Greetings & Welcome!
For starters, don’t believe much of what you hear, see, or read. Cargo vans make terrible campers, they are not stealthy at all, they cost a fortune to convert, they’re uncomfortable, and living in a windowless box is worse than a jail cell. The only reason they get promoted is because the promoters are after your money, and if you make better choices, they won’t get it.
Factory camper vans and motorhomes and motorhomes can be found cheap, especially older ones, and even ones from the 70’s and 80’s can be found with extremely low miles and in near showroom condition. I have had many that I paid under $2500 for. They were totally reliable, totally livable, and move in ready without any added expenses.
Don’t get conned into stripping it or remodeling it, or adding any expensive options. Pick one with a good floor plan, and use it as it was intended. MAYBE after years of experience, you will want to build your own, but for newbies it is a very bad choice. Not only will it cost you a great deal more, it will also be much more uncomfortable, as is likely to turn into a never ending money pit. These people are continually spending $1k here, $3k there, and $5k over there, and still eventually they wind up selling it for a huge loss, and buying a cheap older factory camper.
With all that being said, I have spent the last 11 years living in a self built camper van. It was stripped when I bought it, but the price was right for mechanically perfect high top window van. My full featured “build” cost under $300 and includes a futon sofa/bed, kitchen, toilet & shower, heating & cooling, and unlimited power. No solar panels, no expensive roof vents, no 12v compressor fridges, etc. etc. What I do have is a super comfortable swivel rocker recliner to lounge in or work from, because I both live in and work from my camper van. The most important point here is that I had over 30 years of experience living on wheels, BEFORE I “built” this camper van, and I didn’t “build” it at all, I merely moved my interior in and secured it. Even though I have under $1500 total in my rig, I wouldn’t trade it for any of those $50k+++ instagram or youtube vans. I have something they’ll never have, comfort and reliability. My 1973 Dodge van has NEVER broken down, has over 450k miles on it, and still runs like new and passes smog checks. All it’s ever needed is just normal maintenance. Unlike more expensive rigs, mine paid for itself within the first few months of ownership, and I literally couldn’t be more comfortable.
Cheers!
"Adequate & required ventilation defeats insulation, so why bother?" ~ FreedomAin'tFree!
