So I'm buying a van...

HoboJen

Adventurer
Hey guys, I'm new here and hoping you can help me out with some of the questions I have. I truly appreciate any advice you guys have for me. Hopefully I'm posting this in the right part of the forum.

I was recently fired from my job (hey, i wanted to quit anyway so it's a GOOD thing), and I want to spend the next year, if not longer, traveling around the US and living out of a van. It will be me and my dog, and I wouldn't mind having room for a human companion should I find someone to join me on my adventures. I have cash saved up and all the time in the world. I care the most about reliability. and efficiency, I suppose.

I've looked at some minivans and full size vans and I've gathered that I really like having the additional space of a full size van compared to something like an astro van or a toyota sienna. Not that I'm looking forward to having a big van as my daily driver... I drive a Yaris now, so it will be a bit of an adjustment (and oh the gas mileage difference). I've driven large passenger vans while pulling a trailer of boats before though (for work), so I do know what it's like to drive them.

For the build, I'm planning to do it myself (maybe with a little help from my friends). The things I think I know I want right now: a roof vent, insulation (mostly to stay cool), fancy flooring (i'm into water sports, and i have a dog.. need to protect for that), a simple fold out bed, a really simple kitchen, and some kind of power system (more research needed here). No matter what I do, it will be an improvement from camping out of the back of my yaris. I make it work, but it's... tiny.

QUESTIONS:
1 - what's the difference in 1500 vs 2500 vs 3500 (or 150/250/350) and different engines? Is that all about weight and towing? I want the best mileage i can get and have enough oomph to haul around my **** -- so the simple build i described above, my gear and bed and books and what not, and KAYAKS. i plan to have a roof rack with a couple of small kayaks, maybe up to 6 if I'm shuttling a crew. and all the gear that goes along with kayaking. I don't plan to tow anything, but wouldn't mind having the capability of towing a small kayak trailer. Any idea how much oomph I need for that amount of stuff?
2 - what about chevy vs ford vs gmc vs dodge? i know there's a ton of opinions, i've already read a bit, but I'm hoping some of you have something to add based on my situation specifically.
3 - for the floors, it looks like a lot of the vans have rubber mats in them. would i pull out the rubber mats and put in plywood and cover that with vinyl? i've seen some cool floors in vans but i'm not quite sure i understand the construction and what you need to have underneath the plywood, if anything.

THANK YOU! i've spent the last several weeks working on this plan and researching and looking at things... it's almost time to buy it and start building it! I'm excited!

Jen
 

Haf-E

Expedition Leader
The later model Astro vans are pretty big inside relative to their outer size - I also think they are an excellent value (especially if you want AWD) and parts are cheap and they are easy to lift etc. Seems like it would be big enough for a solo camper with a dog - even with a fixed bed in the back. Guess it depends on how much stuff you want to bring and if you want to stealth camp or be able to leave it when hiking etc (i.e. not have a lot on the outside).
 

HoboJen

Adventurer
yeah i looked at this astro van a few days ago: http://www.emeraldcityautoinc.net/2003_Chevrolet_Astro_Seattle_WA_223929716.veh

when i got in the back it just felt really small and then got in their chevy express and that felt more full time livable to me. I guess the astro will get even smaller if I insulate it. I had been making plans to try and make an astro work for me, but i realized that if I put the sofa/bed up as high as I wanted to, my head touches the ceilling... so i'd need to lower that and have much less storage. unless i got a roof top box of course.

i mean, if i can fit all my camping gear and kayaking gear in my yaris, and still figure out sleeping in the back with me and my dog, i should be able to make an astro work. but it still felt so small.

and i do want room for another human just in case. maybe that is silly though... my current boyfriend can't come on this trip at this time.


stealth is important too...
 

java

Expedition Leader
Sprinter!

If it were just my wife and I or just me I would do a sprinter in a heart beat. Great mileage, not huge, but enough room. Thats if you don't need 4wd....
 

HoboJen

Adventurer
Sprinter!

