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Old 07-30-2015, 04:05 PM   #1
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Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

I've noticed several people on the forum looking for a Chevy Express AWD van. I just noticed several on the Boise, Idaho Craigslist. I've had our AWD Express for over a year now ( took me 6 months to find a good one) and have done a 7k & 4k road trips via back roads and forestry roads and have really been happy with it. Good luck and I hope this helps to get more ground up builds going.

Jim

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Old 07-30-2015, 05:07 PM   #2
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

Quote:
Originally Posted by azjim
I've noticed several people on the forum looking for a Chevy Express AWD van. I just noticed several on the Boise, Idaho Craigslist. I've had our AWD Express for over a year now ( took me 6 months to find a good one) and have done a 7k & 4k road trips via back roads and forestry roads and have really been happy with it. Good luck and I hope this helps to get more ground up builds going.

Jim
Wow, you aren't kidding!

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Old 07-31-2015, 06:04 AM   #3
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

not a fan of the owner of vanland. not quite sure how id describe his attitude, but there was enough of it that i decided i wasnt willing to deal with him. he does have a huge inventory though.

no experience with champion motors, but if anyone is after any of those vans at either lot, id be happy to help if you needed local eyes or specific pix from any of them.
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Old 07-31-2015, 07:15 AM   #4
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

The general consensus here is that champion motors is a prime example of a stereotypical used car dealership.
The vehicles there tend to be a little rough (beat) and many have sat for a long time. If they have something you like take Sherrie up on a pre inspection before you make the trip.
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Old 08-01-2015, 12:36 AM   #5
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

Vanland/Champion motors is one in the same as far as I know. We got our van there - I nearly walked away, but after looking for months for the 'closest to right' configuration we bit the bullet and decided that we'd take the risk of having to do a little extra mechanical work down the road.

The whole deal is a bit surreal - very much a used car lot and a one man show. His office looked like a snapshot out of hoarders. Nevertheless, per his ad we furnished a pile of cash and he produced a title and all the required paperwork. The actual transaction was no problem.

I'd guess the guy gets lots of callers / tire kickers. He was pretty short with me on the phone when I was inquiring about a van about a month prior to actually getting the one we did. At the time it took a lot of effort to get him to check RPO codes and such for me. I had 99% swore that I would never do business with that guy, but in the end look what happened... supply and demand at its finest.

If you are interested in an AWD Express, this place has more in one lot than any other I've seen. I would say prices are roughly market value or a little over, but you really need to have a little knowledge going in or bring someone with mechanical knowledge. Most of these are fleet vehicles obviously bought at auction, so check the hour meter and do an average speed calculation to get an idea if it has mostly highway or city miles (hard to tell if it sat and idled a lot though). Some had more rust than others, some had weeping drivetrain seals. Several had enough oil seepage from the oilpan gasket that a dirt film developed on the oilpan. Ours was one of these and was nearly a deal breaker. Ours also had tranny fluid that was not nice and cherry red (also a near deal breaker), but I took the gamble knowing I was going to do a full service once it was in my possession.

His newest vans are typically in the 2011 range indicating that most of his auction rigs are being bought roughly 4-5 years in or when the warranty is expiring. From my observation there seems to be a bit of a turnover so keep an eye on his CL ads if there is something in particular you are looking for.

Shenrie - nice of you to offer to check these rigs out!
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Old 08-03-2015, 05:23 PM   #6
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

I've been shopping for the AWD Express for a about a month now...they're definitely a bit elusive and tend to go fast in my area (just missed out on a great one by 2 days). I haven't resorted to Vanland yet, but judging by my success rate thus far, I may cave eventually.

I've never purchased a used vehicle like this that sees heavy use in fleets, contract work, and whatnot. Are there any specific known problem areas on these vans (i.e. on my '99 4runner rear axle seals commonly fail round 150K). Any tips would be appreciated.

Lastly, if any good candidates w/barn doors are spotted let me know! I'm based in Front Range, CO, but travel to the midwest (MN) fairly often, and am willing to travel a bit to get a good conversion platform. Build thread to follow...
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Old 08-04-2015, 06:12 AM   #7
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian94ht
The general consensus here is that champion motors is a prime example of a stereotypical used car dealership.
The vehicles there tend to be a little rough (beat) and many have sat for a long time. If they have something you like take Sherrie up on a pre inspection before you make the trip.
had no idea you even had an account here...LURKER!

Quote:
Originally Posted by rockbender
Shenrie - nice of you to offer to check these rigs out!
its in my backyard. if the timing permits, im happy to help. bought my van 2400 miles away and would have loved the option of someone telling me if its worth a plane ride or not.

also, glad to see im not alone on my opinions of mr vanland. being short is a perfect description rockbender. i guess i can see how he gets like that with endless tire kickers, but still. cant assume were all just gonna kick tires...
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Old 08-06-2015, 07:35 PM   #8
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Re: Chevy Express AWD Vans for sale

I forgot to mention another possible source for a Express AWD van. I purchased my 2010 Express AWD cargo van two years ago from Key Fleet Resale in Bloomfield, CO. They had 3 AWD vans on their lot at the time.
The van I purchased had been leased since new by Xerox Corp and had excellent service records and had been used lightly ( no dents few scratches new Michelin tires ) although it had 88K miles at the time. The folks there were very good to deal with. The only surprise was when I went to register it in AZ I had to pay $ 790.00 because I had purchased the van from a dealer so had to pay sales tax even though it was a used vehicle. So my advise is to figure this into your negotiations. If you purchase from a individual there won't be sales tax due.
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