UKC

I'm planning to buy a campervan soon, and I'm looking for any advice on how to go about it.
I've pretty much decided what I want - VW, under 10years old, LWB, pop-top, hob, fridge etc. Many of the professionaly built ones would do me fine, so I don't see any need to get a custom build to my spec. Budget is about £20k to £40k.
I've never spent more than £5k on a vehicle, so this is a big purchase for me. I usually prefer private sellers, but are they a good idea at this price? What steps can I take to cover myself? Is the warranty offered by traders actually worth anything, or do they tend to wriggle out if it?
Any suggestions for good places to look (and to avoid!)? Ideally not too far from Sussex.

In reply to Hooo:

I'll be interested in the replies you get, I'll be in a similar position in a couple of months.

Don't do it ! Find something more interesting to do ! There's enough of these damn things on our roads, in our National Parks and other few remaining wild places. More often than not they're driven by people who are unsure of themselves and thus become a nuisance to all other road users. I'd make their owners pay a huge eco-tax to help pay for cleaning up the mess they leave in the places they ruin with their presence.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

There is nothing like some friendly. "yes this garage is great trustworthy and helpful, when buying a camper I would look for these points" sort of advice as asked for is there?

And that reply my friend is nothing like, more of a petty rant aginst a lifestyle you don't approve of?

To the OP hope you get some constructive advice but may be try the camper van forums?

In reply to Hooo:

£40k buys a lot of nights in a hotel.
We spent 70 nights in our van last year and it still doesn't make economic sense to own one.
But you do get to wake up in some wonderful places.
Check out the VW T4 forum for lots of good advice and vehicles for sale.
Good luck.

In reply to baron:

It's not about economic sense though. I'd rather be in a tent TBH, but my wife has had enough of camping and has always wanted a van. I doubt we'll use it that much, so one of the reasons for going VW is that they hold their value and I can sell it on in a few years without losing too much.
I will check out the campervan forums, but I like to ask on here first as I often get really good advice. I'm used to filtering out the inevitable bellend posts on here too, so they don't bother me as much as they would on somewhere I don't know.

In reply to Hooo:


'Bell-end' ? I would like to believe that a majority of this site's users have a similar ecological approach to the impact their activities will have on our wild places.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

I do too. That's why I resent your assumption that once I buy a campervan I'll start leaving a trail of destruction behind me.

In reply to Hooo:
We're getting a new van at the end of November, a Renault. However, not wanting to miss out on the fabulous autumn weather we're having at the moment we rented a VW California Coast a couple of weeks back from a place in Perpignan and spent two weeks in it in Catalunya. First of all, if you're after a factory fitted one, they're all SWB. I was impressed at how well it was thought out but at the same time a little worried at how fragile it was - two of the sliding cupboard doors were already broken and the van was new in April. This company buys their vans in April and sells them in October and this one was already sold with 18000km on the clock for 55 000€. I thought it was really great to drive - don't know which engine - just like a car with more than adequate power. It did feel like it was quite heavy, which was maybe one of the reasons it felt so nice and solid, so I'd say get one with plenty of power and not one of the 115bhp (or something like that) ones.

I'd like to think maybe the Pyrenean Mec's comments, while being rather out of order just because he doesn't like them, maybe directed more at the much larger campers which seem to block the roads up around where I live every spring and which are largely equipped with particularly clueless drivers... There's no reason for a van camper to be any more intrusive than a car as its footprint is about the same.

In reply to Hooo:
Just taking my first steps into campervan ownership myself. Collect the base vehicle tonight. I have 20+ yrs experience in the van motor industry and it took me 2yrs with the money burning a hole in my pocket to find the van I wanted to have. Thankfully I got it at the price I wanted and by the time I am finished it will be worth upto double what I have invested. Even in an emergency and if I hate it I will recoup a bit and be able to smile.

Why am I saying that? Well tbh I wouldn't be sinking £20-40k into anything unless I knew it was absolutely perfect for me and that I was guaranteed to be able to get back out of it. The VW is a good start as despite having stupid prices, they also hold their value so you wont be stuck.

