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Right so I have a 4 and 6 year old that are obsessed with big vans and also travel! They want to convert a van and travel together when older! Merc sprinter lwb hi top is the van of choice!!
We also want to do this as a family but on a budget!!
So criteria:
Van to seat 4 legally and safely
Hi top/lwb
Space for beds across (can fit pods to the side panels for length)
Carry bikes
Cooking space
Space for storage but could use a roof box and ladder
Ideally we have a budget of £10k @rustynissanprairie is that doable - what do you recommend?
That is mint
Get it bought then 😆
From experience of a fleet of VW Crafters (badge-engineered Sprinter with VW engine), you need to look very carefully for rust.
There's also a common front suspension problem that I can't remember more about.
There's an old thread here https://singletrackmag.com/forum/off-topic/would-you-buy-a-sprinter-with-rust/
I have 2 mates with Sprinter campers like that and they're both dissolving from the inside out. One lives in Kent, the other in Bristol and when we meet, usually on a campsite in Wales, they park next to eachother and compare the progression of the rust.
Will the Sheffield clean air zone affect you?
I'm idly browsing vans and I can't decide whether to pay the extra thousands of pounds for a euro 6 model or buy an old tank and avoid the ring road.
Sprinters as mentioned have a well known rust problem but the engines are pretty reliable. The other option if you want to convert yourself is the relay/ ducato which are not too bad. Have the odd electrical issue.
Children = toilet required!
£4.5k vangernomics here.
It drove to Italy the day he finished it and spent two summer flitting around the Alps with bikes, beer and the boy on board. 80% of fit out was Gumtree and Facebook secondhand and spares finds...
He sold it after 2 years for what he paid for it...
https://www.flickr.com/gp/matt_outandabout/sbP85D0692
I’m probably about £10K in on the conversion alone, and that’s doing everything myself and a basic but quality installation, no water, gas etc.
some headline numbers (off the top of my head)
Insulation/sound deadening/carpet £1000
RIB double seat/ bed £2500
front seats and swivels £1000
solar, inverted, big battery £1500
Hex/phenolic plywood £1000
lighting, fan, heater £750
wheels/tyres (gotta look good) £1200
windows £500
Flooring £300
awning rail, blinds and stuff £500
There is easily £1000 of other stuff I’ve not even thought about, slide out bike tray, fork mounts etc etc
converting a van is not cheap, I’d also say the market has dipped, I could probably get back what I’ve put in but the hours are free! Maybe look for something that has been converted already
And here’s the kicker, the van has been built with biking in mind, my sons have picked up other sports in the year it has taken me to convert it, so I’m not seriously considering selling once finished..
Rather than start a new thread, does anyone have opinions about MAN vans - I’ve got the TGE 2.5 in my head as an option for the sort of thing the OP is contemplating?
When did £10k become bangernomics?!
IMO you need to either spend the absolute bare minimum on something which you know won't last, or top dollar on something that certainly will. What you want to avoid is that middle ground of writing off a *lot* of time and effort when you have a big MOT failure
CAZ issues could be the kicker. I decided not to get an older van because I live in the proposed CAZ zone in Manchester, and it will come in.
10k doesn't buy much van in 2025. Especially if you live near a CAZ.
I could buy a cheap van but from where I live it would be a giant PITA to avoid the £10 charge for going on the ring road.
Not possible to check that van up there because of private plate, but I suspect it is a 5 tonne van meaning unless you have grandad rights you won't be able to drive it on normal car licence. And if it is a 3.5 tonner then it will have a pathetic payload anyway and be pretty hard (but not impossible) to convert to a family camper
have opinions about MAN vans
Aren't they the same chassis as the Crafter and Sprinter?
Edit.... Not quite.
