Zachary Posted October 27, 2022 (edited) Hello folks! I'm looking at purchasing a 2020 NV 3500 SL - I've already made a (refundable) deposit, and am scheduled to make the drive to Springfield (2.5 hours from home) on Monday to test-drive and sign the paperwork. We have 5 children (and we wouldn't say 'no' to another :), and we feel it's time to move to a proper van after years of driving SUVs (current ride/prospective trade-in is a Ford Expedition EL). One major factor in the decision to go with an NVP is the towing capacity - we pull a travel trailer on our roadtrips and there doesn't seem to be any other reasonably modern vehicles that can do that + seat 8+ passengers comfortably. The NV 3500 looks to be our dream-ride, if everything goes as advertised. Anyways, I've enjoyed reading the forum posts here and catching up on the NV fandom that I didn't know existed until this week. Open to any advice on what to watch out for when we go to the dealership to check out our hopeful next family car. And I'm sure I'll have questions for the experts here in the coming months. Cheers! Edited November 15, 2022 by Zachary 3 radin2son, Local Apparent Friday and Builder reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crusty Posted October 28, 2022 Hope things go as planned. Yes, these vans are remarkably comfortable for being a commercial van. I know mine loves to eat up highway miles. 3 Zachary, radin2son and Local Apparent Friday reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted October 29, 2022 @Zachary Welcome! Would that be Missouri, Virginia, or a different Springfield? What are the details on the one you're buying? They giving you a warranty? You mechanically inclined enough to go over it yourself? Sounds like it's a great fit for you guys. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zachary Posted October 30, 2022 @Local Apparent Friday Unfortunately I decided to bow out of the deal, as they were giving me too little for our trade in to close the gap on the purchase price. It was a nice one too, 2020 with a little over 60K miles. I'm now trying to decide between a 2019 (48K miles), which is Certified Pre-Owned from a Nissan dealer (with a 100K/7 year warranty), and shockingly is cheaper than the 2020 we were originally considering, and an older (but much more affordable) 2016 (117K miles, single owner, Quigley 4x4 conversion). The 4x4 is a big want, if not a must, for me, and the higher-milage is partly offset by the fact that it's single-owner and appears to have been very well-maintained. Ugh, choices!!! LOL. 1 radin2son reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted October 30, 2022 (edited) Yah they are not giving you much on the trade because the car market has fallen apart on the back end, they are just trying to squeeze as many sales as quickly as they can before consumers realize it, but they aren't going to be paying much because they know they'll lose out on anything they are holding very soon. If you have the time and patience, you'll do better with a private sale IF you are at a cash price or working with someone that is still willing/can still get financing. As for your choices, the 2019 has the 7 speed trans, BUT that engine is known to have issues so make sure you get a decent warranty. I'd be trying to get them to warranty it FOR 100k, not TO 100k. There's a couple posts here about ppl that have had to have nissan swap in a new engine and it's mostly been a nightmare. I corroborated that with facebook posts and the engine issues are common enough, whilst the level of difficulty in dealing with nissan varies. Most but not all I have seen have been under 100k though, so if you go that route, I'd try to negotiate them on the warranty if possible to stretch it out. As with anything, the engine replacement is not universal...there are many 17+ owners cruising around without issues. The '16 has the older engine but it's only a 5 speed...mileage ain't great either way so, all things equal, I'd buy the 4x4 and then go over the conversion to double check everything. 117k miles is, more or less, just getting broken in. Keep us posted either way and good luck. - laf Edited October 30, 2022 by Local Apparent Friday Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zachary Posted October 31, 2022 @Local Apparent Friday Thank you for the advice! I wasn't aware of the engine issues in the 2019. That's really good to know - the fact that there's a certified warranty helps alleviate that concern somewhat, but your point is well taken. The current hold up on the 2019 is that the dealer can't find the back row of 4 seats (seriously... how does a dealer lose their car seats?), and they tell me new ones will be 9K installed (what's there to install exactly?!). Looking online, used seats seem to run 1600-2k, so I'm hoping to use that as leverage to get them down on price. Still, it's going to be pricey, enough that a 4x4 conversion would be out of the cards for at least a couple years. I've been in conversation with the owner of the 2016 Quigley conversion, and I'm getting more excited about that possibility. It sounds like the owner is a real NV fan, did regular oil changes/scheduled maintenance, and generally babied the vehicle. It had some axle work done under warranty around 99K miles, otherwise he says it's been problem free. Depending on what I hear back on Monday (on both vehicles), I'm tentatively planning on getting a (round trip, just in case) ticket to Denver to test drive it and possibly drive it home. Regarding "go over the conversion", are there any specific I should be looking for on the Quigley? I'm not a mechanic but I do my own basic maintenance and repairs (water pumps, alternators and the like), so if the component in question has a name I can usually find my way around. 1 radin2son reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted October 31, 2022 The 2016 option looks like the better option. Can the owner give you the name of an independent shop to go over the van, particularly the Quigley conversion? The owner may be willing to arrange this before you travel to Denver. Another option would be to call Quigley to see if they use or recommend a shop in the Denver area. 1 Zachary reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted October 31, 2022 Sportsmobile used Quigley for many years before manufacturing their own components. Older 4x4 Ford vans still going strong. Saw one mention of hard to engage. No major complaints, but check out sportsmobileforum.com to see what you can find beyond “parts wear out and break.” Good read on flight to Denver. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zachary Posted November 2, 2022 After a productive walkthrough via FaceTime, we have a virtual deal on the Quigley-conversion! Flying out Friday morning to give it a final examination/test-drive, visit a local mechanic for inspection and a last-minute oil change, and to seal the deal. Excitement! 2 radin2son and Local Apparent Friday reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted November 4, 2022 That's awesome! Have fun and good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted November 4, 2022 Big day! Hope all goes well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zachary Posted November 5, 2022 It’s a done deal! Now the 11-hour drive home. So excited! 5 Nimbus, Builder, Local Apparent Friday and 2 others reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted November 5, 2022 Baller! Safe travels and welcome to the club! Congratulations. 1 Zachary reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
radin2son Posted November 5, 2022 Financial reasons aside, makes you wonder why did Nissan give up on NVs? Great looking van! Expect lots of posts... 2 pgdsailor@aol.com and Zachary reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted November 8, 2022 I really like that color, don't know if I've seen another in the wild. 1 Zachary reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zachary Posted November 15, 2022 Just got the van back from Pickup Outfitters, running boards and BFGoodrich K02s installed. Still need to get some proper pictures, but we're pretty happy with the result so far. 2 pgdsailor@aol.com and radin2son reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Local Apparent Friday Posted November 17, 2022 Looking great! Glad you're happy with the van. 1 Zachary reacted to this Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Builder Posted November 18, 2022 Really nice in that configuration! I'm really liking running boards now! I hadn't thought about the before. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pgdsailor@aol.com Posted November 19, 2022 On 11/15/2022 at 5:57 PM, Zachary said: Just got the van back from Pickup Outfitters, running boards and BFGoodrich K02s installed. Still need to get some proper pictures, but we're pretty happy with the result so far. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pgdsailor@aol.com Posted November 27, 2022 Turned out very Nice. Where is Pickup outfitters located..wanted to get running boards on my NV3500 Passenger van.. How about wheel and tire size....Thinking about going 18" on the wheels..but like your idea. Thanks, Paul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
