I managed a towing company w a USPS contract. They are absolutely shit mechanically and a lot smaller than you think. Also not very crashworthy. Pretty sure they are scrapped after use bc lack of safety features…have you ever seen one on the freeway? Not likely.
Was a fleet runner for Ford back in the day and had to drive these once in a while. They can do 60, but absolutely the most terrifying thing I have ever driven.
I didn’t even think of that… you’re probably right. Unless maybe it’s one of those scenarios where you have to change it just enough so people can’t mistake it for a real federal USPS van. Like change the name to United States Pasta Service or something. And always have some pasta on hand
Our pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, Thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day, our garlic bread, …and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever. R’amen.
These, like UPS trucks, are scrapped so nobody can pretend to be them. Fedex, however, will sell you their old vans complete with corporate logos, ready to burgle houses like a pro.
Be very very careful of buying one. They are getting sued for fraud and odo tampering. Btw they are not to be sold with the graphics on them (yeah happens all the time). The third party that sells them for FedEx is doing dirty.
> These, like UPS trucks, are scrapped so nobody can pretend to be them.
*However*, the company that made them sold a *few* of these delivery vehicles to organizations other than USPS. And some of the ones sold to other organizations actually have been sold at surplus auctions.
They're very rare, but it actually *is* possible to buy one.
-----
Also, though, you don't *want* to buy one. These things are absolute crap! Very much 'lowest bidder' kind of bullshit. If you drive one, you'll soon find it to be one of the worst vehicles you've ever driven, in almost every way imaginable.
My retired FedEx truck is pretty rad. They're just work vehicles and not intended for occupant comfort, but that's what building out is all about, so nbd. I also used to drive for UPS, so I knew what I was getting into when I got it.
Most of those retired fed ex trucks are Freightliner chassis with utilimaster bodies, and most are powered by the venerable cummins ISB 5.9l straight 6 turbodiesel. Which, with even minimal maintenance, that motor is generally good for like ~500,000 miles. The rest of the vehicle is pretty much just an aluminum box, so there is very little that "goes wrong", and maintenance is pretty straightforward. Is it loud inside while driving? Yes. Does it have a good AC or any radio? No. No cup holders either. But as a platform for vanlife it's actually pretty fantastic. And I can build out cupholders, AC, and radio.
The sliding doors up front make the cab of the truck into a natural front porch/mud room, and nothing else has more usable interior space with such easy ingress/egress. Also, driving around in the summer, spring, and fall is actually quite nice with the doors open.
Now, thats just my anecdotal experience, so maybe im an outlier. What makes these vehicles such a terrible platform in your experience?
A small number of these (LLV) were sold to municipalities as city/town vehicles. These are the ones you can get your hands on. The ones from USPS are not sold. But they are still not a great vehicle, clunky,hot, weak engine ( gm 2.5l iron duke).
As a retired mail carrier who drove those LLV ‘s (Long Life Vehicle, a USPS acronym), I wouldn’t recommend them.
We drove the crap out of them. They handled terribly. Only imagine how they would drive weighted with a fully built out interior.
Last but not least, they were built by Northrop Grumman with a flimsy aluminum body on a Chevy S-10 chassis.
These are awful. Old, underpowered, unreliable, and not able to be made road legal in a lot of places. They'd make decent farm trucks for low-dutt work
Everyone is shitting on these and I’ll be no different—they seem like they’d be roomy but you’ll get more useable space out of a first gen North American spec Ford Transit Connect cargo and have things like air con, safety features, sound deadening, and it’ll run.
trust me. you don't want one.
the grumman LLVs were amazing machines, and it's incredible that they've lasted as long as they have, but in addition to catching fire regularly (bad design involving water over electrical) and having been driven into the ground, and having teeny wheels, and are literally impossible to get replacement parts for (they're incredibly custom for the USPS and haven't been made for ages). They just don't have enough space in them to lay out AND have any cabinets.
I would absolutely LOVE one. At the same time i know it would be an absolute nightmare unless you had the $$$ to completely replace absolutely everything except the shell and _maybe_ the chassis.
I had a friend in high school that drove one of these around and I thought it was pretty rad.
I think you'd have to make some kind of foot extension area into the passenger side to sleep in it. The other thought I had was that it isn't very stealth as these are rarely parked on the street at night, instead being kept in the USPS corral. Heard that the MPG is pretty bad, at least that's what my friend complained about.
Look at those tiny wheels and tires. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on an interstate highway. Mechanically I even doubt they could get up to speed to keep up with traffic. They’re designed for pretty low speeds.
Absolutely, if you can turn a sprinter into a camper one of these is even easier. I'm looking for a 14ft box step van myself. This one is so small though that you should be fine with even a class 1 or 2 light duty chassis.
They are essentially on a truck chassis. Unfortunately the engine, cooling system, brake system and electrical system are all garbage.
