Skip to main content

Outdoorsy lets you buy a fully equipped camper van with just a few clicks

Sportsmobile Mercedes-Benz Sprinter camper van
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re looking to spend some time in the wilderness, and want to bring more than a tent, a camper van is a great option. It’s possible to convert a stock van into a home away from home, but what if you don’t have the time, money, or skills? Outdoorsy hopes to make things easier with a new service that allows customers to buy fully equipped camper vans and RVs online.

Outdoorsy primarily functions as a rental platform, allowing both individual owners and rental fleets to list RVs online. Users can find RVs in their area and book them for trips. The setup lets owners make money off vehicles that would otherwise sit idle. But now Outdoorsy is adding more vehicles to the pool by letting customers buy new camper vans directly from the factory.

Outdoorsy’s straightforwardly named Vehicle Purchase Program streamlines a process that would normally require working with multiple entities to complete. Vehicle purchase, financing, and insurance are bundled together, as is the conversion work, which is done by an aftermarket upfitter. Once the vehicle is done and delivered, the owner can then turn around and rent it out through Outdoorsy’s online marketplace.

The program will launch with Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Metris vans, with financing provided by Mercedes parent Daimler’s financial-services arm. Conversion work will be done by Sportsmobile, a top name in the business, according to Outdoorsy. The company said it is “currently in conversations” with additional manufacturers, with the hope of adding more models in the future.

Buying a new Mercedes-Benz van this way comes with some perks, according to Outdoorsy. The company claims vans on its platform will be sold at discounted prices “unavailable through dealers,” although dealers will still get credit for sales, handle deliveries of the completed vehicles, and do warranty work and maintenance. That arrangement was likely designed to prevent any protests from dealers, which reacted aggressively to Tesla’s online-sales model.

Sportsmobile will also prioritize Outdoorsy purchases for conversion work. The normal wait time for a custom-built Sprinter van ranges from six months to a year and a half, according to Outdoorsy. Camper vans do get more extreme than a modified Sprinter, but this should get enthusiasts craving a little outdoor adventure on the road more quickly.

Editors' Recommendations

Stephen Edelstein
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Mercedes to trial humanoid robots for ‘low-skill, repetitive, demanding’ jobs
Apptronik's Apollo robot at work in an auto plant.

Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note.

Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that the auto giant could deploy. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik's Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes' human workers on the factory floor.

Read more
Hyundai Ioniq 9: price, release date, range, and more
Hyundai Ioniq 9 Front

Hyundai has been at the forefront of EV development for a while now, largely thanks to the success of the crossover-sized Hyundai Ioniq 5. But the company is readying another new EV that could be even more popular than the Ioniq 5 -- or at least more desirable in the U.S., the land of big cars.

The upcoming Ioniq 9, previously set to be called the Ioniq 7, will be Hyundai's take on an electric SUV. It will be to Hyundai what the Kia EV9 is to Kia. It will have three rows and carry over design elements from the Ioniq 5.

Read more
Audi Q6 e-tron ushers in the automaker’s next EV phase
2025 Audi Q6 e-tron front three quarter view.

Audi doesn’t get enough credit for getting luxury car buyers comfortable with EVs. While Tesla took care of the image-conscious types, the German brand unveiled its e-tron electric SUV in 2018 with the tagline “electric has gone Audi” in hopes of getting loyal customers excited about (or, at least, acclimated to) electric cars by pitching the e-tron as an Audi first and an EV second.

The e-tron wasn’t a one-off, either. It’s since evolved into the Q8 e-tron and has been joined by the sporty e-tron GT and entry-level Q4 e-tron. So, while some car brands are only just introducing their first electric models, Audi is ready for round two.

Read more