Prices for used vans have skyrocketed! Any ideas for buying a used TALL VAN for less?

[magentawave]

Former finish carpenter / cabinetmaker here that put tons of thought and time into converting my 06 Toyota Sienna mini van into a super cool, comfortable and highly functional mini camper. However, after 7 months of living in it I have for several reasons decided I want a high roof Promaster or Transit.

There was a super clean 2016 Ford Transit 250 high roof that I thought I could buy for only $20k (I know the owners) but then they found out that they could get $35,000 which is $8000 MORE than they originally paid for it! A NEW Ford Transit costs about $39,000 to $41,000 so who would buy a used one with 51k miles on it for a few thousand less?!! Now, you might say someone that can’t find a new van would but I’ve been checking the last two weeks and there is plenty of inventory available in the San Diego areal. (My Sienna without all the camper stuff is worth at least $2000 more than what I paid for it 1.5 years ago.)

We are told supply chain disruptions with chips, etc. halted production and sale of new cars and made demand / prices for used cars skyrocket. A Mercedes sales guy told me that out of the 70 Sprinters they sold in January, only 3 were purchased for business use. I’m hoping the trend slows down but it seems that everyone wants to do the van life thing and many in tall vans.

So I’m faced with buying a new tall Promaster or Transit, which I really don’t want to do, or wait this out in the hopes that supply chain disruptions will end as well as the vanlife trend (fad for some I suspect) will slow down.

Anyway, I was wondering about the following…

1) I just started checking out prices of used tall vans so don’t have much of a frame of reference yet. Have you noticed that prices of tall vans have started to dip yet?

2) Any ideas for places to buy a used Promaster or Transit for less? Auctions maybe?

Thanks

 

[afblangley]

Of the three major brands, Ford's production has been the most disrupted. As a result, prices of used Transits are crazy high. I don't think prices will drop back to normal until after production volumes have replenished dealer inventory, which is coming off of a historically unprecedented low level. There's a lot of pent up demand. My crystal ball predicts used prices will remain high for all of 2022.

I know what you're going through, I feel your pain. I started actively searching for a new Transit in Nov of 2019. I even tried to place a custom order from the factory, but the dealer said it probably wouldn't get built. By Jun 2020, I still hadn't found one, so when I came across a Sprinter equipped the way I wanted, I jumped on it.

Consider a passenger van. There is a little less competition for them, so prices might be slightly lower. They also sell less quickly, which gives you a little more time to act. As an aside, I'll make the case that passenger vans make better conversions than cargo vans unless you have serious construction skills or are going to put a lot of money into the conversion.

One last thing: looking at the bare walls of the cargo van, the Promaster is built more flimsy than the Transit or Sprinter.

I wish you the best of luck in your shopping!

 

[WayOutWest]

One of the bits of advice I got when seeking a van, was that if you are willing to travel to buy it, you might just get a much better price. So don't limit your search to just your area.
I don't agree that passenger vans generally make better conversions...I think it all depends on what kind of conversion you want. For those who like the windows, you are certainly better off with the passenger van. I don't think you need impressive construction skills to convert a cargo van.

 

[MGfromBC]

It might be worth looking at a cutaway box van. They have the same cab, chassis and engine and some have the same length box as an extended van. Some are longer. The box is wider and taller than the back of a van and best of all, the walls are flat and the corners are square. Doors and windows can be where you want them and most have access between the cab and the box. The prices are often similar to a same size van but you get 2-3 times as much cubic space.. A personal prejudice would be not to buy something that had had a reefer in it do to concerns about moisture and mold. I think step vans are very much worth looking at too.

 

[Sofisintown]

2) Any ideas for places to buy a used Promaster or Transit for less? Auctions maybe?

Thanks

Yeah, wait.

 

[TooFarGone]

Just my two cents' worth which is probably not worth even that, but since you asked . . .

I agree with the recommendations for (a) patience and (b) looking for a vehicle in as wide an area as possible.

