I'm looking at a new vehicle -- a Ford Transit Connect cargo van.

I'm happy with my Ford Taurus for the most part, but some days it can be really miserable getting in and out of it. It sometimes feels about like folding myself into a can.

The van, on the other hand, is extremely easy to get in and out of. I don't even have to take off my hat to get in like I do in the company's Ford Expedition, although I do have to take it off in the seat because of the headrest. I've never seen any other vehicle as easy to get in and out of.

Also, the seats are surprisingly comfortable. I was expecting them to be less comfortable than the Taurus, but I think that they are more comfortable. In the Taurus, I have about two inches of room between by head and the ceiling. In the van, it's more like eight or nine inches to the overhead storage compartment above the front row.

The larger Ford Transit van is not nearly as easy to get in and out of or as comfortable. I do really like the way they did the gas cap. I asked the salesman about it and it took him a while to find it. He was rather puzzled. To refill gas, you first have to open the driver's door and reach out to open a little door behind it. With the driver's door locked, it would be very difficult for someone to siphon gas out of the tank.

It's rare that I need to haul anything but if I do, the lower height of van means it will be easier to lift in and out and things won't get wet if it is raining.

It would be perfect for pulling over to the side of the road to take a nap. Also, it would be perfect for going fishing -- carry all the equipment and not have to worry about a tent to sleep at night.

The liftgate version would be nice. If I'm out fishing and it starts raining, I could sit in the back with the liftgate up while waiting for the rain to end.

There are only two seats, but if I need to haul more than one other person, I'll still have the Taurus.

Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

And now for the main question I have:

I've been tempted to put reflective tape on the Taurus, but it would look pretty ridiculous on a car. On a commercial cargo van, though, it would fit right in and can be made to look good.

I know that for certain vehicles, there are restrictions on what colors of reflective tape to use and where. Are there any such issues on vans not covered by Federal law? For example, in the Texas Transportation Code, Chapter 547 Vehicle Equipment:

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Sec. 547.353. COLOR REQUIREMENTS.

(a) A clearance lamp, identification lamp, side marker lamp, or reflector mounted on the front, on the side near the front, or in the center of the vehicle must be or reflect amber.

(b) A clearance lamp, identification lamp, side marker lamp, or reflector mounted on the rear or the side near the rear of the vehicle must be or reflect red.

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However, that is in SUBCHAPTER F. ADDITIONAL LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN LARGE VEHICLES. That reads, to me, like you aren't permitted other colors on those large vehicles, but the Transit Connect van is hardly such a vehicle. Also, it says "a clearance lamp...", not "every clearance lamp".

Instead of red reflective tape on the back, can you use something like green, yellow, or orange reflective tape? Instead of amber on the sides, how about green, yellow, or orange tape there as well? Or even blue? Or a two inch reflective red stripe down each side from the headlights to the tail lights?

After all, we do see vans and smaller trucks on the highway with reflective tape that is other colors. For example:



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Try an Odyssey, better vehicle all the way around. Have no idea what the tape on the back thing is about, but there are all kinds of ways to maximize visibility.

do you have a business need for a cargo van? this is all very confusing.

i've never once been worried about someone siphoning gas.

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I've been tempted to put reflective tape on the Taurus, but it would look pretty ridiculous on a car. On a commercial cargo van, though, it would fit right in and can be made to look good.

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like many things in life, just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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And just in time to hand out free candy at Halloween!

Oops. Just wanted to reply to get this on my watchlist cause that OP is weird af.

chimpanzee said:

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Try an Odyssey, better vehicle all the way around. Have no idea what the tape on the back thing is about, but there are all kinds of ways to maximize visibility.

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There's only one new car dealer in my county and it is Ford. Also, I grew up with the owner and would rather buy from him.

I knew at least one guy who was killed changing a flat on the side of a highway at night because the guy who hit him just didn't see his car in time.

Also, a couple of years ago, a fellow Ag was hit and killed while checking his boat trailer on the side of a freeway in Corpus Christie. I think that was early in the morning, but I don't know if it was before dawn.

Furlock Bones said:

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do you have a business need for a cargo van? this is all very confusing.

i've never once been worried about someone siphoning gas.

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We usually use an old SUV for the business but I often use my car because it is more comfortable or because I make a business stop on the way to or from somewhere else. I am rather limited by how much I can carry in it, though. I do have a 12 foot collapsible ladder that helps a lot.

The bigger issue is having to borrow a pickup on those occasions when I need to carry something more than my car will carry. Sure, I can go out and buy a full sized pickup instead, but why pay $50,000 or more for those two or three times a year to haul what I can carry in a much more comfortable $25,000 cargo van and keep it dry at the same time? It's not like I need to pull a horse trailer or drive through a field or pasture these days.

I have filled up with gas one day and needed to fill up again the next after driving only a very little distance, but it has been a while. Around here, though, it's not a problem.

sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s when hippie vans were quite the thing.

eric76 said:

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chimpanzee said:

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Try an Odyssey, better vehicle all the way around. Have no idea what the tape on the back thing is about, but there are all kinds of ways to maximize visibility.

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There's only one new car dealer in my county and it is Ford. Also, I grew up with the owner and would rather buy from him.

I knew at least one guy who was killed changing a flat on the side of a highway at night because the guy who hit him just didn't see his car in time.

Also, a couple of years ago, a fellow Ag was hit and killed while checking his boat trailer on the side of a freeway in Corpus Christie. I think that was early in the morning, but I don't know if it was before dawn.

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Side of the road at dark is no joke from a safety perspective. Flares, triangles, etc. are your best bet, but drivers are really awful, and drunks will target fixate on anything that catches their eye. They lock in on you before they realize they're drifting into you and won't react in time.

Buy some reflective safety triangles ( I think they even have some light up ones) and road flares. For the times you think you will have that issue.

I have installed white reflective stripes for guys with white trucks for nighttime visibility as well.

Since my parents bought a Sprinter Airstream RV, I've also been eyeing what it takes to buy a DRW high roof transit and building my own camper van. After seeiing the kind of wiring job that Airstream does and charges 170K for, I think I can make something just as nice or nicer for much less.

eric76 said:

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sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s when hippie vans were quite the thing.

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As my grandma used to say "Ass, grass or gas, no one rides for free"

eric76 said:

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sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s when hippie vans were quite the thing.

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i think the hippie connection died for good when silence of the lambs came out. (maybe before?)

schmendeler said:

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eric76 said:

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sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s when hippie vans were quite the thing.

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i think the hippie connection died for good when silence of the lambs came out. (maybe before?)

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She should have gone with gas or grass

schmendeler said:

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eric76 said:

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sts7049 said:

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Are there any downsides to such a van over a car?

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the main one will be that you are now the dude driving a windowless white van.

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You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s when hippie vans were quite the thing.

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i think the hippie connection died for good when silence of the lambs came out. (maybe before?)

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Probably before. Some of the vans were pretty strange.



When I was a kid, one of our church members who was a bit of a hippie got busted for marijuana. As I remember it, they found some marijuana growing wild along a fence row in Oklahoma, parked at it in their van, and waited for it to grow enough to harvest it. They got the attention of the sheriff's department pretty quickly and got busted after a week or two.