The things I would ask myself are

1) £20-40k That's a hell of a difference? Why such a wide budget. Is it because you like the idea, have the cash and will probably get caught up in the bling race. If so you may want to hand the budget to someone else.

2) Have you used one before. Mine will be a VW T5 competitior of similar proportions. I accept it is going to be cramped and everything will be a compromise. For what I want mine for that's fine. If I spent £40k on one, I would not accept any compromises.

3) Have you spoken to current owners who give a balanced view. Lets face it, anyone who has sunk £40k into a van will be trying to justify it to themselves and anyone who wants to listen. That isn't balanced advice. I get loads of campers in here at work and I like to chat to them and have a climb about their vehicles. TBH mine will be a classic R & R bed, cupboard etc layout. Mainly because its probably the least offensive layout to sell if I hate it.

4) With regards to purchasing. If it was me and it was in the £20-40k band I would expect pretty much as new condition. Surely something in that range has to be pretty new. However if I was purchasing privately I would ask the seller to take it to the garage of my choice for a couple of hours labour for them to check it over. Whats £100-£150 in the grand scheme of things. If the seller is serious then they wont mind and its also a free health check for him if things don't get agreed. Even better if the garage you use is a campervan specialist. Ask on the VW forums and I am sure you will be pointed in the direction of a quality garage.

5) Option 4 still applies if you are buying from a garage/dealer. If you fancy a second opinion then tell them you want to get it checked. If they are offended or refuse then imagine what they would be like after they have taken your money.

I am sure I could think of a few more things but that's a pretty good start to cover yourself as best you can mechanically. If you use a garage that's a camper specialist then it will give peace of mind re conversion etc. Remember if you buy privately, ask lots of questions. LOTS.

Oh and as above, I would be trying one out before purchasing. Can you rent one for a few days?

In reply to Andrew Kin:

Thanks, some useful stuff there.
We are looking at renting one for a go, yes.
I have got £40k available for this, but if I can get something that suits for £20k I'll do that. I'm not into bling so much, so I'm after a pretty standard build that will resell easily. The top end of my budget would be for a newer van with fewer problems and better resale value, that's all.

In reply to Hooo:

Glad to hear you see the value in keeping the wife happy!
While we have owned VW transporter type vans for many years they have always been a compromise between being OK to drive every day and using as a campervan.
If you want to drive to the beach, visit tourist attractions and park in busy places then a small van is good.
SWB is handy but LWB gives more space to live in.
A pop/medium/high top makes camping much more comfortable.
After many years of happy campervanning we've finally moved up to a 6.4 metre coachbuilt motorhome. (Sorry, Pyreneenemec!).
It cost the same as a VW transporter conversion and is ten times as comfortable to live in.
It is limited in its uses though as driving in tight spaces, narrow lanes, etc isn't much fun.
The wife isn't very happy when it gets loaded up with plywwod and cement for those DIY jobs either.
VW reliability isn't all it's cracked up to be and all properly converted campervans hold their value, they're just not as cool as a VW.

In reply to Hooo:

Decent leisure batteries and a loo mean you can spend time in wild places. Space heating extends your season. Is the bed well designed and comfortable? A fridge that works off gas/12v (i.e. Vehicle running)/240v hook up. I love a big sliding side door so you can park up in the evening door facing west into the setting sun. A decent sized engine means it's more comfortable to drive distances.
I haven't got it but would anyone comment on PV panels?
Another thought. Ahem!.........are VW vans overpriced because they are fashionable, surfer dude type vehicles?

In reply to baron:


This. VW's are overpriced.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

You could, of course, apply this to any motor vehicle in a National park. You travel everywhere on a bike I suppose?

In reply to Hooo:

I reckon you are spot on with that. We managed to get a low mileage IH conversion on a Fiat Ducato base for £30,000. Excellent build quality, very well designed (by a small family firm) and they hold their value .......but are not trendy. Actually in terms of build quality and resale value you should look at IH.

