Ford makes a 15-passenger E-series ("econoline"; -usually E350, I think) which is common as muck and easy to fix. -Don't know if they came with Powerstroke Diesel motors or not, but if they did, that's your ticket. You can pull the last row of seats for instrument/baggage storage if you wish -Just think about security (as you would with a bus) before you leave anything inside it, since it has a lot of window area.
The Armada -or anything like it- will be useless when it comes to the flexibility which you need, and anyhow, Wavebourne plainly didn't read the bit about the price restriction... :roll: :wink:
Just be aware that ALL vehicles which you are looking at are prone to rollover and about as safe as a 20% glass box on roller wheels... -which is basically what they are. Accident avoidance is about as good as the school bus, brakes and steering are marginal, and a combination use of the two at speed will roll the vehicle over.
That goes for Ford, Dodge, Chevy and everyone else in this market. -Also, "five-star crash rating" means bugger-all, because the guv'mint sets the bar MUCH lower for trucks and commercial vehicles, which these are. -Even the Armada is crash-tested to commercial vehicle status. -In an impact with a tree, you're better off in a Honda accord.
Keith