Rough Costs of a Campervan
Discussion
I've liked the idea of a campervan for a few years (rather than a motorhome) to go off exploring in / take off mountain biking etc. I really fancy the idea of building one from scratch, but just know with time constraints it'll still be part build in two years time. The costs are also pretty high in comparison to buying a second hand one, at least to see how it works out in reality.
I've been having a quick look on autotrader, and recon it should be possible to get something for £25-45k. May need a few mods to bring it up to scratch, but that would be fine. My thoughts are, worst case, I sell it after a year or two and get most of my money back.
Before going too far down the rabbit hole, I thought it was worth getting a rough idea of costs though. Does anyone have any rough idea of tax / MOT / insurance etc? Anything I've missed out? I can keep it at the house luckily which would be a big expense spared, and make it far more likely to actually be used.
Many thanks!
I've been having a quick look on autotrader, and recon it should be possible to get something for £25-45k. May need a few mods to bring it up to scratch, but that would be fine. My thoughts are, worst case, I sell it after a year or two and get most of my money back.
Before going too far down the rabbit hole, I thought it was worth getting a rough idea of costs though. Does anyone have any rough idea of tax / MOT / insurance etc? Anything I've missed out? I can keep it at the house luckily which would be a big expense spared, and make it far more likely to actually be used.
Many thanks!
Tax, MoT about the same as a car. Insurance for me is around £500 with European recovery. It is better on fuel than my 911. Tyres cost about the same as those on my cars.
The actual running costs of it as a vehicle are about the same as a car.
The extra cost is in upgrading or replacing the ‘camper’ parts if required.
The other big cost is campsites which can be pricey, especially in the summer. Cheaper sites are around and of course you don’t always need to use a site.
The actual running costs of it as a vehicle are about the same as a car.
The extra cost is in upgrading or replacing the ‘camper’ parts if required.
The other big cost is campsites which can be pricey, especially in the summer. Cheaper sites are around and of course you don’t always need to use a site.
Following...
I've been obsessed with this idea for years, decades probably. I watch a lot of vanlife videos on the internet.
Like the OP, I love the idea of being able to go off without much notice, spontaneously decide to stay somewhere, or plan 1-2 nights to go mountain biking, walking, etc.
The VW T5 looks good but is expensive. Some of the van builds look a bit bland to me. I really like the ones which are more unique.
I haven't the skillset to build or customise a van (I can barely hang a shelf). So I'd definitely be dependent on someone doing it or buying it ready-to-go.
I've been obsessed with this idea for years, decades probably. I watch a lot of vanlife videos on the internet.
Like the OP, I love the idea of being able to go off without much notice, spontaneously decide to stay somewhere, or plan 1-2 nights to go mountain biking, walking, etc.
The VW T5 looks good but is expensive. Some of the van builds look a bit bland to me. I really like the ones which are more unique.
I haven't the skillset to build or customise a van (I can barely hang a shelf). So I'd definitely be dependent on someone doing it or buying it ready-to-go.
TBF I think you're on point re the finances but outside of that I think the essential questions are
Do you want to cook in it?
Do you want to shower and s
t in it?
I've got a lightly converted T6. Soundproofed thermal lining plyboard. Carpetted and roof lining. LED lights, USBs 240v electrics with plug in. Leisure battery and Diesel heater. It's a really practical truck and set up for dossing in (self inflating mattresses and sleeping bags) when travelling for biking and skiing. Aside from the lining the seats are exactly as standard so can to 2,3,4 or 5 seater configurations. No kitchen. No storage. No pop top. This makes it really versatile and useful as a van which is what it does most of the time. Even without a kitchen or kitchen pod, cooking under the tailgate or an awning is fine. It's definitely an overnight only choice If I am spending any time anywhere I'd AirBnB or take a tent.
Setting up as a camper van usually means having a pop top to allow you to stand inside and do the cooking. Gives a couple of extra berths too. Although a really handy sized vehicle, its is very compromised compared with a bigger conversion eg. Crafter size which you can stand up in and sleep across the width of the vehicle or a proper motor home which you can do your ablutions in.
Rental isn't cheap but I'd definitely try before you buy. I'm in the age group (retired late 50s) where a lot of friends have scratched this itch and there are many who rented and said never again and quite a few where the van doesn't get used as much as anticipated.
