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Buying a Van

When you decide to live the vanlife, your van becomes your entire home. And buying a home is a BIG undertaking. 

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You have to consider size, price, amenities, decor, AND mechanics!

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The market for RVs and vans has exploded in recent years due to the popularity of vanlife, and there is now a SHOCKING range of options within a HUGE range of price points.

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Read on to learn more about:

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Amenities you may want to have/add onto your van

Vanlife vehicle options to consider

Price ranges & sites to shop for vans/RVs

Our renovation experience and some tips

How to ship your van overseas

Amenities to Consider

Amenities to Consider

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Comfortable bed

Bedside table & lamp

Blackout curtains

Fan/Airflow apparatus

Storage for clothes/shoes

Stove

Mini Fridge

Cabinets for storage

Sink w/running water

Microwave

Toilet

Shower

Counter & Med Cabinet

Sink w/running water

Mirror

AC

Heating or furnace

Electric Hookup

Insulation

Outlets/charging ports

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Awning

Radio

Space for dirty laundry

Roof rack

Bike rack

What are the vanlife options?

What are the vanlife options?

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Buy an RV

POSITIVES

  • Fast & easy

  • Lots of amenities included

  • AC/heating/plumbing/electricity all done for you

NEGATIVES

  • Expensive $$$

  • May need renovations

  • The more amenities, the more to upkeep

Van Conversion

POSITIVES

  • Total customization possible

  • Include as many (or as few) amenities as you want

  • Potentially less expensive

NEGATIVES

  • Can be very difficult

  • Time consuming

  • Scope creep can lead to higher costs

Buy from Current Traveler

POSITIVES

  • Can be easy & fast but must stay diligent to find a good fit

  • Can find van in specific country

  • Often cheapest option

NEGATIVES

  • Paperwork in another country to transfer ownership between foreigners can be challenging

  • May need some renovations

Start Shopping

Start Shopping

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Cost Comparison

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*These ranges are merely based on my personal research and vary drastically based on vehicle condition

  • RVs:

    • 70s/80s: $​5K-20K

    • 90s/early 00s: $7K-40K

    • 2005-2015: $30K-200K

    • 2015-2020: $100K-300K

  • Sprinter Van Conversion DIY: $30-60K empty van + $10-40K renos

  • Van conversion companies:$30-150K

  • Vans from other travelers: huge ranges but on avg $5K-$50K

​Sites to Shop for Vans & RVs

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​Buying From Another Traveler:

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  • Be patient & stay diligent!

  • Ask to join Facebook groups like Overlanding the Americas

  • Follow vanlife hashtags and conversion accounts on Instagram

​DIY vs. Van Renovation Companies

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Suggested To Dos when Buying

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  • If buying an RV, ask for a full overview of every amenity, how to use them, and inspect quality (electric hookup, plumbing, AC/heating, etc)

  • No matter what, get a full mechanical inspection by a trusted mechanic

  • Move FAST! Good vans at good prices go very quickly

  • Do not put any money down before seeing the vehicle in person

  • Don't forget to register your vehicle and get insurance!

Our Van

Our Van 

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Picture of a class B van inside and bedroom

Choosing

 our van

After researching, we decided a Class B RV would be the best size van for us with the right amount of amenities (bed area, shower, toilet, AC/heating, electricity hookup). We found & bought the van on Craigslist almost a year before we left for our travels. 

Need help with buying a van?

Contact me!

Shipping Your Van Overseas

Shipping your van

Shipping your van/RV overseas can be a very daunting and involved task, not to mention costly. You typically need an agent to help you in the process. 

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Finding an Agent for Shipping

There are a few options for finding an agent depending on what ports/countries you're shipping from, but they all come at different costs so I suggest shopping around on Overlander Facebook Groups or straightforward google searches, or this company (but quotes from here were higher for us than local agents we found via facebook groups).

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Cost of Shipping

We shipped our van via a container twice (other option is called RORO- Roll On, Roll Off about which you can learn more via the link below to Overlander Shipping).

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Shipped our van from Panama to Colombia with a shipping partner & it took 2 weeks: $1,100

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Shipped our van from Montevideo to Texas with no shipping partner & it took 4 weeks: $4,000

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Prices vary by route, ports, RORO vs container, if you can find someone else to share a container with, etc. but the cheapest route is at least $1,000 and the most expensive could be upwards of $6-8K so plan ahead!

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