Van or Trailer?

[rybo]

OK, so since I'm at a crossroads I thought I would solicit the opinions of our seasoned members on here.

It looks like the contents of the trailer are going to be covered by insurance. The trailer itself is not covered in any way.

Either way some kind of replacement is necessary, so I was considering the options.

Van or trailer?

Benefits / Detriments of each?

If you've raced out of both I'm really interested in hearing what you have to say.

I would probably end up selling my current truck if I decided to go with the van.

Let me know what you all think.

Thanks

Scott

[gsnyder828]

Scott - I haven't raced out of a van, but I gave it a lot of consideration over the winter.

The benefits I see to a truck/trailer are:
a) A truck is a more versitile daily driver than a van - esp. a 2wd van
b) A trailer provides better security (IMO) by allowing you to leave it locked at the track if you're staying at a hotel, etc. With a van you either pack it all up (and risk theft of the van and contents in the hotel pkg lot) or leave it unsecured at the track.
c) Vans are creepy... and someone will write "Free Candy" on the side, which is hard to explain to neighbors and law enforcement.

[JimWilson29]

Scott I've been scoping some vans out for you. This is what I've found so far-

http://bigcreepyvan.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/free-candy-van.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/131643564_39e85f8937.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wZkgTL18Qh4/Ss1eO72u5hI/AAAAAAAAAeI/Wz5a6-P5aUk/s400/WOW-creepy-van.jpg

http://cdn1.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/108/541/original/freecandy.jpg

http://creepyvans.info/creepy/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/creepy-hanna-montana-van.jpg

[rybo]

Thanks for keeping an eye out Jim, those seem like good prospects.

[Mforza]

I think that with van you will have limited space.
Trailer you can buy bigger or even bigger then that :D
I was going to use my van for transporting everything to the track but it did not fit :D
So I ended up getting the trailer from David anyway :lol:
So now I use van and trailer :lol:

[sheispoison]

VAN! Du!!!
Everything is self contained with you. Plus, I hate pulling a trailer and dealing with parking with a trailer is a total pain. I may be slightly bias.
carl

[Bueller999]

Trailer for most of the reasons above, and a big :up: to the truck being more versatile. On farther/ economy minded trips just load the truck with bare essentials and go. I have gone big trailer with the toy hauler but it will likely see less action than my strategically packed 5x8 being towed by our crossover.

[Jon]

I've used both over twenty years and I must say using the Sprinter (IE Very large van) has been handy for cross country excursions as when cleverly packed, I can take a scooter, racebike, spares and still have a 3x6 foot to lay down on a small air matress and sleep. It's worked great through the years for numerous trips to Daytona, Ohio, Arizona and various other racing trips. Besides you can keep on driving through the night and make great time!
The problem arizes if you don't have a garage to download once you get to the track. Granted if the weathers nice you just leave the bikes and etc. outside beneath the canopy but often we just rent a wreck(cheap car) and that way the van stays in the track and we truck around in the rental. Any smaller van I think would be too cramped to get a full race effort into. I love my Sprinter for it's creature comforts and kick arse DVD/CD stereo as it's been reliable to the tee, gets good mileage packed or not and's just too damn handy. The trailer works great for MRA and shorter jaunts and a great home for days I just wish it had a shower!

[giovannir6]

I've done both. Pretty much a wash if you already have a truck. If I had to pick I'd say get a cheap van and only drive it when you go to the track, keep your car/truck. Its not too small to fit everything in. If you cant go racing with what you can fit into a van you are bringing too much crap. I can get two bikes, a pit bike, 10x20 canopy, chairs, gen, spares, suits, tools, beer, food, free candy, etc in there no problem. Not that I bring all that crap everytime but I can if I need to. Mine also came with a roof rack so if I ever need to bring more crap, say for a cross country trip, I can slap that on and boom there goes the dynomite. The trailer is nice to though. Mobile garage and all.