In reply to Skip:


Absolutely. I have a VW car already, so I'm under no illusions there.
The point is that it will still be overpriced when I come to sell it.
The vans are nicer to drive than anything else as well.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

Personally I would have gone for "Sanctimonious Bellend" but each to his own

In reply to Hooo:

We have owned a VW T5 camper (SWB, Pop top) and it was great, 140bhp engine is the best option on T5's (150 on T6).
I'd strongly recommend a van from a VW approved converter as they are ordered from the factory as "campers" and are not just converted builders vans so have better basic options, windows and usually dual single-swiveling seats at the front plus other things that you can't see. Essential options i think are dual-leisure batteries, diesel heating, compressor fridge and large capacity water tank (50L plus).
However, we found that with 2 children it really wasn't comfortable and we really wanted a proper shower so we swapped to a Ducato-based narrow coachbuilt van for similar money. Its a massive improvement on comfort. Fuel economy is about the same as our VW and actually i find it nicer to drive.
If it was just 2 of us, i'd not hesitate to look for a Ducato based converted panel van - unless you need the VW as a daily driver, a larger van just makes so much more sense.. and you get a shower

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

I own a camper van and never leave a mess to be honest, and if your driving then technically your on the dam roads your self.

In reply to baron:

Yes I use my camper as daily driver so when I'm in the peak climbing 3/4 days a week i can cook my dinner to etc so they got a lot more uses than just sleeping in, plus it a big bonus for pads

In reply to Skip:


All VWs are overpriced, not just the campervans.

In reply to LG-Mark:

All good points, but I've been through them already. You have to bear in mind that this van is 40% for me and 60% because my wife wants one. She has decided on VW, and I'm happy to go along with that. She wouldn't drive anything bigger, certainly not a coach built motorhome. We're also not going to be using it for serious travelling, just the odd night or two away. Anything longer will be at campsites with facilities.
I've already decided we need these items:
Compressor fridge
Leisure battery
solar panels
Cassette loo
Heater
Wide bed - so 3 seats across in the back, with slimmer cupboards.
It will need to be LWB to fit in the wide bed and fridge with room left for the dog, so this rules out the VW California.

In reply to Hooo:
Can you get tickets in a car park for being too long? I did in a transit.

We have T4 California pop top. Have done 3 month trips no problem. If you can't sleep in the pop top, no point having it. Up stairs bed wider than downstairs. It Does mean you can play underground car parks.

If it hasn't been a campervan from new, I wouldn't touch it.

Just installed 80 watt panel this summer. Great, the irony being we spent a lot of the summer on a campsite with free electric.

I think you will struggle to find a professionally built lwb pop top. Friends had one built, but replaced with swb when it died.

Also would want fuel to be campingaz and a waste tank is essential.

Depending on design of downstairs bed and whether fridge opens front or top, means massive differences in total storage.

The base vehicle wants to be people carrier or similar, softer suspension and more sound insulation than a van.

In reply to Hooo:

There is a company in Sussex (Horsham). Sussex Campervans. I haven't used them, but browsed their site and blog when I was researching a while ago. They do a variety of campers including VW, so might be worth a look, even if its just to get a feel of what is out there.

In reply to ian caton:




That's a euphemism I haven't heard before.

In reply to Bellie:

I've been there to have a look and I like their vans. It was very useful for working out what I wanted. I'd rather buy secondhand though.

In reply to Hooo:

Hey Hooo

I've owned before - both VW and Hymer.

Rent for year #1 ... preferably for a longer period of time. Try living in a van for a month - you'll learn everything you need to learn about what you do and don't need after 30 days in it. You might find that what you rent is exactly what you need or it might drive you crazy. Either way ... you'll have a much better idea of what you want.

40k is a LOT of money (especially since you've not owned before) - why are you aiming so high? Why not aim much lower, like <£5k, try it for a year and see how it goes. If you were to lose 20% on it - you would only be out of pocket £1k. If you lost 20% on £40k you would be out of pocket £8k. People will tell you "yeah but they hold their value" - sure they do. Give them a decent nudge though (or someone gives you a decent bump) and you could easily find yourself wanting to move it on.

