With its diesel engine and tidy, spacious interior, today's Nice Price or No Dice Chevy Van isn't just a cool bit of kit; it's the perfect getaway vehicle should things in life, or in general, go south. Let's see what such a safe space might reasonably cost.
Some folks like to live by the mantra of "live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse." Achieving such heady—and so briefly realized—goals means driving a cool car. Or at least a cool-looking car. At first glance, the 1987 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary Edition replica we encountered last Friday seemed to be a very cool car. Of course, the devil is in the details, and upon closer inspection, and reading the description of the car's foibles in the ad, much of our interest in that coolness had... well, cooled. That meant that the Faux-borghini's $45,000 asking price, while a far cry from a real Countach's half-million going rate, was not doing the faker any favors. The result? A massive 94% 'No Dice' loss.
There's a funny connection between the real Lamborghini Countach and the 1983 Chevy G20 Van Conversion we're looking at today. What ties them together is that, at one time, both models celebrated a 25th anniversary. In the Countach's case, that was of Lamborghini itself. For the Chevy, the honor was for its long, 25-year run as the Bow Tie Brigade's van of choice.
Introduced for the 1971 model year, the G20 vans were Chevrolet's first to move the driver and front passenger seats behind the front axle line and to relocate the engine forward under a small hood. Most engine access is still via a removable in-cabin cover, but unlike the earlier cab-over G10s, some ancillaries, including the cooling system and brake reservoir, can be accessed more traditionally from under the exterior hood.
Remarkably, production of this generation of Chevy Van lasted a full quarter century, until it was replaced in 1996 by the redesigned Express. That generation of Van remains in production to this day, making it even more long-lived than this generation.
One of the reasons vans like this Chevy have proven so popular is because of their flexibility and versatility. These can range from a lockable storage work truck to a spacious commuter van.
This one has been set up as a light weekender in the style popularized by the Volkswagen Bus. Seating is limited to two Flexsteel captain's chairs in the front and a single bench in the back, so this likely wouldn't be the soccer mom's or fruitful dad's van of choice. That back bench can be folded out into a bed big enough for two close friends and is bracketed between a pair of big windows above the wheel arches. Its position, directly above the rear axle, must make for a brutal ride, so the puffiness of the upholstery will likely be appreciated.
Other aspects of the conversion include full carpeting, wood panelling on the walls, and a cabinet opposite the sliding side door that offers some storage. That also features what appears to be a bowl set into the countertop, although there doesn't seem to be any faucet or drain, so its function is unclear.
Aside from some failing elastic on the door pockets and seatbacks, everything looks to be in very nice condition inside.
The exterior appears to be just as tidy, with only some minor issues with the clear coat on the hood that we can complain about. Under that hood lies one of this van's perks, which is a 6.2-liter Detroit Diesel V8. In this model year, the oil burner claimed 130 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, all with a laughably low 3,600 rpm redline. Mated to that is a four-speed automatic driving the rear wheels.
According to the ad, this 3/4-ton Van "Runs and drives FANTASTIC!" The same can't be said for the A/C, however, as that needs a new evaporator (and likely an update to R134) to function. Everything else appears to be in working order, and the Van rides on brand-new Hankook rubber, with the spare hanging out on one of the swinging rear doors.. There are a modest 91,620 miles on the clock, and the Van comes with a clean title.
The seller is making this Van sing for its supper, with "Scan Me" For Sale signs in two of its windows. Do the QR codes on those signs lead to the Craigslist ad? That's a good question, but it's a good rule of thumb not to scan random QR codes lest you get some sort of electronic STD on your phone.
We'll just stick with the ad we have and the Van's $5,983 asking price. According to that ad, the asking price has been reduced for a quick sale. What's your opinion of that price and the seller's prospects? Does this diesel conversion van seem worth that $5,983 asking as it sits? Or is that price simply too high to convert a prospect into an owner?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Los Angeles, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Glemon for the hookup!
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