# Which vehicle to get...



## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

IMO.. get a E250 Ford van with sliding cargo door.. great truck to work out of and even better for an eye catching lettering job..

Good luck.. :thumbsup:


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## 347sparky (May 14, 2012)

Ditto on the van, maybe an E350 if you are going to have a lot of material. I had one of the sliding doors, worked ok but crap would occasionally get caught in the door track. Get a ladder rack and conduit box and you are ready to go. Working out of a pickup sucks, been there, done that.


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## dowmace (Jan 16, 2008)

The duramax is a work horse, just like any diesel. If the injectors on it are in good condition it'll give you 500k miles of faithful service.


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

Cant go wrong with a van, might be better options (depending on your exact operation), but you can always adjust as you go along. I would invest in a mid to late 2000's ford van E250-E350 personally. Make sure to budget for shelves and a rack if the one you buy doesnt come with it. 

Congratz on the new company and good luck.


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## Mike_Dave (Jun 17, 2012)

Are you looking for an apprentice yet?:thumbsup:


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

B4T said:


> IMO.. get a E250 Ford van with sliding cargo door.. great truck to work out of and even better for an eye catching lettering job..
> 
> Good luck.. :thumbsup:


*
$19.95* is an 'eye catching lettering job'? :001_huh::001_huh::laughing:


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Congatulations on your new business, and best of luck to you.

My 2 cents is this: Very quickly you start accumulating more tools, ladders and* A TON* of materials. Personally (and many guys will argue this) I think the more material you have on hand, and the less time you spend making trips to the supply house or Lowes, the more money you can make and the less you spend on gas. If you have all the parts on hand to make 90% of repairs in your type of work, it will pay off in spades.

That said, I started my busines in an astro van. Quickly, very quickly, it became completely trashed with parts, material, and tools. After lots of organizing and re-organizing, I finally went and got a 6 x 12 trailer to tow around that would hold everything. This works great!!...except for the fact that my van wasnt built to tow this trailer around everywhere and its taking a toll on my vehicle...so now Im looking for a truck to buy. 

I would say either a box truck, or a trailer will serve you better than anything else, especially since you say you could be doing all different types of work. A box truck would have been really nice to have had, but I didnt (and still dont!) have that kind of money, so this trailer has been a real blessing instead. Its also nice cause I can leave it on a job site and let my guys work out of it while I run around town. Just my thoughts, good luck.

Just dont use anything with a V6 in it like I did.


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## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

Canada??? 4 wheel drive?


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

This would be cool


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## jablonski (May 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies,

I think I'm going to sell my truck and buy a van. With the snow we get, I'd hate to be digging out tool boxes and having frozen cap doors all winter :no:. As many have mentioned, there seems to be a lot of E250's on the market, and they're priced pretty cheap. Lots also come with shelves and a ladder rack too.

I'm thinking the transit may be a little on the small side, with only the 4cyl engine and a payload of 1600lbs.


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

Now I have a chevy version of the E250 but even though I'm a Chevy guy I think I prefer my old E250 and I am thinking of buying a new one some time in the near future.


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## Podagrower (Mar 16, 2008)

The best vehicle to buy to start a business with is the one you can afford. It's very important to keep the math of running a business in mind. You've got customers lined up, but remember 30% of them will evaporate, 30% will want the job done cheaper than you can do it for, and 50% won't pay for the work when it's finished.


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

Podagrower said:


> The best vehicle to buy to start a business with is the one you can afford. It's very important to keep the math of running a business in mind. You've got customers lined up, but remember 30% of them will evaporate, 30% will want the job done cheaper than you can do it for, and 50% won't pay for the work when it's finished.


50%? Don't you think that is a little extreme? :blink: If more than 5% of your customers don't pay you when you finish the job, it is time to pause and reflect.


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## bubb_tubbs (Apr 15, 2012)

electrictim510 said:


> 50%? Don't you think that is a little extreme? :blink: If more than 5% of your customers don't pay you when you finish the job, it is time to pause and reflect.


Also his numbers add up to 110%.


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## jw0445 (Oct 9, 2009)

bubb_tubbs said:


> Also his numbers add up to 110%.


Well doesn't everybody give 110%?:whistling2::blink::001_huh:


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## Dawizman (Mar 10, 2012)

jablonski said:


> Thanks for all the replies,
> 
> I think I'm going to sell my truck and buy a van. With the snow we get, I'd hate to be digging out tool boxes and having frozen cap doors all winter :no:. As many have mentioned, there seems to be a lot of E250's on the market, and they're priced pretty cheap. Lots also come with shelves and a ladder rack too.
> 
> I'm thinking the transit may be a little on the small side, with only the 4cyl engine and a payload of 1600lbs.


I run a Dodge Ram 2500 and a SpaceKap, and wouldn't have it any other way (Okay, maybe a 3500 to handle trailers a bit better). I never have an issue with my cap doors freezing up, and the side access doors are awesome to access the shelfs without hopping inside.


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## jablonski (May 29, 2010)

http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2006-Ford-E-250-Cargo-Van-W0QQAdIdZ387166760

I'm going to take a look at this on Saturday. The mileage is a little high, but it's all setup, the price is right, and it would definitely last me a few years!


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## bubb_tubbs (Apr 15, 2012)

jw0445 said:


> Well doesn't everybody give 110%?:whistling2::blink::001_huh:


Just saying there's something scary about having 110% negative customer relations. :laughing:


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## hardworkingstiff (Jan 22, 2007)

That van looked OK. You can always haggle a bit (better get used to it, :laughing

Me, I am sold on the 1-ton van, period. It's built to handle the loads. You most likely will be loaded.


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## jablonski (May 29, 2010)

Trailer and truck, that's what I'm going with. All my work is in rural/towns, so space is not an issue. A 6x12 enclosed trailer is 2700$, plus it will clear up some space in my already limited garage. And I can still use it for hunting, firewood etc. 

Anyone else run a trailer?


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## bubb_tubbs (Apr 15, 2012)

A company I worked for that did grain heaters used cube vans.


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## SparkYZ (Jan 20, 2010)

I'd say keep the truck until you can outright buy a new one, or you vastly outgrow the Ranger. My dad ran his business out of his ranger for years.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

you might as well get a herse, because self-employment is going to put you in the grave.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Shockdoc said:


> This would be cool Attached Images


Nice ride...:thumbup:


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## wendon (Sep 27, 2010)

jablonski said:


> Trailer and truck, that's what I'm going with. All my work is in rural/towns, so space is not an issue. A 6x12 enclosed trailer is 2700$, plus it will clear up some space in my already limited garage. And I can still use it for hunting, firewood etc.
> 
> Anyone else run a trailer?


I have for years. My latest is a 6x14x6.5'. My third one will be the same size but with a heavier frame, LED lighting etc. I used pickups, vans, and cube vans where I used to work and all of them have advantages. With a trailer I can use the same truck to pull a number of different trailers.


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