Small, Cheap campers

[Sycamore]

Howdy all

My girlfriend and I go camping a fair amount - Mostly on sites.

Toying with the idea of switching to a small camper van, although not 100% we'll stick with it. Rather than go spunk a load of money on something shiny, I'm moreso wanting something cheap to act as a tester.

Along the lines of a Mazda Bongo etc.

Does anyone have any other suggestions in terms of what vehicles to look into?

Would be for me, my girlfriend and our little dog.

Ideally just wanting something simple and cheap to use/run. I've highlighted the Bongo purely because I drove past one each day in my street.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[bristolracer]

Whats your budget?

[TvrJohn]

Bongos are good value but thirsty and get very rusty as they are grey imports

[Sycamore]

Sorry, should've added - Budget would be under 10k, but realistically considering anything we buy would be a test of sorts, the lower the better really.

I've heard about the bongo being rather thirsty and rusty.

We'd probably be fine with something like a Nissan Elgrand or something really, but all of those weird Japanese people carriers tend to blend into one.

[sjg]

Berlingo plus an Amdro or Campal unit gives you a usable compact camper that can also be used as a regular car the rest of the time.

[nagsheadwarrior]

Bongos are great but beds are small and they are thirsty and getting unreliable and rustprone with age.

Small 10k camper bought right should prive a good investment though prices are crazy at the moment tho that's showing no signs of changing anyone soon.

Left field suggestion, an early Berlingo Romahome tho they are a bit pensioner.
Or really left field if you can find one thw rare from new converted factory UK campers based on UK spec Toyota Hiace the Elddis HiLife and Devon Sunrise.
Nice spec conversions, reliable and much cheaper than the no better VW t4

[KTMsm]

Vito, T4, T5, Vivaro / Traffic

I wouldn't go smaller myself - T4 is old but reliable T5 is massively overpriced, Vivaro / Traffic are cheap.

Post 07 Vito (galvanised) is the sweet spot IMO but get a LWB or ExLWB

[Obison]

Trafics and vivaros are cheap enough, I've just self converted an ex post office swb panel van, put side windows in, insulated, carpeted downlights etc, split charge 12v electrics and had all the furniture made, Inc gas hob and sink.
All in, 5k including the van purchase.
It's a lot of work but enjoyable.
Gearboxes and stuck injectors are why they are cheap, I'm having a recon box fitted just for peace of mind, still a bloody cheap campervan at that.

[MattyD803]

Elgrands are an excellent base vehicle for the money, but sadly £10k won't get you a converted one. The reason I recommend the Elgrand is that you get a bullet proof petrol V6 lump in what is a very refined package, typically with lots of nice factory fitted features that you won't get in things like VWs, Vivaros, Bongos etc. i.e. Leather, Auto box, HID adaptive lamps, Tri Zone climate, Electric Door. Additionally some have 4WD, BOSE sound, dual electric sunroofs, factory fitted electric curtains and a drop down rear TV. That sort of luxury makes longer drives an absolute breeze, particularly up hills/down dales.....Sadly the downside to them is economy, 20mpg round town, up to 27/28mpg on a run, and that is regardless of 2.5 or 3.5.

Nonetheless, if you went down this route, you'd possibly get a half decent Series 2 van for £6/7k and then you would have enough to get a basic rock n roll bed and some side cabinets installed, with a view to maybe doing the pop top roof a little later on (around £3.5k by a reputable converter). Rust is not an issue assuming you buy a car which was undersealed from the point of import.

Even if you want for a better van first of all, the factory fitted seats drop down into a double bed sized platform suitable for a double airbed, so that would at least get you going.

If it's something you'd go for, or want more info, then all the info you could want on these is over at Elgrand Owners Club - Really helpful & friendly forum.. PS: Yes I might be slightly biased as I own one....and other than economy, cannot fault it.

