Fate brought me a Dodge recently...

The wife wanted to head back to work and took a part time gig at the local gym but the ‘pay’ barely covered her gas and contributed nothing to the household. I hatched a plan to buy her a business that she would love to run and which would earn more than minimum wage .We weeded through quite a few liquor stores, card stores, Carvels, a sandwich shop and several dry cleaners before we found ‘the one’ The one turned out to be a Florist Shop – two actually. So with the plan in place to purchase this ‘chain’ of florist shops, I went into high gear on the negotiations. The seller enjoyed the haggling game too. We had some fun and both walked away satisfied that the deal was fair. And then he suggested we negotiate separately for the delivery vehicle currently being used by the business. It was a ten year old pile of crap minivan with millions of miles on it. Well, maybe not millions of miles but something over two hundred thousand. I started the hunt for a used cargo van.

The van I came up with is a 2000 Dodge Ram Van 1500 with 51K miles on it. This half ton van has the shorter of the two available wheelbases measuring in at 109.6 inches (compared to 127.6 inches) and has the V6 engine. This is a stripped down cargo van with limited use outside the realm of Floral Delivery. The only options on this unit are barn doors with windows on the side (instead of a sliding door), an air conditioner and a console with four cup holders and a deep map pocket attached to the engine cover which is inside the van between the two seats. This is a bare metal shell.


Performance

The V6 under the hood is Mopar’s tried and true 3.9 liter (239 cubes) that puts out 175 horsepower and 225 foot pounds of torque. The optional engine would be Chryslers classic 318 which shares the same bore and stroke with the 3.9. They literally just took the 318 and chopped off the last two cylinders to create this motor. Power reaches the rear wheels through a three speed automatic transmission. Overdrive was an option the original owner didn’t see fit to waste a couple hundred bucks on. Boy, I wish he had. The engine is noisy and oh so slow – which is just fine with me. I have a driver hauling around arrangements in there all day – it’s settling to know he doesn’t have a lot of oomph in that gas pedal. The trans seems to always shift late. Stopping this slow bread-box-on-wheels is easily accomplished via four wheel discs employing ABS technology on the rear wheels only. Handling is less than crisp. She dips into turns and nose dives if you slam on the brakes. Handling in the rain is terrifying. Rolling stock are 235/75 R15s (mounted on painted steel wheels) which are more concerned with hauling over handling or comfort. For the hauling duties it was created for it performs eloquently. She’s happier on side streets than she is on the highway.


Interior

Two seats are all you get with this one. Further more they only adjust forward and back. They do not recline, the headrest is incorporated and they’re an unpleasant gray vinyl. Oh, and they don’t have armrests either! The ‘cab’ portion has a rubber mat sitting on some insulation and a bit of a headliner completes the ‘comfort zone’. The dash is surprisingly more car-like than most vans. Behind the tilt steering wheel a balanced analog dashboard keeps you informed of your speed, oil pressure, fuel, water temp and charging system. The standard idiot lights will alert you to any unusual problems. The odometer / trip-meter is digital. Next to that is a somewhat decent stereo with tape deck and four speakers that sounds okay considering it’s a work truck. The HVAC controls are simple, logically placed and operate a system that works great so far, although I’m going to have to keep tabs on it in the summer. I may just have to install a secondary, roof mounted air conditioning system to keep the merchandise cool during those brutal months. South of the stereo and HVAC controls a mound pushes out from the floor between the front two seats. It’s actually a removable cover granting access to the engine compartment. The tiny hood up front allows access for little more than checking your oil. Attached to this mound are the four cup holders. A surprisingly small glove box rounds out the dash.

The cargo area is what really counts. Both sets of barn doors (rear and side) open 180 degrees to allow the maximum access possible. The cargo area is bare metal and comes with no build out from the factory. Between the wheel wells and from the back doors to the ‘cab’ section is a perfect 4’ X 8’ rectangle. Overall interior cargo dimensions are 76” wide by 92” long by 52” high giving you an impressive 220 cubic feet of cargo room.


Random thoughts

One thing that takes time getting used to is the lack of leg room for the driver. Since the front left wheel well exists where you instinctively want to put your left foot a compromise must be managed. Atop the wheel well is a rubber strip letting you know that this is where you keep you left foot. It makes getting in and out something you must practice in order to accomplish it with any grace.

Access to the motor from the inside makes for a convenient way to work on your van. Upon getting the vehicle, I gave it a complete tune up. Two latches and four screws and the whole engine cover pulled away and everything I needed to get to was within easy reach. Air filter, PCV, plugs, wires, cap & rotor were all changed within fifteen minutes. The front two cylinders were a little tricky and I actually had to use a half inch drive breaker bar (NOT RECOMMENDED NORMALLY) to get those plugs out. The serpentine is in a spot which requires access from the top and bottom simultaneously to change it. While having the oil changed (Mobil 1) I had them change the belt too. Being a Dodge, there is no fuel filter to replace. It employs one of those sock filter thingies on the pickup inside the tank. Timing, idle and air / fuel mixture (injected) are computer operated functions and require no fiddling.

This is a work truck. Don’t buy one of these unless your okay with rain sounding like Niagara Falls and you can put up with a ride that is utilitarian. The driver’s vantage is horribly limited with lane changes executed at your peril. It’s loud, tiring to drive and gets 15 MPG on 87 octane (32 gallon tank). If you need a work truck though, this is about the best MPG you could hope for, insurance on these isn’t too bad and with a little TLC I expect more than 200K out of this truck. Add to that a lower resale value (at least in my market) and you have one heck of a smart buy. This is absolutely the most bang for the buck I’ve found in a used cargo van. A definite keeper.



Amount Paid (US$): 8900
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 2000 Dodge Ram Van 1500 V6