Buying a Campervan or Motorhome can be quite an overwhelming experience. There is a lot to consider and a great deal of choices and alternatives out there. It is a lot of money to spend, so choosing the right campervan is important.
As a result, I have tried to put together this Campervan Buying Guide to try and help you through the process.
For anyone buying a Campervan, and in particular those buying for the first time, this article will not tell you what Campervan is right for you.
It will however, give you a lot of things to think about. And hopefully, some things to consider that perhaps you hadn’t thought of.
Although we own our VW California, we are thinking in a year or two to get something a bit bigger. We are not sure what yet, but this buying guide will certainly be looked at as a reminder.
There are a lot of Motorhome Shows in 2022, and I am going to a couple of them in the next month or so, to look around, and see what is out there.
As you may or may not know, if you have seen any of my other content, we are hiring a bigger van in February, for three nights for when we visit the Lake District.
I am not going to give too much away, as all will be explained over on my YouTube channel after the week away.
But, it did get me thinking, and I thought I would share with you some things to look out for when you are thinking of hiring or buying a van.
Buying a Campervan – Introduction
Now, buying a campervan is a totally personal experience. It depends massively on many things, not least why you want a van or how will you use it.
Will you Wild Camp or stay at campsites only?
Are you going to be in one place for many days, or will you want to stay one or two nights, then hit the road to the next place.
Let me stress again. It is impossible for this article to tell you what type of campervan you should buy. These tips for buying a Campervan are merely to give you food for thought, and some ideas to consider that you may not have thought of.
If you think it is necessary, how about Hiring a Campervan to see what you like and don’t like?
The Contents section above can take you straight to the section you would like to read.
Let’s start with a bit of information to help you with choosing the right campervan.
Types of Vans
There are many choices out there.
From mini vans not much bigger than a car, to full size, 30 foot plus long motorhome monsters.
Mini Van
Something like a VW Caddy. Simple. The seat fold flat into a bed, which takes up all the room in the back, with storage underneath. This means that most other things. Cooking, washing up, and toilet etc will need to be done outside, or in a shower block somewhere.
Medium sized van
A VW Transporter or a Ford Nugget for example. With a pop top, these can sleep 4, with four belted seats. Inside you will have a cooker, a fridge, sink etc. Less likely to have a toilet, although some do. Easy to drive, easy to park, and can be used daily.
Large Van
For example, a VW Crafter, or a Mercedes Sprinter. Has all the Medium sized van does, but with more living space, and possibly a shower too. Compromise is they are harder to drive, harder to park, and not as easy to use as a day van.
Motorhome
Lots of storage. A garage accessible from outside. Cooker, microwave, possibly fixed bed.
Shower and toilet. Bigger fridge, bigger cooker. But, impossible to use as a daily run around. Hard to park, and more suited to spending a few days at a site.
Smaller Camper 
Large Van
For all the above, except Motorhomes, when you are thinking of buying a campervan decide if you want one that has come off the manufacturers production line, ie a VW California or a Ford Nugget, or do you want to buy a basic van, and have a company convert it.
There are lots of companies out there that will provide, and convert a van to your, or their, specifications.
Buying a Campervan – The Bigger Picture
Your Personal Circumstances
The best place to start is always with your own personal circumstances and preferences.
For example, where can you keep the van? How many of you are there? How often will you use it? What are your trips going to be like?
Are you going to use it every day to go to the shops, or just for those weekends or weeks away?
This is all personal, but this is the first thing we thought about when we were choosing the right campervan.
You may find that your wish list will determine the type of van you get. For example, if you want to use one as a daily runner, then straight away you can cross Motorhome, and Large Van off your list.
If you are adamant you want a fixed bed you don’t have to make every day, but still have somewhere to sit to eat, then you can immediately rule out a VW California, and most of the smaller vans.
Lifestyle
What will it be used for? Do you need to replace a car with your van, and have to use it daily for school runs and shopping? Are you wanting to visit cities, or just park up at a campsite all day?
Answering all the above questions may have already narrowed down your choice, but, read on as there are many other things to consider too.
Let’s now get into the specifics and compare some decisions.
The Detail to look for when buying a Campervan
Short or Long Wheel Base?
First of all, lets start with size
There are pros and cons for both, for example, a longer wheel base van will obviously have more storage.
Perhaps a bed in the back and a lounge dinette up front. It could have a toilet and a shower. A bigger fridge, more cupboard space.
But, the shorter van would be better for day use.
Easier to park in car parks, as ours generally fits into a normal parking space. We have even managed to get it into multi-story carparks where the height restriction is 2.1m.
But, there won’t be a shower or perhaps a toilet.
High roof or not
As mentioned, our van stands at less than 2.1m tall. This is great for day use, and getting into car parks that may have a height restriction. In the UK a lot of Beach Side car parks have height restrictions for example.
What if you want to do a bit of Stealth camping? Choosing the right campervan for Stealth camping is an important consideration.
High may be better, as you have the comfort of being able to stand up, move around etc.
A low roof would be tougher, and if you don’t want to be disturbed, then you won’t be able to put up any pop top.
What about if you want to stop roadside for lunch or a break on a long journey. A high roof will ensure you can comfortably move around.
How many travellers?
A major thing to consider when your are thinking of buying a campervan. Do you need 2 or 4 seatbelts? How many are going to sleep in the van?
There are a number of vans that can sleep 4, but with only 2 belted seats, so this would be no good for a family of 4, unless two of you run behind the van!
What about if one is an early riser, and the other like a bit of a snooze? If you have a larger van you may be able slide out of bed, and head to that front dinette while the other carries on snoozing at the back, or in the pop top. But if your dinette becomes the bed, and there is no pop top, what then?
If 4 of you are going to be eating in there, then bear this in mind. A smaller VW campervan may only seat two on the rear seat, and if only one of the front seats swivel, then that leaves you a seat short.
Storage
One of the biggest things to consider when choosing the right campervan. It is easy to take a lot of stuff, and accessories along with you.
Living minimally? Storage may not be a problem, but if you want to take creature comforts, and camping stuff, bikes, beach stuff, tables chairs, etc, then storage may be an issue.
If you have lots of gear, then larger motorhomes have dedicated garages at the back for storage, accessible from outside.
Some vans may sacrifice the lounge area in the back for a raised bed, with storage / garage underneath. In some smaller vans, our VW California for example, the rear seat slides forward. This gives you a much bigger boot, but may restrict access to cupboards etc inside when traveling.
Food and Cooking
I can’t write a basic campervan buying guide, and list all the tips for buying a campervan without talking about the Food Storage and Cooking options.
Unless you go for a basic day van, most campervans will include some sort of food and cooking options. A fridge, a two ring gas hob and a small sink with cold water are the most common.
Larger vans and motorhomes could have a bigger fridge, and perhaps an oven. Even a microwave. Again, personal preferences will dictate a lot of this. Perhaps you need more space inside, and only plan on camping in the summer? Maybe you want a wider bed, and are planning to cook outside on a BBQ?
Buying a Campervan Summary
So there we are. My suggestions and tips for buying a campervan. There is a lot to take in, and probably a lot I haven’t even mentioned.
But, these are the things we will consider to make sure we get it right when choosing the right campervan next time.
If you have recently bought a first or a new campervan, then what did you consider to be the most important when choosing it?
Let me know in the comments.
I hope you found this useful, and if so, why not sign up for the newsletter to get more posts all about Van Life, and Camping or head over to my YouTube channel?
Whatever you decide, thanks for checking out this post, and I look forward to seeing you here again soon.
Rich