[Mastrap]

We're going to put an offer in on a Victorian house which needs a fair bit of tender loving care. I've done this twice before, so I know the work that's involved. I also enjoy building work, so I am not worried by that.

The last two times I did up houses I had a truck, a Land Rover to be exact. Getting dry wall panels and beams from the hardware store to the house wasn't an issue. Currently I'm driving a Saab, so not the best car as far as transporting builder stuff is concerned. Back in Europe I'd knew what to buy (I'd go and pick up a Land Rover for a couple of bucks) but here in Canada I have no idea what's a good work truck.

I'd prefer van over pickup, simply because stuff stays dry in the rain. I'd like to spend as little money as possible on this, style is of little to no importance, reliability and ruggedness is.

Thoughts?

[SimeyTheLimey]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

We're going to put an offer in on a Victorian house which needs a fair bit of tender loving care. I've done this twice before, so I know the work that's involved. I also enjoy building work, so I am not worried by that.

The last two times I did up houses I had a truck, a Land Rover to be exact. Getting dry wall panels and beams from the hardware store to the house wasn't an issue. Currently I'm driving a Saab, so not the best car as far as transporting builder stuff is concerned. Back in Europe I'd knew what to buy (I'd go and pick up a Land Rover for a couple of bucks) but here in Canada I have no idea what's a good work truck.

I'd prefer van over pickup, simply because stuff stays dry in the rain. I'd like to spend as little money as possible on this, style is of little to no importance, reliability and ruggedness is.

Thoughts?

I don't know about Canada, but down here both Lowe's and Home Depot rent trucks for about $20 a pop. You pick up and drop off the truck at the same place where you get your building supplies. It seems to me that would be a lot more economical than buying a truck, and it's also going to be a lot more versatile because it is a panel van designed for hauling things, not people.

[Mastrap]

That's a good thought, but truth be told I'd rather own the van. It eliminates the going backwards and forwards with my car to the store, hire and return. Also, I tend to use trucks as a mobile storage facility, to get stuff to the dump, you name it. It's just more convenient to have 24/7 access to it.

[hickey]

you could get a fairly old minivan and rip out the back seats and have a decent amount of room inside too. the time when our Explorer was in the shop, we borrowed a minivan from a friend and had no troubles moving carpets and lumber around.

[Fyre4ce]

Minivan was my suggestion. Should be cheap. Unless you're hauling very heavy stuff where you need the load-carying capacity of a heavy truck, it will be fine.

[Paco500]

look at an old toyota minivan. The hondas have good reputations, but I owned one and it was nothing but trouble- and apparently, the problems I had are pretty common (transmission, emissions, sliding doors).

If reliability is not a prime concern, than I would look for a GM model. They were never very popular so I would imagine you could get one cheap.

[Spliffdaddy]

A Chevy Astro makes a decent mid-sized work van. Rear wheel drive and most have a 4.3 V6 engine which is a good compromise between power and fuel economy. Parts are cheap and they're pretty reliable. 4x8 sheets of plywood and drywall will fit inside (diagonally) if you remove all the seats. Also, you could buy an inexpensive ($175US) roof-mount ladder rack that can support 4x8 sheets flat across.

[Corpse of Chewbacca]

Also look at Zipcar (www.zipcar.com). They rent hourly and THEY pay for gas.

[Tuoder]

You might look into a VW Eurovan. Otherwise I would get a GMC Safari (same as Chevy Astro). You can get them with a 5.7 liter. A friend of mine has one without any of the seats in it (except the front two captain's chairs). That thing is HUGE inside. They are dirt cheap and can tow (or payload) Austrailia. They are not the most reliable rigs on Earth, but they are simple to work on and cheap to fix.

[macforray]

An 8' or 12' sheet of drywall is still going to stick out of the back of the van. In my opinion nothing works better than an old reliable pickup. Easier to load and unload, and an 8' box with the tailgate down gives you 10' of horizontal space. That should be enough for even 12' to 16' 2x8's. Plus, if you need a load of topsoil, sand, gravel or mulch, you have the best work vehicle made. My primary vehicle is a truck, and I don't even think about doing as much as you obviously are planning to do.

The only other option would be a good utility trailer to tow behind that Saab. That would even be the cheapest route.

"Git er done"

[Rumor]

Something like this