Camper van users -- advice pls

[MegBusset]

Just wondering if it's possible to get a decent second-hand camper van for under £2k and, if so, which models are best to look at? Doesn't have to be huge, just for the three of us (maybe four one day!), but pref. with pull-out bed/s, little stove etc.

Advice welcome!

Not sure about them second hand , howver our inlaws bought a brand new one last yera , not a big one but that cost nealry about £40k. So I dont think one that was a couple of yeras old would be for sale at £2k so you may have to go for an older one .

have a look at one of the Caravan type magazines they always have ones for sale and it will give you an idea what you can get for £2k.

Or look at Auto trader on line see if they have any .

An older one is fine, I have seen ads selling old VW vans for £3-4k, so really just wondered if there was a slightly cheaper alternative that anyone could recommend.

you might find a d-i-y transit around that, but you're unlikely to find a fitted out vw for that price (if you do it is highly likely to be a rusty old wreck). but you're paying for "the dream" (ha!) w/a veedub, there are other types of more modern vans that might sell for less and do the same job but unfortunately i know nothing about them. sadly you just missed vanfest in malvern, which is a great place to go if you're considering a vw.

sorry, not much help am i

ps fyi sleeping in a van is much colder than being in a tent - something i never realised until it was too late!

We bought our 1991 Ford Transit Autosleeper Conversion for 4k this summer. It fits us and two kids brilliantly. It has cooker with grill (not oven), fridge, radiator, sink with running water of course. Spent 3 weeks camping this summer and it was great.

I did see a 20 odd year old wreck advertised for 2.5 this summer. It was so old it was using leaded petrol, so owner had to buy lead and add to unleaded petrol at stations.

Puppydavies: Why is it colder in a van than in a tent?

Were you at vanfest puppydavies? I was and had a great time!

Meg - VWs have really shot up in price in the past couple of years so anything you could buy for 2k wouldn't be that decent.

I don't know about other makes of camper van though.

I think your van musn't be that well insulated puppydavies as ours is much warmer than sleeping in a tent. Plus it has a propex heater [smile}.

We just been away in one of these (see link) and i'm now telling everone how amazing they are! We loved it so much we're thinking about getting one but not sure you could get one for under £2k though. The genius thing we realised though is that it doubles up as a people carrier. We're going to trade in our car to get one! www.campers-scotland.com

Bongos are wonderful - we absolutely love ours! Happy to answer any Bongo related questions!

Those look lovely! Where did you get yours, Seeker? How much was it?

Do you definitely want a camper van?

I only ask because we bought a folding camper (a caravan at the bottom, tent at the top) that was 10 years old in good condition for around £1k. We've more recently upgraded to a better and newer model (5 years old, lol) for around £4k.

You do still have to put them up on site, but they take much quicker than a tent and the beds are permanently out. They're also much easier and lighter to tow than a caravan and can generally be towed by a normal sized family car. Also, you don't have to take the lot with you when camping for a week and just popping out for the day.

Worth considering if you find the camper van out of reach.

Thanks Rubberduck, we're not v keen on towing (we like to go to places like the Lakes where not all sites accept towed campers and you wouldn't get round all the roads anyway!). And don't have parking space or garage to store it.

Rubberduck- are folding campers suitable for use out of summer? DH is desperate for a campervan but must admit I think I'd prefer a folding camper due to the possible space there can be with an awning. However, we do fancy being able to head off all year round.

sarah: I do know people who do travel in them out of season (the newer/posher models do have warm air heating in them - we take a little electric caravan heater with us). However, we're very fair weather campers and our season is strictly May - September

We have a Mazda Bongo which is fab - very safe, comfy and reliable, also high up and compact which I find so much easier to drive, search on mumsnet and there are lots of recommendations. You could get away with the tintop which are much cheaper - we went for the freetop but when we had an overnight camp all 3 boys ended up downstairs with me and dh, so given the chance again we would go for tintop as you can still use them in indoor carparks see www.bongofury.co.uk and autotrader

p.s they are also known as ford fredas

ebay has some reasonable priced ones both in car and camper section

hello! We bought a ford transit which had been converted by someone with a hightop, sink, cooker and a double bed. we got it off ebay for £1500. It is too small for the 4 of us but twas what we could afford How it works is, the boys sleep in the van and me and dh sleep in an awning attatched to the sides. Tis is avery fine awning with loadsa space and a sleeping compatmnet. It does mean we are less flexible than other campervans but , hey, we got our camper! We have plans to turn the hightop bit into some sort of sleeping compartment for the boys but it is proving beyond our techinical abilities.

Good luck in your search.

We got our Bongo from AVA leisure in Edenbridge. It was 4.5K. It's unconverted, which means that most of the time it's an incredibly comfortable, reliable and easy to drive 8 seater people carrier. When we want to go away, we chuck some camping equipment in the boot, and we're ready. The children sleep in the roof, we sleep on the folded down seats. If we're going to be staying in one place for more than a couple of nights, we take our tent so that we have more space, but we often go away for a night or two with just the van. It's wonderful - a real member of the family!

Oh and we go bongoing all the year round!

Hello Seeker, nice to meet a fellow Bongo owner forgot to add it's our only car - as you were saying why pay for an expensive conversion when you can improvise and buy a small travel stove and a gallon of water - someone was telling me you can buy a travel fridge and plug it into the lighter socket!
Love the fact it's a people carrier and a camper in one.

Hey, bongistas! I think I've finally convinced dh that we have to get a bongo. (He said a firm 'no' to dc3, so I said 'right then, I want a bongo instead' ). Do you use your bongo as an everyday form of transport as well as for camping in? We couldn't afford to buy one and have it sitting on the drive, as dh and I both need to drive to work (v. complicated shifts and things...). So I am planning on driving the bongo to work (c. 10 miles each way) each day. I know it'll probably drink more gas than the Picasso I have now, but are there any other reasons against using it as my normal mode of transport. (Slightly worried about the carpark thing...) Thanks.

LOL, barking... you read my mind and we cross-posted! Thanks!

MegBusset, sorry to hijack!

I use our Bongo every day - school runs are brilliant - I pick up people along the road until it's full! It's really really easy to park - I was worried about that too, but I was fine after a couple of days. The only downsides are that it does drink quite a lot of diesel and it's too high for some car parks. You need to find a garage that's happy dealing with imports - there are a lot of recommendations on the BongoFury website. It's very well and thoughtfully designed - with one or two little quirks that you soon get used to.
I wonder how many other Bongo fans there are on here? I'm in Kent - where are you, barking?

Sounds OK then, seeker. I have a Picasso now, but have driven an Espace and a Synergie in the past, so larger vehicles don't bother me. And I do like the idea of being able to fill up the bus with kids and go!

PS I am in W. Yorkshire.