Choosing Your Dream Van
Choosing which van will become your new home is so exciting but also a little intimidating! There are soo many options and all of them have great qualities.. and less than great qualities. Before considering which van you should for, I recommend making a list of features and elements that you definitely want it to include. This will make it easier for you to narrow it down once you start your research.
Some vans are already built out and ready you to leave tomorrow while others will take a few months but have a perfectly customized design just for you! So what’s more important? Budget can also be a big factor and I encourage you to do your best to stick to your budget! You will find one, and you’ll want that extra money for traveling and experiences versus putting all of it into just the van.
That being said, let’s figure out which van is best for you and will make for a wonderful home on the road!
SPRINTER
The Sprinter van has become an incredibly popular choice among the van life community because of it’s size and conversion abilities inside. Personally, I think they are just beautiful vans all around. It has a high roof option allowing you to easily stand up inside with plenty of head space. It also has a few different wheelbase lengths if you are looking for a van that can fit into a standard parking space or wanting to get something a little bigger. Due to the popularity, you can easily find numerous conversion guides that will walk you through your build which is amazing if this is your first project of it’s kind.
The downside of the Sprinter is that they are all Mercedes- made whether it’s Dodge, Freightliner, or clearly marked as Mercedes- Benz. This makes the price for them really high even with miles over 200K.
The parts for Sprinters are way more expensive than other comparable vans. They are known to have transmissions problems, exhaust system issues, and lots and lots of rust. The Sprinter I had was a 2012 and after breaking down on the road, needed a new exhaust system that ended up costing $8,000. A lot of these parts also come from Germany so it can take weeks for them to come in which means paying for a place to stay while you’re van is getting fixed. Also note, most mechanics can’t work on Mercedes so you’ll have to take it to the nearest dealership.
If you are looking for a van that you can easily convert into a comfortable living space with many layout guides that can help and are able to keep an emergency savings for expensive repairs, the Sprinter is a perfect choice.
FORD TRANSIT
My most recent van of choice! The Ford Transit also offers a really amazing empty canvas for you to customize any way that you’d like. The roof height is extremely tall at 6’8″ which allows tons of head space to be comfortable and walk around. Transits are also a wider than the Sprinter which gives you more room to play around with different ideas such as being able to sleep the width of the van instead of the length. This would give you a lot more space for a kitchen, bathroom, storage, etc. It’s also a Ford which means any mechanic can work on it and the parts are really inexpensive. This was the biggest reason for me going with the Transit because of the peace of mind that I most likely wouldn’t have a major repair costing thousands of dollars in my future.
Some “cons” for this van is that there are only newer models made in the US. So the option of getting an older van (such as a 2005 Sprinter with 250K miles) for a lower cost is out of the question. You’ll likely pay over $20,000 for a used Transit with roughly 50K miles. They are also not as popular in the van life community so if you are looking to purchase a conversion guide book to walk you through the process, it may be hard to find.
If you want a tall, customizable van that costs a little more up front but won’t cost you nearly as much in repairs and maintenance, the Transit is definitely the best option!
DODGE PROMASTER
The last euro- style van that I’ll talk about, and the reason I’m going in depth on these is because it seems they are becoming pretty popular choices. So I want to make sure you know the unique differences of each. The Dodge Promaster is the most square of all the previous options. This makes it perfect for conversions because the ceiling, cabinets, and other features won’t need to fit a rounder shape. They are also the cheapest option if you want a tall, customizable van. Promasters cost a lot less than the Transit and Sprinter so if you’re on a tighter budget but want this style van, the Promaster is your best bet.
That being said, the PM is a little bit shorter than the other options so you’ll have less space with the conversion. It also has a rear beam axle that sits below the centerline of the wheels. This basically means the clearance in the back is not great and you’ll need to be really careful going off road or even just driving on rougher roads all together. Lastly and maybe not as important, I’m not a big fan of the way this van looks. The front has an odd shape making the back look so boxy. But this may not be important to you or you may disagree completely!
VOLKSWAGON
Any VW van/bus is definitely the dream because they are the absolute classic “van life” van. The aesthetic of the Volkswagon bus just screams freedom, hippie, and super retro. They are beautiful and typically have a layout already put together inside. You can get a high top that allows you to stand up inside or a pop up top that would offer the same thing head space. Some pop up tops are used for the bed as well which means you can play around with more storage and ideas in the actual van. There is also a huge following of these Volkswagons’ so it wouldn’t be hard to make other VW traveling friends.