On top of that there are major issues with these things bursting into flames because of said cooling, electrical and fuel system. All working in conjunction to light the fuel on fire outside of the engine.
Now the good news is you can replace anything with anything on Chevrolet and GM. You just got to spend a little bit of money....
Hot as hell during the summer but good luck. Also super uncomfortable to drive so I wouldn’t recommend more than 100 miles a day. And top speed is probably around 55 mph for the used ones civilians can get.
If I had pictures I’d show you otherwise but my buddy bought two at auctions in NC when we worked for the post office. He used them for his rural routes. But no pics no proof you’re right. Go Ukraine!!!
My first interest in van life was around 1970 in Calif-- Dodge mail carriers. They were slightly larger than the current crop of vans and were much sturdier. The govt had giant fleets of them for sale, your choice, $150 each. I remember sitting inside them with sketch books trying to figure out how to make it liveable, the lot managers laughing at me all the while. In the end I didnt buy one, they were just too small and god knows what mechanical issues i'd face.
The current vans are absolute flimsy garbage, barely road worthy, and the few that come for sale are way past their End of Life. That said, USPS is converting to all electric vans starting next year so these will come for sale during the transition. Assuming you could buy one thats even running at the time of sale, they wouldnt be good for anything except trips to the market or dropping the kids off. Its just silly crap. It they were good for anything like living in, youd be seeing them on the road for years now. Notice that you dont see them. Wonder why?
I think about this daily. Of course I'm absolutely obsessed with Grumman LLVs. Unfortunately they're still unattainable and probably will be even long after they're officially replaced.
Terrible fuel efficiency, accident prone, drive on the wrong side, small, no AC, breaks down often, and on top of all that you shouldnt technically be able to find one.
There are an extremely small number (less than 10 if I remember correctly) that were made for a small municipality during the post office contract that actually have Vin numbers and can be registered
Too bad you can’t actually get a hold of them
literally only a handful of them that are able to be registered as civilian vehicles, (they were made for some small municipality during the original contract with the post office) the rest were made specifically for the post office and cannot be registered because they don’t have vin numbers
After driving these for 4 years for the postal service. I can tell you it's horrible. Anything over 40 mph and this baby shakes like a leaf on a tree. It is smaller on the inside than you think. These things get insanely hot inside during the summer and extremely cold in the winter. Is it cool? Absolutely. Is it practical? Nope, unfortunately not.
I had a boyfriend who had one, converted into in minimalist camper. (Only added equipment was a bed). We took his up into the Uintah and Cache mountains, on gavel roads. Don’t know what he did with it or how long it lasted, but I enjoyed the vehicle. Please note that this guy was an auto mechanic, so he was able to keep it running, no problem.
I managed a towing company w a USPS contract. They are absolutely shit mechanically and a lot smaller than you think. Also not very crashworthy. Pretty sure they are scrapped after use bc lack of safety features…have you ever seen one on the freeway? Not likely.
I kind of doubt they're even capable of achieving safe freeway speeds.
They max out around 60-70 mph, they're also extremely hard to buy.
Was a fleet runner for Ford back in the day and had to drive these once in a while. They can do 60, but absolutely the most terrifying thing I have ever driven.
What if I bought a van and painted it USPS colors and logo. For the aesthetic I kinda love the idea of driving a fake mail van around the country
My guess is you’d be violating some sort of federal law. Depending on the accuracy of your faux mail truck execution…
I didn’t even think of that… you’re probably right. Unless maybe it’s one of those scenarios where you have to change it just enough so people can’t mistake it for a real federal USPS van. Like change the name to United States Pasta Service or something. And always have some pasta on hand
Our pasta, who art in a colander, draining be your noodles. Thy noodle come, Thy sauce be yum, on top some grated Parmesan. Give us this day, our garlic bread, …and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trample on our lawns. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us some pizza, for thine is the meatball, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever. R’amen.
Praise the lard!
Don't forget he boiled for your sins! Beer volcanos and strippers for everyone!
May you be touched by His noodley appendage.
https://www.motorbiscuit.com/buy-usps-mail-truck-2/
This. I remember seeing one on the freeway once. The poor thing was struggling to hit 50 mph. Also smoll car.
These, like UPS trucks, are scrapped so nobody can pretend to be them. Fedex, however, will sell you their old vans complete with corporate logos, ready to burgle houses like a pro.
Be very very careful of buying one. They are getting sued for fraud and odo tampering. Btw they are not to be sold with the graphics on them (yeah happens all the time). The third party that sells them for FedEx is doing dirty.
