petegossett wrote: In reply to Coldsnap: Don't underestimate the lack of internet connectivity, particularly out west. Even the towns that have Internet don't always have much speed or bandwidth - Williams, AZ for an example. Hell, there are still plenty of places in the Midwest where connectivity is spotty.
McDonalds has WIFI nationwide. I pull into their parking lots frequently.
You need this!
Looks like there are enough electronics still on board to nearly zero out the budget!
In reply to SVreX:
Really. Hell, a 1-ton dually 4x4 box van by itself is worth way more than the BIN price. Something smells fishy with this one.
While I love the VW idea I've got to jump on the Domestic Conversion van bandwagon. I grew up with a VW Danbury conversion (Danbury were the UK equivalent of Westfalia) They are small, cramped and slower than molasses in a cold winter. Plus even with crash testing an 80’s Vanagon is still a forward control vehicle with squishy bits of the driver in front of the front wheels.
I had an 85 Ford E350 Conversion van that I did 10’s of thousands of mile in and slept in for up to a week at a time while autocrossing (Nationals was a full week inc the Pro Solo finals) It was easy enough to bum a shower off someone who was in a hotel room every couple of days and being a conversion van you could sleep anywhere without people noticing. The great thing about an old domestic is that you can fix anything with three wrenches, an adjustable, a couple of screwdrivers a hammer and some duct tape. Parts are stupid cheap and they have enough ground clearance that you can slide underneath to change things like starters by the side of the road without a jack (ask me how I know). There is masses of room to access everything on the engine either through the hood, or with a couple of clips you can take out the interior engine cover and reach things from inside. Old pushrod domestic V8’s are as reliable as gravity and even if running badly have enough torque to climb hills even at altitude. They are also all body on frame so even if they look rusty they are still structurally much stronger than a unibody forward control VW. They have a ton of space. Mine had a fold flat rear bench seat that turned into a queen bed. It had four captain’s chairs for the front and middle rows that all swiveled so you could either have four people facing each other or use them as work prep surfaces. Mine didn’t have any built in cabinets, kitchen etc. But a 12V plug in fridge plus a camp stove work fine. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same again. I paid $2K for mine in 96 and probably put less than another $1K in to it over the next 6 years before I donated it to charity. It would get 12mpg full or empty, pulling a trailer or not, uphill, in town on the freeway, it never changed. It pulled my Miata then my Fiesta race car with no issue. A great all-rounder.
I’d say the cool thing to drive is a VW, the sensible thing is a Domestic conversion van.
This popped up on eBay. Will likely end way above your price cap, but neat to look at anyway:
Waaaaay above the price cap.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
Way, waaay above. Sold for almost $35K. 
lordy!
How much does it cost to find a place to dump off waste if you have a vehicle with a black water setup?
Harvey wrote: How much does it cost to find a place to dump off waste if you have a vehicle with a black water setup?
Nighttime, freeway, 80mph and open the taps 
If we stayed at a campground we dumped it there. If not there was a wastewater plant near us we could go to. My father went there so it must have been cheap/free.
Some (if not all) rest areas on the PA Turnpike have dump stations. At least I noticed them on the NE Extension areas. IIRC, the fee was $5.
Another way is to go with a composting toilet and just a grey water tank, which isn't sewage so you can pretty much dump anywhere, although I'd be discreet about it. When the compost is full, you just put it in the trash.
My brother-in-law just went through this decision. He ended up getting a domestic conversion van ('94 Dodge).
The VWs were all waaaaay too much money, and less space, less parts, less power. He built a kitchen for his, and he's happy so far after 1 month. The thing has been reliable and he got it for $4k. When it did have issues (squirrels chewed some wiring), he was able to get it fixed for cheap.
It's definitely nowhere near as cool as a VW, but it has its charms. I actually was surprised by the interior, it seemed fairly nice in a Dazed and Confused kind of way.
I want to say go for it, it doesn't have to cost a lot, etc etc. But honestly $5 grand isn't going to go far unless the company is paying per diem. I have a home built Motovan that you can read about on here. I've spent several weeks camping out of it in Baja. I also spend several months of the year on the road fighting fire with just my airplane and a hotel wherever I am. You can do it, but it's going to be bare bones. I'd highly suggest a 14' box van after building out my Motovan. I'd also say that anybody living out of a wagon, truck or SUV for more than a week or two is unhappy or has reached a level of Zen that I can't even contemplate. At an ABSOLUTE bare minimum, if you can't stand up inside, it won't work for very long. I have a giant one ton extended Ford van and I couldn't live out of it for long. Cooking means dishes and that means water and a place to wash. Restaurants are expensive. I've been on the road for a month now and damn, if it weren't for per diem, I'd not be making any money.
Also, a useable Westy for $5,000? Keith, I'm shocked. You're usually so sensible and factual but I feel like you're high as a kite right now. However, many of the suggestions thus far seem to be ignoring the budget constraints.
This is what I'd choose:
I know it is way over the price cap, but I figured some of you would dig it.
How to you charge a canoe?
Diesel Suburban.
Mini-van with the rear seats removed and an air mattress. You can get an inverter for power for all your charging and air pump needs, and to power your electronics. You can get custom air mattresses I believe for some of them? A double should fit in any of them. Most are FWD so they can handle most snow, get mid 20's on the highway, are comfortable to drive and have room for all the stuff you need to have with you. You can find them on the cheap used, just about anywhere, anybody can fix them, and if you blow it up, you can buy a new one on the cheap again. Also, I love mini-vans, sliding doors and captains chairs for the win.
Edit: and roof racks!
After putting lots of travel miles on a Chevy G20 conversion van over the course of 8 years....Another vote for full size conversion van.
I had a short wheel base conversion without the raised roof. If I were to do it again I would go long wheelbase, or the really long ones. Conversion is certainly the easy button with the folding bench/bed already there.
You can build it more specific to your needs with a cargo van, with less of a chance revealing some shoddy and questionable workmanship if you were to pull apart the insides of a conversion.
You are going to want some room, and you don't want to deal with trailers or something large or exotic. You want to be able to get serviced anywhere, not just RV dealers. So a conversion van is the ticket. OK, 16mpg sucks, but they lean out on the highway and you'll hit 19-20. This one is $2k locally, to which I would add $1200 in service then hit the road.
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