A couple of months ago, we announced that we’re in the process of buying a camper van — a place to call home and ultimately to help us travel more effectively.
While I’m super stoked about this new opportunity and the possibilities it will bring, the process has not been without its share of stress and frustrations, as well as fear and uncertainties — all stuff which I’ll share about in this post.
I’m going to be fully transparent with you, as it's a huge decision, and we’ve learned some valuable lessons so far that could help you, should you decide to choose van life in the future.
We’ll also share continual updates to this post or in other articles as we move through the rest of the process.
The Money Situation
We’ve discussed living in a van for a couple of years. Not only would it make traveling easier and open up exciting places to stay, but it would also be more financially beneficial.
Today, a ‘decent’ hotel room costs, on average, $100 per night. If you travel full-time, that’s $3,000 per month just for lodging! While we’ve enjoyed living in hotels and resorts due to their ease, it’s no longer economically viable for us to continue doing so. Even with a monthly payment of $1,300 for a camper van, we would be saving money.
And if you want to know the pros and cons of hotel living, you can read that here.
So why didn’t we do this sooner?
Purchasing a new Class B vehicle isn’t cheap. The lower end of the spectrum is $85,000, but the average price tag today is $150,000. Even used travel vans with higher mileage seem to hold their value, ranging from $60,000 - $85,000.
Finding a lender who will finance Class B vehicles is also tough, and if you manage to secure a loan for one, you typically have to put at least 10% down or more, and the interest rates can be high depending on your credit score and down payment.
Because we try to keep at least three months of income in the bank and didn’t want to deplete our savings, in addition to facing uncertainty with our income-earning potential due to economic changes, we felt like it was a huge risk to take. So we decided to keep living in our Chevy pickup truck and rooftop tent.
But we’ve reached a crossroads.
If we want to continue our road adventure lifestyle, we must take another leap of faith and hope it works out, despite the fear and uncertainty; otherwise, we have to settle down somewhere and rent an apartment, which we can’t even fathom.
I began conducting some new research and discovered a company that manufactures camper vans at a reasonable cost, which brings us to the next part of the story.
The Van Buying Process (Part 1)
Before we started the loan process, we had to find an affordable camper van.
I discovered a company in Western Colorado that builds vans for a price we were comfortable with paying. The average cost was $85,000 for a Dodge Promaster, which included the necessary items (bed, toilet, sink, counter) needed for travel. They aren’t fancy, but just what we needed.
After contacting three RV financing companies, we got approved with My Financing USA, which has been a great experience. The application process was straightforward, and our loan officer, Andrew Wyatt, did a fantastic job! We highly recommend them.
Trying to work with the van company, on the other han,d was an absolute nightmare!
We found two prebuilt vans we wanted. The first was a 2025 model with newer upgrades, but several thousand dollars more. The second was a 2024 model with similar features, but it was more affordable and was sunset orange. We decided on the latter to save some money. And why not have a bold color?
The next ten days were incredibly frustrating as we tried to get this van company to complete the paperwork, accept our deposit, respond to our financing representative, and answer our questions. Our point of contact would call us and then disappear for hours or days.
Next, we practically begged to meet a salesperson so we could conduct another walk-through of the van for which we had a purchase order. When the meeting finally got scheduled, we drove three hours back across I-70, only to have him reschedule — without an apology or explanation.
When we arrived at their location, he was nice enough, but he continually looked at his watch as if he was in a hurry. Apparently, they had a team meeting, and all he could spare was 30 minutes for us to inspect the van, ask questions, and take a test drive, which wasn’t even the one we wanted to buy.
Still, we were determined to finalize a deal.
I tried to call the company owner about the problems, but he was too busy traveling. Next, I sent him an email explaining the entire situation, and he passed it on to a new person to handle instead of addressing it himself.
This new contact was easier to work with, although they attempted to retract their original offer to provide free upgrades and ship the van to us at no cost. He promised to have the van ready no later than July 2nd, with delivery expected in Oklahoma the following week. On July 3rd, we received an email from my first contact stating that it would be several more weeks before the van arrived.
Then they went dark.
We were pissed off, so I sent another detailed email directly to the owner of the company, stating how unhappy and frustrated we were with the entire process.
Six days later, we received this response.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. We’re grateful for open feedback—it helps us keep refining the experience for every future van owner.
For the past seven years, our small but dedicated team has guided more than 650 customers through this same journey, always with one promise in mind: a high-quality camper van at a great price, backed by an incredible service team. That’s the standard we’re committed to delivering for you, too.
You’ll continue to hear timely updates from the crew as we work through the purchase and upgrade process, and if anything ever feels unclear—or if new ideas come to mind—please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here for you every step of the way.
Looking forward to celebrating New Van Day with you soon!
As you can see, there was no apology, no addressing of the real issues, and no explanation for why the sales representative made us feel rushed. Additionally, none of our other concerns were taken into consideration—just a bullshit email.
