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[Mark Cadwallader]

Too old to be in the running, but the Chevy Astro cargo van meets most of the requirements you list.  Body on frame, all wheel drive, sliding side door, etc. About 8' cargo, about 48" rear door clearance, and a fold-in-half 8' ramp works well enough for one guy to push wheeled road case and subs in by himself.

[James Paul]

A vote for the unfortunately discontinued Chevy/GMC Astro/Safari for all the aforementioned attributes. A 1997 GMC Safari SLT passenger model dealer new purchase with rear hatch/ barn doors with current odometer reading of 150Kish has served me faithfully, meeting and exceeding my expectations, serving as a quick-change family to duty vehicle, able to hide in undergrounds with a 5x8 Wells Cargo in tow, all while passing muster for the discerning hotel, event halls, residential front driveways. The planned rig WILL fit. More speaker boxes would warrant my Isuzu/GMC 16' box truck.
Not knowing the OP location, FYI, the SoCal region of the country has long been a source for an abundance of better weathered motor vehicles in large part to the relatively temperate weather and of course the sheer volume and variety.

[Mark Scrivener]

Another vote for a van. I have a Diesel Ford Excursion (think Suburban, only bigger). It holds a ton of gear but you have to climb up in to load gear in and out - and the deck height is much higher than a van. The one advantage it does have is I can tow my 10k lb trailer no problem. But if hauling sound gear was its only mission, I'd have a van no question.

I also agree with the comments above about pickup trucks - you want your gear enclosed and secure. The only reason to get a pickup is you need it for something else and plan to haul your gear in a trailer.

[Xiang Cao]

get a new Pacifica Hybrid, for passengers and cargo!

[Jeff Bankston]

Obviously no one here has ever seen a bed top. Get a pickup. Get a tall top on the bed with no windows and a solid back lift door. I'm 5'10" and can almost stand straight up in the top. If you need more room at times get a trailer the size you need for the other stuff. You dont need a crew cab or dually. I standard cab with an 8 foot bed. A Ford F150 is ideal. This is my truck with the LEER brand tallest top and no side or front windows. Its water tight. I have a dually because I pull a 32 foot trailer at times and the extra 2 rear tires prevents sway and makes the truck very stable. a foto of mine.

[Bob Faulkner]

After selling everything 3 years ago and enjoyed my time off/away; But now I’ve got the bug to get back into the business. However, I am at a crossroads on what vehicle to purchase. In a few of years, I am planning on getting back into the Wedding Biz. If I am on a downtown job, I want to be able to put all the gear into 1 vehicle (no trailer) and head the gig. After unloading, I want to be able to pull it into the buildings parking garage without any issues. I currently own a ’16 Golf R for my daily/commuter and it works great for the freelance/walk in gigs.

My previous gear hauler was a ’06 Chevy 3500 Express cargo van (diesel and extended version). This was a GREAT hauler but with 1 HUGE issue; it didn’t fit in parking garages (in DC & Baltimore). Before the Cargo Van, I had an ’04 Chevy Silverado 1500, 4x4, Crew Cab, 5.5’ bed with a 5x8 Cargo Trailer.

Part of me wants Mini Cargo Van, but for the house stuff I think see myself needing a Truck instead. I do have around a $8k-12k budget, I can’t afford anything new.

Mini Cargo Van:
Ford Transit Connect, LWB, 2014+
Ram Promaster City

Truck
Chevy/GMC Silverado/Sierra 1500; extended cab, 6.5’ bed with a cap/camper shell


The planned Rig (some is TBD or equivalently sized):
2x SRX812w/ETX12P/DZR12
2x SRX818SP/ETX-18P/DZR18XLF
4x PRX812W/K12.2
1x 8sp case (rack mixer & digital snake)
2x EWI C005-DC trunks (cables)
2x Pelican 1510 cases (mics/work box)
1x Pelican iM3220 (mic case)
2x Chauvet 4BAR/ADJ Dotz TPar system

As others have indicated, you need to get another cargo van.  Electronics need to be covered while transported and stored (and not by a tarp).  Check for "fleet sales" dealerships in your area for used commercial vehicles.  I own an '06 3/4 ton cargo (with a bulk-head cage), I use for small to mid-sized events.  It's standard length.  Will be looking at the same type of cargo van when it comes time to upgrade.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

get a new Pacifica Hybrid, for passengers and cargo!

Please let me know where you can get one of these in Matt’s $8000 - $12000 budget range. I’d love one for the family. 

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

Obviously no one here has ever seen a bed top. Get a pickup. Get a tall top on the bed with no windows and a solid back lift door. I'm 5'10" and can almost stand straight up in the top. If you need more room at times get a trailer the size you need for the other stuff. You dont need a crew cab or dually. I standard cab with an 8 foot bed. A Ford F150 is ideal. This is my truck with the LEER brand tallest top and no side or front windows. Its water tight. I have a dually because I pull a 32 foot trailer at times and the extra 2 rear tires prevents sway and makes the truck very stable. a foto of mine.

Toppers are OK, but they are less secure than a van, and a truck is still inferior to a van for payload they load higher and hold less. A standard length cargo van has about 9’ 5” for usable length behind the bulkhead, and though you can put a tall topper on it, once you do, it won’t fit in a parking ramp. Vans have more cargo capacity and unless you get into a giant truck, more payload weight capacity than pickups.

[Scott Olewiler]

If you're considering using a pickup with a topper, a Chevy Suburban should hold just as much gear with the 3rd row seats removed, and the rear seats flipped forward.

[Jay Marr]

If you're considering using a pickup with a topper, a Chevy Suburban should hold just as much gear with the 3rd row seats removed, and the rear seats flipped forward.

Yes, same body as my Escalade.  Fits an amazing amount of gear.
Smaller gigs I can do without even folding down the second row seats.

[ProSoundWeb Community]