You don't have to buy a campervan to get some practical camper-type vehicle. I've been in NZ for the last 2 weeks trying to find a property to buy. The first task was to buy a vehicle. I was motivated by the VW Caddy Life which I used as a campervan return (SYD-BRIS) last year. The VW is not available in NZ, and its a little pricey anyway. I did however find a Holden Combo 2001 model for $5,000. It had just 120,000kms, and it was in good condition. The attractions were that it had a big enought van compartment to carry a lot of stuff, including inflatable canoes, mountain bikes, as well as being able to sleep two people. More easily one, but then I'm marrying a 5 foot Filipino, so I'm sure we'll find a corner for her to fit in, as I will be sleeping diagonally. :)
The other attraction of this vehicle is that its just 1.4 litre, so great fuel economy. The bad points are that it was a manual, so my GF will have to learn to use a stick :( The view of the blind spots is not great either, so not really a city vehicle.
I used the following spreadsheet to make my purchase decision. I went online and obtained the price, kms, age of the vehicle, as well as other issues like tranmission and location, and I came up with the following choices. I think I got the best of them. Time will tell.
-----------------------------------------------
Andrew Sheldon
www.sheldonthinks.com