Philly758

I still have the GMC because it's not worth much and will be difficult to part with. I think I will be happy with the improved reliability, comfort and gas mileage. The Transit Connect space is pretty tight, tighter than my other van. So modifications will be simple, functional and for the most part easily removable. Currently I'm working near the George Washington bridge, they call it Washington Heights, it's basically the Bronx. I would rather commute from CT than live in NYC.

I have always been a used car guy that did all my own maintenance and repairs. Until recently, when I found myself underneath the front of my commuter car with a transmission on my face. At that moment I decided I had better thing to do than replace the transmission on a purple 2001 Civic and started the search for the ultimate do it all vehicle. I am also no stranger to vans. I have owned and modified a 2000 GMC Safari AWD (same as an Astro) since about 2009. I picked it up from a dead old lady at 60k and am currently at 175k. I love the van life and the AWD is unstoppable, but the current 14mpg overall was not cutting it. I don't think the 4" lift, 30" all terrain tires and overbuilt steel battle bumper are helping here. This van has been from CT to CO twice and on road trips all over the Northeast Thats where the Transit Connect comes in. I had always liked the original, but the shorter wheelbase was a little tight for mountain bikes (more about that later). The newest generation with the long wheelbase and creature comforts you would expect in a new car were attractive. Although this was not a full size Transit or Sprinter, it did check a lot of the boxes and would make a reasonable car to drive 120 miles round trip to NYC daily and parallel park in the ghetto. The decision was made, I purchased a 2016 Ford Transit Connect XLT cargo on 12/1/16. Below are some photos. Build to follow.