emphasized in the NV. Has anyone driven these over 100,000 miles yet? Can anyone comment on durability? I tend to be very nice to my stuff (and the 100K warranty is nice) but am trying to get an idea of out-of-pocket expense on things like brakes, tires, etc.

Hi everyone! Does anyone here use a NVP in climates which see lots of snow? If so, how does it deal with the occasionally snowy road? I live in Maine and will be using the NVP year round (with dedicated snows, of course) Also, how does this rate in passenger comfort compared to a 15-passenger Transit? I sat in one of those yesterday and was appalled - I could barely get to the 4th row because the aisle was so narrow and the seats had zero elbow room or knee space. I'll be using this van primarily to bring 10 co-workers to work as a van pool service, and for family duty. Finally, does anyone here own a NVP 3500 HD S? I'm intrigued by the plastic floors and simple design but am wondering if these vans are too basic for reasonable passenger comfort. Thanks!