[Clarkie]

In Aussie we all used vans, but like Jon said if you dont have a garage to unload everything into and lock at night it is a pain. All the tracks in Aussie have garages that open onto pit lane like Miller 8)

A van is cool as you can sleep in it over the weekend saving on hotels, but will smell of fuel after a while. If you get a van get a fuel jug bumper hitch or a hitch platform you can strap your fuel onto. A trailer is awesome as you can lock or store everything you have in it.....unless it gets stolen like yours did.

[jplracing]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

[oldtimer]

Hey Scott, when I read your above comment about selling your current truck if you go with the van option I saw benefits. A van would force you to condense, but might otherwise be an overall cheaper package than keeping the truck and adding another trailer. And you save a lot if you can sleep in it and skip hotel costs.

But then I thought about your wife and kids, who may start staying with you at the track in coming years as the boys get bigger. Candy vans are not family friendly. If you're going to have family at the track with you keep the truck and prepare for a bigger trailer in the future.

[JimWilson29]

if you got a big 18 passenger van like this one and took some of the seats out you could fit all your stuff. and since it has windows, no one will mistake it for a ped van. :D

http://www.wtfcaptcha.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/WTFCaptcha-Adultbookstore-Church.jpg

[rybo]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

I'm totally bidding on that.

[sheispoison]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

I'm totally bidding on that.

As much as I love the old flat front vans, the Scooby Doo thing is PLAYED OUT!

[spideyrdr]

I was thinking about a van this fall and one downside I realized is that going with a cheap van could lead to $$ in repairs and replacements, things like the suspension immediately came to mind. Getting on the highway in an unstable van would be pucker-inducing. If your truck is reliable and is otherwise your only other 4-wheel transport, it seems like the trailer option would make the most sense. Just a very humble opinion.

[Bartman]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

I'm totally bidding on that.

As much as I love the old flat front vans, the Scooby Doo thing is PLAYED OUT!

How the hell can you say that being the Scooby van man himself, totally disappointed in you.
The Kanger has a E350 that he found for cheap and if used for a race transport only as you would a trailer should last for decades or if you use it as a candy van dual uses :twisted:

[sheispoison]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

I'm totally bidding on that.

As much as I love the old flat front vans, the Scooby Doo thing is PLAYED OUT!

How the hell can you say that being the Scooby van man himself, totally disappointed in you.
The Kanger has a E350 that he found for cheap and if used for a race transport only as you would a trailer should last for decades or if you use it as a candy van dual uses :twisted:

I love the old 60's vans, and am all about my Chevy, but when every single person that sees it in the 3 years I've owned it says something about Scooby Doo it gets really old really fast.
You definitely don't want a van as a daily driver (but I would never have a big truck as a daily driver either) just because of size and gas milage. As far as maintenance goes it's the same as a truck, if it's newer there's not much, if it's old you have to do some work evey now and then. A sprinter would ideal, but they're not cheap. An older American van is easy to work on and easy to get parts for (70's and newer really easy to get parts for, the 60's vans are a little harder). And I can think of anything worse than a trailer pulling me off the road from wind or coming unhooked on the highway or anything going wrong with it at 75mph.
Just an opinion...
carl

Oh yeah, and if I can fit a whole race program into that short 90" wheelbase van than it can fit into any full size van!

[kangsoh]

http://www.suntimes.com/5757408-417/volo-museum-selling-scooby-doo-mystery-machine-herbie.html

Scott this looks like it might be a good choice

I'm totally bidding on that.

As much as I love the old flat front vans, the Scooby Doo thing is PLAYED OUT!

How the hell can you say that being the Scooby van man himself, totally disappointed in you.
The Kanger has a E350 that he found for cheap and if used for a race transport only as you would a trailer should last for decades or if you use it as a candy van dual uses :twisted:

Wow, mentioned in a post by Bartman- I can say that I've made it in the world... 8)

Gotta say that I like having the van. Having had a truck/trailer combo, I appreciate the ability to load stuff in the van, and then park it in front of the house, or somewhere else without everything hanging out in the open as it would in the bed of a pickup or open trailer, or having to pay for storage on a trailer, as I had to do as a city dweller. If you live in the 'burbs, then it might be a moot point, but with HOA's and all, you may not be able to park the trailer in your driveway regardless of space.

