THINKING OF VAN LIFE? A GUIDE TO FINDING YOUR PANEL VAN
It seems the world has gone van life crazy recently. With rising house prices, increasing utility costs, and the not too distant memory of travel restrictions, it is clear to see why so many would be swept up with the idea of living a life on the open road.
In early 2021, I started to consider what I wanted my future to look like, and converting a van was as the forefront of my mind. After 12 months of consideration, and relocating from the USA back to the UK, I decided that purchasing a van was my next step!
After searching for the perfect van for 3 months, here’s what I learned:
Initial Thoughts
The price of used vans has gone up considerably in the last couple of years and so getting a bargain is much more difficult than it used to be.
Fuel prices are not cheap!
My dog Rufus will be traveling with us, and so having a van with Air Conditioning in the cab was important. This makes the van hunt much more difficult and more expensive!
Patience is key!
What Size Van Should You Buy?
This all depends on what you want to use your van for and what works best for you. Maybe you intend to use your van as a weekend van only, so you feel like you can manage with basic cooking amenities and don’t require washing facilities. Therefore, you may choose a Short Wheelbase Van (SWB), which would fit into standard parking spaces and feel less like a bus if you’re not used to driving large vehicles. Maybe you are a solo traveler, who will be spending long periods of time on the road and want a bit more space to move around, so a Medium Wheelbase (MWB) may be your van of choice. Or, like me, you may be spending extended periods of time on the road, with your 6 foot husband and your dog, and therefore would like all the space you can get, so you choose a Long Wheel Base (LWB).
What Make and Model Should You Buy?
There are many criteria to take into consideration when selecting what make and model van to choose. Here are some things to think about:
Dimensions - extra important for you tall people! ( I will insert a table of measurements below) Bear in mind that once you have installed your floor and ceiling, your headroom will be reduced
Reputation and reliability - The last thing you want to do is spend a lot of money converting your van into your home on wheels for it to break down once you hit the road! Mercedes won out for us on this one. There is a reason so many businesses including the police use Mercedes Sprinters, and that reason is that if you look after them, they will run for a very long time!
The look and feel of the van - I know, this one is a bit vain, but I couldn’t help it. On paper, a Citroen Relay would have been a very good option, especially in terms of the internal height it would have given my husband. However, as much as I tried to convince myself, the shape of the vehicle just wasn’t ticking all of my boxes.
*Information collated from www.parkers.co.uk
What Year and Mileage Should You Buy?
Again, this is down to your preference and the reliability of the van you choose. For example, you can still buy Mercedes Sprinters with 300,000 plus miles for a hefty £5,000. I tried to select a van that had not much more than 100,000 miles and wanted something that was no older than 2014 reg. In the end I actually chose a 2017 sprinter as this had a EURO 6 standard Engine. Having a Euro 6 (ULEZ6) means the amount of emissions are reduced, meeting the current guidelines set by the European Commissions. This means when you are visiting major cities around Europe such as London, you won’t pay the additional £12.50 per day that is now being enforced on older, less economical vehicles.
Where can I find my van?
I mostly looked on Auto Trader and eBay for my van and although you can probably find a cheaper deal through a private seller, I felt more comfortable purchasing through a dealership for the following reasons:
MOT Provided at the point of purchase
Full Service History (Hopefully)
Warranty Provided
In addition to this I was able to highlight any issues that I was concerned about prior to making the purchase and made sure that these issues were resolved as part of the agreed sale price - this included supplying and fitting 2 new tires.
It’s worth considering that not all garages operate in the same way, and some may be better than others. Read Google reviews and trust your instinct. If something doesn’t feel right, then you are proabably better trusting your gut feelings than regretting it further down the line.
Previous Owners
It’s worth asking the seller of the vehicle, how many previous owners it has had and what the vehicle was used for. A vehicle with 6 previous owners is less likely to have been looked after to a high standard than a vehicle with only 1 previous owner. Rumor has it, builders are notorious for not taking care of their vans, rather they are means of transporting their tools from A to B. Whereas delivery companies, although they may be running up many miles in their vehicles, tend to carry more lightweight equipment and also undergo a strict service regime therefore their vehicles are normally looked after better. Also consider that large, well-known companies like DPD, DHL, etc will have a well maintained fleet. As would a school or college, where safety is super important. But an independent tradesman, for example, would maybe not place as much importance on the health of their vehicle.
Where will you keep your van?
It is definitely worth thinking about where you will keep your vehicle during the conversion process. Do you have a big spacious driveway? Or will you be parking it on the street? When I first purchased my van, I’ll be honest, I didn’t have a great plan as to where I was going to keep it. Initially I was going to park it a short walk away from my house, and would have to drive it closer to my house every time I needed access to any sort of power tool. (What a pain in the butt that would have been!!) Thankfully, a very kind neighbour came to my rescue and made an offer for me to park my van in their private land, which just so happens to be right outside my house! Winner!
For insurance purposes it is worth considering this too. It is more likely you will recieve a better insurance deal if you have a secure place to store your van.
Viewing your van
Okay, now you’ve done all your planning, it’s time to get hunting for your van. Here’s some things to think about when searching for your perfect van.
Take your time. Don’t jump in to buying the first van you see. Jumping in too quickly and not completing thorough checks could bite you in the bottom.
Be patient. It took me 3 months to find my van, and I’ve known it take longer for others. Your patience will pay off.
On arrival, touch the bonnet with your hand to ensure that it is cool, and that the seller hasn’t warmed it up.
Take a step ladder with you, so you can take a good look at the roof. Check for rust, mould, and any holes that could cause problems. Check for any evidence on the roof of a crash into something like a bridge. This seemed to be quite a common problem.
Check inside the van for any evidence of major rust issues. Surface rust is fairly easy to deal with, however if there is anything significant that be be forming holes in your van, this can become a real problem
Check the alignment on the sliding door. It’s quite common for this to have moved, which means it no longer seals correctly, leading to you potentially feeling a nasty draft further down the line. A good way to check this is to stand in the van with all the doors closed. It should be pitch black with no daylight visible.
Whilst you are in the van look around at the general condition
Inspect all 4 tyres to ensure they have good tread, and that they are being worn evenly.
Whilst you are at it, get your hands dirty and climb under the van to ensure everything looks as it should, and again there are no signs of rust.
Switch on the ignition and ensure that the van starts smoothly as you would expect. Let the engine run, and check the exterior of the van to ensure there are no leaks, thick black smoke coming from the exhaust, or concerning noises.
Back in the cab, switch on all the dials such as the Air Conditioning, radio and heating to ensure everything is in working order, and that there are no annoying sounds
Take it out for a spin to ensure everything works and sounds as it should
Before you commit
If you think you have found your perfect van, before committing, I recommend sleeping on it. Some garages let you put down a refundable deposit to give you piece of mind whilst you think it over. Our garage actually let us think it over for the night and required no deposit. They committed to not letting anyone else see the van until we had called them the next morning. Some garages were not quite as flexible, but I would see what you can get away with, just to give you that extra time to think and complete some final research to ensure there is nothing better out there!
It can be quite a stressful process, we drove up and down the UK trying to find our van, but it really does pay off once you find it. Now it’s time to think about the conversion process and that’s when the fun and hard work really begins!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions, and I’ll maybe see you on the road!