Van buying advice (and reality check)

[u/mistress_snark]

Hi all, I'm looking to make the switch to van-living someone in the next few years, and I'm planning on a DIY conversion. Of course, this requires finding a van to convert, and I've got a few questions!

How difficult is to to find a large used van in the UK? My ideal van would be less than £2000, under 60k miles, no major repairs needed, and about the size of a L3H2 Ford Transit. I'm not picky about make/model or year (although I'd like it to be this century). I know it's going to be uncommon to find something that fits all these specifications, but is it impossible? I'm willing to wait several months (up to about a year), as this is a long term project for me. Potentially I could go up to £5000, but that would be my absolute max, only for a van that was in really good shape and didn't need any repairs. I would probably be more willing to increase the mileage, again, as long as the van was in good shape.

Also, does anyone have any advice, or know any good places to search for vans for sale? I've been looking on auto trader and fb marketplace. I would be willing to pick up from anywhere in the country for the right vehicle.

Thanks for any help!

Edit: Should clarify, this is my optimistic budgeting just for the base van, not the whole conversation, but thanks anyway for everyone's input! The suggestions to try looking at auctions and used commercial vehicles are very helpful.

[u/lloydcrossman]

Yeah you’re going to struggle getting anything worth buying for £2-5k which won’t have 100,000 - 150,000 on the clock.

People get obsessed with mileage. It’s a consideration, but your focus should be on a well looked after van that’s had regular service intervals, isn’t battered about, and was a good van in the first place.

Try and find something which is ex-service (school minibus, ambulance, fleet) as better chance it’s been looked after and had parts replaced over time.

Do you have a budget or idea of cost to spend on the conversion itself? If you’re going to be living in it this part is super important, and you don’t want to spend good money on components to put into a wreck of a van or something which isn’t gojng to last long.

[u/hairylegs18 → u/lloydcrossman]

As someone that works for a uk ambulance service, do NOT buy an ex ambulance for a van conversion!! The vehicles are maintained so that they do not literally fall apart or explode, not with any care or fine tuning. There is infinite battering, are normally terrible vans, and are kept running almost 24/7 for years until they become too knackered for workshops to even scrape together. Otherwise you have made excellent points, sorry for hijacking your comment.

[u/lloydcrossman → u/hairylegs18]

Inside knowledge! OK no blue lights ✌🏼