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Buying your First Campervan
In the past we have discussed purchasing either a camper-trailer or caravan.
If you presently own a 4cly car neither of these options will be suitable to you.
Ok that is not entirely correct, let me rephrase that statement, it is only not an option if you do not wish to upgrade your present vehicle.
The cost of an upgrade could be as much as $70.000 depending on which caravan or fifth-wheeler took your fancy so lets look at another option.
A Camper-van
The smallest and cheapest are the Toyota Hiace or VW based vans and come as either high roofs or pop-tops, With this style of van I personally would only recommend short to medium trips as space is a factor but it can be a cheaper way to go if budget is a real consideration.
Campervans are certainly the easiest to drive in terms of external size and parking space but suffer from a small amount of internal space. In most the bed has to be set up each night. We have solved this problem by adding a fold up table to the sink cupboard on ours but it is no good if it is raining or really cold.
Most campervans you can not walk through from the front to the back or swivel the driver and passenger seats around for extra seating so this is another disadvantage.
With the smaller Campervans you have a sink, fridge, usually a 2 burner gas hotplate, a small top cupboard that can take your plates ect., limited hanging space for clothes underneath and shelves on the side. The under sink cupboard is small but their is room for pots, pans and a few groceries.
Over the cab the slopping storage space can hold quite a lot but the largest storage area is either under the seats or over the bed at the back. both of which are a nuisance if you do not wish to strip the bed every day. The other drawback with campervans is that they have no toilet or shower facilities.
The other two options are Hard Top or Pop Top,
- Hard Top more wind resistance, easier to move around in, more storage space
- Pop Top, less wind resistance , can be hard to life if you have shoulder or arm problems, less storage space
Now you may think I am giving the good old reliable campervan a hard time, Not True we have owned two Toyota Hiace high roofs campervans and still have one at the moment. I am only try to be objective.
Our first campervan we owned for about 7 years and only sold it in 2004. During the time we had “Little Butie” we travelled most of NSW, Victoria and Queensland many time taking our grandson with us. We had a ball. The only drawback was having to stay in caravan parks if the free parks offered no toilet facilities.
“Little Butie” was well set up with a rollout awning, 2 solar showers, shower tent, outdoor 2 burner gas stove, table and chairs we even had a porter potty if we were planning to just camp in the one stop for a couple of weeks.
I want you to seriously think about these points before you rush out and buy one — are you planning :–
- One stop holidays?
- Short or Extended Trips?
- Can you handle small Spaces?
- Do you want to make up a bed everyday?
- Stay in Caravan Parks or Free Park?
- Can you handle cramped spaces in the wet or cold?
If your answers to the above are One Stop -Short-Yes-Yes-Yes-Yes then the campervan is idea for you - BUT- I know there is always a BUT — How are your Knees and Back?
Had my knees and back held up we would proberly never have sold “Little Butie”. The limited space and having to stretch all the time to reach things became too painful for me as my arthritis got worse so this is something else to keep in mind.
If you plan to keep you camper for quite a long time ask yourself if your health will allow you to still enjoy camping or are their niggly pains already you should take into account.
Our new camper “Serendipity” is only set up for powered sites so we have to stay in caravan parks but because of Franks Alzheimer’s we only go away for 2/3 days at a time so it is perfect.
You will find dozens of Toyota Hiace or VW based vans for sale on the Net and there are some really great bargains out there without having to buy new.
Join your local Road Side Assistance Club RACQ in Queensland, NRMA in NSW ect they offer pre purchase inspections and this is a great way to know you are getting a good second hand vehicle. I am sure there is a similar service in other countries.
Campervans built with a Shower and Toilet are somewhat larger in size and this is where the definition of campervan or motorhome becomes more blurry.
These larger vans are built on Ford Transits, Mercedes Benz Sprinters, Fiat Ducatos or Ivecos mostly high roofs and we will look at them in another article.