You may be in a situation where the cost of a decent used vehicle of the type you want, is uncomfortably close to the cost of buying a new one. I've been there, done that; ten years ago I finally bought a new Subaru Outback because the only late model ones I could find already had 75K - 125K miles on them and were less (often much less!) than a 20% savings over the cost of a brand new one.

If the strong demand for your van of choice continues into next year, you'll just have to keep looking as creatively as possible for a desirable used one at a decent price. It's possible that many people who plunged in and bought brand new high roof Transits to make their nomad dreams happen, will by this time next year have gotten that out of their system and trade in the Transit on a different kind of car for their real sticks and bricks life. But if the demand remains strong, even an influx of used units onto the market might not lower the prices much.

I'm keeping an eye on the car market and hoping my good old minivan keeps on rolling for awhile. I bought it nearly two years ago for $4500, and I bet I could sell it for more right now. It's high mileage although with a rebuilt engine. I joked when I bought it that if I get two years' use out of it I'll be happy. Now as the two year mark approaches, given the state of the market, I'm not sure my idea of replacing it this summer is going to happen. I'm talking nice to it and hoping it keeps going, lol.

Good luck!

 

[rruff]

Former finish carpenter / cabinetmaker here that put tons of thought and time into converting my 06 Toyota Sienna mini van into a super cool, comfortable and highly functional mini camper.

Add a high roof to your Sienna! It's a more reliable vehicle than the vans you are looking at.

You certainly have the skills to do it, but it would be easy even if you didn't. The simplest way would probably be a curved plywood shell, with an external coat of fiberglass and paint.

Just a thought...

 

[JDub]

These mini van fiberglass roof toppers look pretty sweet. - it would really add vertical space to your Sienna. If I were going the mini van route I'd probably be going down this route until prices on bigger vans have dropped - a LOT.

http://fiberine.com/GVMR/Mini_Van_Tops.html
Cheers

 

[rruff]

The ones they sell for minivans are quite small... don't seem worth it to me. But they aren't hard to make.

One like the Metris top would give you lots of extra room:

http://fiberine.com/GVMR/Mini_Van_Tops.html#1

 

[RonDean]

I've been in a converted cargo because of the lower price with stand-up headroom. But I have always wanted a van that met those criteria. I looked at Metris tops and they say Conversion starts at $10,995. YIKES! $11K - just for a top?

I can see I don't belong in this conversation!

 

[Nautithespian]

Former finish carpenter / cabinetmaker here that put tons of thought and time into converting my 06 Toyota Sienna mini van into a super cool, comfortable and highly functional mini camper. However, after 7 months of living in it I have for several reasons decided I want a high roof Promaster or Transit.

There was a super clean 2016 Ford Transit 250 high roof that I thought I could buy for only $20k (I know the owners) but then they found out that they could get $35,000 which is $8000 MORE than they originally paid for it! A NEW Ford Transit costs about $39,000 to $41,000 so who would buy a used one with 51k miles on it for a few thousand less?!! Now, you might say someone that can’t find a new van would but I’ve been checking the last two weeks and there is plenty of inventory available in the San Diego areal. (My Sienna without all the camper stuff is worth at least $2000 more than what I paid for it 1.5 years ago.)

We are told supply chain disruptions with chips, etc. halted production and sale of new cars and made demand / prices for used cars skyrocket. A Mercedes sales guy told me that out of the 70 Sprinters they sold in January, only 3 were purchased for business use. I’m hoping the trend slows down but it seems that everyone wants to do the van life thing and many in tall vans.

So I’m faced with buying a new tall Promaster or Transit, which I really don’t want to do, or wait this out in the hopes that supply chain disruptions will end as well as the vanlife trend (fad for some I suspect) will slow down.

Anyway, I was wondering about the following…

1) I just started checking out prices of used tall vans so don’t have much of a frame of reference yet. Have you noticed that prices of tall vans have started to dip yet?

