Meet the Courageous Individuals Who Purchased a Pre-Owned Rental Camper Van with 340,000 Miles on It.

      Will Angel

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      A few months ago, we discovered that the van rental company Escape Camper Van was going out of business and liquidating all its assets, including its entire fleet of converted rental campers. In an unexpected turn of events, someone I used to chat about cars with in the past stumbled upon that announcement and thought a used camper van would be perfect for him. So, he purchased one.

      It's a story too dull to repeat here, but in another twist, I came across an old conversation with that same individual and decided to browse the internet to see what he was up to. There it was, looking back at me: the picture of the same vans I had written about the previous year. It took some digging to find a way to connect, but on a whim, I sent a message. After all, we had only been out of touch for 15 years—a trivial matter in the age of digital fleetingness.

      Sure enough, he responded to my direct message, we exchanged pleasantries and email addresses, and not long after, Will Angel provided me with a full update on “Crayola,” as Escape had named it: a 2012 Ford Econoline with a paint job (not a wrap, believe it or not) that matched its name, along with a customized camper interior. It also had nearly 350,000 miles on the odometer.

      “After seeing your article on the bankruptcy auction, my wife and I decided to acquire the van for a different kind of traveling,” he said. “We got it for approximately $4,300 after the purchase, auction fees, and DMV hassles, thinking that a functioning E-150 with a clean title and a passed smog test wouldn’t likely cost us much.”

      That reasoning may be specific to California's used car market, but $4,300 for a working vehicle without a check engine light is quite a bargain, especially one with this level of utility. However, given its custom modifications, Crayola appealed to a very niche demographic of buyers, and Angel believed he and his wife fit that profile.

      “We picked it up at a freight yard in Antioch, where it was among 30 or 40 other Econolines and Transits, and the drive home was interesting but not alarming,” he noted. “Upon further inspection, it needed some repairs: it had old, leaking shocks, a ball joint replacement, and the rear brakes were metal-on-metal (although, curiously, the front ones were brand new). There wasn’t much to do beyond fluids,” he concluded.

      Angel managed to swap some Yokohama Geolandars from his previous traveler, a Honda Element. They happened to be the correct size and load rating, so why not?

      “Regarding the interior, we did make some updates, but nothing too extravagant—crafted a new table, dressed up the curtains, added wood-like flooring, installed an affordable CarPlay head unit, and repaired some broken trim,” he shared. “Someone gifted us a small raven figurine, so we also created a raven shrine with that and some abalone and mussel shell finds.”

      “Having 340k miles of who-knows-what is a risk in its own right,” he remarked. “Mechanically, I wasn’t too concerned—our chances of sourcing parts for the van at a rural Montana AutoZone, an unsecured fleet services yard, or a freeway underpass junk pile are pretty promising,” he continued.

      However, as many pointed out in response to our story, a used rental van could conceal various secrets, not limited to mechanical issues.

      “When it comes to undeniable chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear hazards, we sort of relied on bleach, DampRid, and fresh air; it was a good reason to take everything apart, clean it, and tackle the challenge of living up to the eccentric standards of the van’s former occupants,” Angel shared with me. “Their objectives and methods likely weren’t all that different from ours,” he noted.

      Fair enough.

      “Before working for the Forest Service over the summer, we’re completing a California Naturalist certification, so we intended to use the van for that and possibly sell it before the job if we didn’t fall in love with it,” Angel mentioned during our conversation.

      “Our longest trip was around three days; our naturalist certification included several field trips, so we kind of traveled up and down California’s north coast, using it as a home base during long weekends.”

      “Amid all that, it’s been incredibly enjoyable,” Angel stated. “Despite our collective weariness with #vanlifers, it’s been refreshing to have a living space and cooking area ready to go. Since everything is packed into the Econoline shell, we can avoid the awkwardness of arriving at a