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
Amenities to Consider
What are the vanlife options?
Buy an RV
POSITIVES
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Fast & easy
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Lots of amenities included
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AC/heating/plumbing/electricity all done for you
NEGATIVES
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Expensive $$$
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May need renovations
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The more amenities, the more to upkeep
Van Conversion
POSITIVES
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Total customization possible
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Include as many (or as few) amenities as you want
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Potentially less expensive
NEGATIVES
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Can be very difficult
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Time consuming
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Scope creep can lead to higher costs
Buy from Current Traveler
POSITIVES
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Can be easy & fast but must stay diligent to find a good fit
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Can find van in specific country
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Often cheapest option
NEGATIVES
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Paperwork in another country to transfer ownership between foreigners can be challenging
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May need some renovations
Start Shopping
Cost Comparison
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*These ranges are merely based on my personal research and vary drastically based on vehicle condition
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RVs:
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70s/80s: $​5K-20K
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90s/early 00s: $7K-40K
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2005-2015: $30K-200K
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2015-2020: $100K-300K
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Sprinter Van Conversion DIY: $30-60K empty van + $10-40K renos
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Van conversion companies:$30-150K
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Vans from other travelers: huge ranges but on avg $5K-$50K
​Sites to Shop for Vans & RVs
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Set saved searches on:
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Craigslist (this is where we bought our Class B Year 2000 RV)
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RVs: RV USA, RV Trader, RV Camping World
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Sprinter Vans: Sprinter Vans Unlimited FB Group, Sprinter Forum, Local dealers
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VWs: tough & costly to find (& not my recommended) but follow groups on social media
​Buying From Another Traveler:
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Be patient & stay diligent!
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Ask to join Facebook groups like Overlanding the Americas
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Follow vanlife hashtags and conversion accounts on Instagram
​DIY vs. Van Renovation Companies
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DIY Renos: Youtube & faroutride OR other social media accounts
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Research this blog, this blog, or this list for van conversion companies
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)
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No matter what, get a full mechanical inspection by a trusted mechanic
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Move FAST! Good vans at good prices go very quickly
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Do not put any money down before seeing the vehicle in person
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Don't forget to register your vehicle and get insurance!
Our Van
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/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!