Why NOT these options?

We've gotten a little hung up on our build with some health set backs.  Hopefully we'll be back on track soon, but until then I'll try to catch up on what progress we have made and a few more foundation details.  I'll also be posting our Sketch Up diagrams of our van layout sometime in the next week.  

When researching different aspects of this van and the build out, we found it almost as helpful understanding why people DIDN'T do some things.  This is also for when I look back later and wonder why the hell we did/didn't get X when we purchased the van.  

Things we didn't opt for when ordering our van -

  • Dual alternators - while it would be nice to have even MORE power off the engine that we could use for charging our "house" batteries (these are the ones that will power all our "living" requirements vs the "starter" batteries that handle the van itself), there are a lot of questions on how well you can utilize this extra power given all the "smart" management of the van's power systems. The Transit comes with a 250A alternator, which is quite large relatively speaking, and we hope to pull up to 100A off this alternator (under good conditions) to charge our house batteries. If we find we need more than that, it is possible to add an aftermarket 2nd alternator. We'll talk about this more in our electrical planning.
  • Large center console - this option reduces the room when swiveling seats and when trying to go from the front to the back of the van (though it's not directly between the seats, but more in front, below the radio/dash area). I see people say they wish they hadn't gotten the large center console, never anyone who wished they had.
  • 360 degree cameras - This is a really nice option that we may end up regretting skipping. This stitches images from around the van exterior and can give you a bird's eye view of the van, which would be really helpful with parking and negotiating tight spaces. We thought we may be able to add something aftermarket that would be cheaper and we'd be able to fine tune more to our needs. Jury is still out on this decision. 
  • 120V power outlet - this outlet can only provide 400W and requires a factory inverter. So, between not much power, factory inverter (which has been one of many supply chain issues that has held some orders up) taking up space, and the cost - we opted out. Our electrical system will give us something similar with more benefits.
  • Trailering system - this would include hitch, trailer brake controller, etc.  We don't anticipate pulling anything with the van, though it's my understanding that it's very capable.  We want to keep things simple and keep our nimbleness (as much as this thing can be nimble).  We may end up installing an aftermarket hitch so we can add a kayak carrier for trips where kayaking will be a bigger focus.  For most trips, inflatable stand up paddle boards will suffice, and travel easier.  Adding a hitch will lessen our ground clearance, which we'd rather not do if we don't have to.
  • Push to start - we've never had this on a vehicle so we don't really know what we're missing here.  Seemed like a good place to cut a cost.  Does this attitude mean I'm getting old?
  • Remote start - you can pay extra $500 for this and get a key fob that remote starts the van.  Or you can save your $500 and use the app, which will remote start the van without the extra key fob.  
  • Back up alarm - if we want to be obnoxious, we'll find a better way to do so. 👍
  • Aux fuse panel w/high spec interface connector - we just weren't sure how we'd use this, but may end up regretting not getting.  
  • Power sliding door - seemed like an unnecessary cost (~$1000), also had seen several people talk about draining their batteries quickly when opening and closing the door repeatedly while camped.  The Transit electrical system stays active for about 20-30 mins after any interaction - so every time you open/close the door, the system stays active. The power slider has also been a huge hold up in Transit builds, with many people told to remove this option if they wanted their van built.  I'm sure this will change over time, but as of end of first quarter 2023, this continues to be a hold up.  We've not found the slider difficult to slide, though you do have to make sure to get it closed completely.
  • HID headlights - this was a cost cutting decision and maybe a regret.  We're planning on adding additional lighting to the exterior and are hoping this will give us enough light when needed.  We may look at upgrading our non-HID headlights to something brighter if necessary.  

I'd guess the non-optioned items above saved us ~$5500.  We may regret a couple of these at some point, but we had to stop the bleeding somewhere, and these were the places we decided to do so.  

Fingers crossed for smoother sailing going further - nothing like spring in Kentucky to make you think things are looking up!






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