Do you want to cook in it?
Do you want to shower and s
t in it?I've got a lightly converted T6. Soundproofed thermal lining plyboard. Carpetted and roof lining. LED lights, USBs 240v electrics with plug in. Leisure battery and Diesel heater. It's a really practical truck and set up for dossing in (self inflating mattresses and sleeping bags) when travelling for biking and skiing. Aside from the lining the seats are exactly as standard so can to 2,3,4 or 5 seater configurations. No kitchen. No storage. No pop top. This makes it really versatile and useful as a van which is what it does most of the time. Even without a kitchen or kitchen pod, cooking under the tailgate or an awning is fine. It's definitely an overnight only choice If I am spending any time anywhere I'd AirBnB or take a tent.
Setting up as a camper van usually means having a pop top to allow you to stand inside and do the cooking. Gives a couple of extra berths too. Although a really handy sized vehicle, its is very compromised compared with a bigger conversion eg. Crafter size which you can stand up in and sleep across the width of the vehicle or a proper motor home which you can do your ablutions in.
Rental isn't cheap but I'd definitely try before you buy. I'm in the age group (retired late 50s) where a lot of friends have scratched this itch and there are many who rented and said never again and quite a few where the van doesn't get used as much as anticipated.
When buying a campervan, try to be honest with yourself about your realistic needs and the cost per night and then budget accordingly.
I suspect for most van owners, dropping a few k per year on hotels/ airBnBs will be cheaper and less tying, if a different experience.
If I was retired and planning on spending over 100 nights a year in it including winter use then maybe I could justify dropping £60k+ on a quality conversion/ official California/ Westfalia etc.
However a few years ago I thought I'd give it a try and bought a £6k T25 Westfalia. In 5 years we used it for maybe 30 nights in summer and as a daily driver for about a year while waiting for a new car. I sold it for roughly the same price but spent about 3k on MOTs- fighting rust. Had some fun while the kids were young, but we decided van life wasn't for us as they became teenagers.
In summary- do't go rushing into spending massive amounts on something you may rarely enjoy. If I were looking for something cheap for occasional summer use now, I'd probably just lease a new ID Buzz and a BBQ/ Air mattress and use it as a 2 berth occasional camper/ day van.
I suspect for most van owners, dropping a few k per year on hotels/ airBnBs will be cheaper and less tying, if a different experience.
If I was retired and planning on spending over 100 nights a year in it including winter use then maybe I could justify dropping £60k+ on a quality conversion/ official California/ Westfalia etc.
However a few years ago I thought I'd give it a try and bought a £6k T25 Westfalia. In 5 years we used it for maybe 30 nights in summer and as a daily driver for about a year while waiting for a new car. I sold it for roughly the same price but spent about 3k on MOTs- fighting rust. Had some fun while the kids were young, but we decided van life wasn't for us as they became teenagers.
In summary- do't go rushing into spending massive amounts on something you may rarely enjoy. If I were looking for something cheap for occasional summer use now, I'd probably just lease a new ID Buzz and a BBQ/ Air mattress and use it as a 2 berth occasional camper/ day van.
GuigiaroBertone said:
When buying a campervan, try to be honest with yourself about your realistic needs and the cost per night and then budget accordingly.
I suspect for most van owners, dropping a few k per year on hotels/ airBnBs will be cheaper and less tying, if a different experience.
If I was retired and planning on spending over 100 nights a year in it including winter use then maybe I could justify dropping £60k+ on a quality conversion/ official California/ Westfalia etc.
However a few years ago I thought I'd give it a try and bought a £6k T25 Westfalia. In 5 years we used it for maybe 30 nights in summer and as a daily driver for about a year while waiting for a new car. I sold it for roughly the same price but spent about 3k on MOTs- fighting rust. Had some fun while the kids were young, but we decided van life wasn't for us as they became teenagers.
In summary- do't go rushing into spending massive amounts on something you may rarely enjoy. If I were looking for something cheap for occasional summer use now, I'd probably just lease a new ID Buzz and a BBQ/ Air mattress and use it as a 2 berth occasional camper/ day van.