Money is important - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Budget £1k just to have it sitting in the drive each year. MOT + Service + Tax + Insurance + breakdown + general maintenance (things will break - you occasionally will need tires - nothing is cheap on a Van). If you really want to make the sums add up then you need to find a way to use the van for things other than when you are away in it. If you've got it fully converted and immaculate inside, you're not going to want to sling dirty bikes in the back. My dad currently has one of these for his T5 - https://www.boab.biz/ah_tech-maggiolina.htm - I can hand on heart say it is amazing (but I would say that). My brother was Europe for 3 months with it 1st half the year. The rest of the T5 is minimally converted. Tent gets removed for winter months - near zero drag/performance impact to the van.

Be careful with conversions either A) buying one or B) getting one converted. Especially if doing major surgery like cutting roof and making into pop top. Do your home work.

Van life in the UK <> Van life in Catalonia. It rains here (it rains a lot in Scotland). On the continent reality is that you won't live "in" your van, you'll live "along side" your van. In the UK - you'll be in it. Dealing with damp gear and keeping everyone warm is important.

FYI ... I drop length of Ruta 40 in Argentina 8 years ago. I drove it in a Mitsubishi L300. It was super basic - nothing to break on it. You don't need fancy stuff to make your van awesome. It isn't the van itself that you will remember at the end of the day ... it's the places it takes you.

Good luck!

In reply to Hooo:

We bought our camper off Ebay! Locally went to visit had a test drive checked all the documents and bought the thing

We had the best holiday to france in it last summer - we have two young kids.

So it is great - however if you looked at it as a rational value for money purchase then a really bad idea

It will take many years of holidays to recover the cost of buying it.

You need to consider if you are buying a VW is it a short base or long base. Also if you are buying a conversion check is it registered as a camper or still just a van.

Finally there are always loads of VW days at places where people show off their vans and you get lots of people selling.

Have fun and ignore any value for money thoughts

In reply to Hooo:
There's masses of good advice above, but I'll offer my thoughts too. We've had two vans, both for 4 or 5 years. Both were converted Ducato panel vans with a sliding door (wouldn't be without that for reasons mentioned above). We had three weeks in April in Scotland before we bought our first one. Recently hired a largish coachbuilt job in Iceland and hated it. Personally, we love to camp wild in quiet and secluded spots and this means we need a van big enough for shower and toilet. What are your wife's views on having or not having these facilities? Is she's used to camping in a small tent? VW vans are too small for comfort /facilities IMO. As someone else said, in the UK you might spend a lot of time IN the van, owing to weather and/or midges. If you intend wild camping and you have a shower (even using a small amount per shower) you need 90L tank to do three nights for two people.
Your age may also be a big factor. Younger people are happier to rough it - run to the campsite toilets in the middle of a dark storm. Older people are less so, and you can take that from me. We have just reached the next point - must have a permanently set-up bed.
On the where to buy question - I have read that camper vans are the vehicle of choice for scammers on the internet. There are many cases of people being defrauded, so the old saying "if it looks too good to be true it probably is". I think you could best trust Motorhome Club websites, and even buying one on UKC would be safer than average.
We bought our last van (S/H)from a dealer. There were a few problems that we had to claim on the warranty, but there was no quibbling.
Good luck.

In reply to Stew99:

Thanks for the detailed post, but you're looking at it from a different perspective.
My van doesn't need to make financial sense, it's basically an extravagant toy. If I buy a sub £5k van my wife will hate it, thus defeating the object of the exercise - which is persuading the family to come camping more often. For this to work the van needs to be nice, reliable and no hassle. It's far easier for me to throw a big chunk of money at this than to try and come up with a cheap way of achieving it.
We won't ever be spending 30 days in the van, probably no more than 3. As I've mentioned, getting anything bigger than a LWB VW is not going to work, so we're either going to have to live in the small space or give up on the van idea.

