Which van to start with?? Please help

[Tjbell]

Hi all!
The wife and I have been awning on getting a van or truck camper for a while now. Currently we are in a place to trade my GTI in on a van and make out.

Needs:
To seat 3 legally driving.
Sleep 3 (2 adult one under 10)
Possibility to convert to 4x4 in the future ( likely a diy project)
Reliable as gravity


So, what's the beat platform? Likely e250/350 from what I've seen?

Is it better to start with a "cargo van" or a passenger van with seats and carpet etc.
We will build it out over the next year or so, but plan on camping out of it this summer with atleast an air mattress.
Any help appreciated!

 

[iggi]

Maybe it depends on the year but I've been told the cargo econolines do not have seat mounts for other than the front. That plus having windows so the kid can see it would lean me towards starting with a passenger van.

 

[Photobug]

Hi all!
The wife and I have been awning on getting a van or truck camper for a while now. Currently we are in a place to trade my GTI in on a van and make out.

Needs:
To seat 3 legally driving.
Sleep 3 (2 adult one under 10)
Possibility to convert to 4x4 in the future ( likely a diy project)
Reliable as gravity


So, what's the beat platform? Likely e250/350 from what I've seen?

Is it better to start with a "cargo van" or a passenger van with seats and carpet etc.
We will build it out over the next year or so, but plan on camping out of it this summer with atleast an air mattress.
Any help appreciated!

E250 and 350 are referred to as Ford and the Mercedes Sprinters. The Ford Vans are easier to convert to 4x4. I would guess the cargo van would be an easier place to start with, the biggest drawback is the lack of windows in the back.

I am not sure of the legality of lack of seatbelts but my RV does not have any in the back. Do vans require seatbelts for all passengers?

 

[Bikersmurf]

E250 and 350 are referred to as Ford and the Mercedes Sprinters. The Ford Vans are easier to convert to 4x4. I would guess the cargo van would be an easier place to start with, the biggest drawback is the lack of windows in the back.

I am not sure of the legality of lack of seatbelts but my RV does not have any in the back. Do vans require seatbelts for all passengers?

Yes. At least in these parts seatbelts are required on all seats.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Hi all!
The wife and I have been awning on getting a van or truck camper for a while now. Currently we are in a place to trade my GTI in on a van and make out.

Needs:
To seat 3 legally driving.
Sleep 3 (2 adult one under 10)
Possibility to convert to 4x4 in the future ( likely a diy project)
Reliable as gravity


So, what's the beat platform? Likely e250/350 from what I've seen?

Is it better to start with a "cargo van" or a passenger van with seats and carpet etc.
We will build it out over the next year or so, but plan on camping out of it this summer with atleast an air mattress.
Any help appreciated!

My experience has been that it doesn’t get more reliable than an E350, 7.3 PSD, Ambo... if the starting batteries fail or aren’t enough, the “Sure Start” switch, turn the key and you’re back in business. They’ll go a million miles, and a friend drove a tow truck that had been pinned at 99,999 hours for many years. The 6.0 diesels needed major work every year... and the 7.3 just regular servicing.

A locksmith we worked with had nothing but trouble from his first Sprinter Van, and it’s replacement was also problematic. It was in the shop at least once a month.

In contrast, when I bought our Ambo its 17 year old alternator was dead. Since then, in 8 years, it needed O-rings in the fuel filter, oil changes, a brake job, ball joints, tires, and rear springs. Overall it has been exceptionally low maintenance... as would another 7.3 E350 van.

 

[Tjbell]

After further thought, we will be looking into a chevy express/savanna. For the back seat I was thinking of grabbing a bench from a passenger van, and putting it sideways along the wall behind the driver seat. That way I can hopefully convert it into a small bed for him. Looking to make a small dinette on the passenger side but this seems rare to do. In not sure if the short wheel base will give us enough room. What does the hive suggest? The LWB passenger vans demand a very high premium

 

[86scotty]

Don't make a kid sit sideways in a van. I did many years ago and my kids still complain about it. Besides that, it isn't nearly as safe.

A Chevy/GMC is a good call but why are you overlooking an AWD Transit or for that matter, a 2wd for now. Quigley or Quadvan can convert and other converters are coming along. It's a much more efficient, safe and roomy van. The only way I would go E-series is if you want to do some serious wheeling and you're looking at much older vans to do this.

