The Kerouac Cannonball

[kott]

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...