From chatgpt
the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, Volkswagen Crafter (first generation), and MAN TGE are closely related, but the relationship depends on the generation:
Mercedes Sprinter & VW Crafter (1st gen, 2006–2016):
These were built as part of a Daimler–Volkswagen joint venture. They shared the same basic chassis, bodyshell, and running gear, but had different front-end styling, engines, and branding details. Essentially, the Crafter was a rebadged/modified Sprinter.VW Crafter (2nd gen, 2017–present):
Volkswagen split from Mercedes and developed its own Crafter independently. This all-new chassis is not shared with the Sprinter anymore.MAN TGE (2017–present):
MAN, part of the Volkswagen Group, introduced the TGE, which is a rebadged VW Crafter with some trim and spec differences. These two are mechanically identical and share the same chassis/platform.✅ In short:
Sprinter & Crafter (pre-2016) → same chassis.
Crafter (2017–) & MAN TGE → same chassis.
Sprinter (2018–) → separate chassis.
10k doesn't buy much van in 2025. Especially if you live near a CAZ.
I could buy a cheap van but from where I live it would be a giant PITA to avoid the £10 charge for going on the ring road.
I'm not planning on camping in Sheffield 🤣 I can get out without using the caz
Ultimate aim is 3-4 weeks across Europe not ac daily driver in the UK
Ultimate aim is 3-4 weeks across Europe not ac daily driver in the UK
At £10k I would look for a pre-converted thing, buy it, run around on hols and sell straight away.
Any large vehicle has large vehicle running costs, any £10k van has rust or mechanical challenges.
Buy well I bet you might only 'lose' £500+a few running costs like tax, and some elbow grease to polish it up for resale.
Older shape T1N sprinters with the 2.7 engine are bulletproof - ex fire service are good. Ex police are good but are over 3.5t plated.
The 2.2engine had injector seal issues but most are probably sorted by now. As posted above they rust.
The shape is also a bit rubbish for conversion as they taper in a lot at the top. Side pods are available if you want to sleep widthwise.
See also Mk7 and below Transits.
My money as always would go on a Fiat Ducato - galvanized and the earlier ones had an iveco chain engine whereas the Citroen and Peugeot variants had the PSA / Ford duratec.
Wider boxy shape so better for widthwise beds.
Friend has a new shape Crafter and it's great but was very expensive when he bought it new.
Buy this
Council wheelchair van. CAZ exempt and for sale in Sheffield.
Can't see it dude
Budget campers are the best campers
This forum is shite.
It's this one...
I had one of these for about 18 months and I really liked it but mine was just a panel van so when the CAZ kicked in I sold it.
Edited to add. Be aware of weight - a LWB hi top Sprinter won't leave much weight capacity @3.5t, especially if you start using Mdf/ply to make furniture rather than expensive Vohringer/composites.
Another way (and what we did) is to buy a welfare van. Ours was ex National Rail, LWB with professional Clarkes conversion (Eberspacher, sliding/opening side windows, water boiler, extra crash tested seats, lined, inverter, microwave, split charge, extra batteries etc). Was in good condition with service history print outs and <100k miles. Ours was a MK7 Transit 350 but I know afterwards they did Sprinter and Renault's.
Wasn't expensive at the time but that was pre covid so unsure now. They were cast/sold off every 3 years.
Sheffield isn't the only place with clean air zones - plenty of French towns and cities (that you might want to visit on holiday) do too!
😭 hmmm
Our camper is a Euro 5. I'm of the opinion that the UK and Europe is so big I can be a bit picky and chose the places that won't charge me for the privilege of visiting. 🤣
At the moment we are in Ainsa, a beautiful town and amazing trail network.
At the end of this trip we will have done our maximum days in the EU and not once yet have we passed through or been near to a clean air zone 🤞
10k will get you no where converting a van. Your conversion could easily cost that, even if it only costs half that it's not worth the investment in what will be a shit box of a van. I'd buy a pre converted one - owners tend to care about them, but work out why they're flogging it..... factor in a few grand of repairs. Then sell it afterwards.