Why did we choose a Transit?
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We already disused why we choose to go the van conversion route over buying a RV or toy hauler. But did you know that just like any car purchase, there are many different manufacturers to choose from? Today I’m going to dive into why we picked the Ford Transit as our van of choice and talk about some of the other options we considered.
This style of van has been popular in Europe for awhile but only recently did they start showing up in the states. The first van that made an appearance here was the Mercedes Sprinter. Of course, that made the Sprinter the most popular van for people to convert originally, and naturally it was the first van to catch our eye. Originally the plan was to convert a sprinter into our home on wheels, but by the time we finally got around to moving on our dream we found there was more to consider and of course more options to weigh.
Suddenly this style of van boomed in the states for use by everything from corporations, small businesses and everything in between. Most of our van parts have been delivered to our house in another van, airports use them to move people, trades people use them as mobile shops, and ours was even used to fill vending machines before it became M/M van. These vehicles are so incredibly versatile! Naturally, that means more auto companies started selling their vans in the states. Right now in America you can get three main vans that could be converted to a family camper van. There is the Mercedes Sprinter, the Ford Transit and the Dodge Promaster. (It is worth nothing that Nissan makes one as well but it is much smaller and in our opinion would not work for 4 people).
If you’ve followed our blog since the start you know the main reason we are building this van is to support my racing hobby (more on that here and here). And another huge component of racing is our trailer. We have a Neo all aluminum 18 foot trailer with a 4 foot “V” making it 22 feet total, weighing around 3,000 lbs. We added cabinets and a fridge in the trailer (admittedly this feels counterproductive now but it was a great test run for the van life) then once we also add in the karts, spare parts, gear and fuel the total weight ranges from 4,500-5,000 pounds. Because of the weight of the trailer, right away the Dodge would not work for us. It is front wheel drive and therefore its 3,500 pound towing capacity is not high enough for us. It is worth noting if you aren’t towing anything heavy (like just a motorcycle or jet ski) then it might work for you. Because it is front wheel drive the rear loading area (or for van life purposes, living area) is the lowest of any of the vans, which means the overall height of the vehicle is lower. A definite plus when maneuvering through cities.
With the Nissan and Dodge out of the running right off the bat, we were between the Mercedes Sprinter and the Ford Transit. As mentioned, we thought this was a no-brainer. Owning a Mercedes sounds so cool and luxurious. It came with several options all having a diesel engine (newer versions have even more options.) It had three lengths and a few height options and also came in a 2500 or 3500 version. The 3500 version has a 7,500 pound towing capacity (perfect for us), we would also go with the high roof and long length. However there was one big factor that changed everything for us.
I talked to fellow racers that owned the Mercedes and they warned me that because of diesel fuel regulations they have to have a sensor in the exhaust system that can often go bad. If (or when) it goes bad you go into “limp" mode and have to find not just any Mercedes dealership, but a large dealership that can work on the large vans to get the sensor replaced. This can cost $2000 every time it happens, and according to them it can happen often. This was a huge red flag for us. I did more research into this potential problem and found that it was true. We started to fear that we could be on a cross country trip in the middle of nowhere when this would happen and we would be stuck with no large dealership anywhere in sight. As you have probably caught on, between the racing and building our own camper van stuff I tend to be mechanically inclined so I thought “no problem, I’ll keep a sensor on standby and change it myself” but everything I read said that this was a specialty part that was not easy to change and had to be done by a Mercedes dealership. This scared me quite a bit and sent us looking at the other options out there. Which if you’re keeping track is now only the Ford Transit.
Here we are, last stop. Ford Transit. The Ford comes in what feels like about a 1000 different heights, length and engine combinations. This sounds great if you are purchasing new, but actually means it’s a difficult process to find the right used one. The Transit also has engine options that included a diesel which would have a sensor that could go bad often, but the difference is this one could be fixed on your own and at a much lower cost. Very appealing to DIY types like us. At first look that sounded like the solution. But, it also comes in the 3.5 eco-boost gasoline engine. Very powerful, very positive reviews. Very appealing. Beyond the engine selection it does become a bit confusing due to all the possible combinations. But don’t let that discourage you, your perfect combination is out there!
We zeroed in on the Transit with a high roof, extended length, dual rear wheels and eco-boost engine. This combination will tow 6,700 pounds which is plenty for our application. We also found that the Ford has the most interior height of 6’8” which is great for extra room. A shorter wheelbase means maneuverability in tight corners is easier. It also had the benefit of more dealerships that can service it all over the country which was reassuring. We have owned a Ford in the past that was not always the most reliable, which did give us pause. I have always been happy with Hondas (in total we’ve had 4) we find them reliable and easy to work on, but Honda does not make a van. I dug in further on reliability and reviews on the Transit to ease any concerns I had, and I am happy to report it seemed as though the Transit was equal, if not better than the other two vans reliability wise. Besides we only had three options and we just eliminated two of them so clearly this one had to work.
Kidding aside, the Ford Transit ticked the boxes we needed: towing capacity, interior space, and ease of repair. So far we have been very happy with it. Clearly we haven’t done any long trips but it has driven very nice as has loads of power which will be great for towing. When it comes down to it, if you are considering converting your own camper van the best thing you can do is understand your needs, do your research and find the best combination for you!
