[Closed] Camper vans what should I look for / avoid?

Budget ?

Do you want old (VW ) or new (ANY MAKE)?

As above whats your Budget ?

I'm more interested in how you get 'weekends & many days off', up there for the next 6 months?

Please save me from making expensive mistakes, what are your top tips in not buying an expensive mistake?

Buy a van, fit a bed, fridge and electrics, then chuck in a table & chairs.

As he ^^^^ suggests!
I bought a T5 van and converted to a camper.
It's great for bikes,initially built it for touring with my motor bike.
Some pics [url= http://tinyurl.com/pxkndsh ]here[/url]
I didn't want to lose the storage space so i put in a bespoke bed,it pulls out to make a double.Van has a small sink and the front double seat can swivel round for seating,it can take a hook up and it's fully insulated.
Some good info on T4/T5 Forum if you decide to do your own conversion.

[img] https://s.yimg.com/os/en-US/cms/autos/Boldride/gmc-motorhome-land-speed-record-1.jp g" target="_blank">https://s.yimg.com/os/en-US/cms/autos/Boldride/gmc-motorhome-land-speed-record-1.jp g"/> [/img]

[url= https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/watch-600hp-motor-home-world-record-hungry-183006641.html ]https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/watch-600hp-motor-home-world-record-hungry-183006641.html[/url]

Has that broken down as it appears to be getting towed...

Cheers all for your input,
Budget is about 10 grand, though I could go a couple of grand more at a push. Really want to make the most of my time here so looking at something already built rather than one to convert myself.
I was looking at a bellingo type camper, but I really know nothing about what I should be looking for.
Oh, and I'm in the military but given a cushy 6 month job up here, hence all the time off.
M

£10K is a decent budget but you'd be surprised how old the van will be for that cash (10+ years probably, maybe even 20 if it's VW). Might be worth going to few van dealers for a look around to get an idea of the layout and feel of the vans inside even if you end up buying private.

Your requirement for double bed, chairs, fridge etc rules out any of the really small vans. However, £10k will get you an absolute shed of a larger motorhome. You'd be best looking at things like Mazda Bongos and converted panel vans like VW T4s/ T5s / Ford transits / Vivaros and the like. However, as i said above it will be quite old so worth getting it checked out mechanically and testing all of the fixtures and fittings. Also mildew can be an issue. Also if you plan on doing lots of tinker camping it's worth getting something that'll fit under typical car park barriers (most panel vans will unless it's a high top or has a pop top fitted).

Something like this:

http://motorhomes.autotrader.co.uk/used-motorhomes/swift/royale/1996-swift-royalle-610-diesel-kelso-mfpa-8acbaca94d755f87014daa138a304f56?featuredListing=true

Just saying.....

http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/ford-transit-campervan

Or look at good quality self builds, but be prepared to walk away from anything shoddy.

You got an email I can contact you. On hopk1ns?

Use this one ihopkins124@hotmail.com

10 yr old good condition 7m motorhome 30k miles, 6 berth go for about £16k. A VW T4/T5 should be doable in that budget but it will have to have 100k+ miles and be 10 yrs old or more miles and a year or two less. They are not cheap.

Just type in 'camper' on ebay which is what I did every other day for about 6 months.

You'll soon get a good idea of what you can afford and also the variety of layouts available. 10k should get you a pretty nifty Transit or Sprinter. A Transporter isn't really big enough to live in once you fill it with camper gear especially if you carry bikes.

as an ex-campervan owner, I would get a decent blingo or similiar and b&b or (tent it on nice nights)

West Coast?

Van + http://vanguard-conversions.co.uk/ = use while you are there.

Then sell, hopefully re-couping cost.