I am looking to buy a mid size all wheel drive van. Cheve, Ford, GMC all make one. There is a couple of Japanese makers but I want the taller van for converting into a stealth camper. My problem is I know nothing about the American makes. I will be looking for an early 2000s model and will spend $3000 to $5000. Can anyone give some input on most durable, reliable, gas economy and / or off road capability? Or maybe just a website that has this info so I can research this myself. I am trying to find out for myself but I can only find sites that only want to sell cars.
At that price you can throw durable, reliable out the window. Four wheel vans are not normally used for off roading.
I agree with @VOLVO_V70, reliability is a relative thing in an 18 year old car…I wonder if you’d be better off looking towards 2010 and newer work vans, although I’m not sure if many/any of them are AWD. Gas economy won’t be good regardless since you’re looking at vans and AWD on top of it. Unless you can find one that has been raised, I think you’re going to find off road capability limited as they don’t tend to have a large amount of ground clearance. I also think you should avoid looking at vehicles who have spent more than a small amount of time in the salt encrusted rust belt. Remember if you see visible rusting, there is a lot more underneath that you can’t see.
Chevrolet Astro vans had a reputation for durability and in 2 wheel drive they are sold for under $1000. I would guess the 4 wheel drive model would be cheaper than the base model. The engine is difficult to access for most basic maintenance and repairs though.
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I agree with @Rod_Knox.
The AWD Astro van is the cockroach of the small van world. They are darn-near un-killable. I still see them on the road with nearly non-existent paint, rusty bits and mileage in the 300,000 range. IF you can find one, IF you can convince the owner to part with it, it may fit your needs.
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Cars.com has 25 AWD Astros listed in the US, with 5 over $5,000, 15 between $2,500 and $5,000, the rest under $2,500.
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Why would you need AWD for stealth camping?
This isn’t the lifestyle for me, but if I were stealth camping I’d get a raised roof cargo van painted white. Looks like a construction worker’s vehicle, so people won’t give it a second look when passing by which means they won’t be calling the cops on you.
Others have had good luck with used van-based box trucks from places like Penske. No one pays attention to rental trucks.
If it has windows you have to block light carefully and not use much light or someone will notice. Lack of windows = more utility.
I agree, my old Chevy Astro was the best van I owned. I only changed the fuel pump by cutting an access hole in the floor pan…I didn’t have to drop the pan that way. My Chevy Express was converted into a camper by this company. www.new-west.com
For a box truck, you could put the windows in the roof. Skylights would be a nice touch. Just make sure you’re wide awake before venturing outside. That first step is a lulu.
WithOUT a couple of empty rolls of duct tape and the tear stained mattress in the back, right? 
Agree, white service vans are pretty darn anonymous. But the police might not think so… The box-truck seems like a good alternative!
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Is that what you drive? MAN you’re livin’ the high life! 
Apparently this guy’s friends did that to his van as a practical joke.
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Thankx everyone. I want an all wheel drive because I camp in spring, winter and fall.As far as stealth goes that would be rare but I do get stuck in cities from time to time or just off the road when I go cross country. I am a seasonal worker and there are many times I could live in a vehicle if I had one.
GMC Sienna vans came with all wheel drive as an option up until 2014 I think, we bought many of them as that was the last year they were going to offer them, the 2wd same van 1 inch of snow and you needed help getting out of the parking spot. No problems with the awd vans yet.
What pan . . . ?!
We have lots of Astros in our fleet . . . and I’ve replaced lots of fuel pumps . . . and I don’t know what pan you’re talking about
Oops! dropping the gas tank
I thought that’s what you might have meant . . .
But I wasn’t sure, because I’ve never worked on an awd astro, only the rwd astros, and for all I knew, they had some kind of protective pan or something under the tank
I used a VW Jetta on dirt roads for years. It is how you drive the roads. I just want to get out of the snow and mud when it happens. Unless you are an idiot you really don’t need much. AWD or 4WD will due fine. Even just FWD. I want the space for camping. I live in the West where you can buy good cars for this price. I’m just concerned that anything American made is not reliable or durable. I guess you answer my question. Thanks.
You do realize that some foreign labels are made in the US and some US labels are made in other countries so that statement is meaningless.
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