Hey everyone!
I’m 21 from Victoria in Australia. Myself and my best friend are hoping to purchase a camper van in the coming months for few months on the road next year. It’s a big commitment but we are exhausted living in lockdowns in Vic, this is our 6th one it’s killing us honestly!
Can’t wait to learn from here 
Greetings & Welcome!
I would go cheap, and bigger than a van. My first choice would be a cheap, older, factory motorhome in good mechanical shape. Therre’s a lot to said for move in ready, just keep in mind that floor plans mean everything! Floor plans make the difference between being comfortable, & feeling cramped & claustrophobic.
My second choice would be a cheap, older, small bus in good mechanical shape. You can remove the rear seats, and have a marvelous hard sided, rolling tent. I wouldn’t build anything in, just move it in and secure it. By not building anything in, you can literally save a fortune in both time & money.
I’ve furnished many rigs for free, or dirt cheap. Local ads are a goldmine of free stuff, often like brand new. I recently furnished a friends bus for under $100 using mostly free stuff. The carpet was free, the beds were free, the sofa & easy chairs were free, the cabinets were all free, even the generator was free, and only needed a new spark plug. The whole, beautiful & luxurious, full featured interior was almost all free. That included the whole kitchen, wetbath, climate control & everything. I did use a jigsaw to round off the top corners of the upper cabinets to make them fit the rounded top corners of the bus, but other than that, it was just move everything in and secure it, which was extremely easy using the original seat mounting brackets.
The most important point is that a DIY conversion doesn’t have to be either expensive or difficult. Everything can be found locally for free, or really cheap. You don’t need to “build” anything to have a comfortable home on wheels.
Cheers!
"I start saving money with the vehicle purchase,
and pay practically nothing to convert it." ~ Road Warrior
and pay practically nothing to convert it." ~ Road Warrior