VANLIFE: Why I bought a Ford E-150.

Since I will be living the van life, I thought I start this series of videos to allow you to learn from my decisions on this journey if you think about doing the same.

So let's get into it: What did I focus on when I was looking for vans?

I focused mainly on these properties:

• brand
• build (cargo/passenger van, model)
• length
• mileage
• general condition
  (- modifications)

For me, those were the indicators for choosing the right van that suits my intentions.
My plan is to travel Canada, the second biggest country on earth, living in my van. So being able to go for long distances is a priority as well as being able to fit all the necessities permanently. This making it possible to go in the nature, it shouldn't be too long either to allow me also taking it off road and easier to maneuver around tight corners. Being able to find parking spots in the city is a plus as well. Still, it should be big enough to fit a convertible full size bed, cabinets, small kitchen area and a table.

In case I need to register the car in another province I need to pass the out-of-province check. It is mandatory to keep your car as close to original as possible to pass. The passenger seats are a crucial factor here. In case I'd go for a passenger van, I would need to build the interior in a way, that I can either keep the back seats or can put them back in when I need to go for the check. This alone being a challenge since you would loose a lot of space, not even speaking of what you would do with the seats when you take them out. Keep them? Sell them? Where to put them? Going for a cargo van is the way to go for me. Two seats in the front, nothing at all in back. Lots of space to permanently put cabinets/bed/walls/wires and nothing to care about keeping/putting back in for the out-of-province-check.

Since I will be traveling North America, a common American brand is the way to go for me. This is mainly important for having replacement parts available everywhere you go. Even from a scrapyard if possible. In the van section there are four main brands: Ford, GMC, Chevrolet and Dodge. When inside a city, you will probably see a lot of small delivery vans from these brands.
Of course, I could have taken the chance to go for a Volkswagen Westfalia. Just for the sake of the van life roots. But just imagine being somewhere in nowhere in Canada with that one and the engine breaks down. Good luck finding parts for that one.

So now having it narrowed down to an American brand cargo van that is not too long, I started looking. Here the remaining three properties come into play. Of course, the mileage should be as low as possible since I want to go on a long trip. The general condition should be OK, but does not have to be like brand new. At last, also keeping an eye on modifications that might have been made to the car to benefit the van life (examples: additional windows, high top, roof rack) is really helpful to make the decision.

Now that you know what to look for when you want to buy a van for a camper conversion, have a look at Harrison: My 2003 Ford E-150 Cargo Van.

Shot on Sony a6500 + MC-11 + Sigma 1.8 18 - 35mm

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