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rondavis_rvnet's avatar
rondavis_rvnet
Explorer
Dec 14, 2017

Decision lock

I am narrowing down RV decisions.... I need some RV person guidance

Me and my son is who will be using unit.

1 - Get a big extended van that is 2014sh and 70k miles and convert it myself my way
This can still get parking in normal places
Can also be done gradually while used as a daily driver.

#1 has been my best choice till I ran across this Gem below
#1 still has many benefits


2 - Get an older moderately used RV Van that is already setup how we want it to be.

Example 1 owner.2001 Dynamax e450 iSata that is 29 ft with mere 17000 miles, its larger than a typical parking spot and would need to be stored...rate close to me is $35 / mo and they have 2 slots currently avail. Winter is here so it'll sit mostly till spring and would not be a daily driver persay, like the van would be. Unless full-time became a legit option, which it really is not at this time.

So I am stuck in decision lock ... do I dive right in with a big RV and all its responsibility or tippy toe in with the Van slow and easy like ???

Both ideas have similar costs to me at this time but have different risks over time ...

I would appreciate anything positive or negative or just random advice
  • DownTheAvenue's avatar
    DownTheAvenue
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    Option #2. This is a no brainer. You stated you wanted it for you and your son to use. Do you want the time with your son to be working in your shop building an RV or out in the country experiencing RVing with your son?
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    As someone stated above, don't rule out the possibility of a truck camper. (just saying ... explore your options).
  • rondavis_rvnet's avatar
    rondavis_rvnet
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    azdryheat wrote:
    When do you want to go camping? Now or years down the road?


    Now and for years to come.

    Converting the Van would start out very minimalistic until time and money allowed it to be more.. The RV option just thrust responsibility and use storage decisions and different financial decisions just to name a few into the mix sort of all at once here over the Christmas holidays... like as if there's not enough already going on over the holidays as it is right....

    In the long haul I think and feel like the RV is the better decision Van converted as just gonna deppreciate much much faster where this RV has already pretty much reached a plateau of deppreciation it just gonna be slow now....and its still in its prime .... I've seen these E 350 and 450 rigs go above half a million miles when they're well taken care of so I anticipate a long life together.

    Thanks
  • rondavis_rvnet's avatar
    rondavis_rvnet
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    DrewE wrote:
    What are the expected uses for this RV? You mention daily driving; for many people, even a class B (van conversion) motorhome would not make the best daily driver, though certainly better than a large motorhome. How much time do you anticipate camping, and in what sort of weather (i.e. cold, cool, hot....)? Will you be camping away from hookups for more than a night or two? Will you be taking longer trips, or weekends mainly? How much privacy do you need from each other? How tall are you and your son...and how quickly is he growing?

    Very generally speaking, a larger RV will probably be more suitable for longer trips and longer times without hookups as it will have more storage room for essentials and larger tanks for water, propane, and so forth. There is a lot of variation here, of course, and people do take long trips in small RVs all the time, so it's not a complete hard-and-fast rule.

    A pickup camper might be another option to look into, besides a van. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.


    Good questions. Mosy have come across my mind..
    Seems in the last year or so most of my relatives have moved to other parts of the country and I still wanna go and visit them amd so the kids get to know them with a visit of more than just a day or 2 here and there.... so mostly it's travel and camping along the way.

    I have a unique privilege of being able to work remotely a lot also.

    Temperatures are gonna vary I'm in the Midwest Saint Louis now ...family in Seattle Tucsan Florida as well as East Coast.
    Being as it's Winter here and I still wanna use it ...so I have a quandary in my head of how to deal with winterization or not to winterize yet how to handle cold weather when I'm not using it every day yet temps are below freezing.

    He is 8 and growing tallest in his class... I am 6 ft.
    This unit has separate small beds which is ideal... not very many are built with that arrangement.

    When he leaves the nest or even before we might be hitting the full time RV life.. and so size is nice fir that at 29ft.

    Thank you for making me think...thats what I need.

    I go look at Saturday. Its located 5 hrs away..

