#Vanlife is suddenly all the rage. First, New Yorker magazine wrote an article about the lifestyle, then Bloomberg followed up with an article talking about how hard to find or expensive the necessary vans are.
To which we say, hogwash.
We recently wanted to downsize from a bigger RV to a van for our full-time travel. We found a Class B RV for under $10K. Here’s what we learned in the process.
Build?
I’d love to build a van. Build videos like this one are church for me. All that organization and order. Size the van around your stuff, not your stuff around the van.
I’m no stranger to vehicle projects. I was into 60’s era Jeeps before we hit the road. I know how timelines can slip. It took me 6 months to rewire a complete Jeep. I watched the time it took our friends the Longneckers to build their Airstream.
I didn’t want to wait a year.
And then there’s the budget.
The big things aren’t the budget-killers. You could find a suitable starter van for a few thousand dollars. It’s all the $100 trips to Home Depot for miscellaneous bolts, connectors and brackets. Custom build projects are never cheap.
or Buy?
I could find used camper vans for $12K and under. That, we could swing.
Would a factory-built van work for us though? I saw three ways it could play out:
- We’ll try it, hate it, sell the van, and do something else.
- We’ll like vanlife, but not the van. We can either modify it or use what we’ve learned to start over with a custom build.
- We’ll like vanlife and the van and have skipped over the time and money required to build.
No bad outcomes, there.
We decided to buy a used factory-made Class B RV.
Our maximum budget was $12K. Turns out we didn’t need to go that high.
What to Search For?
“Factory-made Class B RV” covers a lot of different vehicles, rooflines and floorplans. How to narrow that down?
I wanted something I could stand up in. I’m 6’3”, so that limited the search. I focused on Class Bs that have a taller fixed roofline including:
- Coachmen
- Airstream
- Falcon
- Fiesta
- Okanagan
I didn’t rule out other brands, however. Other brands have a lower profiles, but they drop the floor 3-4” inside for additional headroom. These brands include:
- Roadtrek
- Pleasure-Way
Pop Tops?
Another option was campervans that have a “pop-top”. With a pop-top van, a portion of the roof raises up once you are parked. The raised section has a fiberglass top and canvas sides.
I liked how steathy these were when down. You can hardly tell it’s more than a basic van. They would be great for road trips - but did we want to live full-time in something that was half-tent?
I didn’t know. I kept them in my search. Pop-top brands include:
- Sportsmobile
- GTRV
Class B Classifieds
I used the following sources for my search:
Craigslist
I looked on Craigslist, but using Search Tempest to do nationwide searches.
You can find good deals on Craigslist. I found two challenges:
- The deals are usually too far away to jump on and see in person.
- Sellers want in-person buyers with cash in hand.
I called on several campervans only to lose out to local buyers.
We did put a deposit down on a Craigslist Class B in California, but turned it down once we saw it in person.
We kept looking on Craigslist. We still dealt with unresponsive sellers, high turnover, and vehicles that weren’t as described.
eBay
eBay is a natural place to shop for special-interest vehicles. I’ve purchased 3 cars off eBay in the past and had decent luck.
The Class Bs that show up on eBay are usually creampuffs. Some are older models, but in near-perfect shape. The seller puts them on eBay because they want top dollar. They often get it.
There is a specific Class B RV category, but I found campervans just listed in the normal “Van” category as well.
You can setup alerts on eBay to get emailed when a new campervan gets listed.
For our budget eBay was a great place to research models and see photos, but I never bid on anything. They all looked like they would top out above our budget.
Facebook Marketplace
I hadn’t used Facebook Marketplace before. I did find some campervans listed, but none of them ever worked out to go look at. In some cases the sellers were non-responsive. Others took a week to respond to inquiries.
Like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace is regional. You can change your search city to see what comes up in other areas.
Facebook Group
There is a specific group for Class B RVs for Sale. Group members post local findings or link to ads they find on the internet.
RVTrader
RVTrader.com is a popular choice for RV sellers. The site always features a good selection of Class B campervans.
Sellers are a mix of dealers and private parties. I contacted several private party sellers and never heard back. You’ll often find the same rig posted here and on Ebay, or Craigslist, or all three.
RVTrader also lets you setup email alerts for new rigs that match your search criteria.
Search Terms
Here are the search terms I used on all of these sites:
- Camper Van
- Campervan
- Van Camper
- Class B Motorhome
- Class B RV
- Van RV
- The brand name (“Sportsmobile” etc)
- Misspellings of the brand name (“Coachman”, “Roadtrex”, etc)
To help with handling in the wind, I’d suggest a “steering damper”. (It’s basically a shock absorber that mounts between the steering link and chassis.) We installed one on our ‘94 Chevy RoadTrek, and it helped quite a bit. (The one I installed was made by Moog.)
Thanks Jeff - ours actually already has a steering stabilizer. I’ve used those on Jeeps before too - but more for wandering than sway.
Great website. Looking for a used class b diesel for the mileage they get.