Gas mileage on my van is pretty much a wash with the large truck that I had, and is probably even better than the truck towing an enclosed trailer. Look hard enough (and maybe even outside the local area), and you can find a good, late model Ford/Chevy V8 van that would suffice for race duty for a little more that what you'd pay for a good, clean trailer. Parts are plentiful, and can be found at any local junkyard, and anyone (or any mechanic) knows how to work on the engines in these vans.

IMO, if you get to the point where you're hauling enough gear that it won't fit in a van, then you'd probably be better off going with a trailer setup anyways. Get a van with a hitch, and then you've got an ideal setup- you can get a hitch carrier for the smelly stuff like gas cans or even your pit bike, and then you've got enough space inside to sack out without passing out from gas fumes.

As for all the haters that give me crap about my "candy van", I just chuckle and walk away knowing that they'll come crawling back the first time they need to move or pick something up- you can ask the friend that's borrowed the van for the weekend to help him move. It's even more hilarious that his daughter loves the van, and wants to ride in it all the time- no candy involved! :D

[The GECCO]

I've used both, and prefer the trailer. Especially if you are planning to keep the truck instead of replacing the truck with the van.

With the van, you have additional maintenance, registration and insurance costs that will be higher than a trailer. Assuming we're talking about an older, used, van, the maintenance and mileage costs could be excessive.

With the trailer, you can set up your pit area and still have a vehicle to leave the track if necessary. More difficult to do with a van.

I just think that for both racing use and fitting into your everyday life, the truck/trailer combo is more versatile than the van.

My opinion, worth exactly what you paid to hear it :?

[Bartman]

Rybo already has a commuter car for around town so doing a van would be fewer registrations than a car truck trailer setup he could just have car and van with the van only used for racing just like a trailer, seems like a no brainer for me. Set it up for staying at the track and leave the rest of the world behind when you get there, I don't think I will ever go back to leaving the track again.

[COS Mille]

Check out some of the Sprinter/Mercedes Vans in the pits. Good power and milage, different sizes available, easy to drive, way more room than US vans and can customize for your own needs.

[JohnGarc]

I LOVE MY MURDER VAN!!! And Yeah, Carl your right... I always get: "Hey man your van looks like the A-Team"... But for what its worth its kick a$$.

On race day you basically pull everything out and put it under the 10 x 10 and sleep inside. And, camping in a Van certainly makes racing a whole lot of fun... As long as I have my Nook Color. Plus, what I love mostly about my "Kiddie Snatcher" is the fact that I can just jump in and go. And, there is no wasted time or effort compared to hooking up a trailer...

I loooove the Sprinter Vans. (wish I could have one) And, I am always teasing Tracy about how maybe we should trade in our Crossfire?? But, I never seem to get any love. I guess Tracy driving the Sprinter as a commuter isn't the best option... So my 88' Chevy Van stays, is paid for, and keeps me happy!!!

[Scored51]

Hey Scott,

I've gone both routes myself and for one reason or another, always thought the grass was greener on the other side because of a limitation that became obvious after I had made my choice. If you are going to change, sit down and define what equipment you need to bring, who is going with you, and how do you need to function during race weekends, track days, or running around IMI. Identify the growing needs and pick the 90% solution. I wouldn't worry about specific costs until you've decided what you want to change.

You've been doing this for a while, so I would tend to think you've got things pretty well worked out. So the best and most cost effective choice may be to stick with what you've got and invest in safer storage. 8-[ (Disclaimer: This is in NO WAY meant to dig, poke, jab, flame, insult, berate, or hurt any persons, place, or things directly, or indirectly, associated, related, belated, or intonated with the current situation or past events that created the original inquiry posted.)

... When all is said and done, locks just keep honest people honest. My sister once had a car broken into while she was at a police station!