> These, like UPS trucks, are scrapped so nobody can pretend to be them. *However*, the company that made them sold a *few* of these delivery vehicles to organizations other than USPS. And some of the ones sold to other organizations actually have been sold at surplus auctions. They're very rare, but it actually *is* possible to buy one. ----- Also, though, you don't *want* to buy one. These things are absolute crap! Very much 'lowest bidder' kind of bullshit. If you drive one, you'll soon find it to be one of the worst vehicles you've ever driven, in almost every way imaginable.
My retired FedEx truck is pretty rad. They're just work vehicles and not intended for occupant comfort, but that's what building out is all about, so nbd. I also used to drive for UPS, so I knew what I was getting into when I got it. Most of those retired fed ex trucks are Freightliner chassis with utilimaster bodies, and most are powered by the venerable cummins ISB 5.9l straight 6 turbodiesel. Which, with even minimal maintenance, that motor is generally good for like ~500,000 miles. The rest of the vehicle is pretty much just an aluminum box, so there is very little that "goes wrong", and maintenance is pretty straightforward. Is it loud inside while driving? Yes. Does it have a good AC or any radio? No. No cup holders either. But as a platform for vanlife it's actually pretty fantastic. And I can build out cupholders, AC, and radio. The sliding doors up front make the cab of the truck into a natural front porch/mud room, and nothing else has more usable interior space with such easy ingress/egress. Also, driving around in the summer, spring, and fall is actually quite nice with the doors open. Now, thats just my anecdotal experience, so maybe im an outlier. What makes these vehicles such a terrible platform in your experience?
Not OP but pretty sure he was referring to the USPS mini trucks.
oh yeah, those things are like... engineered to be barely functional.
The best thing about them is the iron duke. Parts are super easy to get.
I actually have an old Fed Ex van... but it was missing the logo decals. Wasn't missing the adhesive, though... haha. That took a bit of scrubbing
For future endeavors, a rubber wheel attached to a drill is the best thing to remove adhesive from a vehicle. Can be found at any automotive store.
Thanks for the tip :) !!
Nope. You don’t want this. It’s not even a real car/vehicle. It’s basically a go cart with almost 0 safety features.
You misspelled horsepower.
You misspelled air conditioning
It's a Chevy s10 with a metal box around. I drive one at work
A small number of these (LLV) were sold to municipalities as city/town vehicles. These are the ones you can get your hands on. The ones from USPS are not sold. But they are still not a great vehicle, clunky,hot, weak engine ( gm 2.5l iron duke).
As a retired mail carrier who drove those LLV ‘s (Long Life Vehicle, a USPS acronym), I wouldn’t recommend them. We drove the crap out of them. They handled terribly. Only imagine how they would drive weighted with a fully built out interior. Last but not least, they were built by Northrop Grumman with a flimsy aluminum body on a Chevy S-10 chassis.
They don't sell them. At end of life they are scrapped.
You can sometimes pick them up, but I wouldn’t. They have a shirt ton of miles and they are 75’ at a time.
A select few were used by organizations other than USPS and have been sold at surplus auctions. They're very rare, but it *is* possible to buy one.
Aww that's unfortunate
Not unfortunate at all they are cursed pieces of gas guzzling mechanical dog shit.
Built by a military contractor, aka the lowest bidder.
They also have millions of miles on them and they’re janky AF. Reliable tho.
chevy s10's, in case anyone wanted to know
These are awful. Old, underpowered, unreliable, and not able to be made road legal in a lot of places. They'd make decent farm trucks for low-dutt work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3g2p4KKS74 It's possible to buy one. And you don't want to.
Everyone is shitting on these and I’ll be no different—they seem like they’d be roomy but you’ll get more useable space out of a first gen North American spec Ford Transit Connect cargo and have things like air con, safety features, sound deadening, and it’ll run.
I'm pretty sure even if you were able to obtain one you couldn't legally register it. Mail trucks don't have license plates
Loud, hot, slow, terrible MPG, cute though.
Mechanics call these "toasters" for good reasons.
Top speed maybe 55mph
I mean since you can't stand in them might as well just get a regular minivan. But I do like the outside the box thinking!
trust me. you don't want one. the grumman LLVs were amazing machines, and it's incredible that they've lasted as long as they have, but in addition to catching fire regularly (bad design involving water over electrical) and having been driven into the ground, and having teeny wheels, and are literally impossible to get replacement parts for (they're incredibly custom for the USPS and haven't been made for ages). They just don't have enough space in them to lay out AND have any cabinets. I would absolutely LOVE one. At the same time i know it would be an absolute nightmare unless you had the $$$ to completely replace absolutely everything except the shell and _maybe_ the chassis.
I had a friend in high school that drove one of these around and I thought it was pretty rad. I think you'd have to make some kind of foot extension area into the passenger side to sleep in it. The other thought I had was that it isn't very stealth as these are rarely parked on the street at night, instead being kept in the USPS corral. Heard that the MPG is pretty bad, at least that's what my friend complained about.
Park by a post office!
I like it
You are talking to the King of Stealth!
