Here’s one you don’t see every day: a red Chevrolet Express van, the spiritual successor to the classic G-Series and the last of its kind as it pertained to a cavernous cargo conveyance that could haul plumbing supplies on Monday and the kids to practice on Sunday. This is a former government fleet vehicle, and is strong evidence that we should all check out an occasional government surplus auction on occasion. Featuring two rows of bench seats and clean condition throughout, it looks like an absolute home run. Find it here on eBay for $24,850 or best offer.
This is not a model you would have previously associated with anything resembling desirability, but when GM stopped making vans like this and the Big 3 gradually transitioned over to things like Ford Transit Connects and Dodge Promasters, the world realized quickly that the days of a rugged, V8-equipped van with rear-wheel drive were effectively done. This is happening across the automotive landscape as manufacturers abandon V8s for annoying turbocharged 4- and 6-cylinder engines that get marginally better fuel economy but introduce all sorts of additional upkeep requirements. This Chevy Express looks great in red, and the upgraded all-terrain tires fill out the fender wells nicely – and let’s not gloss over the fact that it’s equipped with a terrific combo of a 6.0L V8 and 6-speed automatic transmission.
Government vehicles usually end up one of two ways: they either see limited use and are in mint condition, or they’re abused every day of their miserable lives and the cosmetics usually reflect this. In the case of this Express – which is also known as the GMC Savana – it seems it belonged to a government agency that either didn’t use it very much or was extremely grateful to have it, because the interior and exterior are both in fantastic condition. The mileage is just shy of 70,500, so it’s not exactly young, but it hasn’t been over-worked, either. Unlike the G-series van, the Express and Savana benefit from a modern-looking interior.
A guy at my church uses a Nissan NV cargo van as his family’s daily transportation; with a ton of room for kiddos and storage, it makes way more sense than an SUV that loses all storage capacity when the third row seat is erected. The interior of this Express shows you it has both tons of room for passengers and plenty of spaces to stash their luggage. The rear benches appears to have never been sat in, and with 329 horsepower and 373 lb.-ft. of torque from that beefy 6.0L V8, your passengers will be impressed with just how quickly they can get to the airport. I think these are hugely underappreciated rigs; what are your thoughts?
Be cautious ⚠️ in slippery conditions with these full size vans. That’s alot of power out back under that go pedal.
Fortunately this van has electronic stability program and traction control as standard. I rebuilt a front differential on a 2012 4×4 Savanna it’s a smaller unit than the regular 1500 truck chassis and all but unobtainable now if you need to rebuild one. Best to stick with RWD on these.
Chevrolet still makes red Express Vans. In fact the 2025 looks no different than this 2016.
Thanks for saying this, I thought I was losing my mind. I probably am but at least not for this reason.
The only difference is that they finally dropped the sealed beam headlights sometime in the late 2010s.
And they ain’t cheap. I’d still rather have one than of these than anF-150 that costs 20k more and is half as useful.
There is a massive used vehicle dealership in Hooksett, NH that will get a huge delivery of these full sized vans from time to time. Strange in that they are all brand new, white, and identically configured, and as I mentioned, it is a used car dealership.
When they get a delivery, you will see them stashed in parking lots all over the local area. SO, yes, they still make these and mostly sell them as fleet vehicles.
A 2016 van? This isn’t a barn find. This ia a find on any old used car lot find.
The Canadian government sells off these GMC vans that were bought as military standby vans. They were all all wheel drive and have about 30k -40k kilometres on them (about 20k miles). They go for a lot, around $20k-$25k in Canadian dollars so I guess they are pretty sought after. I bought a 10 year old Econoline off the same website with 30k kilometres on it a few years ago. Vans are so much fun. I love mine.
