Okay- you've sold the business/gotten out of the army/graduated/won the lottery. It's time to take that journey with no purpose to see this great land of ours. Grand Canyon, world's largest ball of aluminum foil, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, all that stuff. The vehicle of choice needs to serve as a camper/van/.... not a full-on RV, and not an s500. Speed is not an issue, nor is satellite TV. Probably needs to be something to stand up in, so no station wagons.
Needs to be cheap to buy, 'cause it'll either be thrown away when done, or donated, or put on blocks as a memento. VW bus probably is a bit too basic, not to mention most modern vehicles get better mileage. A used Scion is too short to put a mattress in the back, and probably still a bit too $$. Are high mileage Caravans troublesome with front wheel drive issues lurking? Been looking at Chevy Astro cargo vans- gas mileage seems to be sort of an issue, but rear wheel drive and ordinaryness might be helpful if a maintenance issue arises. Think 'functional', not 'flashy'... what to get? Winning answer gets a postcard from North Platte, Nebraska...

back in the day I had a caravan. I bought it new. It was great for 50K miles. I believe that the little engine was engineered to run at the max performance possible so that anything out of the ordinary would stress the little thing beyond it's ability to compensate. In other words, it was a gutless slug surviving on the edge of agonizing death. I hated it. It was the last new vehicle I'm ever gonna squander money on.

1993, Dodge Caravan. Dumped in 1997.

B

Yeah, I had heard that Caravans were more designed as lightweight (relatively speaking) people carriers, while the Astros (introduced 2 years later as 'competition') were built on more of a truck chassis. Of course, I'm not thinking of pulling a trailer or carrying a lot of stuff... but having some extra toughness as a built-in margin of error wouldn't hurt on a vehicle that'll probably have many miles on it, assuming it wasn't always pulling a trailer or lugging 50 painter ladders.... knock on wood.

The Astros/Safaris are real popular among RV forks. Consider a box van, the delivery type. Some are outfitted with diesels or propane, have all the headroom you could want, blend in when parked on the street, and have a roll up door in the back that you could outfit with a screen and then leave open on those beautiful nights. Something well used that no one would look at twice.

Jorg

I agree get an old chevy box van. plumbers use them one with a six cyl auto those things are indestuctible and parts are everywhere

I see that some Honda Odysseys date back to 1997...4 cyl engine... 150k miles... maybe $2.5k. That's a possibility.... dependable, not too unusual for service issues, take out the extra seats....

Just the right size for a dwarf. I travelled in a full size van in my younger years and the only thing I didn't like was being stooped over all the time.

Jorg

How about a plain ol econoline conversion van? You can pick up a 97-99 for 4-5k, already has a bed, pretty basic mechanicals. Plenty of older RV's based on these too with low miles you can pick up for a song.

What you're describing seems to be a VW Westy poptop. I'm biased of course, but they'll get way back off the road if that's your deal and as far as mpg is concerned I get 24mpg. That's a pancake motor with a Petronix ignition and dual “baby Weber's”. I'm told I'd pick up a mpg or two with the bigger Weber's. You'll also be a part of a huge fraternity for parts and support. They will appreciate. They may be scary in the wind if you don't have the proper tires and good shocks. Stiffer springs would help this, but detract from their off road capabilities.
If more of a land yacht is your style consider getting an old GM Motor home and going through it.Check Here

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89 300E
79 240D
72 Westy
63 Bug sunroof
85 Jeep CJ7
86 Chevy 6.2l diesel PU

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
Marcus Aurelius

A few years back we noticed a trend toward travelling on large motorcycles or tiny cars pulling trailers instead of expensive RVs.

Tiny trailers with just enough room to sleep in them seem to be gaining in popularity. An advantage to this approach is the option to leave the trailer and explore locally unencumbered.

an example:
http://www.tomswenson.com/teardrop/index.shtml

The advantage of a non-descript van is that you can park on the beach or park near Bourbon street. Either way your secure and dry when you crash for the night. The bikes hauling trailers don't get that great a gas mileage, you get to ride in the rain, set up camp in the rain, worry about your stuff when your gone, and wear a bucket on your head all day. Been there, done that.

Jorg

No particular brand in mind, but do consider the often-forgotten station wagon.

For instance, a Roadmaster will get decent highway mpg, and has a lot of room inside.

Yes, had mildly considered newer VW 'buses'... maybe a Vanagon or camper. Wasn't sure if it was 'modern' enough or got decent enough mileage. Had a Beetle and a Bus in earlier years, so not opposed to the idea. Definitely want something modern enough to have a defroster with a fan, rather than 'gravity-fed.' I have my limitations!
The conversion vans are all 'big'... and have V8's. Just don't need to spend so much on merely moving along... it'll just be 2 folks- no kids, no bikes, no scooters, no barbecue grills.... And a fair bit of backroads travel, so interstate speeds not a particular concern.

Great input, so far....

Heating is an issue with the Bus. I've got a blower unit installed that helps, but for really warm you've got to go with a gas fired heater and they can be dangerious if not checked often. The "cool factor" of a Bus, and the fact they're so offroad worthy, makes anything else a non issue for me. The newer Vans did have a diesel, but it's a total spud. They also had the "Synchro" which was 4wd. They had a lot of fuel injection issues though. The 72' still has the look of the 67/71 Bug motored Bus, but have disk breaks and the smoother more long lived pancake motor like the 914's and some fastback VW's. After that up to the VanBox they lost the sidestep style front bumper. They are thicker than ticks out west, but as I travel back east they get very few and far between. It's hard to find somebody who'd sell one though.

__________________
89 300E
79 240D
72 Westy
63 Bug sunroof
85 Jeep CJ7
86 Chevy 6.2l diesel PU

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."
Marcus Aurelius

VW Jetta Diesel wagon! Used, with extendo warranty.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman