Hi, my name is Victoria and I’m interested in starting van life. I haven’t purchased a van yet–trying to decide between a few models–and this will be my first vehicle. My build will not be fancy, just the basic necessities, and I’m more interested in making friends and discussing van types. I’m not looking for anything with a high roof or anything too tall like sprinters or ford transits, but I’d like a good reliable cargo van that can hold a lot. I’m buying used. I already have remote work set up and have a decent budget. I’d like a small van, maybe not longer than a typical minivan but not a minivan. I’ve looked at models like Ford Transit Connect and promaster city, but they don’t have very good reviews!
Would anyone suggest the best places/websites to buy vans, and what models seem to fit my preferences? So far, I’ve looked at Craiglist, FB Marketplace, eBay, and auction sites. Thank you and it’s a pleasure to be in the community!
Victoria - find a couple of dealers that buy cargo vans from delivery companies. Many companies let go of vans after a year or two with only limited mileage (50,000 miles )
I purchased and converted a Dodge 2500 Ram Promaster - they have both 136’ and 159’’ and come with standard or high roof
It has worked out great - conversion vary on what you add - my conversion cost about the same as the van - but I saved thousands over cost of finished new or used factory van
I used to have a Chevy Astro van and loved it - not too big, not too small, AWD, and reliable. They haven’t made them since I think the early 2000’s but worth a look.
IMHO, all these city models such as transit connect aren’t for full timing, they are more for making occasional trips, they are tiny and very small towing capacity too. Definitely full sized cargo van, preferrably tall roof model and long. You will need more space than you expect. Length is not a real issue, long vans can park everywhere, you get used to maneureing them pretty fast. These do eat much more gas than city models but something got to give. I was looking for a van this spring, crazy prices turned me off/decided to keep my class C rv, but if I were buying one I’d only want low mileage and probably Ford Transit that got a middle ground on pricing versus size (saw bad revews on Promasters reliability, also Progressive will not insure them other than commercial which is crazy expensive, unless theres rv conversion that meets their requirements). Would want a window van, and these are easier to insure as non commercial too
