would you buy a camper van and which one

[kally]

we live on the coast in the pacific northwest and camping is fabulous here and often a bit damp. We are in our 50;s and the tent is getting a little old for us. We have been thinking more and more of a van or something.

We would want something used, but decent. We wouldn;t really travel thousands of miles, maybe a couple of hundred in a trip.

What van would you consider?

[loosechickens]

well, we lived quite happily for several years in Mexico and Central America in a VW Vanagon popup top camper van. We have several friends living in Roadtrek vans (which have the advantage of having a miniscule shower and toilet.....the VW had only a portable toilet, and you had to find a private place to wash outside), but with a Roadtrek, you're getting pricey......

If you are just going camping in it, in campgrounds, etc., it's hard to beat a VW camper van. We toured for several months in Europe in a rented one, and enjoyed it immensely, and not just because it took us back to our "RVing roots" from the old days nearly twenty years ago.......

[CathyA]

LC......I picture you in a VW van with flowers and peace signs painted all over it. :)
Kally.....I wonder if you can rent those, if you don't plan on using it that often.

[loosechickens]

hahaha.....well, it was actually just a nice, rust color with a cream pop-up top, but it DID have a Mexican type altar on the dashboard, with dingle ball fringe decorating around the windshield. The real Mexican "car altars" are to the Virgin of Guadalupe usually, but ours was kind of the "altar to everybody". We didn't want the little van to feel "naked" when all the other vehicles were decorated and had altars, but we had Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan, Jewish and everything else we could think of on ours. It's now been transferred to a wall between windows and two shelves in the motorhome, as the van is long gone....

Nope, no peace signs and no flowers, but in spirit, probably yes, hahahaha.......

[Aqua Blue]

The roadtrec would be my choice, although even old ones are pretty spendy.

I ended up buying a regular 1994 chevy van with 107k miles for $1500. It was in excellent shape both inside and out. The only thing I did was buy a new battery. I then took the back two rows of seats out. Built a platform across the back for my bed. Made room darkening roman shades. I have a large old rolling suitcase for all of my kitchen things . I always cook outside, which I did even years ago when I had a pickup camper. I have never felt comfortable cooking inside. I have a folding table if there is no picnic table.

It has worked well for me at a fraction of the cost of a camper. It is easier to drive. I like knowing I could get up in the middle of the night and just drive away, something that is important to this late 50's single woman. The two downsides I see are:1) no bathroom, although I pretty much always stay where there are bathrooms and I am not too into the tank thing anyway and 2) I can't stand up in it, which since pretty much all I do in it is sleep it doesn't matter much.

If you are at all interested in this, you might look at the vandwelling group on yahoo. The photo gallery has some great ideas

I have really enjoyed mine. I don't go on really long trips and sometimes just go to a state park near where I live.

[larknm]

We've wanted to do this, but the fuel cost frightens us.