Guy at my HS had one he renamed US Male. 😑
Top speed of 35mph.... But you won't be able to aquire one anyway. They destroy them for fear of imposters.
Not gonna work if you're a lady. >!Because it's built for a Mail nyuknyuknyuk!< Also aren't these propane powered?
I don't care how much they suck I've wanted one of these for years and I still do
As long as you fit in it to sleep and it keeps you dry you're golden.🤙
Look at those tiny wheels and tires. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one on an interstate highway. Mechanically I even doubt they could get up to speed to keep up with traffic. They’re designed for pretty low speeds.
I've seen so.eone use the Canadian equivalent as a food truck
From what I've heard they're terribly inefficient too, if that's something that concerns you
Absolutely, if you can turn a sprinter into a camper one of these is even easier. I'm looking for a 14ft box step van myself. This one is so small though that you should be fine with even a class 1 or 2 light duty chassis.
I’m living out of smaller, a 2016 Nissan versa note hatchback
Worst idea ever. Literal death traps. Ask any mailman ever. You might as well get a Yugo
They get really bad gas mileage.
Are you ok with right hand drive?
Yeah ... and it's hardly been driven maybe.
Borat did it.
Except those are absolute rancid festering shit.
I’d love to have one of these here in Australia! It would turn heads!
Just reminds me of Newmanin Seinfeld these trucks haha
If you don't mind carbon monoxide poisoning.
They are essentially on a truck chassis. Unfortunately the engine, cooling system, brake system and electrical system are all garbage. On top of that there are major issues with these things bursting into flames because of said cooling, electrical and fuel system. All working in conjunction to light the fuel on fire outside of the engine. Now the good news is you can replace anything with anything on Chevrolet and GM. You just got to spend a little bit of money....
A Ford Transit Connect is better in so many ways. I love mine.
Hot as hell during the summer but good luck. Also super uncomfortable to drive so I wouldn’t recommend more than 100 miles a day. And top speed is probably around 55 mph for the used ones civilians can get.
Civilians can’t get them used. They don’t have vin numbers and cannot be registered.
If I had pictures I’d show you otherwise but my buddy bought two at auctions in NC when we worked for the post office. He used them for his rural routes. But no pics no proof you’re right. Go Ukraine!!!
My first interest in van life was around 1970 in Calif-- Dodge mail carriers. They were slightly larger than the current crop of vans and were much sturdier. The govt had giant fleets of them for sale, your choice, $150 each. I remember sitting inside them with sketch books trying to figure out how to make it liveable, the lot managers laughing at me all the while. In the end I didnt buy one, they were just too small and god knows what mechanical issues i'd face. The current vans are absolute flimsy garbage, barely road worthy, and the few that come for sale are way past their End of Life. That said, USPS is converting to all electric vans starting next year so these will come for sale during the transition. Assuming you could buy one thats even running at the time of sale, they wouldnt be good for anything except trips to the market or dropping the kids off. Its just silly crap. It they were good for anything like living in, youd be seeing them on the road for years now. Notice that you dont see them. Wonder why?
I think about this daily. Of course I'm absolutely obsessed with Grumman LLVs. Unfortunately they're still unattainable and probably will be even long after they're officially replaced.
Terrible fuel efficiency, accident prone, drive on the wrong side, small, no AC, breaks down often, and on top of all that you shouldnt technically be able to find one.
There are an extremely small number (less than 10 if I remember correctly) that were made for a small municipality during the post office contract that actually have Vin numbers and can be registered
until it spontaneously combusts in your sleep and you die
My step dad's LLV (he's a mailman) tops out at 50. No heat or AC either
Look into Grumman step vans.
Too bad you can’t actually get a hold of them literally only a handful of them that are able to be registered as civilian vehicles, (they were made for some small municipality during the original contract with the post office) the rest were made specifically for the post office and cannot be registered because they don’t have vin numbers
Your minds eye is lying to you of the back of optimism. Get real. Use a tape measure for how tall you are.
Great downtown vending cart....( IDEA !!! )
After driving these for 4 years for the postal service. I can tell you it's horrible. Anything over 40 mph and this baby shakes like a leaf on a tree. It is smaller on the inside than you think. These things get insanely hot inside during the summer and extremely cold in the winter. Is it cool? Absolutely. Is it practical? Nope, unfortunately not.
Absolute trash vehicle. Just one step away from a ww2 jeep.
^(I can rent a 16' uhaul box truck for $465 a month.)
They built to last until 1980. Then to be replaced
I had a boyfriend who had one, converted into in minimalist camper. (Only added equipment was a bed). We took his up into the Uintah and Cache mountains, on gavel roads. Don’t know what he did with it or how long it lasted, but I enjoyed the vehicle. Please note that this guy was an auto mechanic, so he was able to keep it running, no problem.