I’ve known I wanted to own a camper van since I was a little girl. That sounds insane, but when I was around 13 my dad took us into a dealership, and we walked into a van that had a tiny kitchen and a bed, and he asked “kids, would you want this to be our van???” Of course we were SO SO EXCITED, and then my parents decided they weren’t going to buy the van (what a tease!) but from that day on, I knew that I wanted one someday in my life, because I am a hippie at heart, with an extreme pull toward spontaneity and the feeling of just being in the world, aimlessly, without a destination in mind. Then in 2013 Matt and I rented a VW Westfalia van in California, and the idea became a reality. We felt ALIVE, and we loved sleeping in the van wherever we ended up each day. We were 20-something, in love, and had pretty much no money so while we knew we couldn’t even begin to look for a camper, the seed was planted in our minds.
Fastforward a few years, we got married, and we realized that this was the time in life that a camper really fit our lifestyle. We didn’t have Hudson yet, and we decided we wanted to find THE ONE before a baby completely changed our lives. So the search began (yes, it took us THREE YEARS to find the right van). We found the perfect Chinook (we thought) on Craigslist in Colorado Springs, Colorado in December 2015 and Matt booked a plane ticket to go pick it up, only to arrive and find out that there just happened to be a transmission leak that wasn’t mentioned. It was SUCH a bust, and he sadly flew back without a camper. We kept searching for years after that, but once I got pregnant and busy with work + this blog we stopped searching as seriously.
When Hudson was 5 months old we flew back out to California and rented a VW Westfalia again as a family of 3, and it re-ignited our passion for being on the road and sleeping in a van. We realized that having a baby doesn’t put a damper on camping in a van at all, and now that we are both freelancers it saves us a lot of money on traveling since the cost for Airbnbs can really add up! A three day trip can cost $400+ with sleeping accommodations in upstate NY, but between Matt and I we have tons of days off where our wanderlust pulls us to Upstate NY or out east, and it’s far enough that we prefer to spend the night. That’s where a van fits in perfectly! Here’s how we found THE ONE + our tips/ what we learned along the way.
Our 1977 Toyota Pont-X
WHAT DID WE DO TO FIND OUR VAN?
Sign up for an app to get alerts – Matt uses the CSmart for Craigslist app – The app allows you to search craigslist in its entirety for exactly what you are looking for. Matt searched all states within 500 driving miles, and he would check the app each day for various vans that we had our eye on being newly listed. You can also pay $3 to have an e-mail notification sent to you that lets you know when the van you’re looking for is listed. It’s important to find a listing when it first goes up, so you can have first dibs.
Check everywhere! We would also periodically check eBay and Autotrader, but not as often because they have less inventory listed
HOW DID WE PICK “THE ONE”?
We knew we didn’t want a VW – Our friend Jesse owns the 18 foot Toyota Sunraider and we were enamored with the idea that the engine in the Toyota is more reliable and more powerful than the VW van engine. After many searches and failed purchases we realized that we didn’t want a VW Van because A. They are less reliable for longer trips and B. They’re overpriced, and you either have to buy a really expensive fully refurbished one, or a rusty old one that is still expensive for the amount of money you would have to put into it.
It had to fit into a regular parking spot – There’s not many options for small camper vans that aren’t expensive Sprinter vans, and we knew we wanted a van that fits into a parking space. The Toyota Hilux was one of the most reliable trucks ever made, so they were converted into RV’s by many different manufactures. We wanted a fiberglass shell van because they’re lighter and don’t rust as easily/are less prone to leaks so this led us down the path to Toyota Sunraiders or Toyota Chinooks.
It had to be well maintained– Well maintained vans were our focus – not necessarily on the inside, but for mechanical work. We wanted to make sure we found a van that we could put our own touch on the inside, but that was reliable. Our van’s previous owner upgraded the transmission from a 4 speed to a 5 speed, rebuilt the engine and upgraded the rear axel, so it ran perfectly fine when we picked it up.
Had to be mostly rust-free – We were focused on finding a van that didn’t have much rust (ours has a few rust spots but is overall in good condition)
Check the tires! The tires on ours only had 5-6,000 miles, and we wanted to make sure we didn’t have to replace all of the tires
Price matters – Toyota RV’s are usually under $10K but a VW van will NEVER be that price, unless there’s a serious issue that will cost you double that in the aftermath.
Feel out the vibe of the current owner – Talking to the current owner, you have to make sure that they are someone who truly loved and cared about their vehicle. Our previous owner lived in his van, and was excited about finding someone who loved it as much as he did, and this mattered compared to someone who is letting their van rot out back for 5 years prior.
THINGS WE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY
Act quickly – We lost many vans by not acting quickly enough. Van-life is a trend right now, and there’s always 20 other people calling to buy the same van if it’s a good deal.
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is – Be aware of scammers
Be patient and keep an open mind – We were looking for a Toyota Chinook + ended up with a Pont-X, because a good deal is a good deal. But it took us years of waiting and searching before we found this one, so just know you may end up with a different van than you have in mind, and it may come years later!
Ideally you have your van mechanically inspected before you buy – Because everyone is jumping on vans so quickly, this isn’t always possible now, but if you can, have it looked at so you know what you’re in for financially before you buy it.
Be prepared to spend more than you think – While the engine in our van works great, we found tons of water damage and collapsed walls / holes on the inside that we were not expecting, so know that you will find issues along the way that will cost you more than you planned.
I really hope this was helpful for anyone out there on a “van journey” of their own! These are the things we did that led us to our Pont-X! We’re going to be sharing tons more about the renovations, and then of course our adventures in the van, so stay tuned!!
