Conversion Van Pricing
My wife Beth and I are the third owners of a Ford
E-150 Mark III conversion van. We're seriously
considering buying a new Starcaft E-150
conversion.
Does anyone know of any dealer cost references
that would allow us to deal wisely?
Thanks, Frank
E-150 Mark III conversion van. We're seriously
considering buying a new Starcaft E-150
conversion.
Does anyone know of any dealer cost references
that would allow us to deal wisely?
Thanks, Frank
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I've driven the GMC Starcraft GT Classic and GMC Explorer Limited SE. Both impressive vehicles..almost enough to make this Ford man consider a change over for van #5!
as well, but we're in the market for a used one,
around the years 93-95. We want something that'll
be great for camping and long hauls. We're in the
military and love to travel.
Any advise on what to get/stay clear of for those
years, what dealerships/areas to avoid (i.e. avoid
Staten Island--we're in Brooklyn), better deals for
the money, etc. We'd prefer a high top, bed in
back and TV/VCR for sure.
If anyone's in the general area selling his/her
van, we'd love to hear from you too with the details
of what you have for sale.
Thanks for any and all tips!
JMBL
P.S. Sorry if this is a repeat from what others have already asked...
Do you have any other conversion van company URLs? It was very interesting visiting Starcraft. I'm going to attempt to go see something with MarkIII and Mark IV, Gladiator, Boxter--not sure what I'll find or if I'll get anywhere, but that's what I'm looking for.
Thanks for your help.
JMBL
jffiii@worldnet.att.net
van and I'm having a hard time finding information
on conversion prices. All I need is second row
bucket seats, conversion bed and bay windows. Does
anybody know how can I get information on the price of this kind of conversion?
Chrylser dealer in Paramus, NJ, route 4 West,
has several 1997 conv. vans starting at $19,995.
These are brand new vehicles, zero miles.
Is this a great price?
I have noticed a number of requests for pricing info ala Edmund's. I subscribe to the NADA Dealer's yellow book for conversion VAns. It is procey @ $189 per year but, well worth it if you are considering plunking down serious green for a VAn.
Ironically, our latest Van isn't listed since it is a custom job.
It is for sale, by the way, 1996 less than 30,000 miles, Forest Green Metallic with Gold pin striping, Tan LEather interior, Hi Top, all the options and in tip top shape. Listed at $47,000, I'll sell for $25,000
No we do not. We have our hands full just covering cars and trucks.
Ok, who does cover conversion vans? Where are there some guidelines?
Do the dealers work on the old fashion two percent profit rule (what costs one cent to make is sold at two cents per cent of cost)? Or are they in the 10 – 20% margin as the van factory made passenger vans seem to be? With some of the sales I have seen, there appears to be a 50 to 100% markup on the conversion portion of the total cost.
Okay, I've done some more browsing and it sounds like one should never trade-in a conversion van. It should be sold personally.
I pulled out the original sticker to see exactly what optional equipment I purchased from Chevy and priced it here on Edmunds.
I still don't know how to calculate the value of the conversion package. The dealer had it priced at $12,200. Of course he came down from the sticker price, but I have no idea how much was coming off the Chevy portion versus the conversion portion.
Any help will be appreciated.
#21 has been deleted or ?? I may be able to help but need info on what you want to sell and what you propose to buy. I'll watch for your next post.
Jerry
van and the list was about $30000 , ended up payinhg a little over $18000 before trade . this was on a new leftover 97 but obviously there is ahuge markup on these things . You really can't beat the price on these things if yoyu need people haulinbg room and towing capabilty and don't mind dishing out a little extra to feed these things gas .
I had a bit of a problem with your e-mail address.
New MSRP on the Mark III;
LE 4948, LE Sport 7048, SE 4048
Jerry
Thanks
Sally
of which one lady was lamenting the durability on her unit. They were at a very reputable GMC dealer in my area. How do you weigh these two factors? There is the old saying, that you get what you pay for.
Here are some conversion company web sites you might choose to visit. I've personnally owned both Starcraft and Coachmen and would classify them as very good. I would first decide on the conversion company, then on the van manufacturer.
My wife is 5'1" and has no aversion to driving our full size Ford. You might want to test drive a full size unit before ruling it out.
http://www.coavans.com/
http://www.starcraftcorp.com/scdiv.htm
http://www.markiii.com/markiii.htm
http://www.regencyvans.com/
http://www.lawest.com/
http://www.delegant.com/
I would agree that you usually get what you pay for.
