Non-Van Vehicles for Vanlife Compared
Vans are great for a lot of reasons, but their price tags are [unreasonably] inflated right now.
What vehicle is best to live in if you want to hit the road and can’t afford a dream van?
For the sake of industry jargon — which is a silly observation in itself that vehicle dwelling is now an “industry” — I’ll use the vanlife buzzword interchangeably with its synonym: vehicle dwelling.
Vanlife Triangle:
Standing Room, AWD/4x4, Affordability — pick two.
My ideal unicorn vehicle is a van I can stand up straight in that has four-wheel drive and is also affordable. However, we don’t all have the privilege of buying a $63K+ AWD Mercedes Sprinter.
So we search for a vehicle that fits our preferences and budget as best as possible or hit the road with what we have.
The best part is there are no right answers because everyone has a different situation and budget, and that’s okay.
- Standing room is amazing for the daily life of being inside the vehicle.
- AWD/4x4 allows you to get to campsites that two-wheel-drive vans can’t, and they’re overall more capable in bad weather.
- Affordability is dramatically affected by standing height and off-road capabilities, also by the age and brand of the van. A 2023 Ford Transit short wheelbase may not actually be that much different from a 1997 Chevy G-10, for example, but they have dramatically different monetary values for a lot of reasons.
Standing room and AWD/4x4 each offer distinct advantages, so finding a van with both will be expensive due to their combination of conveniences; also because there are (literally) fewer in existence.
This was true even before the vanlife trend blew up online.
Vanlife Options
Standard Van — $ to $$
Ford Transit or Econoline, Dodge Promaster, Chevy Express, Minivans, etc
The majority of what real-life people live in, from weekend warriors to those who are exploring for years at a time.
You can find retired work vans or old family vans that people are getting rid of to save space in their parking areas fairly easily.
Tip: If you’re buying a new van, especially two-wheel drive, just go for the high top. If you have the money for a new one, just bite that extra margin-sized bullet.
Used standard-height vans with “good bones” are exponentially cheaper than buying something new, even if they require some maintenance.
High-Roof Van — $$$+
Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter, classic “Turtle-Top” Camper Vans, etc
The dream, although I’m always amazed how they don’t tip over off-road or in high winds! Baffles me.
These puppies hold their value. Ten-year-old models are often sold for hardly less than a new one because dealers know that people want them.
Pickups — $ to $$$
Slide-in pop-up campers, regular toppers, etc
Trucks are fun and capable off-road. You can get to basically any campsite you want, although the gas mileage will [probably] hurt your soul.
I think pickups are best for the weekend warriors or those who love hauling a dirtbike.
They are best for extended stays and the worst for parking lots due to their obvious garden-shed-sized-tiny-home (camper) on the back.
Newer trucks are in the same expense tier as high-top vans. However, the inventory of old trucks that will run forever if cared for, is huge. You can find affordable used trucks that run strong for not a whole lot of money, and they’re easy to work on if you’re handy.
SUV — $ to $$
Jeeps, Subarus, 4Runners, etc
If you’re reading this, I’d say there’s better than a 50/50 chance you already have a capable SUV that is ready to go sittting in the driveway.
Go live in it for a week! Experiment and see what you (actually) need.
You might realize you don’t need standing room and could save yourself $10+ by shopping around for a standard-height van or by keeping the vehicle you already have.
Bus — $$$+
School busses, transit style, etc
Even if you get a good deal, the maintenance on a bus can be a headache.
Maybe not right away but my wallet hurts for those who need to fix stuff or pay for a tow while living in a bus.
I won’t mention the required fuel budget.
Busses are sexy and comfortable. They’re like granola RVs and are by far the closest to a tiny-house arrangement, and if you can make it work, huzzah!
Terrible for reaching remote campsites and even harder to retrieve if you get stuck.
Amazing houses on wheels, though!
Be ready to get super comfortable with Walmart and Cracker Barrel parking lots, or established RV spots.
What is my Experience?
