There was a time in our culture when bigger wasn’t always better. These days, your average parking lot has row upon row of extended wheelbase Lincoln Navigators and GMC Suburbans, with their rear ends dangling out of parking spaces that can barely contain them. There’s no sense of how unappealing they look compared to more “typical” vehicles, and owners justify them because of the occasional need for limo-like space. The 1975 Chevrolet G10 van shown here on eBay reminds us that shorter wheelbases were once all the rage, and based on how good this van still looks, it’s easy to see why.
There’s a balance to everything in our environment. When you drive into a residential neighborhood, you expect to see homes of generally the same size and style. But when someone knocks down an older home and builds a brand new one, it’s immediately obvious, and not in a good way. When this G10 was new, there were larger vans, sure – but more or less, the shorter wheelbase models and the longer G20 still looked like they belonged to the same family tree. While I wasn’t a car shoppers when these were new, I could see the G10 being marketed to someone with a more carefree lifestyle who saw more value in a sofa bed and a fridge than having three rows of seating. This Chevy is noted as being a California truck since new, and still wears its vintage blue license plates – and the paint is claimed to be original as well.
Ah, there it is: the perfect van for someone who only needed a surfboard and some waves to have weekend plans. The whole “boogie van” culture was indicative of a time when the automobile was seen as an essential lifestyle accessory no matter what stage of life you were at. Young people still needed a car to complete whatever image they were going for, just as a station wagon was the peak choice for a growing suburban family. These days, it seems a phone is a more significant lifestyle decision for a teenager than what car they’ll drive. The seller’s van is set up perfectly for weekends on the road, although he does note you’ll want to make some additional tweaks before long-distance cruising is attempted.
The seller is letting this sweet shorty van go due to new projects on the horizon. He has some some light maintenance, including replacing the heater core, flushing the transmission fluid, and changing the oil. The driver’s compartment looks decent, but I’m sure you could make some improvements to the interior cosmetics pretty much anywhere to remove any negative traces/smells of the previous occupants. The G10 is equipped with the 350 V8, which makes this an even more compelling van project, as it should be good for around 160 horsepower – but remember, there’s always ways to bump that number slightly. Bidding sits at $7,100 with the reserve unmet.
I wish I had a nickel for every “In my” that was written above the “Chevy Van” script, a stupid song about promiscuity and debauchery, wait, maybe I do. I’m surprised Sammy Johns never got throttled because of it by irate fathers. Eyebrows were certainly raised if some guy picked up YOUR daughter in one of these. Generally, I don’t care for van vans, some nice ones, but for the most part, very poor vehicles. Hard to work on, poor mileage, terrible seating position, windy days a pain, one could say I hate vans. Right after my divorce, ( 1999) I met a gal with a van just like this, was a POS gotten from HER ex, and no, nothing happened,,,in the van, anyway, :0
I was a wanna be van owner since a teenager for what they could do compared to my 71 Datsun pickup with a camper shell. I like the style of these better than my 2018 2500 express van. But aside from the horrific gas mileage and creepy looks, nothing can touch a van for hauling, towing, or security. This is a great find!
Sin Bin.
Every time I see a van of this vintage I think of losers who couldn’t get a date with a blowup doll. Like, “Where’s Enoch?” (From Drive-In). The purpose is one thing. A vehicle with a place to sleep when you’re out on a road trip. But too many people with the wrong idea got involved with these and it was detrimental to the general public’s reception. I might add: What would you think if your daughter’s date showed up in a custom van?
And yet, I remember the Coke “Denim Machine,” a truly iconic van in the later 70s. I only saw one up close and personal and I wouldn’t kick one off my driveway today, although my wife might frown a bit.
This truck? I worked for GM and there were lots of these around back in the day (probably a high time for blowup doll sales too). Not the nicest engine bays to navigate but they weren’t impossible. Nothing different in there compared to a conventional truck. Easier to work on than a Ford, but maybe I’m a little bit bias…
In late 1979 I bought a new Dodge B200 short wheel base van. I needed a tow vehicle for my rally car, a place to carry tools and spare tires to support the red rally car and also have a place for at least one of the crew to sleep. (You leave Friday morning to drive 8 hours to the starting point of of the rally. You are up early to eat, run the odo check, go through tech inspection, and start completing at noon, all through the night with “A” stop for a meal at midnight, and run the rest of the night to the breakfast/awards dinner, then head for home. During that time “someone ” HAS to sleep!) The wife fought me about the purchase, and it wasn’t a week, before she asked to borrow it for hauling purposes. And the Dodge actually got decent mileage. 318 with the 4speed overdrive returned 17 to 21 mpg even when pulling the trailer. So, not ALL vans were sin bins! Although the first weekend we owned it. We went up to Road America for I think a vintage event. A friend went walking by while we were sitting in it. We said hi as she was walking by and she turned all surprised to us in (as she put it) a F##k Truck!
I had a ’77 VanDura 25 with a 350 and full-float rear geared 373, 13mpg. Better mpgs than the Suburban that replaced it. I have an ’05 E250 with the 5.4 and 373’s, 15mpg. Vans have their place, pros and cons over a pickup. I appreciate my cargo being out of the weather and more secure from theft.
SOLD for 10K.
51 bids.