That video is a lot of fun, @WheresRick, but I don’t think it will make too many friends of the small bus on this forum. Nice rubber bands, though.
When I win the lotto, I’m buying one to drive to Ravens games, and we’re gonna ooze down the street just like that. We’ll start at 8AM for a 1PM game so there is enough time to ooze to the stadium. Oh, yeah, that’s the ticket.
Wooooo !! okay, short bus could be fun. 
(paint job required, though)
Sometimes, but not always. It has to be a stupid-big prize for me to pour my money down the drain.
It really comes down to how much you plan to spend, you could start with a new Nissan NV cargo with the high roof for around $30K or maybe a little more.The Ford Transit starts at around the same price with various roof options. I suspect you’d want the high roof but you’d have to check a few out. I’d ask around for a shop that could make you a bed and a way to store the other things you want but if you just want the basics it should be doable. A couple sources of ideas:
thanks, @wolyrobb! I’ve been distracted by real life for a week or so. I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the possibilities. Best thing I can do is rent something for a weekend or a week and know what I want. Buying something already converted seems like it would be the best bet; finding one is the hard part. But the shopping season is probably just getting under way.
Take your time and figure out exactly what you wnat/need from an RV. Any RV shows coming up in your area? Rent a few and see what works for you and what doesn’t. A widowed friend of mine has been enjoying her Class C motorhome (Ford Van Chassis) since buying it used in immaculate shape from a couple she knows,but if the Class B style works better for you then go for it.
Just get a used Roadtrek. Those are some of the nicest class-B’s out there. They somehow manage to cram most of the amenities of a Class-A into an extended van chassis.
You can either spend a metric crap-ton of time and money designing your own or you can let a company that’s been doing it for decades do it for you, better and cheaper.
Hey @Dr Ducky, You mention local availability. Have you considered looking for a used RV across the country? You may find more examples and lower prices in one area of the country than yours. Long distance buys are usually safer from a dealer but may be worth the airfare and gas to drive home. I wouldn’t recommend a custom upfit unless you are doing it yourself. Too expensive, fraught with problems. Used RV’s with low miles usually go cheap. Expand your horizons!
I like that idea Whitey, I actually have a small teardrop trailer, it’s great! golittleguy.com/model?id=47&model=5x10-Silver-Shadow
I’m not seeing any mention of budget. Even vans can reach the size and complete features (and high price) of a Mercedes Sprinter conversion with full height roof (like Roadtrek sells). The new Ford Transit van (the big one, not the Transit Connect) comes in similar roof heights and wheelbases. The Nissan vans are a little more conventional. Any of these with a high roof can be considerably more spacious than ye olde seventies camper van, but the price is up there, too. The longer wheelbase Transit Connect would be a solid start for a simpler project if you’re mainly looking for sleeping quarters.
I’d stay away from the Mercedes/Freightliner/Chrysler Sprinter. I don’t know if it’s still sold under all three brands, but I do know they have a bad reputation for reliability. Personally, I’d rather have a Chevy cargo van and convert it by adding a higher roof. The Ford Transit might be okay, but I’m not familiar with that model’s reputation for reliability.
The Sprinter is mostly sold by Mercedes dealers these days although apparently you can still get one from a Freightliner dealer, The Transit might be new to the US market but it’s had a long history in the UK and the rest of europe. We don’t know how many of these new vans will fare including the Nissan NV and the Ram Pro master since they’re all new to our market.
The Sprinter is a contemporar Mercedes diesel, which unfortunately is nothing like the indestructible, old Merc diesels. I would expect it to not be very cheap to operate. That doesn’t seem to have scared off fleets. It has had no effective competition until recently, as a shuttle bus, delivery vehicle, and spacious Class B camper van. Roadtrek’s site is great for comparisons because they use several different vans. The Sprinters have simply had a lot more room than traditional American vans with roof extensions. Now that there are several competitors it remains to be seen which is most popular. The Transit is the iconic ‘white van’ that has dominated European sales for decades.
Bonjour, I haven’t checked in for a while. I surely do appreciate all the comments ! Budget is not that big a consideration, but I do not want to go on full-on luxury. Not my lifestyle. The truth is I am not sure exactly what I want, whether a campervan (which I see every day on the road, multiple times, but never see one for sale! ANYwhere locally, in any lot or front yard) or a Class B. In early February there’s an RV show at the Roanoke Civic Center and you bet I’ll be there.
I like the Transit vans. They are EVERYwhere, usually business use. I will check the Roadtrek site.
thanks for all the suggestions ! I give thanks … it wasn’t just a day, it’s a season … or a lifestyle. 
