Manufactured or custom?

[MarkSaxton]

My budget is 60k.

I am wondering if I can get more value buying a used cargo van (Sprinter) for 20-25k and then commissioning a custom conversion. That gives me a brand new interior.

I speculate that economies of scale mean I pay more for a custom interior than one done by a manufacturer, so maybe I'd find more value for my budget just shopping for a pre-owned Sprinter conversion.

I don't know what I might expect for an approx 35k budget to do a custom interior.



Any feedback on that approach greatly appreciated.

[n-e-d]

I looked for a pre owned B and couldnt find one with the right plan or price I was comfortable with . Pricing for a B is ridiculous even used. I bought a leftover Ford Transit Cargo Van-diesel. I plan on slowly converting it myself. There is a website Sportsmobile Custom Camper Vans - Design Your Own Sprinter that you should check out. You can play with their design studio to see what'll fit in any van-Transit,Sprinter and Promaster.They will also give you a rough idea what the cost will be for them to do the conversion. Also check the Sprinter,Transit and Promasters Owners forums for ideas if you plan on doing a conversion

[GuidoLyons]

If you can do it yourself, and you have the skills, tools, and time, you could build a really nice conversion for much less than a typical RV, or outfitter like Outside Van, Sportsmobile, etc.

https://www.outsidevan.com/how-it-works/

Pretty awesome DIY Sprinter conversion:
Building an Adventure Van | Adventure Rider

Building YASB - (Yet Another Sprinter Build) | Adventure Rider

Nate Murphy's off-grid van conversion guide: My van conversion designs

[Interblog]

Originally Posted by MarkSaxton

My budget is 60k.

I am wondering if I can get more value buying a used cargo van (Sprinter) for 20-25k and then commissioning a custom conversion. That gives me a brand new interior.

I speculate that economies of scale mean I pay more for a custom interior than one done by a manufacturer, so maybe I'd find more value for my budget just shopping for a pre-owned Sprinter conversion.

I don't know what I might expect for an approx 35k budget to do a custom interior.

Any feedback on that approach greatly appreciated.

If you find an outfit that will do such a conversion and for that price, please post back some information on them. They are rare and generally limited to much higher-end work than that ($200+ range).

60k is a healthy budget. If a new-looking interior is important to you, you would be able to get a first gen (2004 - 2007) Airstream Interstate for that price, or even an older second gen (2008-ish). The interiors of those were done so well and in such a modern style that IMO, a well-kept unit will still look brand new and not unstylish. Furthermore the first gens are built on T1N Sprinters which don't have the same problems with emissions control systems as the later NCV3 Sprinters do. There are a few caveats and issues (weak spots in the design) that characterize the lineage, and I describe many of those on my blog. But generally I don't think that they are the worst option in that price range, and we don't regret buying our 2007. Here's a pic of its interior, so that you can see whether it's to your taste.