The downside here is that they are usually pretty old vehicles. It would be difficult to find one that doesn’t need some serious mechanical repairs. They’re also notorious for breaking down on the road so be prepared for break downs anytime, anywhere.
Volkswagon buses are the coolest on the market and should be seriously considered if you love the tradition and history behind them. As long as you have the money for the mechanical repairs, you’ll be fine!
FORD ECONOLINE & CHEVY EXPRESS
Probably the favorite among anyone on a tighter budget. These cargo vans can be purchased for a really low price with not many miles and the parts will be cheap to maintain and repair. They are super stealthy and essentially look like a work van. Cargo vans are completely empty and still offer plenty of space for a really cool conversion even though they are quite a bit smaller. The Vanual is a great resource to see how he converted his Chevy Express. These vans have also been on the market so long that finding cheap parts and mechanics to work on them should be extremely easy.
If you want a van tall enough to stand up inside but also don’t want to pay for the other more expensive options, look into a high- top conversion van. These are the same types of vans (Chevy Express, Ford Econoline, Dodge Ram Van) but have already been converted with a high- top roof and are also inexpensive. The only downside with these are that you will likely still need to completely re- build the inside because most of the conversion are older and not the greatest looking.
Check out Gnomad Home’s van to see what the high top conversion van looks like and what you can do inside!
Hopefully, this answered some of your questions and has helped narrow down your options. I know you want a perfect home but don’t get overly caught up in this step! It will certainly take some time to find the best van for you but don’t get stuck here because you’re nervous to take the leap. When you find one and you know you want to go for it, you gotta just do it! It’s scary but so worth it in the end.
Also, don’t feel like you have to have a fancy van for van life. Plenty of people travel full- time in their cars, minivans, motorcycles with tents, and SUVs that can actually make for a pretty cool layout. Whatever your budget is, you can definitely hit the road without having all the fluff.
Now let’s move on to the best part.. planning the layout!
First I wanna say that your blog is incredibly helpful ! However you should definitely include eco-friendly vans as well as some of us are more into that and we should promote that anyways. 🙂
Love love love your blog!!! This is everything I’ve been searching for from someone who is actually out there living it and has done the research. Now I have a better idea where to start, narrowing Can options.
Thank you for sharing and best of luck out there, keep up the good work her…following😁💕🥂
interested in a van,,,checking everything out!!!!
You forgot the Dodge Promaster’s biggest perk. The width is a bit wider so you can fit a queen bed without modification width wise.
Hi Sydney, thanks so much for this site and the info you’re offering! A question or two: are there specific benefits for choosing a euro-style van as opposed to typical older style USA-type cargo van? I’ve JUST started considering this stuff, I don’t know if Ford/GM even offer those type vans anymore anyway. If not I’d have to go used, which is good if you can get a newer one w/low miles. One thing I KNOW I want is 4X4 or AWD which, if I get the “USA” van let’s call it, I’d have to have it converted in the case of Ford. I’ve seen AWD GMC Safari, so I know at least that I can get. Do the “EURO” vans come all-wheel drive? If so, is yours AWD? Trying to get the first thing on the list sorted 😉
Hi Sydney! I am putting together all the tips and info I can regarding van conversion, and I love this website!!
I wanted to ask you something about the Transit, as I think it’s the one I am going to go for. You said it comes really tall, would you happen to know if that is a standard size for high roof, or does it vary? And also, I know it’s a weird question, but how tall are you? I’m trying to figure out if I really need as high roof as the Transit by comparing your height with mine, because maybe I don’t need the almost 7 feet!! Thanks in advance for reply! 🙂
Hi Sara, I believe that Sydney has the highest roof option. There is also a “medium height” option, which makes the inside height 72”. Perhaps this is a viable option for you? I saw that Sydney said somewhere that she is 5’10”. (I’m Canadian, all these feet and inches are confusing me! But i think she is less than 72”?) – hope that helps!
It’s Volkswagen.
how mouh time did it take tpo make a van
how do you change vin numbers on van conversion to more than two passengers
Wow, great website! I just placed a downpayment on a full sized Ford transit which I will camperize. I will not receive this van for another couple of months, so I am doing my research. Thank you for sharing all this wonderful information. I live in Vancouver, Canada, but often go to the states to camp. My partner and I both love going on really long trips, so I want to build my van to be very comfortable. I will keep it simple, as I want to keep the weight down a bit… I am looking at solar power for sure, insulating the van, having a fridge for sure as well. I am not sure about having running water yet. Anyways, I will be posting my progress on our website. Happy travels!