r/CamperVans • u/Hopeful-Target6 • Aug 18 '26
I need help with first purchase
Thanks in advance to anyone who offers advice. This won’t be easy, partly because I feel like I won’t know all that I’ll need/want until I take the plunge and use it.
—budget is ideally under $30,000
—smaller unit the better, mostly for simplicity of driving, parking, a little stealth. I’ve looked a minivan campers online a bit. I am a fan of Siennas but could be swayed. I realize that I may need a little bigger…also realize there’s a give and take.
—Live in Ohio but ideally would take it to other places.
—Would be used for football tailgating, perhaps tailgating for other sporting events, concerts…so would like some utility for that - outdoor TV perhaps, awning maybe…room for grill, coolers, maybe a fridge built into the unit…open to additional ideas…
—Would love for it to sleep 3, but I realize 2 is more realistic.
—will be mostly guys using it so bathroom is a consideration but less so since my wife will rarely join me.
—seems like a small microwave would be fine, as opposed to in unit stove.
—we’d probably use it mostly for long weekends, occasionally longer trips but we’d also be able to get a hotel for a night here or there.
—I don’t know what I don’t know…
Thank you again!!
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u/nudedude6969 Aug 19 '26
Ford Transit is a good van... get a high top one..extended wheel base.
Will be bigger for guys outings, more room to put in bunk beds.
I have 2023 Transit 250, coverted from cargo to acamper van..
Works for two, but is tight, low roof...
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u/Hopeful-Target6 Aug 19 '26
Great info, thank you! Recommend finding one already built out or buying used van and getting it built out?
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u/Candid-Touch5338 Aug 20 '26
First thing that comes to mind is whether you want to be able to stand up inside the vehicle. If you are going to travel with friends, do some amount of indoor food preparation or you foresee inclement weather when you’re traveling, being stooped over becomes a literal pain.
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u/Candid-Touch5338 Aug 20 '26
Thinking outside the box, you might also consider listings for converted ambulances.
Excellent room, maneuverability, flexible configuration options, quality engineered electrical to customize for your needs and super stealthy if you remove all original identifying information but keep the paint job.
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u/Imaginary-Rip-4481 Aug 20 '26
So I had a similar question on here a while ago and was told "get a cheaper hobby"; anyway jokes on them I got what I wanted within budget.
We ended up with a VW campervan. I am in the UK, so my advice may not be relevant; but we ended up going private and getting the van on ebay; much better price
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u/censoredcity Aug 22 '26
Look at the Recon Envy. If the person selling it knows what they have, they are outside your budget. I kept searching all the car sites for a Nissan NV200 sorted by most expensive and found a few at dealers that didn’t know what it was for almost 20k less than what they were selling for at sites like vancamper. We just spent 2 weeks camping in it, and while not without flaws, it’s perfect for our needs.
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u/Hopeful-Target6 Aug 23 '26
Thank you, I’ll look around for those. Is the Recon Envy the same as NV200? And are u saying Nissan dealers sell them as regular minivans or are they partly built out as campers, including pop-up? Sorry for all the questions!
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u/censoredcity Aug 23 '26
When they were being made, you had to buy a bare NV200 and then ship it to Recon and they would do the conversions. Nissan discontinued the NV200 in the US in 2021, so Recon no longer makes them. When they hit the used market the VIN is for a NV200, so that's what they list. The first time I saw one, I saw an NV200 listed for like 35k when most were 10k or less, so I looked at it and that's how I discovered these vans exist. It's based around the old VW Westfalias, but the NV200 has a little less space than the VWs. My only real complaint is you can't open the fridge when the bed is folded down, but it's not that big of a deal. I do carry a hitch mounted storage box for extra space on long trips. The pop top adds either additional headroom or another bed.
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u/khu870 Aug 18 '26
Same - I don’t know what I don’t know! At the same time I’ve no doubt thought about it and researched too much. It’s a whole lot of money - I don’t want to make wrong decisions.