There are so many ways to get into vanlife; from building out a used rig all on your own to getting on the waitlist for the best builder in the country. So for this month’s newsletter, we wanted to break it down.
There are a wide range of budgets for a DIY build. You can go simple with a few thousand bucks; Goal Zero batteries and panels, hand pump for water, simple paneling and bed frame. But you can also go all in with mods inside and out and spend $50k+. If building your own van is really important to you then solidify your budget, ask yourself what features are the must haves and go from there.
Van conversions can be daunting. Even with kits you have to put in the elbow grease!
Buying your van online or in person will often be more money, but not always. We currently have 100 vans for sale on the site that are all below $40k!
We intentionally build our filtering to be robust so that buyers can search for exactly what they're looking for. Want a Low Roof, Short Wheel Base camper with 500 watts of solar? You can search for it!
Buying a van online also means there are some unknowns in the quality of the build. We always recommend seeing a van in person if possible or doing a thorough video tour.
Transactions are also the other shady area but our friends over at KeySavvy have made it so much easier for buyers and sellers to process big transactions like campervan sales. For tips on how to have a safe transaction check out our resources.
There are a lot of really great professional campervan builders out there. The industry has exploded and while there are some that may lack quality, a lot of the folks we see in this game are solid manufacturers of some really cool rigs. This can be the most expensive option but you are also paying for customer service and continued support as well as their expertise.
Vanlife Trader owner, Jon Dalman, and owner and designer at Swell Van Co, Seth Kearney-Caldwell took us through all of the options at the Van Life Summit virtual event. If you’re interested in going deeper, you can see the full video by signing up for Van Life Summit or by reading our resource on Buying vs. Building.
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