In reply to Hooo:
'extravagant toy' is how we viewed our VW camper - we never worked out fuel consumption as we knew it would take the edge off the enjoyment. We have a standard T4 Autosleeper which is great for just the two of us. Don't use it much but every trip is enjoyable. If you go for a VW check out the water pump as it is also the cam belt drive - we nearly had a very expensive failure when the pump bearing collapsed.

In reply to ian caton:


Can you elaborate on why? Thanks.

In reply to Hooo:


If I had your budget for a fun camper I'd probably look at new T2s through Brazilian campers or Danbury motors, I know they're not LWB but they're fun to drive and look at, the T5s and T6s don't seem to have the same curb appeal. I also find newer vans pretty dull to drive.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:


Says the bloke who likes Pegs....

In reply to Pyreneenemec:


That's nothing, I once rescued a whole troop of boy scouts by abbing down kinder off the tow bar of a slammed Danebury camper's T4.

In reply to Coel Hellier:

Hey you might get lucky but:

A second hand van has usually been used commercially. In a former life I bought many second hand vans. I never did buy a good one.

I think a lot of them have had "milage correction". Look at how they are driven and treated.as.you drive about. A new van can easily be doing a 100k a year.

Campers are usually treated with tlc.

In reply to tspoon1981:


That would be properly silly though. They look cute, and take me back to the days when my parents had one, but too small to be practical.
Curb appeal is low on my list of priorities, and IMO no four-wheeled vehicle is fun to drive. I'm only concerned with easy to drive.

In reply to Hooo:

No one has mentioned awnings yet. Our drive-away awning more than doubles our indoor space and marks our pitch if we drive away to the pub for the evening. The main problem with it is it takes a while to put up, perhaps we should have bought a smaller one with air filled pipes instead of metal poles. It's a great place for our large dog to sleep so we don't trip over her in the night.

In reply to Hooo:


It wasn't my intention 'to tar you with the same brush' , for which, I apologise. I'm not a great supporter of the 'like and dislike' system on these forums but on this ocassion they have shown their usefulness. An overwelming 'like' for your above comments and a certain echo to my reply urging you to reconsider, albeit a minority one.

Despite my rather negative contribution you got some well thought out and interesting replies.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

You also seem to be mistaking a campervan with a motorhome.

In reply to Bellie:


Is there a clear-cut definition of the two ? When does a camper-van become a motorhome ?

As far as I understand, in french, they're all camping-cars even if the difference between a converted Kangoo or a Ducato is pretty obvious.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

Generally a campervan refers to a converted van - as the OP is looking at. So typically not taking up anymore space on the road than a works vehicle (think of a transit with windows). A motorhome normally refers to a coachbuilt job on a basic chassis. They can be anything from a small box van to the larger traditional camper vehicle,or the huge monsters complete with towed smart car!

In reply to Pyreneenemec:


Yes. The vans we're discussing are like VW transporter or Renault Trafic. Their volumes are about 5 > 8m3 depending on length and height. The motorhomes are those top heavy looking things with daft names like Rapido, piloted by very scared looking people... (with apologies to Baron, of course


Well yes and no. More and more are using the term 'van' (cos it's trendy and English) as against camping car - even the conversion companies - though technically a converted van is a fourgon aménagé. Just look at the names - VanMania, WeVan, CréaVan etc. But that is of course irrelevant as this is an English speaking site.

In reply to Hooo:
With regard to my point about Motorhomes/campervans, I used to get a magazine simply called 'Campervan' and it was full of just that - lots of reviews and examples of the kind of thing the OP is looking for, along with the advertisers too. In preference to a 'Motorhome Monthly' type magazine - where you get more of the lovely coachbuilt jobs, but in the main, completely useless if you are after a small van.

I got the e-version downloaded from pocketmags, and it was good. You'll get plenty of ideas from it.

In reply to Hooo:

Hah! Fair dos.

Hey - good luck. Come back and share what you end up buying! Post us some van pics!

