https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQJKQjXpGQA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KiC03_wVjc
In Europe, a Ford Transit is just what the local plumber or electrician drives. It's a no-nonsense work tool. In America, thanks to what I assume is decades of media tropes, the same van is portrayed as the getaway car in a heist or the “creepy unmarked van” parents warn their kids about.
It’s as if a hammer were seen as suspicious because it could be used in a crime.
But, you're correct that we don't see as many plain old work vans in the US. It's either big pick-ups or box vans.
Ford Transit vans have absolutely no such negative connotation.
Yet. Give it 5-10yr depending on region.
Because they're mostly new enough and substantially less robust and more expensive to deal with so they are in the service of nicer newer fleets, not your local courier who also sells coke, and they don't as frequently remain economically viable as commercial vehicles into the really low rungs of the economic ladder.
Despite being a "modern looking" Euro van the average 04ish Mercedes Sprinter (sold as Dodge/Freightliner/Serling in the US) absolutely gives off the same "free candy" vibes as a clapped out Ford/Chevy van because of how old they are. The Transit in the US isn't that old yet. You see plenty of Transit Connects that are just about there though. Give it a few more years for the big ones.
Its the same way in America. White vans are ubiquitous, used by plumbers / etc. IRL, people don't even take note of them because they're just unremarkable and extremely common.
The media trope is mostly just that, a media trope. Insofar as white vans have any real association with crime it's probably just because criminals will favor whatever windowless vehicle is the least attention grabbing and white vans are strong contenders for that.
It says in the article. It was because they were relatively quick because they were light (it is just panels) and had lots of room.
There are also legends in my local area of a Transit with a v8. Apparently nothing can could beat it on the road. Considering how fast truck cabs are unladen I can believe it.
There are other British Cars that were favoured by criminals because of their sear speed. The Lotus Carlton being another one and the infamous 40RA number plate.
Ford.com says that the 2025 base model Transit "starts at" $47,400.00.
From a quick search, the average "take" in a bank robbery is about 10% of that.
Average gigs for starting bands pay far less. But on the upside, "facing the music" is not as bad in that line of work.
Suggestion for current-day bands and bank robbers:
> Out on the road, it rattles and bangs and occasionally jumps out of gear.
> Disconcertingly, there's no seatbelt, the seat itself has an alarming tendency to move around, and the brakes don't seem to do very much at all.
I have a friend who collects and restores classic cars, and it is mindblowing how polished modern vehicles are (despite attempts by Ford et al to fill them with the world's shittest software so that you sometimes have to pull over and power cycle (restart) your car just to fix the GD radio). If you haven't ridden in a vehicle 50 years or older in a while, and you get a chance to, take it!
Exactly. The progress just keeps adding up and for far enough comparison points it's a categorical difference.
Always gives me a chuckle when you get some geniuses in the comments screeching about how their 70s/80s/90s Camry (or whatever, but let's be real here it's usually a Toyota product) was hot shit when even showroom new it was incredibly rough by modern standards.
potato3732842•6mo ago
I completely understand why Europe loves them though. They don't expect to play truck with their vans and of the Euro vans it's arguably the best one (I hope the Mercedes fanboys take offense to that statement).
bookofjoe•6mo ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_E-Series
>Ford E-Series chassis cabs and cutaways to survive mass Transit onslaught [UPDATE]
https://www.autoblog.com/news/ford-e-series-chassis-cabs-con...
unethical_ban•6mo ago
linksnapzz•6mo ago