If it were just my wife and I or just me I would do a sprinter in a heart beat. Great mileage, not huge, but enough room. Thats if you don't need 4wd....

but they seem so expensive compared to the ford and chevy's!!


i'm kinda torn on 4wd. my trip is going to be part road trip, part kayaking adventures, part time spent trying to learn to surf, and part time spent chilling in AZ. the (river) kayaking takes me to a lot of dirt roads, and i've only been skunked twice due to ground clearance/4x4 issues (out in the Olympics).
 

java

Expedition Leader
but they seem so expensive compared to the ford and chevy's!!


i'm kinda torn on 4wd. my trip is going to be part road trip, part kayaking adventures, part time spent trying to learn to surf, and part time spent chilling in AZ. the (river) kayaking takes me to a lot of dirt roads, and i've only been skunked twice due to ground clearance/4x4 issues (out in the Olympics).

They certainly are. If mileage is a big concern thats the way to go. If you look at the diesel ford and chevy vans its a better comparison.

With better tires, 2wd can go a long ways. and a set of maxtrax will be far cheaper than a 4wd van
 

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
With better tires, 2wd can go a long ways. and a set of maxtrax will be far cheaper than a 4wd van
I think this is good advice. For your trip a full size van with AT tires and Maxtrax would do everything I think you want. I also have watched some prices and it seems conversion vans sale for less than other vans? and you are already built.... rip out the stuff you don't want, take off the silly body fairings (or whatever they are called) but AT tires and go!
 

Jb1rd

Explorer
but they seem so expensive compared to the ford's and chevy's!! Deals are out there, but they can be more expensive to fix too! That being said I am getting 23+ mpg mixed driving in my high roof Sprinter, plus have the option to convert to run on WVO/SVO.


i'm kinda torn on 4wd. my trip is going to be part road trip, part kayaking adventures, part time spent trying to learn to surf, and part time spent chilling in AZ. the (river) kayaking takes me to a lot of dirt roads, and i've only been skunked twice due to ground clearance/4x4 issues (out in the Olympics).
The ground clearance on the Sprinters is pretty amazing, good tires and some recovery gear and you can go A LOT of places.
 

HoboJen

Adventurer
any idea what it costs to put a poptop on an astro? i can't seem to figure that out.

can you put a roof rack on top of it? for the kayaks? and maybe a bike? that is an essential.


i'll take a look at more of the conversion vans. it seems like a lot of those have carpeting though and i really hate carpet. and most if not all of the seats would need to come out.
 

mtnbike28

Expedition Leader
They ALL will have carpet to rip out.... I have dreamed of doing trip like yours and my thought on the conversion van was it has the rear sofa/bed folding thing, some already wired for outlets, and shore power. I was just throwing it out there as a quicker solution for getting on the road. I also agree a Sprinter would be perfect, but a lot more $$ at start.

I know there is a lot of love here for Astro vans, and I have looked at them.... but every owner I have personally talked to has not enjoyed the ownership experience... YMMV
 

Jb1rd

Explorer
any idea what it costs to put a poptop on an astro? i can't seem to figure that out. MAD $$$$$$$$$$$$$ 7-10k

can you put a roof rack on top of it? for the kayaks? and maybe a bike? that is an essential. Yes, there are a few different strategies for a roof top carrier


i'll take a look at more of the conversion vans. it seems like a lot of those have carpeting though and i really hate carpet. and most if not all of the seats would need to come out.
Conversion vans are cheap and down here in Florida seem to be the state vehicle, could be a great choice to get going quickly, can always sell it and upgrade
 

boardrider247

Weekend warrior anarchist
If I am reading your first post correctly you are free to go now? Start traveling tomorrow?
If that is the case I would highly suggest finding a van that is ready to roll. Don't waste your time building the perfect van.
Things could change for you tomorrow don't waste this opportunity, find a van that fits your needs and hit the road :smiley_drive:

That being said without a budget number I'm going to suggest a westfalia.
For me the ideal specimen would be a vanagon with a Subaru engine conversion. Though a well sorted eurovan would be a bit better for snowy roads being fwd. They are not perfect. But for a out of the box ready to camp van they are damn hard to beat.

I think the price on this one is high. But the 5cyl/5spd combo is the most reliable EV drivetrain.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1591020
 
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