I guess they didn’t want to sell us a van. 🤷♂️
Perhaps we were unreasonable to believe we could buy a van in 14 days. Still, you’d think in this economically unstable time, when people aren’t spending money, they would choose to make a sale a priority, especially on a van that had been sitting on the lot for a year.
We spent a lot of time and money trying to work with them, and aside from offering a discount for our troubles, they didn’t seem to give a damn.
The Van Buying Process (Part 2)
Since we were told it would be several more weeks before we received the van, I decided to make one last-ditch effort to find another option while we sat idle in Oklahoma. By accident, I discovered a local builder on TheVanCamper.com.
Even though it was Independence Day weekend, Doug Smith from Next Chapter Vans accepted my call, and we talked for 45 minutes. It was a great conversation.
The following Tuesday, we drove two hours to Tulsa to meet him at his shop, where he spent the next three hours answering our questions, showing us two van builds, and outlining the entire process.
What a completely different experience from the other company!
As a person who built cabinets and did carpentry work with my dad, I immediately noticed Doug’s focus on craftsmanship and desire to do things better. Instead of using cheaper materials and wood, he uses higher-end materials and oak. He also creates spaces that prioritize simplicity and functionality, with a well-thought-out layout.
Not only that, Next Chapter Vans is giving us more bang for our buck.
This van features an awning, a 2-gallon hot water tank, an outdoor shower, a flushable composting toilet, additional storage space, increased solar power, custom interior colors and materials, and a desert tan vehicle wrap on the exterior. And it’s going to cost less than the other van would have.
The only downside is that we have to wait until October before it’s finished.
Overall, we know we’re gonna love this van more, and it will feel more like a home, so we’re happy to wait for a better product. We’ll provide updates about the build and process as we move forward.
Important Lessons We’ve Learned
Whatever mode of transportation you choose for a digital nomad lifestyle, there are some basic lessons we'd like to share.
Don’t be oversold on features and sparkle.
Marketing often convinces us to purchase more features and comforts than we need, and even though we’ve not lived the van life yet, we know from five years of full-time travel that less is more.
The overlanding Mercedes Sprinters on social media look bad-ass, and I love what people have done with them, but in most cases, they’re an unnecessary expense.
People who own these vehicles often tell us they don’t use all the bells and whistles, rarely go to places where an off-road option is genuinely needed, and typically have a lot of maintenance issues and expenses. And in our own experience, we’ve been “off road” maybe three times, and most of the stuff we’ve carried in our Chevy Silverado has gone unused.
So why pay $50,000 or more for stuff you may never use? That’s a significant amount of money that can be used for other things.
At our age, all we need is a mobile home with a comfortable bed, a toilet for emergencies or overnight stays, a space to cook healthy food for ourselves, AC for when it gets too hot, and a vehicle that’s easy to drive and park. Some of the extra features we will have with the new van will be nice, but they’re not required.
All that being said, we’ve realized that less is more and better for our investment.
Don’t rush into a decision.
In conversations with other nomads and adventure travelers, we have heard that people wish they hadn’t made impulsive decisions. I also feel the same.
For example, some people bought bigger rigs because they thought that’s what they needed, but then discovered it was too much for them. Recently, we met a couple with a Storyteller GXV who thought their vehicle looked awesome, but were finding out the gas mileage sucked, driving it many places was scary or stressful, and they couldn’t park it in most areas. They didn’t seem that happy with it.
On a smaller scale, I chose to purchase a rooftop tent, the Billie Bars, and several overlanding supplies so we could live off the grid. It was a cheaper option, but my setup doesn’t work well for middle-aged people who travel full-time, and would be best for weekend excursions. In hindsight, I wish I had waited a few more months before I bought it all.
OH. And don't choose the wrong van dealership or builder. 😉
Don’t overthink it either.
As many YouTube videos as we've watched and blogs that we've read about adventure travel, there is no way to know what will work until you try it.
In the example above, the rooftop tent experience looked amazing on those overlanding channels, as did the idea of going way off the grid; however, it's just not what we want to do in the long term, so it's time for a change. Yet we would've always wondered what that life was like unless we lived it.
So my advice is this.
Start small and get out there to explore.
Don't overthink everything to the point you never make a decision, or you'll still be sitting in the same spot ten years from now. The truth is, you will make mistakes, lose money, and have some regrets, but that is a part of the journey.
It's better to try and fail than to never try at all.
We're almost there!
Our new van delivery date is quickly approaching. We're so excited!
Now we need to sell our truck, a rooftop tent, and some other gear before moving into our new mobile home, as well as complete the final details with Next Chapter Vans on our build. It's going to be a few crazy weeks.
Donetta and I look forward to sharing the rest of the story with you soon, and we'll be putting more effort into creating fun videos. So be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay updated on the finished product.
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