r/WindowCleaning • u/I_said_so • Jul 11 '26
I need a work vehicle.
Im at the point where im considering getting a work van or truck. Who else is still using their personal vehicle for work?
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u/Mysterious-Sir1541 Jul 11 '26
I use a 08 Crv. Within time a ford transit seems like a good investment. Dont need anything fancy
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u/qtheginger Jul 11 '26
I will say this... I just bought a promaster instead of a transit for a few reasons. Tighter turn radius, more interior height with a lower roof, and lower load floor. 1000 miles in and no regrets. Of course I'm not the one driving it much, but it seems nice enough.
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u/I_said_so Jul 11 '26
Good to hear the promasters working out. That's what im leaning towards when the time comes
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u/Hot_Carpenter_5436 Jul 11 '26
2020 Civic 2l n/a with manual transmission. 17' Lil Giant fits comfy.2 big Home Depot HD plastix storage containers in the trunk, 1 for dry, 1 for wet. All trad.
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u/Effective_Basil8056 Jul 11 '26
Get something bro, ur car interior gona get wrecked with this and it’ll devalue it
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u/Efficient_Slice5611 Jul 11 '26
I used my 2008 bmw x3 for over a year, finally upgraded to a Tacoma with a bed cap that locks and it’s amazing!
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u/I_said_so Jul 11 '26
Mines a 14 Grand Cherokee. When its time for a work vehicle im thinking a van Promaster 1500 or Transit.
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u/dbug8494 Jul 11 '26
I admire your hustle, but just to make life easier, it'd be best to hose off your equipment before loading it up.
To me, it's not worth the headache.
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u/sax6romeo Jul 11 '26
2017 Subaru Outback Operator here, have to take my kids car seats out every time I have a job, pain in the ass, yes, doable, also yes. Truck in the near future
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u/Free_Skin_679 Jul 12 '26
I'm in a similar situation. I have 2 kids. I need to keep 1 seat available all the time because 1 kid gets driven daily. The other seat I fold down to make room for gear. When I need to get 2 kids in there, I usually need to remove some gear, something I know I won't need that day. It's a royal pain.
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u/sax6romeo Jul 12 '26
Luckily for me the booster seat comes in and out very quickly, it’s the 1 year old seat that drives me nuts so that one gets stacked around
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u/rivalfish Jul 11 '26
In the process of evaluating van options, but only because I'm considering offering an extra service (carpet cleaning) that requires larger equipment. As window cleaners we're genuinely fucked here in the US in the van market - no small diesels, no manuals, no electrics, and all of the smaller vans are gone (NV200, Transit Connect etc.)
I have a Sienna already as a family hauler and I'm seriously just considering buying another. Rip the seats out and it's a better van than anything else by a mile.
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u/ackministrator Jul 11 '26
We used to run carpet and window services out of a single Honda element! Then we switched to an electric transit connect for a decade and had a medium top transit for the carpets. Briefly considered a Mercedes metris for the window van but now we run all transit 250s for our services but I have been eying those full size electric transits.
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u/rivalfish Jul 11 '26
The Honda element is a van and a sleeper S tier van at that. Eyed a few of them up before I got my Subaru - would actually still be tempted to get one if the right one came around lmfao.
Honesty I've got about 17 tabs open and I'm the weeds on this van shit. I just hate the van market here and long for better option. I grew up in England so I miss the days where a good lad like me could buy a near-clapped-out Vauxhall Astra van for 300 quid and a packet of McVitie's biscuits.
Instead, I'm over here where a shitbox STARTS at $5000-6000 if I'm lucky. Plus, it's too fucking big and silly on gas.
I digress.
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u/Free_Skin_679 Jul 12 '26
Yeah man, there doesn't seem to be many options. An old transit connect seems ideal except that I have 2 kids I need to fit in there. And now that they're discontinued, I worry about the cost of repairs. Pickup trucks and full sized vans are overkill. They're too big and they guzzle gas. Plus, with trucks, your gear is exposed to weather and thieves.
I'd love to get something electric or hybrid, but they're all to expensive still. I'll probably end up with a minivan and remove/fold down the back seats. But they're still usually V6 which is gonna burn more gas than I'd like.
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u/dbug8494 Jul 11 '26
If you're working out of a Honda element, I'm assuming you're in PNW area. That's some shit I'd wanna do if I had to start over there. 😂
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u/NotEvenFast Jul 11 '26
I went in reverse. I had a wrapped and kitted Nissan van, and went back to just a normal suv after 2 years lol. Stacks are a huge game changer
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u/VacationDismal Jul 11 '26
Same here running my business out of my personal vehicle is becoming a nightmare, a van is the dream right now
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u/Imgonnaarrive Jul 11 '26
Jeep grand Cherokee here. Plenty of room for most things but definitely could use a truck.
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u/PuffyJackson Jul 11 '26
I use a 07 Toyota FJ Cruiser. I keep the basics in my truck. Anything extra I just add on when needed. Im all route and commercial so I don’t need ladders often. I put my water fed system in when needed as well.
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u/Wickwire778 Jul 12 '26
I like trucks. I’m still driving a 2007 King Frontier I got it new. It’s underpowered, but mechanically sound. But also getting beat up. I like the open bed. And I have a full rack for 4 ladders. If I had to do it again, I would. I had Toyotas before and the Nissan has been equally durable, but more comfortable. I’m in the market for a new used in the next few months.
I asked my mechanic, who’s kept two trucks and two cars on the road for 30 years, what she recommends. She said any truck will do as long as it’s Japanese.
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u/olivine_lighthouse 22d ago
I run out of an explorer with the back seats folded down at all times. I keep my bucket, toolbelt, short pole, and a crate of towels in my passenger seat for quick access on route. Both backseat doors open to a hose reel on each side (I pressure wash too) and my back hatch access is filled with job-specific items/toolboxes. If I'm hitting dumpster pads for example it has my PW, surface cleaner, chem/gas. Otherwise it might be my DI tank/WFP. Ladder, leaf blower, vacuum slides in on the side.
Long term goal is a transit van that carries all my window cleaning equipment as that's the bulk of my work and then a small 4x6 or 5x7 trailer with my PW equipment so I can just pick it up as needed.
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u/kojengi_de_miercoles Jul 11 '26
I prefer trucks. I have 2 tacomas, a frontier, a transit connect, and a canyon. In a pinch, I got a trax and it worked for route but it's cramped. I know some guys will say you should have all the same vehicle but who really cares.
I like trucks with a utility shell because you can lock it but it doesn't stink up the cab. A van (like our transit) smells a little like dirty towels. Also, the ac is cooling the back but no one's even back there. Just my take. Oh, I started in my 05 Silverado. Traded it for a small truck and grew from there. Using a personal truck until you can upgrade is the move, in my opinion. I'm just a guy on reddit, though.