Thinking about buying a camper van? You came to the right place! My wife and I spent 4 months designing and building out our sprinter van. It’s no walk in the park! There’s nothing wrong with buying a prebuilt van so you can skip the hassle. However, don’t forget to do your homework. Buying the wrong van could leave you with more headaches than converting one from scratch! Remember, small details can make a massive difference when you’re living and traveling in a small space.
Based on our experience building and traveling in our van plus many conversations with fellow camper van owners, here’s our top list of things to consider when buying a camper van.
Full-Time Nomad or Weekend Adventurer?
Before you start down the road to buying a camper van, you need to take some time to consider how exactly you’ll be using your van. Are you a weekend warrior with the occasional long road trip in mind? Or, are you planning to be a full-time nomad living on the road long-term or for several months at a time? Answering that question now will make the rest of the buying process go much smoother and will potentially save you thousands of dollars because you won’t get stuck with features that you never use.
Professional vs. DIY Build
When browsing used vans on sites like Vancamper or Van Viewer you’ll be faced with two choices; professional builds – built by fairly established companies who convert vans for a living, and DIY builds – built by individuals.
Professional builds usually cost top dollar and have incredible craftsmanship. However, you’ll get professional build quality and usually, the van will come with some sort of warranty from the company that converted it. Often, the mechanical components of the van, like the engine, and transmission, are still covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
DIY builds are the wild west of the camper van world! Some DIY camper vans are little more than a van with an air mattress in the back while others are top-notch quality equal to that of a professional build. Also, DIY vans don’t usually come with any kind of warranty. If the van is a new model it may still be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty, but most DIY vans tend to be older models.
If you’ll be living on the road full-time we recommend spending the money on a professionally built van. However, if you can’t wait to have one built or don’t have the budget, look for a used van that was professionally rebuilt. You’ll know you’re getting a van that was built to professional standards and you’ll always be able to reach out to the original company that built the van if you have issues.
For those who won’t be living vanlife full-time, it’s certainly worth looking at the DIY market. There are some professional-grade DIY camper vans out there. However, you’ll have to sort through the poor-quality builds as well. If buying a DIY build, see if the owner has any pictures or documentation from the build. That will be a huge help if you have issues or need to make repairs down the road.
High Top vs Low Top Van
A high-top camper van is the best choice 90% of the time. You’ll get more headroom, and storage room, and you won’t have to walk around stooped over all day. The only downside of a high-top van is that it won’t fit in most home garages and some carports. If that’s an issue for you, maybe it’s worth considering a low-top van.
Unless you’re going for a stealth look, or need a lower clearance, buy a high-top camper van.
Make and Model
Mercedes camper vans are the way to go! Their diesel models are extremely reliable and last for hundreds of thousands of miles with minimal issues. Mercedes builds their vans to be ultra-reliable commercial-grade vehicles. They may be more expensive than gas vans, like the Ford Transit and Ram Promaster, but in our opinion, it’s worth it in the end.
For newer builds, look for recent model high-top Mercedes sprinter vans with a diesel engine. Mercedes started offering their vans with a gas engine option in 2019, so if you’re buying anything made after that, check that it is, in fact, diesel. For older builds, we love the 2002-2006 Mercedes vans. We bought ours with 230,000 miles on it and we expect to easily do another 200,000 miles. They are some of the most reliable vehicles ever built and are a very popular choice for DIY (and even professional) camper van conversions.
Paint Color
The exterior paint color of your camper van can have a huge impact on the interior temperature. Dark colors absorb heat very well and are great at transforming your van into an oven on a hot sunny day. Light color help reflect heat and you’re van will stay cooler throughout the day. It’s something we didn’t consider when we purchased our white van. However, since we live in a hot area it ended up working out well. It doesn’t look as rugged as a tan or black van, but it’s been worth the tradeoff.
If you’re in a hot climate, stick with a light-colored van. It makes a huge difference on those hot sunny days (trust us!). In a colder area? Go with something darker like tan and the van will stay warmer on a sunny day.
