Goodwill, and other thrift stores have them. But take care to get one capable of the newer digital (ATSC) signals.

 

I made the big jump this month to a much newer van. It is a 2018 Chevrolet Express with 15K miles. I have spent the last several weeks transferring everything from the old van (2001) to the newer van. It was fairly easy because Chevrolet has not changed the body style of the Express van in over 20 years. Not much new to add -- just the changeover. I will post some improvements in future posts. One of the big improvements was that this newer van had OnStar and a WiFi hotspot. Now we can check our email, download our newspapers, and keep in touch as we drive which we couldn't do before because our cell phones are fairly simple TracFones.

 

Nice!

 

Thanks. I will miss the electric seats and the "Cadillac" ride of the old 2001 LT (1500), but I will have better towing and load capacities with the new 2500. Chevrolet doesn't even make the 1500 anymore. The old one had many features that I didn't need and did not use. For example: the dual monitors and VHS video system. We took the new one on its maiden camper voyage last Friday night. Everything went well and I found a few things that needed changing and upgrading. I have enjoyed following your "le Moose" postings as well as LenS and his "Green Tardis." I have borrowed or modified ideas from both of these. Keep posting!

 

congrates on the new camper. looks good.get some used electric seats. is it black? limo tint.what engine doe's she have 4.8 does she have decent lowend grunt?

you imply the 2500 has a harsher ride than the 1500. I believe 1500 and people mover vans have softer suspension the explorer conversions certainly have softer than cargos.

how is wind at expressway speeds? w/ longer front should be an aerodynamic improvement?

 

Thanks. It is black with a gray interior. It has the 6.0 gas engine with 6 speed automatic. It should pull what I want to pull with it. My old 2001 Express LT 1500 passenger van rode like a Cadillac. This newer 2018 Express 2500 passenger van does ride noticeably rougher, but I can live with it because Chevrolet does not make the 1500 anymore. Wind at expressway speeds is good. Not sure what you mean by longer front because the body of the 2018 is unchanged from the body of the 2001. That is why it was so easy to transfer all my camper modifications from the old to the new van. All I had to do was modify the wall contours of my kitchen unit to fit the new interior trim shape of the newer van. We already took it out on its maiden voyage camping last Friday. It sure was nice having the hotspot in the van because our local game, fish & parks campgrounds do not have WiFi.

 

Regarding towing, I hope your new ride has the G80 option. It's the locking differential option, and you can check if you have it by the RPO sticker on the passenger door. If you don't have it, you're stuck with one-wheel drive. It is disconcerting that with a vehicle known for towing, a majority of them don't have this important option. I, sadly, am missing it on mine.

 

do all of the all wheel drive 1500s (my preferred driveline) have the G80 option?

also what is the usuelle gear ratio for AWD 1500s TB.

 

No, it's only a RWD thing. I think the AWD has limited slip, or something similar.

 

The G80 gov-loc differential is an option for RWD and AWD vans. It's the same piece of hardware.

Even without it, the traction control system is there to limit the amount of wheel spin.

Gear ratio depends on your van package, engine, transmission and towing configuration. My AWD came with 3.42:1 gears.