If you are on a budget, then you don't really have any options other than make it yourself, as proper campers are ludicrously expensive.

My Dad made one years ago out of an old VW van, air cooled and rear engined, the one after the 'bay window', I forget the name. Him and Mum had some great camping trips with it, never going that far afield though, generally to the West coast of Scotland.

There are plenty of stuff available, from rock and roll beds (with or without seat belts), to universal cooker/sink/fridge units, to lifting roofs. If I were you I'd be looking at a lwb Renault kangoo. The 1.5 Renault turbo diesel is one of the few current diesel engines not warned against by other forum members (more knowledgeable than me) regarding dpf and emissions issues. The lwb version of the kangoo has usefully more length and space inside than the standard van, but isn't long enough to be a bind in tighter spaces. Ideally you would need a raising roof (no vans in that category have enough space to stand up in, even the high roof versions of the Fiat doblo/vauxhall combo), but there are universal kits available from about a grand, maybe just under. Another option with the same engine is the Nissan NV200, which is much more spacious than it 1st appears, having a very low floor. It is also the narrowest van in its class by at least 10cm, which may or may not be of interest.

The Peugeot partner/citroen berlingo are good vans from a design point of view, but both use the PSA 1.6 diesel, usually referred to on this forum as the 'diesel of doom'!, i.e, it has a reputation for reliability problems.

But whatever you end up going for, my one piece of advice when making it is, make sure you insulate it properly!, this can make the difference between a good trip and a bad trip. Even warm countries can be cold at night!.

The Mazda Bongo is a popular base. You can even get them with four wheel drive. Also sold as a Ford Friendee.

There are plenty out there, most of which have already been converted to campers. But be careful, they are not without reliability (overheating) issues, and due to age, rust. Also, your engine choice is 2.5 diesel, or 2.0 and 2.5 petrol, most likely with automatic gearbox. None of them are very efficient if you plan to do some long European tours.

The C15 romahome is a good call, one of the few proper campers which are 'affordable'. Reliable and good mpg, but you wont need to be in a hurry, not with 60bhp!.

To be honest, unless there is a specific reason you need a small van, if it was me, i'd be looking at the next size up. A swb version of a standard, transit sized van, something front wheel drive (as this will have a lower rear floor than rear drive). Not specifically a transit mind you, as they do hold their value pretty well, something like the citroen relay/fiat ducato/peugeot boxer triplets, or a renault master/vauxhall movano. I hired a swb renault master not that long ago, and i can confirm that if, like me, you are not particularly tall (5'9"), you will be able to stand up in the back of a standard, low roof van (with your head very slightly tilted forward). The standard transit does not have som much height in the back, but you do also get high roof versions. Same with the vauxhall vivaro/nissan primastar/renault traffic, but they have well known gearbox issues if the van has been driven 'unsympathetically'.You say you don't need a toilet, and that may well be true, but (no offence!) you are not that young anymore and if you are anything like me (at the ripe old age of 45!), getting up 2 or 3 times during the night to go to a campsite toilet could become wearing!. Even worse, if you get some stomach bug while abroad, having a small loo could be a life saver. A wee toilet cubicle could easily be worked into a transit sized van. Having that bit extra room of the bigger van could come in very handy if you happen to be unlucky with weather and have to spend more time 'indoors'!.

The Mazda Bongo is a popular base. You can even get them with four wheel drive. Also sold as a Ford Friendee.

Bongo Friendee is the MPV; also sold as Ford Freda.

But they are big thirsty things, nearly all automatic. Mostly pretty old now although there seems to be a steady supply from Japan still.

Edited by Manatee on 13/08/2017 at 21:44