7 Questions to Ask Before Deciding to Buy a Van

Updated on September 29th, 2020

How to you decide on a van to convert to a campervan? There are so many options out there! Sprinters, VWs, minivans, cargo, the list goes on and one. We’ve broken it down to 7 questions to ask yourself before deciding on a van.

1. How Are You Going to Use Your Van?

There is a huge difference between living in your van and using it just for the occasional weekend adventure. If you are planning to live in your van full time, you will likely need more way more creature comforts (i.e. space) than you would if you are just planning to take it out for holiday weekends. Will you be staying in campgrounds? Boondocking all the time? Parking it in your parent’s driveway? This will determine if you need the space for toilet facilities, showers, and full cooking area. Also if you are going to be living in it full time, you’ll probably want to be able to stand up.

2. What is Your Budget?

We did our entire conversion, including purchasing our van for less than $4500. We set out to create an adventure van for less than $5,000. A budget that low meant we needed to look for something older, with more miles, and we likely could not afford the extra material that a high top van would require. Our budget was the #1 deciding factor for us beyond knowing that we were only going to use our van for the occasional adventure, no more than 2-3 weeks at a time.

As of this writing, a brand new unconverted Ford Transit medium roof starts at around $35k. A Mercedes Sprinter? The diesel high top extended is nearly $55k. I went a little crazy on their build your own website and ended up with a van that was $63,296, that would I totally live in full time. We spent $1500 on our van. That is an enormous price difference.

3. How Tall Are You?

The taller you are the more uncomfortable a low-top van will be. Andy and I are average-sized Americans and we can both comfortably sit on our ottomans without our heads touching the roof. Our friend who is 6’4″ cannot. If I were about 5’4″ I would be able to sit up straight in bed without my head touching, and at 5’6″ I can prop myself up at an angle just fine. Andy who is 5’11” can basically only lay flat. This matters when deciding on a van, especially if you are going to be living in your van full time.

We also got away with a queen short mattress because of our heights. If you are taller than 6’0″ you will likely need a full-length bed to be comfortable.

4. Can or Will You Do Repairs Yourself?

Mercedes and Volkswagon are both notoriously hard to work on yourself. Their electrical systems are complicated, and they contain a lot of proprietary parts, aka pricey! Whereas, Chevy’s and GMC’s are more simply built and especially in the US parts are cheap because the Express and Savvanah have been around in their current configuration for nearly two decades. Ford falls somewhere in the middle.

5. Where Will You Be Driving?

Or in other words, do you need four-wheel drive? Are you planning to drive in areas with snow and ice? Stay mainly on highways? Or are you going to be off-roading your van regularly? If you are unsure you may want to look at four-wheel drive options. Keep in mind this will be more expensive.

6. How Many Miles Will You Be Driving?

Gasoline (petrol) or diesel is a big decision. There is a bigger upfront cost to diesel engines, but they have better fuel economy. If you are planning on driving 10-20k miles a year, you are probably better off just going with a gas vehicle. If you’re planning on driving 40-50k mile a year you might want to consider diesel.

A couple of other points to consider on the gas vs diesel debate before deciding on a van:

• Gas engines usually have cheaper parts.
• Gas engines are usually easier to maintain and repair.
• If you run a gas vehicle out of fuel, you are going to have a long walk and a gas can. If you run a diesel vehicle dry, you are going to need a tow and a shop.
• Many diesel vehicles have special fluids for their emissions systems.

7. How Comfortable Are You Driving a Large Vehicle?

If you have never driven anything bigger than a honda civic, your first time behind even a low top short van might be a shock. Big vehicles have a different center of gravity, they handle very differently, and you may have blind spots you never thought could exist. Our Chevy Express drives very similarly to the pick-up trucks we’ve had in the past, except that it has the turning radius of a battleship. On the highway, you don’t notice it, but let me tell you, in a parking lot you do!

When it comes to comfort level, consider all of your possible drivers. Everyone should feel comfortable behind the wheel if necessary. For us, this wasn’t a big factor as we are both confident drivers who have handled large vehicles in the past.

What is your biggest concern about buying a van? Comment below and we’d be happy to help!

Next Step: Test Driving a Van

Check out all of our van build posts!