Greetings & Welcome!
I think the best bang for the buck is to start out with a really cheap older Class C motorhome. There are still tons of them from the mid 70’s. Given the choice, I actually pefer them to DIY and they’re move in ready. Contrary to the BS the promoters want you to believe, an actual obvious RV is also much more stealthy than a cargo van. Nobody finds someone camping in a camper as unusual or suspicious. It’s when you try to hide that you become suspicious.
All this DIY stuff is pushed by the promoters & influencers for THEIR gain, not yours. Even when doing a DIY, the best and most complete conversions cost hundreds not thousands.
I bought a gutted 1973 Dodge Travco camper van for $700. It ran perfect, and had just over 200k miles on it. The promoters had convinced the owner to gut it and then rebuild it. They even came and carefully gutted it for him. Once gutted, he realized he was in over his head, and bought an intact identical one. I bought it, and reconverted it to camper van for +/- $300 all in for everything, power, 4 season climate control, kitchen, wet bath, sofa/bed, and a lazy boy swivel rocker recliner to lounge/work in. I used the 4R method (Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose, & Reimagine) keeping everything modular and portable, but secured. In 12 years, I put over 300k trouble free miles on it. Those old Dodge 318 engines run forever.
A friend is living & traveling in a 1976 Dodge American Clipper Class C, about 20 foot in length, and will fit in a normal parking space. It also has the 318 engine, and is pushing 400k miles on the original engine & transmission. He paid $1500 for it, move in ready and ready to roll. There are many great deals out there if you look for them.
Most people who DIY are on their 3rd or 4th build, costing big bucks, and still never as comfortable or convenient as a factory camper. With many years of experience, I know what I want or need, but with newbies it takes time & experience to figure it out. In the meantime, a factory camper is a much easier transition, and much cheaper than any DIY project. That dirt cheap factory camper will allow you to move in much quicker, and start stacking the cash it’s saving you. You can always do a DIY later if you really want to.
Most people switch away from DIY to factory campers for the comfort, convenience, & stealth, and the older RV’s were built in a time when quality was still important, and their simplicity adds greatly to their reliability. I use them as they were intended, and don’t add solar, or expensive batteries, etc. They didn’t need any of that garbage when they were new, they don’t need it now, and you don’t need the added expense for no added benefits.
I don’t believe in showers at gyms, or always using frequently disgusting public toilets. My homes on wheels are complete & comfortable. That isn’t nearly as easy with a DIY build, when the manufacturers have already spent millions to perfect their systems & layouts. My ego prefers comfort, reliability, and saving money, over the feeling of doing a DIY build.
Cheers!
"A wise man learns from both the successes & failures of others." ~ Off Grid