Hey there!
I am Lucille, 20 years fresh, based in Europe. I am right now saving up to start my van life, but I need some help getting past the first hurdle of actually finding the suitable van & where. I want to start from scratch, since I am a carpenter by trade, and willing to learn the electric & plumbing side of things, which I also have contacts for.
First question; I am from the Netherlands, but living in Portugal right now, and I am wondering where it is best to look for a van. I heard that Netherlands & Germany are best in terms of price and also reliability, is this true? And maybe some websites you can recommend to look on for 2nd hand vans?
Second question: What type of van? I've looked into Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato, all of them quite expensive but on the kind of type I am looking for; I prefer to be standing height for my small 177cm Dutch length, and also preferably a fixed bed, and needs to be inconspicuous (want to park it in cities for example). Although I don't particularly want a shower or fixed toilet, but do want to cook inside because I will live in colder (wetter) countries.
What other vans are good for this, can be older but reliable?
Third question: What kind of specs do I need to look for on these websites? Kind of overwhelmed by the many types & models, the mileage I need to be looking for, fuel efficiency, price range that is typical, what years are good, kind of fuel, horsepower, etc. As you can tell I have never in my life bought a car.
Any other tips & tricks are more than welcome, and thank you for admitting me to the community!!
Lots of love, Lucille
I am Lucille, 20 years fresh, based in Europe. I am right now saving up to start my van life, but I need some help getting past the first hurdle of actually finding the suitable van & where. I want to start from scratch, since I am a carpenter by trade, and willing to learn the electric & plumbing side of things, which I also have contacts for.
First question; I am from the Netherlands, but living in Portugal right now, and I am wondering where it is best to look for a van. I heard that Netherlands & Germany are best in terms of price and also reliability, is this true? And maybe some websites you can recommend to look on for 2nd hand vans?
Second question: What type of van? I've looked into Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato, all of them quite expensive but on the kind of type I am looking for; I prefer to be standing height for my small 177cm Dutch length, and also preferably a fixed bed, and needs to be inconspicuous (want to park it in cities for example). Although I don't particularly want a shower or fixed toilet, but do want to cook inside because I will live in colder (wetter) countries.
What other vans are good for this, can be older but reliable?
Third question: What kind of specs do I need to look for on these websites? Kind of overwhelmed by the many types & models, the mileage I need to be looking for, fuel efficiency, price range that is typical, what years are good, kind of fuel, horsepower, etc. As you can tell I have never in my life bought a car.
Any other tips & tricks are more than welcome, and thank you for admitting me to the community!!
Lots of love, Lucille