Curbside Classic Outtake: The Un-Econoline Illegal Alien Van

Paul Niedermeyer
by Paul Niedermeyer
curbside classic outtake the un econoline illegal alien van

You’re driving along, and from a distance it looks like just another one of a million white Econoline vans with ladders on top parked in front of the job site. But wait a minute…

The silhouette alone is all wrong: it sits way too low. That load floor is just a small step from the road.

A VW Transporter; FWD, with a little TDI four cylinder and a stick shift. Where did that come from? It certainly was never sold here legally. I’m guessing Canada, given the tell-tale rust streaks. Well, if Ford isn’t going to build a modern FWD Transit van, one has to take matter into one’s own hands.

The “r” must have fallen off a long time ago, or?

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  • BigDuke6 BigDuke6 on Sep 27, 2010

    "Negative, it’s “transport” in French (or “transporteur” if you’re going for a direct translation), and I can’t think of any example of a car model ever getting a Quebec-specific name." Well you could say the Buick "Allure" was Quebec-specific since GM Canada didn't want to call it's proper name LaCrosse. They've since changed their minds. I guess they had other more important things to concentrate on...........

  • Zbnutcase Zbnutcase on Sep 27, 2010

    Looks like a slammed T1N Sprinter at a glance...

  • Tassos ask me if I care.
  • ToolGuy • Nice vehicle, reasonable price, good writeup. I like your ALL CAPS. 🙂"my mid-trim EX tester is saddled with dummy buttons for a function that’s not there"• If you press the Dummy button, does a narcissist show up spouting grandiose comments? Lol.
  • MaintenanceCosts These are everywhere around here. I'm not sure the extra power over a CR-V hybrid is worth the fragile interior materials and the Kia dealership experience.
  • MaintenanceCosts It's such a shame about the unusable ergonomics. I kind of like the looks of this Camaro and by all accounts it's the best-driving of the current generation of ponycars. A manual 2SS would be a really fun toy if only I could see out of it enough to drive safely.
  • ToolGuy Gut feel: It won't sell all that well as a new vehicle, but will be wildly popular in the used market 12.5 years from now.(See FJ Cruiser)
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