I would echo this, so far this year we have used our van for Zero nights. But it has still cost me; £550 to insure. £1,400 for a clutch, and £300 for MOT and Service. Not a great per night rate. I think the most we ever used it was about 15 nights in one year, and as the kids have become teenage it gets increasingly less use.
I suspect for most van owners, dropping a few k per year on hotels/ airBnBs will be cheaper and less tying, if a different experience.
If I was retired and planning on spending over 100 nights a year in it including winter use then maybe I could justify dropping £60k+ on a quality conversion/ official California/ Westfalia etc.
However a few years ago I thought I'd give it a try and bought a £6k T25 Westfalia. In 5 years we used it for maybe 30 nights in summer and as a daily driver for about a year while waiting for a new car. I sold it for roughly the same price but spent about 3k on MOTs- fighting rust. Had some fun while the kids were young, but we decided van life wasn't for us as they became teenagers.
In summary- do't go rushing into spending massive amounts on something you may rarely enjoy. If I were looking for something cheap for occasional summer use now, I'd probably just lease a new ID Buzz and a BBQ/ Air mattress and use it as a 2 berth occasional camper/ day van.
I would echo this, so far this year we have used our van for Zero nights. But it has still cost me; £550 to insure. £1,400 for a clutch, and £300 for MOT and Service. Not a great per night rate. I think the most we ever used it was about 15 nights in one year, and as the kids have become teenage it gets increasingly less use.
I've had my T5 for ten years now (my build thread is on here still), excluding running costs it owes me around £17k I'd say. I could sell it now and get most of my money back. This year so far we've had two seperate weeks away in it plus the odd night here and there, plus we use it on the weekend for days out with the bikes on the back. Best money I've ever spent. We are thinking about upgrading to something like an Elddiss CV20 which has a shower and an oven etc, but the £50k+ outlay has me sucking my teeth. 
Running costs wise, insurance is about £330, servicing is a couple of hundred or so and I get high thirties to the gallon.
Running costs wise, insurance is about £330, servicing is a couple of hundred or so and I get high thirties to the gallon.
We've wanted one for about 20 years, never got around to it for various reasons until after COVID ironically when our finances and circumstances really permitted at which point the prices went crazy, grrrrr! Nearly took the plunge twice, but in the end, decided not to. Last one we nearly bought earlier this year, was a 21 year old Westfalia T4, but it was Left Hand Drive, had nearly 100k on it, albeit with a full service history etc and it was mint condition, but it was still £27,000 and as someone says above, that's a lot of Air BNBs, hotels or even camping overnighters. Can't see us getting on the train now for a few more years, if it all.
We are on our third since 2020, started with a 7m motorhome, downsized to a 6m camper van and then upsized to 6.4m Motorhome.
In the past four years we have travelled around 45,000 miles across the UK, Europe and Morocco. We have probably spent 400 nights away in that time.
We are due to be away half of August in the UK, all of September in Eastern Europe and few other odd trips before the end of the year, followed by six weeks in early 2025 in the direction of to Spain, Portugal & Morocco …
For us it’s been cost effective as we have the time to use it properly. We have bought and sold carefully and if we cashed in now we’d probably be about £20k down taking depreciation and all running costs, apart from fuel, into account.
Our vehicles have been around 30mpg, £165 per year to tax, Insurance around the £700 mark, mechanical serving about the same as the car - £400 ish per year.
For us 400 nights x £100 hotel room would have been £40k plus travelling expenses, but of course we’d never have actively booked to visit most of the places we’ve stumbled across when coddiwompling.
( Coddiwomple (v.) To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.)
In the past four years we have travelled around 45,000 miles across the UK, Europe and Morocco. We have probably spent 400 nights away in that time.
We are due to be away half of August in the UK, all of September in Eastern Europe and few other odd trips before the end of the year, followed by six weeks in early 2025 in the direction of to Spain, Portugal & Morocco …
For us it’s been cost effective as we have the time to use it properly. We have bought and sold carefully and if we cashed in now we’d probably be about £20k down taking depreciation and all running costs, apart from fuel, into account.
Our vehicles have been around 30mpg, £165 per year to tax, Insurance around the £700 mark, mechanical serving about the same as the car - £400 ish per year.
