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.../
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