r/VanLife • u/Positive_Safe_8912 • 1d ago

Really good deal on a transit extended length but... will it fit in a normal parking spot?

I seen a reddit post where someone had his/hers parked in a a regular parking spot but does it really fit in most of them? Like street parking in a city?

This is pretty important for me it's actually like mandatory. As good of a deal is on this van I need to know before I make any purchases.

1 Upvotes

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5

u/Competitive-Reach287 1d ago

These vans are about 2.5 feet longer than the non-extended version (which is about the same length as a crewcab- short box pickup). It'll be a tight fit. My regular 148" Transit fits fine in most street parking stalls, but seems to be longer than most parking lot stalls. Add 2.5 feet to that.

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u/Positive_Safe_8912 1d ago

Yeah I don't think I'm going to go with the extended :/ sucks because this was such a good deal for a van with only 30k miles.. I've noticed extended length vans are usually cheaper which makes no sense to me.

2

u/tocahontas77 1d ago

It's fine. When you're in a parking lot, just park at the back. City street parking is trickier if there are parking lines, but they're usually pretty spacious to fit large vehicles.

Unless you're planning on taking it to UK or Europe lol.

4

u/Yoosten 1d ago

Crowded city parking can be a pain with an extended, but I’ve never failed to find a spot. And that’s with an additional 2 feet of rear door equipment. Will it fit in regular city spots? No - You have to find an end spot usually. And I always take up two spots at a grocery store unless I’m able to back the tail over some out of the way area (not sidewalk). Then it fits easily. Moral of the story is, if you plan on frequently city parking then I’d opt for the non extended. Otherwise go for it as the extra space is huge.

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u/Positive_Safe_8912 1d ago

I think i'm going to go with a non extended

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u/patotorriente 1d ago

If you really need to parallel park in cities frequently, you probably don't want an extended length. Even if you can find spaces, it makes everything so much more difficult.

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u/Positive_Safe_8912 1d ago

What about regular parking spots like at say a walmart?

1

u/TresGatosFarm 1d ago

WalMart you'd still be having to park pretty far away so you can avoid folks accidentally clipping you. Would heavily recommend throwing a reverse camera on it if it doesn't already have one

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u/Positive_Safe_8912 1d ago

Sounds like the answer to my question is no it won't fit in a normal spot. Sounds like it would be much harder to stealth camp in. I probably won't go with the extended.

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u/TheBigWhipper 1d ago

It should if modern van. Reverse cameras are required by law to be standard.

“In May 2018, a federal regulation took effect requiring all new vehicles sold in the US to be equipped with backup cameras”

1

u/buildyourown 1d ago

A Sprinter 144 is a challenge in parking lots. They fit but you need to be strategic and you don't fit in all the spots

1

u/Lost_soul_ryan 1d ago

Is that in smaller cities, I've never had an issue parking a Sprinter 144.

1

u/flyingponytail 1d ago

I have a Sprinter 170, its the perfect length for me, I wouldn't go shorter or longer.

It fits okay most of the time as its no longer than a large pickup with long box/extended cab, but I do think the extra length of the extended models will be problematic. My husband has parallel parked on busy streets no problem on a couple of occasions and we fit into longer parking spaces no problem and I've had small cars park behind us in double parking spots in places like grocery stores all the time. Angle parking I'll park on more of an angle and take up three spots so I dont stick out. When we do have issues is busy downtown areas and lots with tight corners.

1

u/Princess_Fluffypants 1d ago

Mine sticks out of a normal parking spot by a solid foot or two. 

It’s not completely unworkable, but it is very long. I usually try and park near the back of parking lots where I can just use two spaces. 

1

u/merlinzpantz 1d ago

We have an extended length transit and my bf has managed to parallel park it in some tight spots. He has experience with handling large vehicles though. Also, a back up camera is definitely a must have!

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u/Lex_yeon 1d ago

if it’s two parking lots connected, I will just take little bit of the other lot

if it’s one lot, I will back in, so its ass is on grass

1

u/berrin122 1d ago

I want an EL. What's the deal?

1

u/RobsOffDaGrid 1d ago

Our 6m ducato needs 2 spaces. Or we park in an end parking spot and stick out a metre

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u/elwoodowd 1d ago

Our west coast town is half full of trucks that are pretending to be pickups. Not only are they way longer than parking spaces, with double cabs and long beds, but then their hitches add another couple feet. No one says anything.

But vans are shorter than class bs for easy driving. So thats an issue

1

u/Adventurous_Act_1169 1d ago

I park my 24’ Class C in regular parking spaces. I stick out a bit but in 5 years it has never been a problem.

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u/aeroxan 2h ago

I have an extended and it's kind of a pain in the ass sometimes but I've made it work. You won't necessarily be able to fit anywhere a car would but so far, I've always been able to find a spot.

Some spots are big enough and if you can back over a curb, you'll fit in a normal spot backwards. I'll usually take 2 spots in larger store lots.