Reliability of VW camper vans

Right now I drive a '97 Ford Explorer Sport with a large Thule box on top from B.C. to Sonora, Mexico twice a year. I’ve been looking at the VW camper vans, and they would hold all my stuff. Consumer Reports does not give them a very good rating. How reliable are they?

I don’t know. I heard they have had a lot of transmission problems due to sloppy build quality. But you hear a lot of things about a lot of vehicles.
I tend to follow consumer reports as a general guideline though.
Did you try the survey page on this site? Lots of owner feedback.