Enjoying this thread, as I am contemplating something similar. Trailer would be out of the question for me because I would want to tow a small boat / waverunner. Definitely go to the RV show. At a minimum, you will get ideas. Of course they are trying to sell the new stuff, but many dealers will have displays with pictures of used stock they have back at the dealership. Of course you can look at pictures on the internet, but nothing beats checking out stuff in person.
I thought the Mercedes Sprinter based motorhome was perfect (size and configuration) for me, but why’s it gotta be a Mercedes? Put that layout on a Ford or Chevy platform and knock $40k off the price. (That’s probably why they put it on a Mercedes platform, so they can charge so much more).
Asked a saleslady at an RV show why the Roadtrek conversion van was priced at $85k while a full Class A motorhome with 4x the space was only $70k. She said its labor costs. The class A motorhome was built on the assembly line to be a motorhome. The conversion van was built as an empty box van and the interior built in later. Liked the size of the Roadtrek but everything was so small inside. The shower was pretty much unusable, seems to me like the water from the shower head would spray on the stove.
Of course you could get an older motorhome / conversion van for much less $$$, but then you’d have to worry about breakdowns. Like, you might get a 15 - 20 year old whatever with only 40,000 miles on it. But then you’d have to worry about some relay or sensor failing, a brake line busting, something worn out from age and not necessarily from miles, and Murphy’s Law suggests that that kind of breakdown will occur when you are camping 50 miles away from the nearest repair facility.
Murphy's Law suggests that that kind of breakdown will occur when you are camping 50 miles away from the nearest repair facility.
Or while driving 100 miles from the nearest anything.
At the time Roadtrek started selling the Sprinter-based motor homes Mercedes was the only company selling a van that big with enough room to stand up in (it was then sold as a Dodge Sprinter, not a Mercedes.) Only last year did several other companies start selling similar configurations in the US. Probably because they saw how popular the Sprinters were with delivery companies and for use as shuttles.
I’ll be interested to see how the various brands do. Nissan must be betting on strong sales elsewhere as I don’t think their vans will do much better than their big pickups have, not when there are multiple competitors making similar products. Ford will probably do quite well and the Transit has been a popular van in Europe for decades. I have my doubts about Dodge unless they sell them for less than the competition.
Bandago?
A couple of thoughts from a guy who has had campers including a 36’ Class C:
Lose the toilet. You’re in a van, not a full size RV. Even in full size RVs, toilets suck. First, it’s a camping toilet, which means anyone older than 8 is going to feel cramped. Second, you tend to eat differently on road trips. Often this includes beans. If anyone else is camping with you, they will not appreciate your using the van’s toilet instead of the campground’s toilet, if you take my meaning. Plus, unless you get a stretch van or a Sprinter (which you don’t want because their reliability is atrocious), that toilet is going to take up a lot of room that you don’t have.
Dropping the toilet also means you don’t have to deal with the awesome fun that is emptying the blackwater tank, or keeping the enzymatic balance in the tank correct, or cleaning the stupid thing after you inevitably fail to dump enough water after every session and end up with a literal pyramid of poop in the tank just under the toilet drain.
The toilet is what turns a lot of people off of the RV lifestyle and makes them sell the rig they just bought a month ago. It’s just not something you need unless you’re planning on doing a lot of bush camping… And even then, get a camping toilet that’s designed to go outside (they come with little tents so you still have privacy).
Drop the idea of doing your own conversion unless you’re OK with spending more money than you need for a rig that will most likely have lots of problems and that you cannot take everywhere. Some campgrounds are a bit snobbish, and will not allow homebrew rigs. Also, there’s a lot of things that can go wrong with motor homes that the home builder would not think of, but that outfits that have been building them for decades have already designed against.
Also, you said you’re leaning toward a conversion van. Especially if you drop the toilet requirement, they can be had for a song these days because people don’t want to spend the gas money on them. The rear bench seat folds down into a bed, so that’s taken care of. Throw a portable Weber grill behind the rear bench seat and your kitchen’s done too. Otherwise, if you really want the motorhome stuff (fridge, stove, etc) in a van-sized chassis, look at Roadtrek. Those guys make incredible class B’s, and they’re built to last. I still see some first gen models from the mid 70’s running around from time to time. As long as you stay away from the Sprinter chassis, Roadtrek is a good option, but you have to be aware that an RV that’s only as big as a van is going to be very cramped inside. A poster above talked about spraying the stove with the shower, and that is a real possibility in those things.
If I were buying again today, I’d get a small-ish class A pusher. Good weight rating, no wasted length (class B and C have a van nose that you can’t use as living space when parked. Class A pushers do not have that problem because the engine is in the back under the bed), and because it was designed from the ground up as a motorhome, it will be more rugged and less prone to failure.