Hi, I'm looking at buying some kind of converted van to use as my daily driver. Something that will make it easier to grab my stuff and go camping, work from the vehicle on Fridays at the campsite, etc. Also something I can toss my bikes and surfboards in and spend the day at the beach with. I work remote and don't do any sort of commuting (some days I don't drive at all). Generally quick jaunts to the beach to surf, mountain bike, etc, and then once or twice a month, a few longer drives to go surf somewhere else or go camping etc. I also take my Hobie cat sailing and have to tow that a couple times a month. I don't need a super efficient or nimble vehicle as my daily considering the above situation. I don't have room for an RV trailer or anything like that, so a sprinter type or E350 type van makes the most sense for me. I do want to have 4x4 on it for sand and snow but I won't be doing anything hardcore.
I can't figure out what do to though -- built out vans are EXPENSIVE. I'm stuck between these options:
Buy a used E350 4x4 Sportsmobile pop-top fully built... 2008ish with a diesel is around 60-70k, but could potentially get RV financing. So comfortable payments (no prepayment penalty) and also the van will be ready to go and can tackle anything.
Buy a new Sprinter 4x4 no build, loaded... 70-80k, but no dealer incentives for financing the 4x4's. I would need to do the build, which is a big project, and I have some hesitations about buying a new van and putting my custom build in it (I assume would tank the value vs having it properly fitted).
Buy a 4x4 E350 (no build) in cash... 20-40k depending on miles. Sort of the in-between option.
Lastly, I don't see a lot of value in buying a used Sprinter. Spend 10-20k less (if you can even find a newer 4x4) and it'll have at least 40-60k miles on it!
Right now my heart leans to the E350 vans due to the cool factor. Everyone in SoCal has a $250k sprinter van but you don't see a lot of those E350's. They have more of that adventure, westfalia type vibe and I dig that. However it's also hard to stomach spending $70k on a 16 year old van!! Especially since I've been spoiled recently with newer, nicer vehicles. Ironically I do miss my old XJ
On the other hand, the Sprinter would be fully in warranty and have a lot more space inside it. It would be a more comfortable drive and have lots of creature comforts (used to this with my Grand Cherokee). I test drove the 4CYL HO and it was zippy for a van! It would be a lot of work to build and I feel like I'd be paranoid about scratching it etc. But it does have a warranty...
So, I don't really know what I want... any guidance, anecdotes, etc to help me out?
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