Small vans are dead in the U.S., and when they were a thing, not too many did passenger van duty. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Ford Transit Connect is one of the few that did. Will its price make Van Life all the more appealing?
Now, before we get into the results on yesterday’s 1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback, we need to determine just where exactly you stand on the proper pronunciation of the model’s name. Do you call it “Sell-ica” like a sane, normal person, or “SEE-lica” like the British? Heaven forbid you pronounce it “Sell-EE-ca” like it’s some sort of Latin Grammys contender.
No matter which way your mouth works, most of your fingers were clicking that No Dice button over the Liftback’s $19,950 price tag as quickly as they could. The result was an 80 percent No Dice loss.
Speaking of how one’s mouth works, I can tell you that mine likes chicken. I like fried chicken. I like Jacques Pépin’s Chicken Livers in Port Sauce. I especially like grocery store rotisserie chicken, both for its taste and for its versatility.
What I’m not too crazy about is a chicken tax.
What became known as the “Chicken Tax” is a 25% tariff levied on light trucks imported into the U.S. The tariff was imposed in 1964 via an executive order issued by President Johnson in retaliation for European tariffs on American chicken imports. Hence the funny name.
To maintain price competitiveness, many foreign manufacturers had to look for creative ways around the tariff. Those included importing incomplete vehicles and undertaking final assembly in the U.S., or, alternatively, sending vehicles that are outfitted in a way that skirts the rule and then converting them after import.
When Ford’s bean counters decided to import the company’s small commercial van, the Transit Connect in 2007, they took the second tack, bringing over the models as passenger vehicles, and then removing the seats and windows in a U.S. shop near the port of entry. The company eventually got into a little trouble for doing so.
As this 2012 Transit Connect proves, not all of the models lost their passenger model props. Not only does this 147,104-mile example still have all its windows and two rows of seats, but it’s painted in arrest-me red rather than the more common for the model refrigerator white.
According to the dealer’s description, this is an XLT Premium passenger van. That means it has most of its lesser brethren’s options as standard features. Don’t get the idea that it’s all that fancy though.
At just 180 inches long, the Focus-related Transit Connect is certainly compact. Despite that, it can swallow up to 129 cubic feet of cargo as long as that cargo includes the three-place rear bench. If you need it all, that bench can be removed.
Part of that space is afforded by the extended roof. That offers great headroom for things like Marge Simpson hair or Abe Lincoln hats. The seating is all upholstered in patterned gray cloth partnered with similarly colored plastics giving the interior a bright and cheery appearance. There’s plenty of body-colored metal in here too. Enough to make sure that passengers don’t forget the van’s commercial origins.
Powering the Transit Connect is a 2.0-liter DOHC Duratec four-cylinder with 136 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque. Mated to that is the standard four-speed 4F27E automatic. No, the Transit Connect won’t be winning any races, but it’s at least more economical than a full-sized van. And less creepy too!
Adding to the van’s attractions are two sets of wheels, one with all-season tires and the other wearing winter meats. They are all the same steel wheel style so don’t get them confused! Another plus is a versatile roof rack. That will probably require a step ladder to utilize, but it’s handy to have nonetheless.
The title is clean and the van comes with what the dealer says is a “Key Warranty.” I guess that means that the dealer warrants that the van will come with a key.
What might someone do with a small and somewhat basic passenger van like this? I think the possibilities are endless. Before we can get to that sort of dreaming, however, we need to get down to this Ford’s $12,995 price.
What do you think, is this Transit Connect passenger van worth that kind of cash? Or, for that much, does it lose the connection?
You decide!
York, Pennsylvania, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!
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