teach me the ways of the Transit Connect

Recon in CA does pop-top conversions on Nissan NV 200 vans. https://www.reconcampers.com

When they first started out and were active on Facebook, I asked them about converting the Transit Connect but they said there were a few things that made a conversion less than ideal. One being much less ground clearance.  That said, it might be worth asking if the stand-along pop-top (a $6,999 option) could be done on any van with adequate roof dimensions.  With the possible down-side of having to get your van to CA.

Ian F said:

Recon in CA does pop-top conversions on Nissan NV 200 vans. https://www.reconcampers.com

When they first started out and were active on Facebook, I asked them about converting the Transit Connect but they said there were a few things that made a conversion less than ideal. One being much less ground clearance.  That said, it might be worth asking if the stand-along pop-top (a $6,999 option) could be done on any van with adequate roof dimensions.  With the possible down-side of having to get your van to CA.

Those look really cool! 

I wonder if their poptop conversions could be added to my disco

Avoid the early ones.

That 2 liter and 4 speed combo is absolute trash for power. My cousin uses one for his HVAC business and you have to foot to floor to pass literally anything with just the normal tools and stuff in the back.

It's a damn useful van, but it would be much better with one of the other engines. He's considering trading it in on something newer because of it. Course it doesn't help that his just puked all of its engine oil out onto the road somewhere in Kansas.


Like other people mentioned the TC is moronic and hurts you badly in a stuck situation, and I'm not 100% you'd be able to lay straight on the floor without whanging your head on the center console either.

I worked at a Ford dealer around the time these landed upon our shores.  I just remembered they had this awful 'new car smell' to them that was distinct from anything else.  The keys were strange, circular blade and you needed the key to open the hood w/ the lock barrel hidden behind the Ford logo, making it harder to steal any Duratec goods underneath I suppose.  They were also (still are?) built in Turkey.  

They handle well and serve their purpose and make a good service van for say an electrician.  I can't imagine them being able to get out of their own way loaded with heavy mechanics/plumbers tools though.  

So, to revisit these cool little vans, I saw that the 2014 and newer vans can be had for less than $10k now.

They are all over Autotrader and CL. Both the wagon and cargo versions.

There is a 2015 XL LWB cargo with about 88k for $9900 on my local CL. Its the 2.5L.

How are these to live with? Will I hate driving a white box everyday? The 2.5L 6 speed auto combo seems pretty reliable. I was thinking that the cargo version would be like having a small pickup but enclosed. They seem to get decent gas mileage for what they are.

Then I started thinking about a DIY camper conversion. It seems like the perfect size. The only issue I could think of is that the interior height doesn't seem like you could stand up in the back.

Does anybody have a second gen Connect?

Some local examples:

2014 XLT Wagon

2014 XLT Cargo 1.6L Ecobooooooost

2015 XL Cargo

I think I might drive a few local ones today.

There's a '16 wagon for $11k at that dealership, as well.

In reply to stanger_missle :

My problem with the Connect as a potential camper is the cargo area length - it's just too short. 87.6" at the floor and 77" at the belt line for the LWB version. Interior height is just over 4' at 49.8". It might work if you're fairly short, but cargo length is the main reason I chose a Grand Caravan over the Connect.  I can't stand up in my GC either (which I just measured at a max 48"), but it's not too bad.

Recon Campers in CA does a pop-top conversion to the Nissan NV200, but it's $7500 plus additional outfitting costs (either by them or DIY) and the price of the van.

I've been totally hooked on the vanlife concept for a while now.  I really like the idea of converting a Transit Connect.  I hope someone here does it and starts a build thread.

Thats 77" at the belt line with the front seats in driving position, right?  Don't they fold/slide forward?  FWIW, A business class lay-flat seat is typically 78" long.

In reply to ProDarwin :

Conversions have been done. In Europe where the Connect has been around for years they sell ready-made kits to convert them into campers.   Just bear in mind what you'll have is essentially a tent with maybe some cooking space.  Some of the nicer ones have a bed that folds into a couch so you can sit and cook inside. Googling is tricky, however, since in Europe they have a few more length and height variants than we get in the NA market so the pictures and build threads can lie.

Oh yeah, I've seen many of them.  I used to design high-end upfitted vehicles and I've had an urge to go do one for myself for quite some time.  A lot of the stuff out there isn't all that great... but budget has a big impact on that.  Some of the builders are making these things very inexpensive and there is something to be said for that.

