Hi, I’m Jonathan. I’d like to purchase a barebones van (new or used) and build it up little by little. Possibly a Transit. I have general ideas, but I’m excited to join this forum for extra support and guidance. Planning to start off with weekend trips to the beach, lakes, and rivers.
Greetings!
I like to start with passenger vans, that way the floor/walls/ceiling are already finished. The extra opening windows, and the views they provide make life better too. Used ones are usually cheaper than cargo vans, and have had better care & maintenance too.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller
Those are very good points. I imagined buying a new cargo van and design the layout, run all the electrical, insulation, install windows…everything from scratch over a 1-2 year timeframe. Do everything little by little and take short weekend trips along the way.
The reason I’m leaning towards new is because I bought my Dakota 19 years ago and it’s time to give her a break. I never modified it other than adding a shell. I would load up all my supplies and sleep on an air mattress. Vanlife seems so much cooler and convenient.
I’ll look into used passenger vans. That would definitely eliminate a ton of labor. Do you recommend a particular make and model?
Greetings!
The 70’s & 80’s Dodges with the 318 engines & 727 transmissions have done the best by me. I have run many of them up to 400k-500k miles trouble free, and the vans themselves drive better than either the Fords or the Chevys. Everything about them feels & seems superior to me, at least with the passenger vans.
The B300-350 vans are the 1 Tons, and the 15 passenger model is a legit heavy hauler, with loads of room inside. Many of the 70’s & 80’s Class C motorhomes used the same drivetrain, and many are still on the road today.
I like doing 1 or 2 day conversions, remove the seats, move your new interior in and secure it, done. Simple, cheap, easy, comfortable, convenient, practical, & full featured. My current van cost $700 eleven years ago, and the conversion cost about $300. That got me a comfortable sofa/bed, kitchen, toilet & shower, rocker recliner, a $20 fan, and unlimited power via an isolator & a cheap generator. No solar, no roof vents, and no expensive 12v compressor fridge. The isolator & house battery were professionally installed for $80 total, the generator cost $99. Climate control (Heating & Cooling) cost about $20. Everything was cheap or free. Recycled, Reused, Repurposed, etc. whenever possible. But not that you can tell by looking at it, it all looks like a very expensive, high dollar, top of the line, factory built job.
In today’s dollars, the total conversion still comes in at well under $1k. (The last one I did a couple months ago came in at $549, and that included a new $79, 3.0cf, 12v no name dorm fridge/freezer from a liquidation center.), Took 1 day to purchase & tow home, 3 days to accumulate everything, 1 day to change all the fluids & get her running perfect, 1 full day to deep clean the interior, and one afternoon to move everything in and secure it. Followed by about another day and a half to restore the exterior. (It was really bad & ugly, but straight and rust free.) So I guess it took about a week all in, from purchase to finished, not too bad.
So he paid $2k for a derelict 84 Dodge high top extended wheelchair van with a working lift & brand new, not yet installed tires, but hadn’t been started or driven in over a year. 294k miles, 318 engine, 727 transmission. Took a jump & a squirt of gas into the carb to get her going. Great compression, & everything checked out and working. Bullet proofed it for an extra $40-$50. He sold the wheelchair lift for $1k, so after all was said and done, for under $2k total, we turned a turd barn find, into a beautiful, sharp & shiny, full featured, move in ready camper van, that looks & drives like it just came off the showroom floor.
We just celebrated it’s “Paid for itself” anniversary last weekend with BBQ ribs & all the trimmings, his treat.
We towed that van home without even attempting to start it. He had a $5k budget, and I knew that even worst case scenario, we could come in far under that, and we certainly did.
I guess the point I’m trying to make here is at least for the first time around, going cheap you will risk less, and you might just find yourself perfectly happy and with a sizable bank roll left over. Then later, with more experience under your belt, if you choose to upgrade, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want and what you need. If you build a cheap, modular, portable, fully functional RV to begin with, you can always rearrange as desired, without having to tear everything out and starting over.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller
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Now that sounds very appealing!!! I’ll need to keep my eyes open and searching for older vans. As you can see, I’m kind of easily persuaded, especially with the thought of saving thousands of dollars. Sorry for the short response, but you’ve left me with many new aspirations.
To be honest I’m weary of older vehicles in regards to reliability. You’ve open my mind to believe they have a longer lifespan then I give them credit. But there’s always a chance of buying one with insurmountable issues. But that may be part of the thrill and learning experience.
So much to consider. Finance a new van or search for a diamond in the rough???
Greetings!
Other than rust beyond repair, I look at it like this… I can replace the whole drivetrain with low mileage ones from a wrecking yard, plus all new steering components for under $5k, labor included. So worst case scenario, I can have a nearly new van with an older body style for under $5k + the purchase price.
I usually buy vans for under $2500, many are already ready to go, but if not, for a max total of under $7.5k, I’ll have a van that’ll last 10+ years. To date, I’ve never needed any major repairs on my cheap DODGE vans, but my current van is over 500k miles now on the original drivetrain. Not bad for a $700 van that I’ve put 300k trouble free miles on myself over the last 11 years. So I keep up to date on prices, for when the time comes. I’d rather replace the drivetrain than the van, so $5k for another 10+ years works for me. Still probably cheaper than replacing it.
Cheers!
"Be the reason someone smiles today!" ~ Van_Dweller
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