#vanporn

In reply to Hooo:
With that budget I would say you should go for a brand new van and find someone to do your conversion for you rather than going second hand.
When the T6 was first released, I bought the lowest power engine startline, SWB entry level van with an added medium high roof. That set me back £20k (I shopped around a lot, the standard brochure price was £25.5k). If you shop around you should be able to get a quote for a new LWB T6 for £20k assuming you don't want fancy extras (if you do the price is going to climb like Adam Ondra).
I've self-converted but from what I see of professional conversion costs the £20k you have left over in your budget should be more than enough, seems like £15k is enough for a pretty comprehensive 3rd party conversion.

If you have a new vehicle then you get 3 years of manufacturer warranty, 3 years of not having to do MOTs and, best of all from my pov, the peace of mind in knowing the complete history of your vehicle and being able to take care of it in a way that you can be sure it will stand the test of time and doesn't have baked in problems caused by silly things previous owners did.

In reply to jon:

Apology accepted.
Although driving a motorhome that cost as much as my house down narrow lanes does indeed give me a terrified look.

In reply to Hooo:

For some thinking points.

I ended up with a Renault trafic long wheel base high roof. Being able to get straight in and stand up was important for me, but maybe for others a pop up roof is fine (we had a pop up previously and decided that with a high roof - the extra cabin lockers gave us more permanent luggage space too) Sometimes height can be an issue on ferries etc. but I managed to get under the usual height barriers with mine.

My Renault even with it being LWB - was able to fit in carparking spaces ok with just a bit of hang over. The latest Trafics look nice too and I'd be happy to convert one of those again if I was in the market for a camper.

In reply to Hooo:

A VW Krafter may seem like a good choice, but it causes owners too much stress just driving it around getting to crags etc., and when its full of the usual domestic rubbish won't fit more than two even if does make a brew..all that metal to shift for a cuppa at the end of the day..what a damage to the planet in sheer carbon emissions alone. Better off with a fast car and hotel.

In reply to Hooo:

If size and ease of driving are uppermost on your shopping list, would you not be better with a motor home? I've got a T25 and a LWB T5, and if memory serves correct there is only 1 cubic metre difference in space, excluding any pop top/hightop obviously.

Peugeot Bipper 660 7'4" 2.23 8'8" 2.64
VW Transporter SWB 1120 14'3" 4.34 19'10" 6.04
VW T5 LWB Low-Roof 1065 16'6" 5.02 23'1" 7.03
Transit SWB Hi-Roof 843 14'6" 4.43 24'8" 7.52

In reply to Hooo:

30k is a ridiculous amount of money for a campervan. Could get a decent MH for that. Personally I wouldn't have either. I have a huge 2011 Transit that cost 7.5k all in to buy and convert to a 4 berth with all facilities. 22.5k for holidays left over on your budget!

In reply to Vanessa Simmons:

Yes, I saw an inflatable awning at the custom builders I visited. It's on my list.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

Apology accepted. I'm sure most of the campervan users on this site are well behaved. As with anything, it's the idiots that you notice.

In reply to Skip:


Indeed they are. On the way in and on the way out. They depreciate less.

In reply to Pyreneenemec:

What a ridiculous post. We leave nothing behind in our van, we are totally self contained. Never seen another van making a mess either. Been away for nearly 3 months in total this year so got a good idea what I'm on about

In reply to Hooo:

As someone said get to vwt4forum and dig around. I had £25k for about 6 months while I waited for the right base vehicle turn up at the right price. Spent £15k on the base van and another £8k or so on converting it.

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

Got any suggestions for where to look then? I've not seen anything I'd want for under £20k, and they are getting on a bit. Obviously I don't want a huge Transit like yours though.

In reply to Hooo:

Literally anywhere that sells vans. Ie everywhere. Then convert it.

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

But a newish T5 with decent trim is £15k anywhere, and a professional conversion is at least £15k. Hence budget of £30k.

In reply to Hooo:

It shouldn't cost £15k to convert, where are you getting that figure?

In reply to tspoon1981:

A couple of companies I've contacted. Do you know of any better deals?