2) Any ideas for places to buy a used Promaster or Transit for less? Auctions maybe?

Thanks

Just my two cents' worth which is probably not worth even that, but since you asked . . .

I agree with the recommendations for (a) patience and (b) looking for a vehicle in as wide an area as possible.

You may be in a situation where the cost of a decent used vehicle of the type you want, is uncomfortably close to the cost of buying a new one. I've been there, done that; ten years ago I finally bought a new Subaru Outback because the only late model ones I could find already had 75K - 125K miles on them and were less (often much less!) than a 20% savings over the cost of a brand new one.

If the strong demand for your van of choice continues into next year, you'll just have to keep looking as creatively as possible for a desirable used one at a decent price. It's possible that many people who plunged in and bought brand new high roof Transits to make their nomad dreams happen, will by this time next year have gotten that out of their system and trade in the Transit on a different kind of car for their real sticks and bricks life. But if the demand remains strong, even an influx of used units onto the market might not lower the prices much.

I'm keeping an eye on the car market and hoping my good old minivan keeps on rolling for awhile. I bought it nearly two years ago for $4500, and I bet I could sell it for more right now. It's high mileage although with a rebuilt engine. I joked when I bought it that if I get two years' use out of it I'll be happy. Now as the two year mark approaches, given the state of the market, I'm not sure my idea of replacing it this summer is going to happen. I'm talking nice to it and hoping it keeps going, lol.

Good luck!

Speaking from experience… YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS.. in may ( 7 months ago) i went shopping for a new van… well… used …. And i found ( barely found ) a 2018 mercedes metris… at the time , as i did the research , the going price ( if one could be found at all ) was around 16,000… well.. at first i thought… that’s more than i had planned on spending, now isnt it?… , but then … wow! I only found around 7-8 in the whole east cost. Caravan , car fax…all of them had them listed with cute libel enticing photos.. but when you checked, they tried to sell you “something else” cuz they didnt have any VANS.. there was already a shortage…they just sold the one in the photo.. just now….this was last year. MAY. 2021. 9 months ago…. So i said to myself …. HUMMMMMMM this COVID shortage situation is hitting all markets…. Everything.. everywhere… if i dont get the van now, there is not going to be any later… so i went back and the price ( within a weeks)had gone up to 17,000 -18,000 thousand… and thats not the bad part…. When i called the various car dealers to say i was coming in… they made an appointment for me to come in, but on the day of my coming i was told , by each and everyone, that the van had been sold…. Now i was beginning to freak out, because my work was done and i had planned an across the USA trip home , and time was running out…..i then could not find any vans at all.. then one day there was one in Vermont , two in Long Island, and one in New Jersey…. I made the calls booked the appointments , then the very next day. Was told it had been sold the moment i had hung up the phone… i was in despair.. i moaned out loud… then one “kind” woman , in New Jersey , told me there was a van one coming in the next day at 1pm… so i got up early drove too the car dealership at 11am, and found “IT”.. BUT ….WOW THE E PRICE WAS NOW 19,000 !!!! … OK.. SOMETIMES YOU EAT THE BEAR AND SOMETIMES THE BEAR EATS YOU…. So i said I’ll take it….. as we were filling out the paperwork. , while I was sitting there, my heart beating in “I cant believe i just bought a van “-excitement..the smile on my facewhich could not be wiped off …at least 5 people came in to buy the van that she had told them would be in at 1;pm… they were devastated to see it had just been purchased … and with no more ..anywhere….

Then… fast forward to a few months later… I was just checking to see how much my van was going for..it had gone up 5 thousand dollars …. And now, today….now? Now? Now? Only 7 months later. The price has doubled and it is selling for over 30,000 dollars!!!!!!! Seriously?!!!!… yes!!!! And the 2016 and 2017 are even more than what I paid …peopel are taking to the road and livign in their vans and rvs and there is a shortage , so the prices are climbing every time i check. so if you can find a nice van.. and you really want a van…you better grab it cuz they are advertising them, but they are not there and BEWARE OF THE VANS THAT WERE SUNK IN THE FLOODS AND STORMS THAT THEY HAVE POLISHED UP ( on the outside /rust on the inside )….

