what's the best van to buy?

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There’s no right answer to this question. The three most popular cargo van models for conversion are the Mercedes Sprinter, the Ram ProMaster, and the Ford Transit. Doug went with the Transit for a couple reasons:

  • Certified diesel mechanics are harder to come by, so the Sprinter was out.

  • Sprinters are also wicked expensive — like $20k for a used one with 100,000 miles on it. Strike two, Sprinter.

  • The Transit has more right angles, which makes it easier to maximize the interior space during the build-out phase.

You can expect to pay between $32-36k for a new van and around $24k for a decent used one. You’re looking for the same things you’d look for in any car: mileage, signs of misuse, basic stuff.

After a little online research and two trips to a used car dealership called Car Revolution (see what they did there?), Doug ultimately decided on this lovely 2018 Ford Transit. Meet the Stratoship*:

*That’s the working title; we’re not quite sold on it yet. Maybe we’ll call her Katie instead? Suggestions always welcome.

The Stratoship was $4,000 more than he intended to pay and had some cosmetic damage — “blue-collar abused” was the way he put it. But it also only had 8,000 miles, which seemed like a worthwhile trade-off.