Edited by MattyD803 on Wednesday 16th February 12:41

[KTMsm]

My Vito has leather, dual climate, automatic 3.0 V6 diesel, flip down DVD player etc all oem

I wanted diesel for towing but I can see the appeal of petrol preferably with an LPG conversion

I also wanted to get motorbikes and 8x4 sheets in the back - unfortunately none of the MPVs can manage that.

Thinking about it - I wonder whether any of the older Galaxy Sharan etc could be made into a small camper - they had a decent variety of engines and must be peanuts these days

[MattyD803]

KTMsm said:

My Vito has leather, dual climate, automatic 3.0 V6 diesel, flip down DVD player etc all oem

I wanted diesel for towing but I can see the appeal of petrol preferably with an LPG conversion

I also wanted to get motorbikes and 8x4 sheets in the back - unfortunately none of the MPVs can manage that.

Thinking about it - I wonder whether any of the older Galaxy Sharan etc could be made into a small camper - they had a decent variety of engines and must be peanuts these days

I'm sure it has....not sure how much a van like yours would cost......but it is definitely worth pointing out that in terms of 'traditional vans' (at the cheaper end of the scale), your looking at high miles, low power, diesel engine, manual gear box, very few creature comforts and...well...general van like construction.

The Elgrand (as just one such example) is heavily noise insulated too with coil sprung suspension and drives pretty much as you would expect a car to. I take pleasure getting out of mine after a 6 hour drive as refreshed as I got in - not something I can say when I get out of my mate's converted T5 or indeed a works Vivaro.

To be fair, capacity for plaster board and motorbikes are not really considerations for a camper with say a fixed rock n roll bed or cupboards, which I think the OP is after. I kept mine as a day van as it often has to lug my lads footy team about, but will swallow 6 x full size pieces of plaster board with the seats folded out the way.....albeit at a push with a high risk of a snapped corner

[Dedshott]

I have a Bongo, a 2000 V6 automatic, and I have to say I love it. It has a Lulworth Conversion, with fridge, cooker, cupboards, tiny freezer, loo, sink, two beds down and two beds in the pop top.

I have driven it all the way down through France, camping all the way and then camped in Spain. I've also camped all over the UK in it - having previously been a tent guy all the way.

This camping has been with three of us - me, Mrs Dedshott, and Dedshott jr - and we've all had a lovely time in it.

We paid £8k for it, and it is thirsty, but not that bad. And the V6 edition is quite fun to drive. It's quite nippy - especially for a motorhome.

I think you do need an awning - which is basically a tent! Somewhere to chuck the bags, and maybe set up another bedroom. They are quite pricey - another £400 at least.

But they are fun vehicles - and now is a good time to buy. Try joining one of the Bongo groups on Facebook, and you will see people's ads all the time - sometimes for less than £4k.

They can be rusty, but it can be fixed - and the people at Bongo Fury can tell you all the good mechanics to do it.

[KTMsm]

MattyD803 said:

I'm sure it has....not sure how much a van like yours would cost......but it is definitely worth pointing out that in terms of 'traditional vans' (at the cheaper end of the scale), your looking at high miles, low power, diesel engine, manual gear box, very few creature comforts and...well...general van like construction.

The Elgrand (as just one such example) is heavily noise insulated too with coil sprung suspension and drives pretty much as you would expect a car to. I take pleasure getting out of mine after a 6 hour drive as refreshed as I got in - not something I can say when I get out of my mate's converted T5 or indeed a works Vivaro.

I did wait a while to find it - mostly because I wanted a Traveliner, non white ExLWB 3.0 but I paid £7k - 3 years ago with 75k on it

I buy motorbikes and regularly do 6hr round trips and find it preferable to a car because of the higher seating position

I'd have thought a T5 was similar

[MattyD803]

KTMsm said:

I did wait a while to find it - mostly because I wanted a Traveliner, non white ExLWB 3.0 but I paid £7k - 3 years ago with 75k on it

I buy motorbikes and regularly do 6hr round trips and find it preferable to a car because of the higher seating position

I'd have thought a T5 was similar

Excellent - another good option for the OP potentially.