Finding the right van for you
Reed and I were on the hunt for the perfect van. The perfect miles, the ideal size, color, price. Pure, perfect perfection.
Spoiler alert, there is no such thing as the perfect van.
See, a van can be perfect for you, but for it to be all-around perfect is a lie we tell ourselves to keep from making a choice. Perfect keeps you from actually moving forward, and instead, you continue searching.
If I’m honest, the search is one of the best parts. When you are searching, you get to dream and imagine it to be whatever you want it to be. You get to sit back and just think your way to the fantastic destinations you’re dying to see. It enables you to dream your way into the perfect life.
The search begins
Reed and I scoured the recesses of the internet a little unsure of what marked the perfect van, but we wanted it.
Neither of us is particularly car savvy, and maintenance work is not something we knew much about. We weren’t particularly handy with a wrench, and until the van build we didn’t know the difference between a 159 wheelbase and a 130.
Perfection isn’t about instinctively knowing; it’s about finding out and continuing to learn.
Weighing your wants VS. needs
When we finally found the right van for us, we knew because we had spent time learning what perfect meant for us. We wanted to feel like we could travel any distance and feel confident (as confident as you can) that our van had enough life left to get us there, so we wanted our van to have low mileage on it when we got it.
We valued having enough of our savings leftover to do a nice van build, so the cost came into play.
Because we were going to be learning maintenance skills as we went, we wanted a reasonably newer van model so we could feel like the chances of a breakdown were lessened.
We wanted a roomy van that was big enough for Reed and me to feel comfortable sharing our space with Rita, our cat, and Bella, our bulldog.
We learned a lot about what we wanted and didn’t want through a website called the Vanual. It can be overwhelming to know where to start in your search, so this is a useful resource to get you started.
The name of the game is… compromise
But all of these necessities also meant that we needed to sacrifice some things. We couldn’t get a brand new van if we wanted to save money for the build and as savings. We needed to be okay with a few dings and maybe a unique color as well.
We needed to think about how many miles we could live with, even if it was over what we would prefer.
Perfect doesn’t exist. Perfect for you? Yeah, that’s a little more possible. What we value may be completely different than what you do, and that’s okay. There’s enough road for all of us.
Finally, after months and months of searching, we found the van, dare I say our van. It was a Ram Promaster 2500 that was within our price range (on the higher end but still within it), and it only had 41,000 miles on it! We were in love. We drove down to the Carmax dealership in Denver the very next day after talking to a representative on the phone. He was incredibly helpful and generous, and we were sold.
The deal was practically signed, sealed, and delivered and we told him we would be back two days later to sign the papers on the van.
Change in plans
At the very last minute, I was humoring myself and decided to do one last check for a 2500 Ram Promaster that was less money and, by some miracle, could have fewer miles. I expected to come up empty-handed and be even more affirmed that we are making the right choice.
As the universe, would have it, I found one. It was in Atlanta, Georgia, close to Reed’s parent’s house. I told Reed about it sheepishly, calling him into the room and laying out the facts. It was a bit cheaper, it had 8,000 miles and we just had to give it a look. We were supposed to be at the dealership to sign the papers on the other, much closer van the next morning, but finding a van that was a bit cheaper with fewer miles on it and a 2019 model was something we weren’t willing to pass on without learning more details. So we called the seller, and after talking to them and getting a great feel for him and the van, we made the call.
Last-minute switcharoo
We called up the Denver dealership and told them that we found something else, and we were going with it. Let me tell you; it was somewhat heartbreaking to say goodbye to a van that was right in front of us. Instead, we were opting for one that was so much farther away. Also, we weren’t sure if we were making a wise decision, a private seller was selling this van, versus us getting a van from a well-known dealership was a scary leap.
All we knew was that we had to go with our gut, and our gut was telling us to choose the van that was in Atlanta.
That’s what we did.
We bought the van in Atlanta and flew out at the end of February 2020 to get it!
To hear how the drive to get it home went, go to We Picked Up The Van, Now What?
What would you have done in our shoes? What is most important to you in a van or a home? How did you (or would you) make the final decision on your dream home? (on wheels to not.)
Looking forward to hearing what you think! If you want to read our van build series, the first week can be found here. Until next time, stay safe and have a great week!
