Good ideas. We ordered ours with the 6 way seats on factory swivels. A must. Also ordered ours with factory windows. Prefer the outside esthetic of the windows and feel the ceiling fans will do a better job of ventilation. We ordered the factory wood floor. I don’t care about floor insulation or loss of insulation from the windows. We are coming from a Ford Transit low roof with windows and never had an issue with climate control given the moderate climates we travel in. But being able to stand up will be wonderful.
I'm getting ready to order a new Promaster. This helped me a lot, thanks. I definitely want the 6 way vinyl seats and I'll add the swivels myself. How much height does that add? Isn't there an option for the van to automatically brake, like a forward collision avoidance system?
Yes - I recommend visiting a few dealers and checking out the difference. The only time I hit my head on the shelf was when moving from the back cargo area to the drivers seat, and was not paying attention!
Just went through the same option list at the dealer. What did you end up with regarding the side mirrors? There’s three options and the base model had manual adjustment which is crazy to me. Not sure if that’s all of them.
The only thing on the list that I would disagree with is the factory glued-in floor. I opted out of having it and wish I'd paid extra to have one. Why? Because it would have provided a better base to build everything else onto. While having insulation under my floor now is nice, it's only a 1/2" foam rug (specific to the model) under 3/4" ply. Putting throw-rugs over the floor is plenty comfortable in the winter. Unfortunately, because a single sheet of plywood isn't long enough, the seams are creating issues where the joints don't lay flat. The factory flooring is one continuous piece engineered to create a flat surface that will withstand heavy use. It would have made more sense for me to build out the interior on that surface, then insulate and put a laminate floor over the living areas only. It would have saved on materials, time, and provided a more reliable building surface. Oh well... there's always the next build for me :) I'm definitely interested to see how you piece together your flooring.
The top three are speed control, which is commonly called cruise control, the lower shelf over the driver and passenger seats, and the arms on the seats. I would not want to be without those three options. No changes, the van is complete and we don't feel like we are missing anything. All the videos by category can be seen at thefrugalfactor.com/
Very helpful; I took notes!
Thanks - You can find all my videos divided by category at thefrugalfactor.com/
Good ideas. We ordered ours with the 6 way seats on factory swivels. A must. Also ordered ours with factory windows. Prefer the outside esthetic of the windows and feel the ceiling fans will do a better job of ventilation. We ordered the factory wood floor. I don’t care about floor insulation or loss of insulation from the windows. We are coming from a Ford Transit low roof with windows and never had an issue with climate control given the moderate climates we travel in. But being able to stand up will be wonderful.
So helpful Van Life Promaster Options! Thank you very much! ! !
Glad it was helpful!
thanks for this!
Your welcome!
I'm getting ready to order a new Promaster. This helped me a lot, thanks. I definitely want the 6 way vinyl seats and I'll add the swivels myself. How much height does that add? Isn't there an option for the van to automatically brake, like a forward collision avoidance system?
Yes, it is called "FORWARD COLLISION WARNING", Its about a $495 option. Depending on the swivel, about 1.5 inches.
@@FrugalFactor If I don't order the Shelf Above Roof Trim, does it also raise the height of the visors?
Yes - I recommend visiting a few dealers and checking out the difference. The only time I hit my head on the shelf was when moving from the back cargo area to the drivers seat, and was not paying attention!
Just went through the same option list at the dealer. What did you end up with regarding the side mirrors? There’s three options and the base model had manual adjustment which is crazy to me. Not sure if that’s all of them.
We have the heated, electric folding folding mirrors. These are an option, but like I said in the video about cruise control - it should be standard.
The only thing on the list that I would disagree with is the factory glued-in floor. I opted out of having it and wish I'd paid extra to have one. Why? Because it would have provided a better base to build everything else onto. While having insulation under my floor now is nice, it's only a 1/2" foam rug (specific to the model) under 3/4" ply. Putting throw-rugs over the floor is plenty comfortable in the winter. Unfortunately, because a single sheet of plywood isn't long enough, the seams are creating issues where the joints don't lay flat. The factory flooring is one continuous piece engineered to create a flat surface that will withstand heavy use. It would have made more sense for me to build out the interior on that surface, then insulate and put a laminate floor over the living areas only. It would have saved on materials, time, and provided a more reliable building surface. Oh well... there's always the next build for me :)
I'm definitely interested to see how you piece together your flooring.
OK, it's been 2 years since you produced this video. What changes would you have made in choosing options?
The top three are speed control, which is commonly called cruise control, the lower shelf over the driver and passenger seats, and the arms on the seats. I would not want to be without those three options. No changes, the van is complete and we don't feel like we are missing anything. All the videos by category can be seen at thefrugalfactor.com/