As the thread title says, I'd like to get a car cover for my van - what should I be looking for? What things should I be wary of?

The primary reason for getting the car cover is that I'd like to make it less of an eyesore when it is parked in my driveway (by covering it up).

I have a 1987 Chevrolet G20 van. 350 V8 engine. Two front doors, a sliding side door, and two rear doors.

It would easily win a top prize in any "Ugliest Van on Earth" contest (if they had such a thing - do they?) - peeling paint, plenty of rust, minor body damage, a couple of small holes through the floor. You get the picture.

I am the original owner. Less than 120K miles on it. On a good day it will almost get 10 miles per gallon.

I have not taken particularly good care of it, but it still runs, and it's useful for the occasional trip to the dump.

It fills a need for me, and it's not very expensive to keep it around - insurance, gas, small annual property tax, occasional need to replace rusted-out exhaust system components, etc.

I've seen ads for custom car covers costing $600 or more, but that is way, way too much - the car cover would cost many times what the car is worth.

Can I expect to find something serviceable for $100 or $150 that is not total garbage and will last a few years?

Are there any brand names to look for? Brand names to avoid? Places to shop for reasonably-priced ones?

I have no experience at all with car covers, so I have no good frame of reference to help me find the right one.

Some pix of the beast:

Some house paint would be cheaper than a cover and look better

OP, this is an old source so I don't know if he's still around but try this:

TIG/Cover-Up Enterprises
Jim Swartz
in Blue Bell, PA

phone 800 268 3757
or 215 654 0252

I bought a cover from him for my Supra about 10 years ago, and price was reasonable.

HTH

Thanks - I didn't find the business name in a quick google search, but I will consider giving him a call.

Any other suggestions would be welcome...

A big 'ol rape van will be more obvious under a giant car tent...just saying

Any others have experience with such car covers?

A decent cover will cost more than the value of the van.
LMGTFY

But I already mentioned that in the OP - there are less expensive car covers that are advertised, but I'm looking for first-hand experience with such things.

Get a surplus parachute, drape it over van and pin it to be somewhat form-fitting, then take it to a canvas or sail repair shop to be sewn. Or get a snap kit and do it yourself. Add straps to secure it to the vehicle.

It's a creative solution - that has gotten me thinking.

I wonder whether DIY may be practical - it does not have to look perfect- I'll have to investigate materials and costs - something like 'Sunbrella' or other top brands from a vendor like Sailrite may be too expensive, but maybe there are alternatives that would make sense.

For example, maybe repurposing a tent or tent fabric, or possibly a 'garage-in-a-box' cover might be do-able.

The other solution that I'm considering is putting an L-shaped vinyl fence around two sides of it to block the view.

That van deserves only the best multiple Harbor Freight tarps tied together and held down with bricks