BY: SAMANTHA TAPP
If you live in Toronto (or any big city) you probably have accepted the reality that you may never be able to afford a house. In fact, the average price of a house in Toronto right now, according to the Toronto Real Estate Board, is $916,567. It is of course possible to put a down payment on a house and pay off your mortgage, people do it everyday. But with huge student debts and the struggle of getting a decent-paying job after graduation, many millennials are taking a different path. The van life.
It’s not just for millennials, people of all ages, and even families, are choosing to travel and life in a van. What some look as an alternative way of living has become the regular for these van-lifers. The perks are obvious: travelling, freedom and maybe most importantly, money. Buying a van is literally about 23 times cheaper than buying a house right now, at least assuming the house is the average house price in Toronto. If these perks don’t already persuade you, perhaps seeing some of the epic VW vans that are for sale will.
These are the best five campers you can buy right now:
1. 1969 VW Westfalia Camper Bus: $38,000 CAD:
This classic pink van is for sale in Baltimore, ON. Originally from Germany, this van has lived out most of its days in California and most recently in Boston until it made the trip to Canada. The current owners have fully restored the van including: complete body work and paint, front nose replaced with new metal, new 1.0L engine installed, rebuilt and re-geared transmission and a new tent canvas to name a few. Warning: this van has never been driven in the winter.
Check out the full listing here.
2. 1967 VW Split Window Camper: $36,000 CAD:
This OG van is for sale in NB. It was also built in Germany before making the journey to North America. The van got a full facelift six years ago with a full paint job, including the body of the van, the bumpers and wheel trim. With only 80,000 miles on it, this van has also never been driven in the winter months.
Check out the full listing here.
3. 1970 VW Westfalia Camper Bus: $23,450 CAD:
This van is for sale in USA. This 1970 beauty has been fully restored with about 90 per cent of the original parts refurbished instead of being replaced. With all of the renovations done of the van it looks brand new. It has a V4 1600cc Upright engine and it is manual.
Check out the full listing here.
4. 1972 VW Wagon: $15,000 CAD:
This classic is for sale in Toronto. With only 54,000 km, this is a rare seven passenger van and comes with its original black interior and has a folding rear seat. With three doors and seven seats, this owner is also throwing in extra windows and doors included in the price. It also has a newly installed 2.0 engine.
Check out the full listing here.
5. 1977 VW Camper Bus: $10,400 CAD:
This rare Riviera Camper model is for sale out of MA, USA. This van is the hippie van of your dreams. Originally from Cali, this van can sleep five and has tons of storage. It’s complete with 15” Mercedes rims and the original interior.
Check out the full listing here.