5 Steps We Took to Find the Right Van for a Conversion 

After seeing so many camper vans on the road, we thought of getting one too. But finding the right van to convert wasn’t so cut and dry.

Before buying one, we researched, figured out what we’d use it for, and budgeted. Then we looked around at dealerships and finally bought one. 

The process took longer than we thought, and I’m sharing the steps we took, what we considered, and what we went through. Our experience may help you when looking.

Things We Did to Find Our Dream Van

Before buying a van, we had to consider a few things. But we also forget about parking and storage, which I added last. Actually, this should be considered while doing research.

1. Do research.

One of the first things we did was research. This took us a few months because we didn’t know much about doing van conversions and all the options.

Sure, we’ve bought vehicles before, but this was different. We found out there were a whole lot of them to choose from. 

So, we read about them and watched videos of other people doing conversions. It was a lot to take in, and a big task, but doable.

There were Mercedes Sprinter vans, Dodge Sprinter vans, Ram ProMasters, and Ford Transits. Then there are four-wheel drives and two-wheel drives. 

We found ones that were stripped down and ones that were all decked out. Size differences ranged from height, length, and width. 

2. Figure out what it’d be used for.

Before we could narrow down our research, we had to ask ourselves how we’d use the van. This would determine what kind of van we needed.

If you plan to live in it full-time, you might consider having a bed, sink, and bathroom. We’d use it for road trips, but still wanted those amenities.

Plus, we thought about making it fully ready for dispersed camping or staying off the grid.

Being able to travel off-road means you can explore more. So, having a 4-wheel-drive was important to us.

Using it to haul bicycles, tools, and materials came to mind as well. So we had our mind set on having a larger-sized van.

Now, you’ll have to think about how often you’d use the van. If it’s only once or twice a year, maybe you’d be better off renting one.

We forecasted using it at least twice a month. This included spending a day at the beach, staying at a campground, or going on road trips.

3. Determine the Budget

After determining your need, you’ll be able to narrow down the type of van to look for and price them. A good place to start is searching online.

We knew to focus on large-sized, 4-wheel-drive vans. And the van that had what we were looking for was the Sprinter.

There was a broad range of pricing, and we saw vans priced anywhere from $25,000 used to under $100,000 new. As we researched, we decided that we didn’t want to spend over $70,000. 

Well, that meant we’d go with a used van. Most vans we saw at this range were passenger or cargo van.

On a side note, we figured in another $50,000 to $70,000 to do the build-up ourselves. We had decided we’d do it because companies were charging beyond our budget.

4. Look around at dealerships and van shows. 

You’ll actually want to look at vehicles in person at some point. We actually attended an overlander show early in our research phase.

I recommend doing this if you’re very uncertain. This was helpful because we saw many different options and ways to do a build.

They also had trucks and trailers, and it was cool to see how they converted those vehicles as well. It was there that we decided we could do our own build.

And after doing the research, we checked out dealerships to find a used van. You might check online to see what they have in stock first before dropping by. 

We looked at a few places, including RV dealerships, because they may have vans too. 

You don’t want to rush this, as everyone out there is trying to sell things off their lots. We took our time because it’s not like we needed it in a rush. 

5. Take a final look and purchase. 

After a couple of months, we found a Mercedes-Benz dealership online advertising some good prices.

So we drove over an hour there to check out what they had. After seeing all these vans, we were really excited about getting our own. 

We found a gray, a 4-wheel-drive van, in the extended length, which comes out to a little over 24 feet. It had low mileage and was previously owned by a contractor.

It was “like new,” and we checked out the van inside and out. Then we took it for a spin, and it drove well.

At this point, we were finally ready to buy because we had found the exact van we wanted.

We asked many questions about the warranty and payment options. The salesman told us this was a very popular van for conversions, and we wanted it. 

Then the sales team sat us down, and we discussed the price, which was higher than our budget. But then we went back and forth, and they made us a deal.

They lowered the price, within our budget, and we left the dealership with our van!

Afterthought: Dealing with Storage

Okay, I added this as the final thing we did, which I mentioned above. This should’ve been done before buying it. 

Now, we didn’t think too much about parking and storage. And after bringing it home, we realized how big it truly was.

Luckily, it fit in the driveway next to the house, but it was close. So, before you buy, think about where you’ll store the van.

If you live in an apartment with subterranean parking, your van might not fit down there. And you might not want to park on the streets where it’s limited.

Note that the California wildfires threw a wrench in everything. The van survived, but the house is gone. 

So now we store it in a secure building with very high ceilings, and it’s a better option!

Additional Notes

Go with the best van for your needs. You don’t have to buy a very expensive van, especially if it’s not in your budget.

It’s hard not to get distracted by all the pretty van builds on social media. You don’t have to have one of those vans to enjoy van life. 

There are many different types of vans to choose from, so take your time looking around if you can. You might even get a deal like we did!

Final Thoughts

Overall, finding the right van took us a while. There are so many different possiblities and we took our time doing research.

In the end, we found the one we wanted, and it worked out as we had planned. This was only the beginning of our conversion, but an important part.

More About Travel

I have more related posts on my blog. You may want to check them out.

• After buying the van, our next step was to do the actual camper van conversion, and I’ll tell you all about it.

• You’ll want to read my van life lessons before you hit the road for the first time. 

• The very first time we took our van camping, we stayed at Borrego Palm Canyon Campground, and it was an interesting experience.

I’d love to hear about your travel adventures!

Originally published: June 25, 2025