What’s my point? …None. …..Just sharing

 

[rruff]

I've been in a converted cargo because of the lower price with stand-up headroom. But I have always wanted a van that met those criteria. I looked at Metris tops and they say Conversion starts at $10,995. YIKES! $11K - just for a top?

I can see I don't belong in this conversation!

For maybe $200 you could make your own...

 

[Frood]

Speaking from experience… YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS.. in may ( 7 months ago) i went shopping for a new van… well… used …. And i found ( barely found ) a 2018 mercedes metris… at the time , as i did the research , the going price ( if one could be found at all ) was around 16,000… well.. at first i thought… that’s more than i had planned on spending, now isnt it?… , but then … wow! I only found around 7-8 in the whole east cost. Caravan , car fax…all of them had them listed with cute libel enticing photos.. but when you checked, they tried to sell you “something else” cuz they didnt have any VANS.. there was already a shortage…they just sold the one in the photo.. just now….this was last year. MAY. 2021. 9 months ago…. So i said to myself …. HUMMMMMMM this COVID shortage situation is hitting all markets…. Everything.. everywhere… if i dont get the van now, there is not going to be any later… so i went back and the price ( within a weeks)had gone up to 17,000 -18,000 thousand… and thats not the bad part…. When i called the various car dealers to say i was coming in… they made an appointment for me to come in, but on the day of my coming i was told , by each and everyone, that the van had been sold…. Now i was beginning to freak out, because my work was done and i had planned an across the USA trip home , and time was running out…..i then could not find any vans at all.. then one day there was one in Vermont , two in Long Island, and one in New Jersey…. I made the calls booked the appointments , then the very next day. Was told it had been sold the moment i had hung up the phone… i was in despair.. i moaned out loud… then one “kind” woman , in New Jersey , told me there was a van one coming in the next day at 1pm… so i got up early drove too the car dealership at 11am, and found “IT”.. BUT ….WOW THE E PRICE WAS NOW 19,000 !!!! … OK.. SOMETIMES YOU EAT THE BEAR AND SOMETIMES THE BEAR EATS YOU…. So i said I’ll take it….. as we were filling out the paperwork. , while I was sitting there, my heart beating in “I cant believe i just bought a van “-excitement..the smile on my facewhich could not be wiped off …at least 5 people came in to buy the van that she had told them would be in at 1;pm… they were devastated to see it had just been purchased … and with no more ..anywhere….

Then… fast forward to a few months later… I was just checking to see how much my van was going for..it had gone up 5 thousand dollars …. And now, today….now? Now? Now? Only 7 months later. The price has doubled and it is selling for over 30,000 dollars!!!!!!! Seriously?!!!!… yes!!!! And the 2016 and 2017 are even more than what I paid …peopel are taking to the road and livign in their vans and rvs and there is a shortage , so the prices are climbing every time i check. so if you can find a nice van.. and you really want a van…you better grab it cuz they are advertising them, but they are not there and BEWARE OF THE VANS THAT WERE SUNK IN THE FLOODS AND STORMS THAT THEY HAVE POLISHED UP ( on the outside /rust on the inside )….

What’s my point? …None. …..Just sharing

The big companies (Amazon, FedEx, etc) are taking the majority of any new stock that is available. It's not just nomads buying vans. The shortage has hit any businesses that need one as well. Plumbers, handymen, caterers...

 

[Nautithespian]

The big companies (Amazon, FedEx, etc) are taking the majority of any new stock that is available. It's not just nomads buying vans. The shortage has hit any businesses that need one as well. Plumbers, handymen, caterers...

