Brad Murray: GMC 3500 Diesel Savannah Van

When you have a big job to do, you need a big vehicle to tote around the stuff you need to do it, and William & Mary grad Brad Murray has plenty of stuff both for business and pleasure.

The local electrician uses his GMC van to haul all his wiring gear as well as to tow his sailboat to the shore when it's time to take a break.

"Not having a back seat is great," he says, "when I'm working, but it's not so great if I want to take friends along to the Outer Banks."

Murray got his ride– which he calls the "toughest van ever made"– from a dealer who got it at a Dominion Power auction. Apart from its hauling capacity, Murray says he loves the fact that it's "tricked out" with a satellite radio and leather seats.

But even with those amenities and its heft, he still finds it doesn't have much appeal where it counts: "Women just don't like it," he moans.

That drawback and the lousy gas mileage 16mpg still aren't enough to make Murray regret his purchase. "It's the best ride I've ever had," he says. "That's one sweet van."

Brad Murray
PHOTO BY ROSALIND WARFIELD-BROWN