The best used cars to buy if you are a plumber

Plumbers must carry all sorts of tools and supplies. If you are running plumbing in a large building, or even a decent sized house, you will need a vehicle with a light carrying capacity. The car won't run...

Plumbers must carry all sorts of tools and supplies. If you're running plumbing in a large building, or even a decent-sized house, you'll need a vehicle with a fairly large payload capacity. The car won't cut it. You need a used cargo van.

With that in mind, we evaluated a range of full-size vans and identified five that we think are best suited for a plumber. Here they are, in order from smallest to largest.

Chevrolet Express: The smallest van on our list, the Chevy Express, has a maximum cargo volume of 284.4 cubic feet, a length of 146.2 inches, a height of 53.4 inches and a wheel arch spacing of 52.7 inches. The most powerful engine available is the V8 turbodiesel. This van is relatively small when it comes to the full size class, but it handles well and will probably fit most plumbers.
Ford E-350 Ecomoline: The Econoline has a maximum volume of 309.4 cubic feet, a length of 140.6 inches, a height of 51.9 inches and a wheel well spacing of 51.6 inches. The 6.8-liter V10 is the most powerful engine. It works well in traffic and you will find that you can go around and around without difficulty.
Nissan NV 2500/3500 HD: The Nissan NV has a cargo capacity of 323.1 cubic feet, a length of 120 inches, a height of 76.9 inches and a wheel arch spacing of 54.3 inches. The 5.6-liter V8 is the most powerful engine available. There's not much more room than the Express or Econoline, but then again, it should work well for most home plumbers.
Ford Transit: Here's where we up the ante, with 496 cubic feet of cargo space, 171.5 inches long, 81.4 inches high and 54.8 inches wide between the wheel arches. The 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 engine is the most powerful engine and since it produces 350 hp.
Ram ProMaster: You won't get much bigger than the ProMaster, with a maximum payload of 529.7 cubic feet, 160 inches long, 85.5 inches high and 55.9 inches wide between the wheel arches. This van isn't built for speed, but it's huge and very reliable.

Of the vans we've reviewed, these five stand out as being the most suitable for a plumber.