I think your budget and a better understanding of your use case will help us help you decide. For instance, is this a daily driver? No way in hail I'd want to drive an E series daily. It's a 40 year old design. I love them and have had a bunch of em and still wouldn't want to drive them everyday, especially when you are used to something with half the footprint and 3x the efficiency like a GTI.

Drive a new van and an E series back to back and see for yourself.

 

[Tjbell]

Budget is between 20 to 25k, may push to 27k if it's an amazing deal. It will not be a daily driver. How is the reliability of the transits?
The van will be for a lot of weekend trips to the beach/ woods/ camp site. Will likely see 2 days max boondocking but mostly at campgrounds. Will be used for cross country/interstate driving also.

 

[86scotty]

Transits are amazingly reliable. I put 120k on one in a year working in it and did nothing but oil changes. It was a 2015 3.5l Ecoboost. They have a few small problems like any vehicle that have mostly been worked out. You won't get an AWD or 4wd conversion within your budget though unfortunately.

I just bought a Chevy AWD, my second, and it's a great mild offroader, do anything van that is more efficient than E-series and rides a lot better too. They are hard to find but within your budget easily if you could find one.

The problem with a 4wd converted E series is the current market as well as the likelihood of only finding one old enough that it would need a good bit of TLC. The market is insane. $20-30k vans a year ago are now 50-60 and $50k nice converted camper vans like SMB are easily going for $100k.

Be ready to act fast and travel to get any van worth having in this #vanlife fad we're in the midst of.

 

[Tjbell]

In the future I would like to convert to 4x4. Living in New England I will likely be fine with snow tires/proper weight distribution if I head north in the winter. Today will be a day of test driving so I will get back with my findings

 

[Regcabguy]

My experience has been that it doesn’t get more reliable than an E350, 7.3 PSD, Ambo... if the starting batteries fail or aren’t enough, the “Sure Start” switch, turn the key and you’re back in business. They’ll go a million miles, and a friend drove a tow truck that had been pinned at 99,999 hours for many years. The 6.0 diesels needed major work every year... and the 7.3 just regular servicing.

A locksmith we worked with had nothing but trouble from his first Sprinter Van, and it’s replacement was also problematic. It was in the shop at least once a month.

In contrast, when I bought our Ambo its 17 year old alternator was dead. Since then, in 8 years, it needed O-rings in the fuel filter, oil changes, a brake job, ball joints, tires, and rear springs. Overall it has been exceptionally low maintenance... as would another 7.3 E350 van.

My brother in law was fire chief for an Oregon city. They had 7.3 ambulances. They couldn't keep auto's in those things until Ford did a software change that locked out overdrive until physically activated. With all the torque of the engine it would go into overdrive much too soon and fry the trans. After that they got more mileage but it was still an issue. The drivers beat the ******** out of them understandably as it's mostly stop and go urban use.

 

[whith]

I second the notion to at least consider one of the GM vans. They are everywhere and are reliable. They can now be converted to 4x4 via DIY kits from Weldtec and Timberline now and will ride better than the Ford once converted.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Ya'll are thinking backwards. Aluminum step van with a 5spd Cummins. Won't rust away, dirt cheap to maintain. Easiest vehicle I've ever worked on. Haha, but I'm biased. In all seriousness, I would stay away from Promaster and anything fwd. The Transit/Sprinter vans suck to maintain. Ford never could put a decent transmission behind anything, don't even go look at a 6.0L. Step vans do not have 4wd option and are loud. I have no experience with GM vans. Toyota used to make some pretty slick 4wd vans back in the 80's that still won't die.

 

[Tifun]

If I did it again I’d do the Nissan NV with the V8 and drop it off at Advanced 4X4 to have converted day 1. They ride and drive so incredibly well. I love my 6.0 E350. Everyone complains about them but fail to mention that 90% of the issues are related to the trucks and not the massively detuned van. I’m at 155k with no major maintenance required.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Porkchopexpress]

Not to be sour grapes, but I would never buy a used van in this market. If you can push your budget up to get a base trim Nissan NV or GM, I think you will get a much better value. You will compete with every wannabe Instagram van lifer on the used market and cargo vans are not treated well by delivery drivers.
The only possible exception is maybe get a beater on a government auction website if it was cheap and expect to throw some money at it.