Looking for a class B motorhome
I like the Road trek
Also need model # weight an all information to ship to Hawaii
I have mold in my house and the insurance company denied coverage (not done with them yet but no help will be coming from them at least in the near future). I am looking for a Class B to live in while I address the issue by myself. It will take 4 or five weeks for one person to do it. I found a 28 year old Chinook for sale but it turned out to be a fraud. Very disappointing but at least I wasn’t scammed. I’m in Florida and I can find boats way below book value all day long but haven’t found any older motor homes let alone a class B.
I am planning to retire in 7 years or so and am looking into what I want to do for travel. Wife does not want to live on the road so I can’t sell the house and by my dream rig.
I have settled on a class b for the stealth and easy drive. I want 4x4 and to be able to live more than a week boondocked. Love the new Roadtreks and the stuff Advanced RV puts out
I hope , I can find a “reasonable” class B van $5000. or less (year 1980-1999)
Roadtrek, Airsteam, Falcon or Fiesta somewhere.
Great Article!! its really informative and innovative keep us posted with new updates. it is really valuable. thanks a lot.
Fantastic blog! Thanks for sharing very interesting post, I appreciate to blogger for amazing post.
Thank you for sharing your research and journey to find a Class B. My boyfriend and I are short…5’6” and 5’4” so height isn’t an issue. I want high clearance to be able to boondock in hard to get to areas. Not sure which Class B’s have better clearance then others. Also, can airbags help the clearance ? Is installing airbags difficult? Can all class b’s have airbags installed or just some? We don’t have much money so will be looking at older and cheaper. Thanks again!
Shari,
With your heights you’ll have an easier time than we did finding a Class B to fit us.
I recently had our 1995 Class B parked next to an newer Class B. Ours was shorter in height. I’m guessing the other had to watch out a bit more for clearance.
I’m afraid I don’t know about airbag installation.
Good luck with your search.
What’s a good price for a1993 honor built class b rv in great shape
Hi Michael,
I’m afraid I don’t know the answer. ;) Mike spent a lot of time just looking at Craigslist ads/Ebay/Dealer lots/Etc. so we had a rough ballpark figure.
Good luck on your search.
Hey man!
This is all such great information - I love it and thank you for it. I am located in Los Angeles, California and am just embarking on my serach for an affordable Class B RV. Curious if you’d be able to help out in any way? I’m using all of the recommended sites but my situation is I may be in better luck doing a down payments on one with monthly payments only allowing me to buy from retail/dealers. did you guys try this route?
-Adam
Hi Michael,
Such great information, thanks!!
I’m trying to buy a class by to live in with my fiance after we get married. I’m 6’1” and need to be able to stand up straight in whichever van I get. Are you able to stand up straight in your pleasure way?
Zach,
Mike is 6’3” and has to tip his head/bend his neck to stand up in the center. If he wants to stand straight, he just goes outdoors. ;)
Good stuff! Any idea on aisle widths on class b campers? I’m dreaming about something that’ll accommodate my ~28” wide wheelchair…
I’ve seen some with raised cabinetry…and some custom builds. I’d rather not part with that much $.
Happy Trails!
Tim
Hi we will be coming over to Canada and the USA in June 2018 to travel for a couple of years and are keen to buy a reasonable camper van (up to $10000). We are currently travelling through Europe in our VW converted transporter but would like something a little bigger around Mercedes Sprinter size (short wheel). Are willing to travel for the right vehicle.
Many Thanks
Leigh
I just started looking for a Class B a couple of months ago. Retired and will be traveling alone. Not a big budget, looking under 7k.
I can’t really afford to travel the country looking, but I’m not giving up. I’m tired of tent camping. They are out there. I’m not giving up. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I’m trying to learn as much as I can without going into overload.
Regards - Karen
Tim,
I’m not sure about wheel-chair accessible Class B’s already built out. However, when we were thinking about moving into a van, we did consider building out our own van that once had a wheelchair lift on the side door.
Maybe that would be an option for you?
Leigh,
Good luck on your search for the right vehicle for you.
Adam,
We were able to pay for our Class B in cash, so we didn’t have to look into financing it.
Good luck in figuring out what works best for you.
Shannon,
You’ll probably have to do as we did. Scour Craigslist, Ebay, etc. and when you find one that looks right, make plans to visit it soon. Class B’s go fast.
Karen,
Good luck with your search. I can understand wanting something a bit different than a tent. ;)
Hey man this is all a lot of great info! I am looking in this range and I live in Los Angeles. Planning on making a trip in the next few weeks to visit vans in nearby areas like Vegas, San Diego, Arizona, and northern CA and Oregon. Any help at finding leads would be greatly appreciated!!
Cole,
Good luck in your search.
Starting our search for class B camper van. 19-21 feet. Needs to sleep me and wife. Prefer back bed. Do not need third seat like Roadtreks, rather have a nice layout for kitchen and bathroom. Love Pleasure Way. Yes we are on a budget, however realistic at the same time. Thanks fir any help in advance.
Mark,
Mike has outlined above the way we found our van. I’d start there.
Good luck with your search.