Are you thinking of building out a van to travel in or possibly live in? One major decision you’ll first consider is whether you’ll purchase it new or used.
Personally, Shawn and I knew immediately that we wanted a brand new van. We knew we wanted one of those tall white delivery vans—like the ones Amazon drives around. There are reasons we felt so strongly about not getting a used one and I will go over our pros and cons for you to consider for your own decision-making.
Used Van versus New Van
There’s upsides and downsides with either choice. First, let’s look into buying a used vehicle. Right away, we thought of a used van as one that’s already lived its life—like getting a retired work horse and expecting it to pull our wagon with all of our belongings across the Oregon Trail. We don’t know its past, what kind of of baggage it’s hauled or may still be hauling. Who knows if it used to have a DHL sticker, Anderson’s Heating and Cooling or some other general contractor logo you hired off Craigslist. Anytime you shop used—you’re taking a chance. You don’t know what could go wrong with it at any given moment. If we went for used there was a very likely chance it was a work van or a fleet vehicle. Maybe the employee takes care of their own car, but when it’s the company car—it’s pedal to the metal. This was a concern as we have owned our fair share of used cars, but not a fleet van specifically so this seemed like a potential issue. We’ve heard the horror stories of trouble with installing flooring because the bottom of the van was so dented or the transmission went out at 100,000 miles.
A used van could mean we’d have extra cleaning and repairs to make. The cheaper and more affordable it is up front usually equals the more money you may need to dump into it in the near future. Someone who is looking to sell a vehicle may make it sound better than it actually is or possibly not be truthful in providing a maintenance history. A used work van may come with dents, grease and scratches to deal with. These are mostly cosmetic, but when building our new home, we wanted to start with a clean slate. When making such a major change in our lifestyle, spending money on a vehicle and the build, the last thing we wanted to do was spend more money on repairs.
You might save money up front when buying a used van, but you better hold onto savings for those surprise breakdowns. Make sure to do your research on the specific van you’re purchasing and what common issues are known to go wrong. It would be wise to take it to a mechanic right away—or better yet, before you buy it—and get everything checked out. You might spend money on things such as flushes or topping off fluids to try to somewhat have a fresh start. This might include new tires, brake pads and other wearable parts. Ask the shop for a printout of what needs to be done in the near future so you know what to expect and plan accordingly.
Making Our Decision
For me personally, the chance of having surprise breakdowns felt more stressful. We decided we were more comfortable with having a car payment each month of a set amount than the unexpected repair costs. It’s not the same when your vehicle needs to go to the shop once that vehicle is also your home. Where do you go while it gets looked at and then finally gets work done to repair it? Some might say you get a hotel room, but this just isn’t an option for us with our three animals and dietary restrictions making us need to cook every meal. We can’t say that this will never happen, because there is always that chance that we will need to drop off the van for something, but we hope we can plan ahead and get it done within the same day rather than keeping it overnight. Worst case, that we can plan to stay with a family member or friend to get accommodations figured out beforehand.
We have always assumed we would want to resell our van home when we are ready to build a second one. If we purchased used then we would have higher mileage on the engine as we started out this new lifestyle. This would make us feel like our time in our first home was already cut short before we’d even started.
On the other hand—the upside to purchasing a used van is the cost. You are more likely to find something affordable to purchase outright without needing a loan or monthly car payment. This would of course feel less stressful to not feel in debt. Especially after we just sold everything and saved up to afford the build-out and time on the road without jobs for a while.
We felt more comfortable paying a premium upfront knowing that the vehicle had no history. Maintenance such as regular oil changes would be done by us and we’d know what to expect as time went on. We wanted the first home we built to be perfect from the start; and we would be the only previous owner when we went to resell it. At that time, we could be confident in talking to the new owners about everything we’ve kept up on and what it will need in the future. We also wanted to take advantage of a dealership warranty which is good up to a certain amount of miles. A new van and any potential issues within their timeframe will be covered free of charge. If you purchase a used van or an older van in general—this might not be an option, depending on if you purchase from a private party or a dealer. You should also think about insurance and registration costs. For a used or older van—it will be more cost-effective to register and more affordable for coverage. For a new van, you’ll pay a lot more to register, which is something we did not think of. We were very caught off-guard when we had to dish out that large amount of money on the spot. You will also pay more to insure a new vehicle because it costs more to repair it. (P.S. you may want to look into registering your van as an RV in order to insure it properly and add additional coverage such as renters insurance for all your belongings inside.)
To most, the idea of shopping new sounds like a huge headache. It immediately makes some people think of a pushy car salesman, a daunting loan putting you in debt and just a bunch of papers signing your life away. We of course did not want to be in debt, but we looked at this loan and monthly payment as cheaper rent than we’d had. We also looked at our van as our home. This was a way cheaper alternative than buying a brick and mortar home in which we’d be paying for the rest of our lives. This option was less commitment in comparison and gave us room to change things up later if we wanted to. We could always turn around and sell it while most likely making some money on it after building it out.
It could have been the timing, pre-covid and inflation, but we were able to negotiate with car dealerships for the purchase of our van. We were going back and forth between two locations for a new 2019 RAM Promaster 2500 with cruise control and no windows. We would call one dealer and let them know what the other location was offering us, let them try to beat it and then call the previous one back. This went on back and forth until one dealer eventually said this is the lowest I can offer you. We went with the best deal in Fort Collins, CO for a red 2500 for $34,500 with back windows, but as we were on our way to pick it up we received a phone call. It was the dealer letting us know it had already been shown to someone previously and they had arrived to pick it up. We were pretty upset since this had been such a drawn out thing and we felt we’d have to start all over. The salesman we had been dealing with said to come on in and he’d take care of us. We ended up getting a brand new white 2019 RAM Promaster 3500 for the same price with cruise control and no windows. This was exactly what we’d been looking for so we could put in our own smaller windows to help with insulating and temperature control. Since this was the 3500 instead of the 2500, we could worry less about weight constraints of our build and we got it for $12,500 less than MSRP. This felt like such an accomplishment for us to achieve. We signed for $500/monthly payments for 5 years and split the $5,000 down payment. This meant we had more money towards our build and now felt less stressed about our loan total; we were used to paying $1,750 per month for rent so this was a deal!
About Our Van
We went with a RAM Promaster over the other options such as a Transit or Sprinter for a few reasons. We found it to be the widest from side to side so we knew we could fit to sleep in that orientation. Shawn is a little over 5’7” and fits comfortably after we’ve built it out with insulation and walls. We also found the walls of the Promaster to be the most vertical in comparison so we figured the build would be easier. All van builds are challenging to follow the curvature of the walls and try to maximize as much space as possible. We would have preferred to have an all-wheel-drive (AWD) van—which was only offered for the Sprinter at this time—but we chose the Promaster because it was front-wheel-drive (FWD). We preferred this to the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Transit because we lived in Colorado where it snowed. By having the drive up front with the steering made the most sense in the weather conditions we’d be in.
When deciding if you want to purchase a used van or a new one, consider what is more affordable for you. A used van can mean cheaper to purchase, more expensive repairs, higher mileage and less lifespan of the vehicle. A new van can cost less up front, cost more overall in the long run, but have a longer lifespan and resell value. Each person has individual needs and should consider what makes sense for them based on their own preferences, budget and lifestyle. Be sure to do your research on every possible option out there and find what fits the best for your needs. I hope this gave you some things to consider when shopping for a van to build out. If you have more questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us on Instagram— @CRUXandbeta
Our friends Frankie and Alex posted an episode on their Podcast with their take on shopping for a used vehicle to build out—“How to Find an Inexpensive Van for Vanlife”—give it a listen here.
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