Indeed. I've seen a bunch of DIY conversions that look very nicely done. Yesterday I watched a YT video of a van where the guy did the entire conversion himself using 8020 extruded aluminum components.  There is a guy in England who built his own Sprinter conversion that is close to what I want.   The hard part for me has been coming to grips with the concept that what I want will end up costing many times what I paid for the actual van. But that is simply the nature of these conversions.   Hell - the electrical system alone will likely cost about 3x what I paid.

So I see Transit and Transit Connect both being mentioned- do note that they are not even close to the same.

One is a small van based off of a Fusion/Focus (ish) platform, the other is a large and super large van platform imported from Europe- like the Sprinter.

You can easily get a Transit that you can stand in, and Transits are actually used for RV.

Transit Connects- not so much.

Connects have their place as small "RV"s. Yes, as stated above, they are better than tent camping, some seem quite luxurious for one or two people, but you are never going to forget you are living in a very small box on wheels. The bigger Transits are the replacement for the old E series vans and are a much nicer and larger vehicle to base an RV off of.

In reply to alfadriver :

Yes, we know we're talking about the Connect.  While I personally wouldn't want one as an RV (my own attempt to use my GC as a camper has proven that won't work for me) they have definitely been built as camper vans by others.  All RV platforms have compromises. It just depends on what compromises you are willing to live with.

In reply to Ian F :

Eh, I didn't realize they were that short on the inside. The length doesn't really worry me since I just want it to be long enough to lay down in. I'm 5'9".

The vanlife bug has definitely bitten me. Since the Transit Connect is pretty compact, I figure I could drive it everyday but still use it to explore and camp in. It would be pretty basic; just a bed, storage and maybe a cabinet/sink thing.

Any thoughts on the 2.5L can the 1.6T? The Ecoboost makes more power but the extra complexity scares me. 

I did see one at the auto show recently that had been converted to a camper.

It looked pretty nice for a couple of people to camp in.

Rented a newish 2016 when on a family vacation. We really liked it. Power seemed plenty adequate, drove nicely. Our family van at the time was a hard used 04 sienna. We wanted to keep the Ford.

Thanks for the feedback, Floating Doc - I was wondering how the passenger version would work as a minivan. They seem to depreciate quickly, which can make them a good deal if you're going to drive it into the ground.

So, how hard would it be to add second row seats to the cargo version? I heard some chatter that there is a bolt in panel in the floor that can be removed on the 2015 and up vans that expose the foot well and the mounting holes for the seats.

My back of the napkin plan would be to buy a LWB cargo version and use it like a small pickup but still be able to carry 4 people if the need arises. I also want to build a camping "module" that has a bed, some storage and maybe a sink that I could remove to haul stuff.

Something like this: 

all Connects start as passenger cars. Once they get to the states, the windows are removed, the seats pulled out and destroyed, and the interiors gutted. They do this to get around the "chicken tax". So yes, the panel under the floor should have the seat mounts

Well, I am now a van owner. I bought this beauty:

The owner owns a small repair shop/towing business. He bought it to do in town roadside assistance calls. The reason he is selling is that he is buying a new Peterbilt wrecker and is trying to drum up as much money as possible for the down payment. He has had the van for about 9 months but hasn't put that many miles on it under his ownership. The van was a little dirty on the inside but otherwise in great shape. The only damage I could find was a tiny dent in the lower part on the driver's side sliding door and a small scuff on the rear fender. The windshield has about a 12" crack from a rock strike. He also said that the front passenger side strut was starting to leak but he has a brand new Quick Strut in the box that he will install for me. He put brand new Sumitomo all season on it less than 1000 miles ago and just put new front rotors and pads on it. He also offered to take all the vinyl decals off and detail it for me as well. The test drive went very well. Everything is in great shape inside.

I was able to talk him down to $7669. He was very happy that a decent, normal person showed up to buy it since he has been dealing with the usual Craigslist flakes. I was happy he was very upfront and offered to take care of a few minor issues for me. He was a cool dude.

I'll probably pick it up Wednesday due to my work schedule in addition to the fact that it is almost 2 hours away.

Here are the CL pics, just bigger:

Awesome! Looks great. Keep us posted on how you turn it into a camper.

Do you get all the cage and racking too? 

I realize you might not need it but there should be a secondary market for all that too. 

If left in and you're going to sell it, take really good pics before removal.