Wow

 

[user 22017]

2) Any ideas for places to buy a used Promaster or Transit for less? Auctions maybe?

Have you looked at copart? If you do a search for "copart" in this forum, it is mentioned quite often. It is an auction. Vehicles (and RV's) are mostly from insurance companies. Some with minor hail damage. Most have serious damage.

 

[JDub]

Perhaps you might try municipal auctions as well. Everyone tries for the federal and state surplus vehicles, however, lots of towns and cities hold auctions for their surplus vehicles as well. It's pretty much a crapshoot though.

Good Luck.

 

[LauraNSasha]

One of the best places we found for vehicles is KSL. https://cars.ksl.com/ it is out of Utah, Salt Lake City area.

You might also check out Quartzsite, AZ as well. There are many people living down there for the winter or else in LTVA (long term visitor areas) of Arizona and Southern California near Yuma. There was a magazine that was full of ads for just about anything in those areas. They are the Green and White sheets.

Yes, prices for vans have gone up. We paid $2K more for our E350 Econoline van. Even though it is a popular model (extended), we were able to find it on Facebook marketplace and jumped on it as soon as possible.

Being IN THE AREA is important. Traveling long distances does not make sense as you have seen.

It will come down to this:
a) you want it ASAP, expect an 10-20% increase on the price, with a “do not sell it to someone else” down payment of 5-10%.
b) you wait a year or two for the prices to come down and you to save more money just in case the prices Don’t go down.

 

[Termite]

Former finish carpenter / cabinetmaker here that put tons of thought and time into converting my 06 Toyota Sienna mini van into a super cool, comfortable and highly functional mini camper. However, after 7 months of living in it I have for several reasons decided I want a high roof Promaster or Transit.

There was a super clean 2016 Ford Transit 250 high roof that I thought I could buy for only $20k (I know the owners) but then they found out that they could get $35,000 which is $8000 MORE than they originally paid for it! A NEW Ford Transit costs about $39,000 to $41,000 so who would buy a used one with 51k miles on it for a few thousand less?!! Now, you might say someone that can’t find a new van would but I’ve been checking the last two weeks and there is plenty of inventory available in the San Diego areal. (My Sienna without all the camper stuff is worth at least $2000 more than what I paid for it 1.5 years ago.)

We are told supply chain disruptions with chips, etc. halted production and sale of new cars and made demand / prices for used cars skyrocket. A Mercedes sales guy told me that out of the 70 Sprinters they sold in January, only 3 were purchased for business use. I’m hoping the trend slows down but it seems that everyone wants to do the van life thing and many in tall vans.

So I’m faced with buying a new tall Promaster or Transit, which I really don’t want to do, or wait this out in the hopes that supply chain disruptions will end as well as the vanlife trend (fad for some I suspect) will slow down.

Anyway, I was wondering about the following…

1) I just started checking out prices of used tall vans so don’t have much of a frame of reference yet. Have you noticed that prices of tall vans have started to dip yet?

2) Any ideas for places to buy a used Promaster or Transit for less? Auctions maybe?

Thanks

Look for used vans at nursing homes. Bought mine for 1500. It has 47000 miles on it. Transmission was bad(1500 $) but I got a relatively new van for 3000.

 

[Termite]

Look for used vans at nursing homes. Bought mine for 1500. It has 47000 miles on it. Transmission was bad(1500 $) but I got a relatively new van for 3000.also proxibid and highbid.auction sites 2fold 1.cheap stuff.2. You get a road trip to go get item.

 

[user 19146]

prices should come down the end of 2022 or in 2023. that's when the chip problem will start to be over for new vehicles. then the price for used vehicles will come down. in some case's real fast. leaving anyone who over paid in real bad shape. look into government auctions for what might be the best price. but auctions have a down side of not having it inspected by a shop or even getting to drive it. a private party seller may have a good price for what you want. for me I am using what i have for now, but looking just in case i find it. i'am in no rush to find it. I just need something about a year from now.