    Time to downsize and minimalize.
  • rondavis_rvnet's avatar
    rondavis_rvnet
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    nineoaks2004 wrote:
    back in the day, while stationed in Key West, I took a Ford Econoline and converted it into a camper, I drove it thru 2 re-assignments and the kids loved it
    as we did, (this was before the modern version)I drove it everywhere. It finally died while we were stationed in Galveston Texas and I used it for storage. As for your question, only you and your son can make that decision. With the van if you have the time, knowledge and money to spend you can build it to "make it your own" from the start. If you are in a hurry then maybe another option might be best. Good Luck and happy camping


    Thanks I appreciate the story. Is certainly a concept of doing things together for son and I... And had This option not shown up on my radar I'd prolly be in a Van already Tearing seats or a wheelchair lift out of it and put a floor in...
    Getting out and exploring istead of getting out and working has a lot of appeal..
    Thanks
  • rondavis_rvnet's avatar
    rondavis_rvnet
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    CharlesinGA wrote:
    Converting a van, cargo trailer, or a gut and rebuild of an RV all require tons of different skills, shop space, proper woodworking and metal working equipment, a thorough knowledge of cabinet making, electrical, plumbing, and metal working, along with a pickiness to build something you will want to use time and time again and not regret every time you set foot in it. In addition, it will require your full undivided attention for a very long time to do the conversion in addition to a bunch of money.

    You are comparing apples and oranges here, a van conversion to mimic a Roadtrek, Winnebago Era/Travato/Paseo, or Airstream, or a rolling house with a full bath, permanent bed, generator, etc, that you probably won't have in the van conversion.

    The homemade RV will have little resale, the factory built RV will have very good resale in comparison.

    Otherwise you end up with something like the Partridge Family.

    Charles


    Excellent points....Thank you!
    I think I am concerned about age of components of the RV. Any thoughts on durability ... I would like to see us use this for 10+ more years.. whats firat to wear out whats the expenses I havn't considered ...the what-ifs are loud in my head it is top end of budget.. and it is outside the 15 yr max age for a GoodSam warranty option.

    Very acccurate on the resale... I seen a couple other similar units sell for more than this one so feel like I'm getting a deal at the moment anyway..
    Thanks
  • DrewE's avatar
    DrewE
    Explorer II
    Dec 15, 2017
    What are the expected uses for this RV? You mention daily driving; for many people, even a class B (van conversion) motorhome would not make the best daily driver, though certainly better than a large motorhome. How much time do you anticipate camping, and in what sort of weather (i.e. cold, cool, hot....)? Will you be camping away from hookups for more than a night or two? Will you be taking longer trips, or weekends mainly? How much privacy do you need from each other? How tall are you and your son...and how quickly is he growing?

    Very generally speaking, a larger RV will probably be more suitable for longer trips and longer times without hookups as it will have more storage room for essentials and larger tanks for water, propane, and so forth. There is a lot of variation here, of course, and people do take long trips in small RVs all the time, so it's not a complete hard-and-fast rule.

    A pickup camper might be another option to look into, besides a van. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.
  • nineoaks2004's avatar
    nineoaks2004
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    back in the day, while stationed in Key West, I took a Ford Econoline and converted it into a camper, I drove it thru 2 re-assignments and the kids loved it
    as we did, (this was before the modern version)I drove it everywhere. It finally died while we were stationed in Galveston Texas and I used it for storage. As for your question, only you and your son can make that decision. With the van if you have the time, knowledge and money to spend you can build it to "make it your own" from the start. If you are in a hurry then maybe another option might be best. Good Luck and happy camping
  • CharlesinGA's avatar
    CharlesinGA
    Explorer
    Dec 15, 2017
    Converting a van, cargo trailer, or a gut and rebuild of an RV all require tons of different skills, shop space, proper woodworking and metal working equipment, a thorough knowledge of cabinet making, electrical, plumbing, and metal working, along with a pickiness to build something you will want to use time and time again and not regret every time you set foot in it. In addition, it will require your full undivided attention for a very long time to do the conversion in addition to a bunch of money.

    You are comparing apples and oranges here, a van conversion to mimic a Roadtrek, Winnebago Era/Travato/Paseo, or Airstream, or a rolling house with a full bath, permanent bed, generator, etc, that you probably won't have in the van conversion.

    The homemade RV will have little resale, the factory built RV will have very good resale in comparison.

    Otherwise you end up with something like the Partridge Family.

    Charles

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