Is it possible to have a six star review? We had a somewhat unique experience with these guys…read moredeserving of a review of that caliber.
In general, the reservation process and email communication went fine - there were a few minor mixups along the way, but they were swiftly reconciled after I pointed them out via email (we changed our reservation dates and a few fees automatically applied, etc). A good primer for the overall vintage van experience - give yourself a bit of time to work things out, don't push it too hard, keep in touch with the staff and it will be great.
We did a fall shoulder-season rental to take advantage of the slightly lower rates for a longer rental. We were casually considering a early 2000s Eurovan purchase, so specifically targeted a 2001 model on their rental roster. This was (cue ominous music) the only post-1999 Eurovan they had available, so we were glad to have the option.
Due to no fault of their own, the trip went awry about halfway through. We had planned on a fairly long trip to Vancouver Island via the Southern Gulf Islands, not in miles driven, but geographically (multiple ferries, border crossing, etc), and the end of it would be pretty remote (west side of island), so when we had big mechanical issues we were *thankfully* still in cel phone range (with a minor international roaming fee). I won't go into the details, bc the important part is how immediately responsive they were to our situation from afar, via text, on a Sunday. They swiftly put us in touch with their emergency roadside service and after a bit (it was a sunday in rural canada, after all) a local character showed up to give us a hand. It turned out that it was the alternator, so we *just* made it down the hill from his shop to the local repair outfit in their network. Peace Vans said to make sure we were comfortable overnight (repair shop was closed till Monday) and they would cover any expenses. We stayed in town, and they later reimbursed us for the hotel, the airbnb rental we had elsewhere that we had to cancel, and the in town taxi from the dead van to the hotel - very generous!
In the morning, I walked down to drop the keys off as the shop opened and they were already in touch w Peace Vans. We had a nice breakfast and waited for news, which initially seemed good (found a alternator option - vintage parts being a bit scarce out in the hinterlands). However, after we set sail again over the horizon there was a big thump and the engine started smoking (later learned the mechanics did not quite mount the serpentine belt correctly and it slipped off, it is apparently complicated). At this point we were in danger of our trip being a bit derailed, as it initially seemed like it might be a bigger deal. While we were waiting for the tow truck, we conferred and decided to see if we could bail on the trip and just go on in a rental car, as per Peace Van policy. We coordinated with the office and they were very generous with the situation, swiftly understood our instance and agreed. Two hours later we were heading west in a new rental car, and after some back and forth on return, the refund(s) were posted.
The staff there confirmed that they were finding the Eurovans a bit...fragile...for bigger trips at this stage in their lifespan, and were contemplating just focusing on Vanagons. It is firmly off our future purchase list lol - but we are very impressed by the level of service, responsiveness, and decisiveness of Peace Vans in our sticky situation out in the wilds of Van Isle. We were able to rapidly change direction and have a great time out in Tofino, then drop the rental car in Victoria and passenger ferry back to SEA and home. In the end, it all ended up cancelling out on the balance sheet, we learned a lot, had a real adventure, met many friendly Canadien mechanic-types and had an impressive customer service experience with Peace Vans. As I said, is six stars possible? Thanks so much to them for all their help, before during and after our trip!