I have lived in each of the following: 1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ, 2004 Toyota Tacoma, 2001 Chevy Express, and 2012 Subaru Outback.
Let’s get to it…
1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ (4x4, limited slip differential)
My favorite vehicle in existence.
It was a headache overall but I miss my XJ every single day.
I owned it outright but consistently spent $200+ for something unexpected every other month for the duration of the eight years I owned it.
The XJ could go everywhere I wanted it to (Black Bear Pass, Mojave Road, Alabama Hills, and more) in honest stock form with a factory limited-slip rear differential and 29" tires. The cheap Goodyear Wrangler Radials were the only tires I ever put on it, and they were reliable on long trips, never once causing an issue beyond normal wear.
I’m 5'10" and slept in the back of the Jeep comfortably, with enough space for gear, food, and my dog! I loved it.
The Cherokee and (current) Subaru Outback were set up in the same way, with nearly identical interior real estate.
I have a long off-brand Plano case (~108 quart I think?) for all my food and daily stuff, on the driver side, and my bed on the passenger side. For my bed, I use two 1.5-inch thick yoga/exercise mats, to help even the floor out, topped with a 3 inch foam pad cut to shape. All of that is wrapped in a twin size fitted sheet that I change/wash every week or so, and everything has held up very well for a long time!
All of this said it was a pretty unreliable vehicle (considering), but somehow only when it was relatively convenient for something to go wrong — I was never once left stranded on a trail, but if I let the Jeep catch scent of an O’Reillys or Autozone, and something would go wrong.
2004 Toyota Tacoma Xtracab w/ Topper (4x4, limited slip differential)
This Tacoma was a practical beast. I ran 32s and felt like I could go most places the Jeep could, but it still never felt as capable off-road as the Cherokee. Perhaps due to personal driving skills, I’m unsure.
The small backseat was perfect for buckets of gear, and the 6' bed made an awesome mobile living situation when the weather was decent.
I did not like the separation from the cab to the bed. Crawling into bed was extremely obvious in parking lots, and it was utterly inconvenient (and messy) in bad weather.
The topper-covered bed was ambient outside temperature all the time, which made winter travel hardly shy of dangerous. I did have an electric blanket with a cord I could run into the cab, but this was before I had an external power bank, so it would only take the edge off at first.
Long story short, there wasn’t anything wrong with the Tacoma, but that convenience is something that grew more important to my travels every time I took a trip toward populated areas.
2001 Chevy Express Van (Rear wheel drive)
This was a rear-wheel drive turtle of a vehicle, but the extra space was awesome. I had a twin-size mattress and multiple large lockable boxes for storage and seating, and the windows were blacked out.
Aside from being a big blue bus-length van that got 12 miles per gallon (downhill with a tailwind), it was a comfortable vehicle for traveling. However, it was awkward to park in urban areas, I couldn’t stand up in the back, and remote campsites were always a risk of getting stuck.
This would spin out in dry and flat campsites — it was annoying.
2012 Subaru Outback (AWD)
The interior arrangement feels like the Cherokee, and my gas mileage is tolerable compared to the van.
The best way to describe my feelings about the Outback is that I have a strong peace of mind living in it for extended periods of time, it’s comfortable, checks all the necessary boxes, and I have every reason to be thrilled about it — until I see the bill for repairing something. It is definitively more expensive to maintain than any other vehicle I have owned.
The AWD system continues to surprise me. Stock ground clearance is sufficient most of the time, it’s a wonderful daily driver, and it’s nice for long highway days. It’s a good all-rounder.
My qualms with the Outback stem from it being more modern, and I’m not quite as confident with fixing the new stuff compared to the Jeep or Chevy Express.
Conclusion
The Jeep Cherokee was my favorite, and my current Outback is probably the best of all worlds.
The Chevy Express I had was fine, but my future van requirement is that it must include AWD/4x4 or honest standing room, if not both.
My recommendation to anyone would be to determine your budget, both up front and the projection of what you will really be living on while traveling, and narrow down your search.
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