I wouldn’t call this the last of them my company just took delivery of 3 new ones in white look the same as the 3 taken out of service with 100k +/- miles on them those will be posted on public surplus in a few days/ weeks
A few observations from someone who is always in the market for cargo vans and has owned several. Passenger vans usually sell for less money than cargo vans. This price would be crazy for either. 2ndly, that 6.0 tows great but its definitely not a LOT of power due to having a heavy duty torque converter and tranny They sap a lot of that power before it gets to the rear wheels. 3rd, you wont believe how crappy that 6.0 does on gas. Ive had 3. It doesnt matter if you drive like an 88 yr old lady going to church. She will get approximately 10mpg around town. Load it up and expect 8.Expect maybe12- 14 highway. Even with all of this i’d still prefer it over the new 4.3 with the in block oil pressure sensors that are now known to fail. I hear the new 6.6 is stout as heck. Ive seen newer vans than this w.the 6.6 and similar miles for $22k. Last of the breed? Well the breed is still being built. But new or used, prices are sky high
I had a Silverado with the 6.0 and it did indeed drink gas. I think precovid you couldn’t give these things away but they are pricey now.
I have had 3qty of the express cargo vans, one a diesel but the current one is a 2018 2500 express ex U-Haul rental. Got it with 2,700 miles on it. Like this one, it is a 6.0 liter V8 with a 6 speed. Maybe the mileage has improved from earlier versions since mine will pull down 18 to 20 on the highway depending on the wind direction and I have averaged 16.7mpg towing a Pontiac Vibe from Southern Ill to St Pete FL granted, that is somewhat down hill. lol
Still, the towing, hauling, reliability, security and overall versatility of these things is underrated. I know, it looks similar to the first year back in 1997. But to me, that is part of the beauty of these things as they just don’t change anything unless its needed. Mine has 79,000 miles and has had no issues to date. It rides nicely and hauls the mail. These should be good to well over 300K with proper maintenance. The only issue with my white vans is that the paint flakes off even with regular waxing. Red does not seem to have that issue.
They must be hard up for interesting vehicles to feature. Let’s get those reader submissions in their inbox, folks! I’ll get things started with my red 2016 BMW X4 xDrive35 MSport. Not a barn find, but more interesting than this box by most standards.
I went from pickup trucks to vans about 30 years ago and haven’t looked back — nothing gets wet or stolen in a van. I lived in Europe for 20 of those 30 years. In the US I have had a couple of chevies and a ford. In Europe I had an LDV, a citroen and a Sprinter.
My current van is a Chevy express Extended with a 4.8 that is a combination tool shed for my construction business and tow rig for my 38ft RV.
These American vans have three big problems — the first is their unquenchable thirst. My Sprinter was getting over 30mpg, and my Chevy gets 10 when it isn’t towing anything.
Their second downfall is their automatic transmissions that overheat when towing hard. I am in the procrastination and contemplation phase of a swap to an NV4500 and will be making the costly and untrodden journey when the rains stop.
Their third letdown is roof height. If you can’t stand up in the back of a work van it ends up getting pretty cluttered and dirty.
If I had to do it again I would definitely go back to Sprinters.
Having said that, if someone else were paying for the gas, and I wasn’t towing anything, then these American vans are pretty nice too.
$26,000 for a 9 year old window van with 70,000+ miles on it? Sure…nope.
Me thinks the author forgot to do his homework with a lot of astute readers calling him out on his mistakes. Better stick to your day job, kiddo.
alphasudMember, The 1500s with all wheel drive are very reliable. I used to sell a lot of these and several of my old customers are still driving theirs at over 300,000 miles. As far as passenger hauling or hauling in general the 155″ wheel base (extended) van is a lot safer than the old Ford and “Dodge” extended vans as the Ford and Dodge units just “tacked on” some more length, safety be dammed. There is a reason many states require a special license for 15 passenger vans. And the Ford and Dodge vans are the reason. Also because of the Ford and Dodge vans there are additional roll over requirements by the Fed’s. And one last note. Virtually any of the GM full size vans (1500, 2500, and 3500) will out tow a current issue Ford or Stilantis non- body on frame van . If planning on towing anything substantial and looking to tow with a van. Do your diligence and check towing capacity before purchase.
Ok, I will get off my soap box now! ( just gave away my age with that comment!)
Obviousl not a barn find? Brilliant! Obviousky a perfect place for the ad judging by all of the comments!🤗