Top Five Full Size Vans that Hold High Resale Value

These days when people buy a full sized van they usually have a specific reason for wanting such a large enclosed vehicle. Many times a full sized van will be used for business purposes like a florist or catering company who has to haul lots of large items at one time. There are others who use them to tow boats and campers and a large boxy van can store all of their required accessories plus plenty of people as well.

Most people who purchase a new vehicle today will want to know what the resale market looks like for the specific vehicle they are interested in and large vans are no exception. The fact is people may even base their decision to lease versus buy based primarily on the resale value the vehicle is expected to hold over time.

There has been a good bit of research done in this area by some of the larger vehicle information sources like the Kelly Blue Book, or Edmund's among others, and these sources help consumers know what to expect in terms of potential resale value of each type vehicle they may want to own.

Of course you could do it the old fashioned way and go to some private owners and dealerships to see what a similar three to five year old model is going for, but some find the Internet to be a much faster path toward gaining this same knowledge. Whichever method you choose, the best thing for consumers is that we can share this knowledge more easily now and that helps us make better buying decisions across the boards. This in and of itself can help automakers know what models are working for them and which ones are not.

So when you go out to buy a full sized van you are going to want to check the resale value from as many sources as you can find. Once you have done that compare the same data across a handful of similar models, and you can used the awesome power of deductive reasoning to help you determine which vehicle may be the best choice for you!

The top five full sized vans that I see holding great resale value are the following:

1) Chevrolet Express Cargo 1500 3 Door Van for 2010.
There are a number of different models based on which engine and the load rating. Starting at $24,665 4.3 Liter V-6 195 horsepower. You can get a 3500 model new for around $42,000 with the 6.6 Liter engine and all kinds of added features. Base model 1500's which are 3 years old are now selling for around $8,600 to $13,120 depending who you buy from and what options come on the van. These vans have not really changed much over the years and the sales volumes have slowly dropped as buyers have moved towards more economical vehicles in this style and class.

2) GMC Savanna LS 1500 3 Door Van for 2010.
This is their entry level Cargo van which comes with their 5.3 Liter V-8 engine. Prices start around $28,500 for this model. 2007 Vans like this are reselling for between $11,540 and $16,100 depending on options. These vans are typically used for construction and tradespeople and they are usually fairly well used by the time they are more than three or four years old. At that point the resale bottom drops out more rapidly than with some other similar vehicle models.

3) Ford E-Series Van for 2010.
The base model of this large cargo van comes with a fuel efficient 4.6 Liter V-8 engine and the base price is around $25,500. For a 2007 model the resale price is ranging between $8,500 and $14,000 depending on options and vehicle condition. Ford has always had a good reputation with this series of vans and the resale value has been fairly stable over the years, it seems mainly due to customer loyalty more than anything.

4) Mercedes Benz Sprinter Van for 2010.
This van is considered a "Light Commercial Vehicle" and fits a specific niche market where hauling efficiency is critical. The base model is a 2500 144-WB Cargo van with 3 doors and no side or rear windows. The base model comes with a 3.0 Liter six cylinder turbo-diesel engine. This combination is both powerful and also fuel efficient. These type vans have been used extensively internationally and the Daimler Chrysler version was sold in the United States until recently and now it is strictly the Daimler AG version that is being sold once again under the Freightliner vehicle brand. The history of this vehicle sales in the U.S. has been strange since it was sold as a series of different models based on who owned Chrysler at the time, and also whether it was imported as a complete vehicle or was "re-assembled" at the Chrysler assembly plant in Gaffney, South Carolina. These are incredible cargo vans since they offer a taller box and a longer box than other vans including the full size Ford, GM, and GMC vans. Resale prices can be all over the place based on which brand and model you are looking at. A decent 2007 Dodge Sprinter version can be found for between $20,700 and $28,000 depending on options. Older Freightliner vans can be found for less than $10,000 in local newspapers and some new and used car lots.

5) Ford Transit Connect for 2010.
This Van is not like any of the others in it's class as it is sort of a hybrid between a large van and a wagon. The best features of both have been merged into one multi functional cargo hauler. The spacious cargo area combined with great fuel efficiency has caused this to be a very popular newer vehicle. The base model costs around $21,185 and it comes without side and rear glass, and has a 4 cylinder 2.0 Liter engine which delivers great mileage. The cargo area is taller than a wagon but is not a long as a full sized van. This size vehicle is perfect for small to medium sized delivery situations and many small businesses are using these for work vehicles now. These have been sold extensively in other countries since 2002 and 2010 is their first year of sales here in the U.S. You can likely expect the resale at three years old to hold to about 38% to 43% of their original price based on similar Ford wagon and van model resale values.

Of course there are some who do not really care much about the resale value when they purchase a new vehicle because they plan to keep the vehicle forever, but most recently that has not really been the norm. More companies are trying to stretch their budgets and replacing a fleet vehicle has often been put on the back burner for a year or two longer than they did in years past. This indirectly impacts the used market because there are fewer used vehicles on the market when individuals and companies are holding off on buying a new vehicle, this in turn drives up the price of the used vehicles. Just another fine example of good old supply an demand economics in action!

Some specifications and pricing data were found using local newspapers "the Good News" and "The News Herald."

Other specifications and price data was found at:

www.edmunds.com

Thank you for reading my articles here on AC-Yahoo!