So you've decided to embark on a campervan conversion project.
Excitement is high. You've already had your first van trip in your head. Pulling up by the lake for the weekend. Reading your book with the side door open. Discovering new little spots just two hours from home that somehow feel like another planet.
You start scrolling though used van listings. You notice that every listing looks identical. Any one of them could either be the gateway to your campervan dreams or the beginning of a very expensive mistake.
So how do you narrow it down with confidence?
There are a few clues.
Start With the Basics
When you start looking for a van, there are way too many options. The goal is simply to reduce the noise until you’re only looking at vans that are realistically worth your time.
A good place to start is brand reputation.
Personally, I’d mainly look at Toyota, Nissan, or Mitsubishi. If I wanted something larger, I’d consider Mercedes too. They’ve generally earned a reputation for reliability, longevity, and easier access to parts and servicing.
That doesn’t mean every van from those brands is automatically good, or that every other brand is bad. It just improves your odds.
Next: age.
As a general rule, I’d avoid anything older than about 20 years unless you really know what you’re getting into. Older vans can absolutely still be great, but once you get past that point, maintenance issues tend to become more frequent, parts can be harder to source, and safety standards drop off too.
Mileage matters too, but probably not as much as people think.
Under 250,000km is a nice starting point, but high kilometres alone don’t automatically make a van a bad buy. A well-maintained van with a solid service history is usually a much safer bet than a neglected van with low kms.
From there, you can narrow things down further with personal preference filters.
Automatic or manual. Petrol or diesel. High roof or low roof. Short wheelbase or long wheelbase.
If you only drive automatic, immediately remove every manual listing from your search. Tiny decisions like that help reduce the overwhelm fast.
Finding a Deal
Once you’ve narrowed the search, things start feeling much more manageable. Now it’s about finding the best value without accidentally buying someone else’s headache.
A few things can help.
Shop During Winter
Used vans are seasonal.
Supply and demand, baby.
Demand usually spikes through spring and summer when everybody suddenly decides they’re going to become a rugged outdoors person. During winter, demand tends to cool off, which can mean less competition and lower prices.
If you’re not in a rush, winter shopping can genuinely save you money.
Look for Ex-Company Vehicles
Ex-company or ex-trade vans can be surprisingly good buys.
Businesses usually service their vehicles regularly because downtime costs them money. That often means consistent maintenance records, regular WOFs, and fewer skipped services.
They’re also sometimes priced more realistically. A business is usually trying to move an asset on. A private seller might be emotionally attached and price their van like it’s a family heirloom with wheels.
The most recent van I bought came from a swimming pool service company. Cosmetically, it looked rough. The interior was grubby, the paint wasn’t perfect, and the listing photos definitely weren’t helping its case.
Mechanically though, it had been looked after properly.
I bought it below market value, then negotiated a further discount after spotting an oil leak from an ageing gasket. I confirmed the issue with ChatGPT while standing in the driveway, and later fixed it myself with a $40 part, two hours of work, and a niche but helpful YouTube video.
That’s the kind of thing that becomes possible once you know what to look for.
Don’t Ignore Bad Listings
Some of the best deals hide behind terrible Marketplace listings.
Blurry photos. One-sentence descriptions. Sellers who clearly put in the absolute minimum effort.
Those listings often attract less attention, which means less competition and more room to negotiate.
Obviously this doesn’t mean every bad listing is secretly a gem. Some are genuinely terrible. But it’s worth looking past presentation and focusing on the actual fundamentals of the van itself.
Managing Expectations
One of the most helpful things to understand during this process is that there’s no such thing as a perfect second-hand van.
These vehicles were built to work. They carry heavy loads, rack up high kilometres, get scratched, dented, and generally live harder lives than the average car.
That’s part of why they’re affordable.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is making an informed decision.
You want something reliable, reasonably well maintained, and unlikely to ambush you with major problems six weeks into ownership.
Know what you can fix yourself. Know what’s expensive. Know what’s normal wear and tear, and what’s a genuine red flag.
That knowledge alone will save you thousands.
Once you’ve found a few promising options online, it’s time to inspect them properly in person.
In Part Two, we’ll go through exactly what to look for when viewing a van, including a few commonly missed issues that can turn a seemingly great deal into a money sink later on. some of them people never think to look for…
