In order to understand what campervan is best for you, let’s go back a little and explain exactly what a campervan conversion is.
Factory-Built Campervans vs Third-Party Conversions
Some manufacturers, like Ford and VW, make their own campervans out of the factory. The biggest downside with this, and perhaps the most obvious, is that they are often priced £10–£15k more than vans converted by third parties.
Believe it or not, many people even question the build quality and layout of these vans direct from the manufacturer. Additionally, you get very little choice in terms of customisation.
The Campervan Conversion Industry Explained
What this means is that there is a huge industry in campervan conversion. That is to say that people will take a panel van and convert it into a full campervan. This panel van will have originally been designed for tradespeople to drive around in with all their equipment in the back, or for rental purposes for people to move sofas around or go to the dump at the weekend.
What the converters do with these vans is then strip them out and fully rebuild them with furniture, a kitchen, rear seats, a bed, a pop-top roof, lighting, windows, and full carpet lining.
Campervan Conversion Quality Can Vary
The companies doing this type of conversion can be anything from a one-man band in a small garage building one van a month, to larger scale companies with a professional production line converting over 200 vans a year.
With that in mind, the quality can vary greatly. You may look online at two vans which are seemingly identical, with a significant price difference between them, and you might think it’s sensible to go for the cheaper van. However, the quality of the conversion, the warranty you get with the conversion, and the support you get post-sale are of great importance.
Why The Base Van Matters
Anyway, back to the van itself. The main differentiator between two campervans with identical conversions in the back is the base van – i.e. the van that started out as before it was converted to a campervan.
You can put a brand-new conversion in a 10-year-old 100,000-mile van or in a brand-new delivery miles van. The price differential in this case will be that the older van will require more maintenance and will be less refined than the brand-new van.
Does The Make Of The Van Matter?
With regards to the make of van, this is also something to consider. Perhaps the make a van with the most pedigree, history, and largest following is the VW campervan.
VW have been making vans and campervans for 70 years, and there has been a loyal fan base all this time. For this reason, VW is often the van of choice for a camper conversion, and this can result in increased residual prices when you come to sell.
Having said that, it really comes down to personal preference. If you decide to buy a Ford Transit van converted to a camper van, you will not only save money on the purchase price, but you will still have all the modern requirements – particularly on the newer vans which are very well equipped.
Choosing The Right Campervan For You
In short, you can choose any van you want to convert into a camper van. It all really comes down to your budget, the luxuries and requirements you want inside, and what level of warranty you want on your base vehicle.