In reply to Hooo:

It's your money- if you want to spend way over the odds on a van that does exactly the same thing as mine that's your choice. Convert it yourself and you will save at least £12k to start

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

I would love to convert a van myself. If I was retired I would. But I have a full time job, and little enough free time as it is. It isn't going to happen.

In reply to Hooo:

Also in full time work and with a new baby myself. Still did it! Didn't climb as much as I would like earlier this year mind while I was doing it but still did it. One thought though- if you have little free time when are you going to use the new van? Anyway, good luck finding what you are looking for, I can see you are set on shelling out top money so I hope you get a top van for it

In reply to Hooo:

As cheese monkey has said, do it yourself and you'll save a packet, you'll also get exactly what you want. I work full time, so took a long weekend and just stripped and converted the van over the 4 days. I'd ordered all the parts in beforehand, obviously.

In reply to tspoon1981:

You didn't fit a pop top, compressor fridge, heater, etc. though, did you?
You're talking about a completely different kind of van.

In reply to Hooo:

Pop top admittedly is a big job that even I would be reluctant to do however rest is a doddle. I did everything except underseal on mine - cus underseal is f-ing minging!

In reply to Hooo:

I'm talking about a T5 with a fridge, propex heater, fully insulated, lined and carpeted, rock and roll bed, sink and pump, LED lights, 2x solar panels, all electrics and gas works. Granted no pop top, but I think I could still be it done in the 4 days if I asked a friend for assistance.

In reply to tspoon1981:

I assume that's flat pack units or something made up already for the T5? Even so in 4 days that's a good job. One good thing about these VW popularity is the availability of ready to fit bits. I had to custom make everything in mine!

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

Once everything is ordered and ready it's essentially giant mechano that you just need to put in the van in the correct order. Granted, I have converted another van so have some sense of the work involved

In reply to Hooo:

Research, research, research! I peered about on forums for ages while looking for the right van. It was for me all about the right spec for a conversion suited to my needs. So I wanted to drive in France Spain and Italy, so a/c and decent pull on hills were a must. I wasn't prepared to break down - so relatively new. Kids, 2 of them in child seats so that was another consideration - isofix and crash tested as safe as I could get. And dogs, a lwb was a must.
I started looking at full conversions and pricing up the joinery required but then thought to firstly just get a pop top and insulate and carpet the interior and take it camping to see what else we'd need.

Then it became obvious that life was better after a good nights sleep rather than neat and tidy boxes in cupboards. So full width Rib and cheap pop top (Skyline) with marine canvas.

I wanted to spec it as closely to my needs as possible - even down to how to restrain the dogs while travelling.

By the time you've invested in research it will all become clear. Good luck.

By the way, we got a 3yr old t5 with 55k, 140, with a/c Lwb in a colour that we liked for £15k. Spent about £7k on bed and roof and wiring and insulation and swivel base and left wiring down for a kitchen pod and heater that we haven't got round to fitting yet. It's now got around 61k and I don't think it's lost a penny in value. Not everyone wants a full width bed though. It's all about the needs. That van was placed on an eBay ad at about 8pm one Sunday and I agreed to buy it subject to sight and test drive about half an hour later. Right place right time.

Like Vanessa S said, drive away awnings give you loads more space and a proper set-up camp feel if you're staying anywhere for a few days. I'd recommend the airbeam type for ease of pitching and sturdy feel. A useful feature of our T4 which might not be relevant to you with your budget and ready converted van in mind is that the whole kitchen unit which came from a caravan can be lifted into the awning.

When our 17yr old van needs replacing I'll do the same thing again and spend time sourcing a quality unconverted van and budget around £6k to turn it into the van that suits you. As fancy as many of the factory converted vans are they somehow seem to lack a bit of soul in my mind.

In reply to tspoon1981:

That's very impressive for 4 days work. Have you got any pics you can share?
I'm now getting tempted by the DIY route. It sounds possible to get the big stuff like pop top done professionally, and fit out the interior myself.

In reply to Hooo:

I'll take some later and pop them on Dropbox