Hey,
I just got back to a 6400 mile trip all over the West of Canada in a 2004 GMC Express 3500 (Roadtrek conversion) and noted it had some differences from my 1991 Dodge Ram B250 (also Roadtrek conversion).
I guess the biggest difference between brands is that the brake booster on the GMC uses hydraulic pressure from the power steering instead of the manifold vacuum. It worked well so I can't complain.
The one thing I did not like is that the Tow/Haul button on the GMC does not give engine braking on hills which is annoying. You have to shift into 3rd for that in the GMC and hit a button on the dash on the Dodge to turn off the O/D. My preference is a button on the end of the shifter stalk like my 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 had.
The suspension on each of the vans was pretty much the same, all greaseable parts up front but the GMC had sealed front wheel bearings which is nice.
As you may or may not know, the GMC side door will hit the front passenger door when it is partially open so that is something that always needs to be watched for. One thoughtless move and you're off to get the side door polished or painted. I had a system down with the wife so we did not run into a problem thankfully.
The Dodge wheelbase was better as it was shorter. I had a hard time finding enough space to turn the GMC around or park it as it was about the same length as the Dodge but the rear wheels were much further back. I also jumped a few curbs at first...
The GMC leather front captain chairs are top notch. Dodge seats wear fast in my experience. Toyota and VW also make good long lasting seats.
The GMC would not take fuel unless it was on flat ground but that may have been a conversion problem. The 6 litre engine was great, certainly more power than the 318 in all circumstances.
Overall, the Dodge has twice the miles the GMC has and the Dodge is also twice the age but a good van is a good van. I did not like the wheelbase of the GMC at all but it was a more heavy duty vehicle and had more horsepower. I'm getting my van back when it returns from the East Coast and do not plan on replacing it but I will be upgrading it a bit.
What I will be doing is putting in leather captains chairs out of a newer GMC van, getting better shocks, changing the offset of the wheels, and trying to figure out if anything can be done with the 318 to give it more torque/power. I'll also be getting LT tires next time around.
Cheers, Steve

 

try some RESTORE in your van engine
takes a can every oil change or 5,000 miles if you use synthetic
By the second can I did feel a difference in acceleration and power

 

Happen to own a Chevy 3500 (6.0)express and a 94 B350 and being a Mopar man for 30+ years I'm biased.
After being the owner of 5+ Dodge vans I can speak with knowledge. Enjoyed ever one in fact I still regret selling a 1989 B350 one of the best vehicles I ever owned.

That being said the 1 ton Express rides, handles, brakes better and the seats are more comfortable but it does not pull a trailer as well as the shorter wheelbase extended Dodge. If I had to pull a 30' camper the Dodge hands down, not sure why but the 1 ton (5.9) Dodges pull heavy trailers well.

 

Not really fair to compare a 1991 to a 2004 in any circumstance.

 

I'm not so sure, vans are more utilitarian than anything. If it gets the job done it stays on the road.

I guess I can give a run-down on my 1987 Ford Econoline E-150. The inline 6 was excellent. That's it. The C6 which does not have overdrive was terrible because of that single flaw. The front axles had king pins and no adjustability so I had to get them re-bent in Tennessee once! The fuel economy was terrible and did not change when running empty or double allowable vehicle weight. I am not sure it even had intermittent wipers...I think I had to do that manually with the controls on the dash? That was the only van I had with a sliding side door. I don't have a preference, that's just the way it was.

I would say to keep away from 1/2 ton vans. They have too much space and it is very easy to be overloaded. Some minivans out-class the 1/2 ton vans.

Heading back around to the original comment there are some things that you will get with a newer van:
-Serpentine belt(s)
-ODBII fuel injection (no distributor, better data, etc)
-Air bags
-ABS
-non-serviceable hubs

When you have a conversion van like a Roadtrek there will be some extra creature comforts as the decades change but not a whole lot. These companies are very traditional and don't make radical changes. Newer units have propane tank monitoring, inverter/charger unit, grinder pump, solar cells, and better fridges.

Pricing is something along these lines:
-1991 Dodge 2500 Roadtrek, $8,000
-2004 Chevy 3500 Roadtrek, $28,000
-2014 Chevy 3500 Roadtrek, $85,000

The 1991 does it for me. I mentioned a few things I am going to upgrade as the differences between the vans are not enough for me to climb off my wallet and get a newer one.

Cheers, Steve

 

Don't get me wrong, totally respecting your opinion, knowledge and experience. It's just the years in question and technology are so far a part, it doesn't seem fair. Just my opinion, of course.

 

What he said.

Pintos and Gremlins were actually perfectly decent cheap transportation in their day, but that doesn't mean either would be a good choice today. I liked both: go ahead, make fun of me But I owned a couple of each - 3 pintos, 2 Gremlins - and I thought they were great! inexpensive and completely reliable in my experience. But yeah, by todays standards there are far better options.

I wouldn't own anything made by GM based on customer cars I've worked on and the 5 I picked up over time (liens,etc). I would never buy one. But did rent a six speed 2008 GM (gasoline) 2 ton Budget rental truck that I loaded hard and ran over 900 miles and it was powerful and better than avg gas milage. So I guess never say never.

Stick to Ford and Dodge(trucks) and stay away from minivans, and you won't go wrong. Just my opinion.