Weeeeeelllllllllllllllllllll.......thinking of getting a hatchback and either a diesel van or cabover...
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I don't know what level of business you're at, but here are some of Cailen's 32,000 reasons to avoid owning from my perspective as a part time upper-lounge-level guy:
- It's absolutely a commercial vehicle and needs to be licensed as such
- Parking problems in many residential areas, either due to government or association restrictions or simple logistics
- vehicles that sit around need nearly as much maintenance as vehicles that are used frequently
- Totally different set of tools required to work on Diesel
- You'll still need to rent trucks when this one is in your or someone else's shop, which will be frequently
- It will be too big for smaller gigs or around-town running, so you'll still wish for something between your hypothetical hatch back and the big truck
- Who comes to rescue you when your truck dies 300 miles from home on a gig? The national folks have networks that help with this. AAA doesn't do commercial.
- 1990? Seriously?
- 300,000 miles? See above
I just purchased (condensing a SUV plus cargo van into just a nicer cargo van as my only vehicle) a Ford Transit 350 low roof short frame van and went through some of these questions. My van fits in a 7' 0" clearance parking ramp, the Home Depot parking lot, the grocery store, and everywhere else. It's licensed as a personal vehicle since it's under 10,000 GVW, but can pull a 7,000lb trailer. I got the Eco Boost engine (same as I had in my previous Explorer) and it's a blast to drive and is extremely maneuverable considering its size. A folding wheelchair ramp gets me loaded and unloaded anywhere.
I have some shows where I need a 24' truck, and I have others where a 16' is a significant advantage over a larger truck. Renting allows me to get the truck I need when I need it.
How many miles do you put on per year? If you are looking at a modern diesel, the pollution control systems and other monkey business add about $7,000 to the price and subtract from the fuel mileage advantage diesels have historically had. Someone did the math on the Transit and the break-even point compared to the Eco Boost turbo V6 was over 300,000 miles. That's a LONG time.