Overhead Storage
Overhead storage and cabinets and great if you need the space, but can be in the way otherwise. If you’re a part-time adventure or weekend warrior, you may be able to do without the extra storage and free up the head space. It makes a huge difference to the feel of the van and really opens up the space. A good middle ground is using collapsible or fabric shelving.
Bathroom
For full-time nomads, some sort of bathroom is a must. Now, you can get by quite handily with an outdoor shower. However, having some sort of facilities on the interior of the van is a must if you plan to be living in the van for an extended period of time. Even a composting toilet, like those sold by Nature’s Head, can be a huge lifesaver.
Kitchen
Most vans have a “kitchen” area, even if it’s not as large as what you’re used to at home. For longer trips, a small refrigerator is a must, although you can get by with a cooler for a day or two. If you plan to cook in the van, you’ll want a small propane cooktop or stove and plenty of countertop space. Check that the sink is large enough to fit even your biggest dishes. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get them clean.
Cab Access
Cab access means you can reach the cab without exiting the van. Most camper vans are built like this, but there are some that have a wall behind the driver and passenger seats. Meaning, the only way to access the rear of the van is through the side door..
In our opinion, having access to the back of the van from the cab area is a huge must! Not only is it convenient to be able to park the van and get to the back area without having to walk around the side of the van, but it’s also much safer as well. If you ever feel unsafe scenario you can easily hop in the driver’s seat and drive off.
Bed Orientation
Some camper vans have the bed oriented longways (head at the back of the van, feet facing the front or vice versa). Others orient the bed side to side (head on one side of the van, feet facing the other). Both are great options! However, for those taller than 6″ we recommend sticking with the front-to-back bed layout. Otherwise, you may not have enough room to stretch out completely on the bed.!
Water System
The main water system considerations are the fresh water tank capacity and grey water tank capacity. Fresh water is the clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing dishes (or your hands). Grey water, on the other hand, is the dirty water out from the bottom of the sink and is discarded.
The ideal potable water tank size depends a lot on personal preference. For Instance, if you plan to be showering every day, or will be traveling with more than one person you’ll want to carry more fresh water. We went with a 20 gall. freshwater tank that easily lasts for 3-4 with liberal use. If we were more conservative with our water usage, it would easily last a week. The size of the grey water tank is not as crucial as the fresh water tank because you can empty it as needed, so 5-10 gall. is plenty.
Another consideration is where the water tanks are located. Some camper vans have water tanks mounted externally, under the van. However, if temp ever drops below freezing you may end up with a frozen water tank or burst pipes. Interior-mounted water tanks are the best since they stay as warm as possible to prevent freezing in cold temperatures.
Battery Capacity
Like fresh water capacity, battery capacity comes down to a matter of preference. If you’re just camping for one or two nights you may be fine with a small 50ah battery. If you’re living off-grid for weeks at a time, you may need a large (and expensive) 500ah battery bank.
Deciding on the best battery capacity for your camper van can be tricky and there are entire articles on the subject. It can get confusing fast if you’re not electrical savvy. We recommend at least a 100ah battery for starters. Our 100ah battery can power our lights, refrigerator, and roof fan, for 3-4 days with no recharging – if we’re mindful of our usage.
Keep in mind that if you have solar panels on the roof of your van or will be driving often, your batteries will be recharged regularly. So, you may not need as large of a battery bank.
Solar Panels
Solar panels are a great way to extend your battery life. This is especially true if you plan to be parked for long periods of time without having the alternator recharge your battery bank. We haven’t added solar pannels to our van yet, but it’s on the list! They are a must if you’ll be living in your van full-time, but not a necessity for shorter trips.
If you’re a weekend vanlifer, our recommendation is to go without solar and add it on later if needed. It can save some money upfront and you can always have it added on later if you decide you need it.
Buying a Camper Van – Final Thoughts
And there you have it! Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a great starting point. The most important part of buying a camper van is to find what works for you! Check out some van builders near you and spend some time browsing online to see what’s out there. It’s also a great idea to rent a camper van for a few days before buying one. That way, you can get a feel for what best works and what doesn’t.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out some of our other articles! We’re a small team writing about our experience in the outdoors.
