best 4 person windsurf van?

Goodwind · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 317 Location: On water

Hey Peter, I got my small Ford Transit 150XLT big ass van from Enterprise Van Sales three years ago. With four, you need to go vertical for space. Right now they have a 2018 van, 26,469 mile, mid roof seven seater for $26,599. A new one would get you over $40,000. They shipped the van to me for $800 or you may fly down to Long Beach. I haven't driven the other brands but I'm happy with my Ford. I don't treat it like a sports car. They do have some higher mileage low roof GM vans for around $16,000. Go check out the link below.

https://www.enterprisevansales.com/view-inventory

coachg · Joined: 10 Sep 2000 Posts: 3492

windward1 · Joined: 18 Jun 2000 Posts: 1384

The thing about a full size van in the city is you may be driving around for days looking for a parking spot you can fit into, whereas with the minivan it will only be a few hours.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20880

A few related comments and questions:

A short Transit isn't even a foot and a half longer than a minivan.

Some newer Transits/etc. have automatic parking assist.

Even a simple backup camera GREATLY assists parking. I scare the crap out of bystanders parking my Winnebago because I can tell within an inch where the back of it is.

Do you have a WSing family of four?

If not, why is it your responsibility to haul everybody else?

Separate your vehicle purposes into a little urban thingie and a big ass gear hauler.

Is cost a factor, or is this meant to be a lifetime toy hauler? I never regretted buying my last two dedicated WSing vehicles new, because they see a ton of miles and so I could get the features I wanted. Just LOOK at the features of the 2020 cargo and people haulers.

kmf · Joined: 02 Apr 2001 Posts: 503

I have owned a 2016 Ford Transit ecoboost window van since new. 40,000 miles. Love it. great engine and tranny, not sure where the negative vibes come from.
Pretty much the drive train of the F-150 trucks.
It has 10' of space behind the driver and passenger seats. Lots of different seat choices. You should be able to figure out a seating arrangement. Big van....but the E-150 is the smallest of the transits.

KMF

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10575

"Love it. great engine and tranny, not sure where the negative vibes come from. "

No doubt, it meets your expectations, but I can't say the same. I owned my Chevy van for over 21 years, and I can tell you that in less than a half an hour in the Transit, the comparison wasn't even close. Maybe I was being too frank in my thoughts, but in the end, I recommended taking test drives.

I will say this though, the Transit that I rented was huge inside. Moreover, it is very boxlike and relatively easy to build into.

Goodwind · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 317 Location: On water

Oh well, it's a bit shocking to hear that the driving experience of a modern Ford van doesn't even come close to a 21 years old Chevy van. Comparing new vans is a different story; are we going backward in car design?

Some may be surprised that the 217.8" Ford Transit Passenger Van is only 14.8" longer than the 203" Grand Caravan. So, yes it's harder to find parking in a city setting than with a minivan, but not that much. I know because I also own a minivan and live in San Francisco. The backup camera certainly helps. Note that the shortest Ford Transit Cargo Van is longer at 220".

For a number of years, I drove a dedicated windsurfing minivan with a rocket box on the roof. But the amount of extra space in the Transit just makes my windsurfing experience so much more enjoyable. It carries three people, seven boards (including SUP), twelve sails, ten masts, four booms, four harnesses, four flotation vests, ten wetsuits, spare parts and other miscellaneous stuff- I never miss a thing. I can change clothes inside while standing too and I bet this would be particularly appealing to women windsurfers.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20880

westender · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge

I had that same experience. The GM vans with the LS motors always impressed me. I think the smaller window vans are a different beast than the big rental cargo vans.

cgoudie1 · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 1:20 pm Post subject:

You know, it's funny, but I think there's very little modesty here in the
Gorge, male or female, I mean we make an effort, but nobody seems to
care much. A tall van is good for more than modesty though. A big
square box like a Transit is sweet, but I think a Dodge Promaster could be
sweeter(having wandered through both, but owning neither). I use a
minivan myself(with a 3 seat configuration), but that'd never work for the
OPs requirements.

-Craig