I want a large van to convert to a camper - what do you consider as high mileage for a van?
I want to buy a large panel van for conversion to a camper. My price range is up to £5000. Most of the vans I have seen advertised at this price have done over 150,000 miles, and some a lot more than that. I want the van to last me a good few thousand miles if I am going to do a lot of work to convert it. How many miles would you reasonably expect a van to go before it is beyond repair, assuming that it has been serviced regularly?
Asked on 1 June 2018 by Richard Makin
Answered by
Dan Powell
As a rule, you should be looking for a vehicle as new as possible for your money regardless of mileage. For example, a four-year-old van with 100,000 miles is a far better buy than a 10-year-old van with 50,000 miles.
Given that you’re going to be investing a significant amount of money in the conversion, condition and history are vital - you want a vehicle with a full service history to show regular oil changes every 12 months/10,000 miles
I’d recommend looking at vans that are plentiful on the used market, like the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter. This will allow you to be quite picky on price and condition.
For all our used van buying guides, see: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/used-van-buying-guides/
For more used van buying tips, see: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-buy-and-sell/top-10-t.../
Given that you’re going to be investing a significant amount of money in the conversion, condition and history are vital - you want a vehicle with a full service history to show regular oil changes every 12 months/10,000 miles
I’d recommend looking at vans that are plentiful on the used market, like the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Volkswagen Crafter. This will allow you to be quite picky on price and condition.
For all our used van buying guides, see: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/used-van-buying-guides/
For more used van buying tips, see: vans.honestjohn.co.uk/how-to-buy-and-sell/top-10-t.../
Similar questions
Our van is registered as disabled because we have a handicapped child. Will converting it to a campervan affect its disabled status?
We're buying a new or nearly new van conversion-type campervan in the next year or two, most likely a 6m long Knaus. Most big brands like Knaus are based on the Fiat Ducato and, for 2020, Fiat has just...
I am looking for advice on what type of van to buy with a £5000 budget. This van would be to convert into a camper so I'm looking for van with a medium wheelbase that's tall enough to stand in.