For us 400 nights x £100 hotel room would have been £40k plus travelling expenses, but of course we’d never have actively booked to visit most of the places we’ve stumbled across when coddiwompling.
( Coddiwomple (v.) To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination.)
I had the campervan dream a couple of years back. I have a good few mates with cheaper conversions but I wanted something to last me a long time and wanted to spend more to get a more reliable and better vehicle.
Cost of a low mileage T6 van direct from a known converter with a good spec (204hp engine, tailgate, RIB bed, £3k wheels, etc.) £54,000.
Costs of all the issues I had with the engine, £0 - covered under warranty (very important you get one). I had issues from the 2nd day onwards (the convertor had reset the engine management light when I bought it without me knowing at the time.
Insurance £500 fully comp with Safeguard who specialise in campers.
You'll end up spending thousands on drive-away air beam awnings, portable toilets, other camping kit, pop top and windscreen covers, etc. so bear in mind the costs don't stop.
The cost of selling after 1-year (in depreciation) £14k Too many engine problems so I lost a lot to get rid of it.
It really through a grenade at my dream lifestyle. Saying that we absolutely loved the freedom and used it often when it worked. We're looking at getting another one but I'm looking to see if I can afford a proper factory model rather than a conversion. It's much harder to sell a conversion as most databases have them as the base van worth half of what it is actually worth as a camper. With the California's and Marco Polo's, they are valued as a camper if that makes sense.
Be aware, if it's a VW you're after, almost everyone I know who has one has had horrendous reliability issues. Mine was the most unreliable vehicle I've ever owned, and I had a Fiat in the 90's.
Cost of a low mileage T6 van direct from a known converter with a good spec (204hp engine, tailgate, RIB bed, £3k wheels, etc.) £54,000.
Costs of all the issues I had with the engine, £0 - covered under warranty (very important you get one). I had issues from the 2nd day onwards (the convertor had reset the engine management light when I bought it without me knowing at the time.
Insurance £500 fully comp with Safeguard who specialise in campers.
You'll end up spending thousands on drive-away air beam awnings, portable toilets, other camping kit, pop top and windscreen covers, etc. so bear in mind the costs don't stop.
The cost of selling after 1-year (in depreciation) £14k Too many engine problems so I lost a lot to get rid of it.
It really through a grenade at my dream lifestyle. Saying that we absolutely loved the freedom and used it often when it worked. We're looking at getting another one but I'm looking to see if I can afford a proper factory model rather than a conversion. It's much harder to sell a conversion as most databases have them as the base van worth half of what it is actually worth as a camper. With the California's and Marco Polo's, they are valued as a camper if that makes sense.
Be aware, if it's a VW you're after, almost everyone I know who has one has had horrendous reliability issues. Mine was the most unreliable vehicle I've ever owned, and I had a Fiat in the 90's.
14 grand depreciation on a T6 camper in a year!? Crazy!
What were the specific reliability issues if you don't mind me asking? It seems incredible that they hold their money so well if this is the norm?
My friend has a regular motorhome on a Fiat chassis, five years old, loads of engine and transmission woes plus a leaking diesel tank, the thing is always in for repair.
What were the specific reliability issues if you don't mind me asking? It seems incredible that they hold their money so well if this is the norm?
My friend has a regular motorhome on a Fiat chassis, five years old, loads of engine and transmission woes plus a leaking diesel tank, the thing is always in for repair.
Day to day costs are no worse than any other motor vehicle really. Mot and servicing are all comparable with a car and nothing scary. Some specialist insurers can be a bit funny if it’s not in storage but insurance is still pretty reasonable and even a loaded premium will still be far cheaper than forking out for storage.
Size wise will depend on what you want to do with it. Do you want a separate toilet and fixed bed with plenty of storage? Then you’ll be needing something around 6m which puts you in the longer Fiat/Citroen/Peugeot or a Crafter or Sprinter.
If you just want a bed that folds out and somewhere to put the kettle on and rustle up a basic meal then you’re into the VW T-series stuff and Transits which will be easier to park and maneouver and probably cheaper to run overall.
All depends on what you want to use it for. More space is great but then you’re paying more but some people prefer to keep things as simple as possible and are happy with a VW Caddy.
