Pros & Cons

We’re often asked why we chose an ambulance and it’s a fair question to ask. There are tons of options out there and when researching and trying to find the best fit for us, we stumbled across the ambulance community. I wouldn’t be lying if I said I had never considered this as a viable option but the more I looked into it, the more it made sense.

I’ve put this together to share some advantages and disadvantages to converting an ambulance. Check it out and hopefully this helps you on your journey.

ADVANTAGES:

There are so many advantages that it’s difficult to find a place to begin. We’ll start with the exterior storage and work our way inside.

As you may already know or certainly heard, every nook and cranny is valuable in a rig. One major draw was how ambulances come with a huge amount of exterior storage cabinets. Ours had (4).. (3) of which were floor to ceiling cabinets with adjustable shelving. The compartment behind the driver seat is a vented cabinet that was used to house the oxygen tank. This cabinet is perfect for propane if you choose to go that route like we did.

You can’t talk about ambulances without mentioning the box construction. These things are built to government standards and are designed to handle rollovers while maintaining structural integrity (you can watch a video of it here). Safety is a huge concern, specially with a little one, this one alone is worth it.

There are a few additional exterior features which are major pros like scene lights all around for 360 degree lighting, a large roof strong enough to walk on with enough room for more solar than you’ll ever need, and heavy duty lockable latches on all doors.

On the interior, you will find extremely well built cabinets, overhead lighting, 12v outlets throughout, and most ambos also come with an inverter/charger and house batteries. You’ll also find that they come with rear AC & heat. Our wasn’t functioning but we decided to leave it in case we want to get it going further down the road.

The width of the ambulance allows for a side to side bed if that’s important to you. Our ambo is considered a mini mod, which is the smallest box you can get, and we fit a full size mattress no problem. We would’ve gone with a queen if it didn’t take up the extra 5 inches width wise.

Last but definitely not least, the difference in cost of an ambulance vs a sprinter or even an E Series Sportsmobile is substantial and cannot be overlooked. We lucked out and found one on the east coast that had already been converted to 4x4. This is a hot item now a days and we’re very happy to have it. Major pro.

Now for some DISADVANTAGES:

Nothing is perfect and there are some features which may be considered as disadvantages to some. We’ll maintain the trend and begin on the exterior and work our way in.

The only con I see regarding the exterior are the decals! Depending on your state, the local departments may be required to strip anything that makes it look like an ambulance. I’ve seen some departments do a great job and others do the bare minimum. Removing decals is a huge topic in groups and forums. Expect to spend a lot of time cleaning this up.

If I had to choose a second exterior con, it would be lenses. Some states don’t allow for certain color lenses like red or blue. This is easily resolved with a can of lens tint. I’ve seen some cut aluminum squares to eliminate lenses all together. A final option would be to replace them with clears however this can get expensive. With that said, you may get lucky and find someone giving them away in a group or forum.

Now onto the interior: All ambulances are unique, there are multiple box manufacturers and to add a second layer, all boxes were built to local department needs so not all have the same layout or features. This may present a challenge when researching or asking for advice in groups and forums when trying to rework the interior.

Though interiors come “pre-furnished” there is a lot of wasted space in the way these are built. If you choose to gut and start from scratch, you will encounter miles and miles of wiring throughout. Sorting through the electrical has absolutely been the most daunting task. Some box manufacturers are no longer in business so the chance of attaining wiring schematics is close to slim at best.

Standing height is another thing to consider. There are boxes out there with 6ft standing height but not all have this feature. Ours is about 5’7”, not ideal but we got a 4x4 rig so that was our tradeoff.

This last one is by far the biggest issue I’ve seen affect most ambo owners and that is insurance. Some insurance companies won’t touch an ambulance. You may have to register it as an RV in order to get insured. From what I understand, this varies from state to state so I suggest looking into it if you’re considering an ambo for yourself.

I’m sure I’m missing both pros and cons so I’ll make sure to update if I think of something else. Overall, I’m glad we went this route. It fits our needs very well and I hope this provided some insight into the ambo world if it’s an option you’re considering.