Jerry
If you do alot of traveling though these are wonderful . So far only 2 minor problems that i will have fixed soon , the bulb that is on the ignition switch burned out already and I'm getting a slight seepage of tranny fluid around a sensor .
van. I have the 1998 Edmund's book, but
it does not list the prices for the conversion
van. Does anyone know where I can obtain
a price guide for MarkIII Windstar vans?
Thanks...
N.A.D.A. Appraisal guides are a recognized source for estimated market valuations. They publish many different guides, one of which is the "Van/Truck Conversion and Limousine Appraisal
Guide". Edmunds site does not presently offer
market valuations for "conversions". Check your
local library or possibly your credit union to see
and use the publication. Another good source for
market values in your area are papers like "Auto
Swapper" that contain many "For Sale by Owner" ads.
Jerry
You will probably need to put 5,000 or more miles on your van before your mpg levels out. My '97 Ford sticker say 15 and 20. It started at 13 everyday driving and seems to have setteled in at 15 everyday. I too had hoped for better efficiency. I had hoped to achieve 17 in my daily driving.
Jerry
Mine is a 97 Ford with the 4.6L Triton V8 and auto trans. Now has 14K miles on it. I don't expect any further improvement in fuel economy. The 95 Chevy I drove had a 5.7L V8 and managed 14 to 15 mpg.
Jerry
PS E-mail was returned
www.customcraftvehicles.com
www.centurionvehicles.com
www.travelq.com
www.tuscany-vans.com
I am curious as to what conversion companies you
contacted. Was Explorer one of them?
convbyr.
The custom conversion company is a customer of the bank I work for. They were substantially less than Explorer's direct price and probably much better in quality. I took the tour one Saturday afternoon with the owner-- very enlightening. They were very meticolous in every aspect/detail. He sold me on the quality issues. I'm sure Explorer is also very good but they are more like an assembly line. I've been waiting 6 weeks for my van to be completed. Explorer promised delivery in 2 weeks. A lot of this is back log, but some is in the detail.
I still haven't asked my converter how GM and dealers feel about direct through the converter purchases/contacts. The van must be purchased through an authorized dealer-- in my situation the dealer will make a small amount (holdback--maybe part of the dealer cash) because it is essentially found money for them. Still, I believe larger companies like Explorer must have rebates back to the dealer. The price they gave me was $3-4000 over what is should have been but still a great, no haggle, price. By the way, the Explorer rep wouldn't negotiate on price and got miffed when I told him what his competition was.
Explorer advertises in the classifieds of local papers. Good luck, my van should be ready late next week.
The Chevy or GMC web site gives a partial list of authorized converters and I think also links to their web sites.
In my situation the van I've ordered was to take 4-6 weeks. Last word was it would be closer to 9-10 weeks. I'm now hoping it will be ready for pickup in the first week of Dec. Something to keep in mind when going this route.
We've been to a couple of dealerships that carry
the Explorer Conversion. The "limited" and "X"
packages seem to be priced between $11,550 and
$13,500 -- just for the conversion.
You mentioned knowledge of Explorer's direct
prices. Is this truly Explorer's price or
the dealership's mark-up The dealerships won't budge on price.
I am thinking I need to find a different conversion company.
Thanks for any information you can provide.
Add that on to the $22,000 invoice price and your at $34,500. Then subtract whatever you can get of the dealer cash--hopefully all of it (currently $1000 but the dealers likely won't admit to it), then subtract the consumer rebate or take the low cost financing. This is a GM full size quote by the way. GM has a press release on their web site dated in September that gives current financing rates and rebates good through 12/31.
Good luck
As far as I know or can find out, there are no converters in my area (New England-If anyone knows of one please let me know). If your converter wouldn't mind you divulging his identity, I'd like to know it. If there is some problem, perhaps you could send it via my e-mail. Also, I have no problem with a waiting period before delivery as long as I could have the van built to my specs. Thanks.
Any comments?
The NADA book indicates that Imperial Ind. in Elkhart, IN, commencing with the 1995 model year, no longer wants pricing information released.
Jerry
Many of us find the same problem. See my post #58.
Comparison shopping is important, both new and used. The NADA book might be found in your local library or your credit union.
There is a lot of good information here too, by others who have posted.
Jerry