They tend to hold onto their value pretty well especially if you’re buying a manufactured camper. Home builds can be great but you have to be very careful and check absolutely everything as quality of fit and finish varies enormously.
Size wise will depend on what you want to do with it. Do you want a separate toilet and fixed bed with plenty of storage? Then you’ll be needing something around 6m which puts you in the longer Fiat/Citroen/Peugeot or a Crafter or Sprinter.
If you just want a bed that folds out and somewhere to put the kettle on and rustle up a basic meal then you’re into the VW T-series stuff and Transits which will be easier to park and maneouver and probably cheaper to run overall.
All depends on what you want to use it for. More space is great but then you’re paying more but some people prefer to keep things as simple as possible and are happy with a VW Caddy.
They tend to hold onto their value pretty well especially if you’re buying a manufactured camper. Home builds can be great but you have to be very careful and check absolutely everything as quality of fit and finish varies enormously.
PurpleTurtle said:
14 grand depreciation on a T6 camper in a year!? Crazy!
What were the specific reliability issues if you don't mind me asking? It seems incredible that they hold their money so well if this is the norm?
My friend has a regular motorhome on a Fiat chassis, five years old, loads of engine and transmission woes plus a leaking diesel tank, the thing is always in for repair.
We purchased a transporter last year 2016, circa 50k miles. We had it 3 months before we handed it back to the supplying dealership (thankfully it had 12 months VW warranty) and for 3 of those months it was in the garage. What were the specific reliability issues if you don't mind me asking? It seems incredible that they hold their money so well if this is the norm?
My friend has a regular motorhome on a Fiat chassis, five years old, loads of engine and transmission woes plus a leaking diesel tank, the thing is always in for repair.
I had a long drive back from the dealership and the engine light came on, I topped it up and a few days later it came on today. I started to learn about EGR coolers and cylinder boring. It needed a new bottom end, and the garage seemed in no rush to fix it, so thankfully got all our money back.
I did a lot of research and there does seem to be reliability issue (I think pre 2014/15 is a safer option as they dont have as many emmissions requirements). I suspect its simply there are so many of them, so there will be a high number of issues reported. I can imagine a large proportion of those that have issues, come to forums to vent their issues, whereas those without issue have no need to report anything. I know 1 other with a transporter and he had the same issue, so that 100% reliability issues for me.
We have a Merc Vito 2011, bought on 175k. Professional conversion so it has the typical set up of rock n roll (crash tested) bed, sink, fridge, power etc but no pop top. Paid £10k in 2021, I reckon it's probably worth around £6-7k now.
Running costs aren't bad, just usual servicing, fuel is about 35mpg so not great but other than getting leaking injectors reseated (£350) it's been totally reliable.
If you want to buy into the VW scene or get a brand new van yes it's going to cost a fortune but I'd be looking at things like Vitos, Renault Traffic basically anything that isn't a VW.
Ditto for a build you could insulate and carpet it out, plenty of ideas online to build a simple bed frame out of wood / use an IKEA frame and that would make a perfectly useable camper.
Running costs aren't bad, just usual servicing, fuel is about 35mpg so not great but other than getting leaking injectors reseated (£350) it's been totally reliable.
If you want to buy into the VW scene or get a brand new van yes it's going to cost a fortune but I'd be looking at things like Vitos, Renault Traffic basically anything that isn't a VW.
Ditto for a build you could insulate and carpet it out, plenty of ideas online to build a simple bed frame out of wood / use an IKEA frame and that would make a perfectly useable camper.
All conversions are "professional" but many of the people doing them are very much amateurs. Your first indication of this is usually in the colder months when the interior fills up with condensation and all your clothes and furnishings become covered in mold. Your second indication is when you smell or spot smoke coming from the electrics as they've wired it all up with bell wire.
The ones which have been freshly converted often buy from the CV auctions for cheap money because they have underlying mechanical issues which you don't pay attention to when you're buying it because you are too busy being wooed by the fancy LED light strips that change colour as you watch them.
The ones which have been freshly converted often buy from the CV auctions for cheap money because they have underlying mechanical issues which you don't pay attention to when you're buying it because you are too busy being wooed by the fancy LED light strips that change colour as you watch them.
Gassing Station | Tents, Caravans & Motorhomes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff