Buying a campervan is rarely just about the van — it's about the conversion, the habitation, the history and the small things a quick test drive will never reveal. After three decades on the tools, we've seen plenty of beautiful-looking vans hide expensive secrets. This guide walks you through the checks we'd run before parting with a single pound.
Start with the base vehicle, not the kitchen
It's easy to fall in love with a fitted interior. Resist it for ten minutes. Walk around the van itself first. Check sills, wheel arches, the front cross-member and around the rear suspension turrets for filler, rust bubbles or fresh underseal that's been used to hide something. Older VW T4 and T5 conversions are notorious for sill rot; Fiat Ducato base vans rust along the front chassis legs; Ford Transits often suffer at the rear arches. A solid base vehicle outlasts even the finest conversion.
Read the service history like a detective
Look for cambelt and water-pump receipts, not just "belt done" handwritten in a book. On VW and Fiat campers, an unconfirmed cambelt is a £600–£900 immediate job. Ask for DPF-related history if it's a diesel: regenerations, EGR work, additive top-ups. Short journey usage (common with weekend campers) cooks DPFs and turbos, so absence of long-run history is a yellow flag.
The conversion: where the real money hides
Lift cushions. Open every cupboard. Smell the upholstery and the area under the sink — damp will betray itself before your eyes do. A handheld damp meter (under £20) used along the bed base, around windows, under the skylight and along the floor edges can save you thousands. Anything reading above 20% on wood-backed panels is starting to soften.
Gas, electrics and water — three separate jobs
A current Gas Safety Certificate (GSC) for the LPG system is non-negotiable on anything you intend to use or insure properly. The 12V leisure-battery setup should have a clearly labelled split-charge or B2B charger, and the mains hook-up needs a working RCD. Water systems should pump cleanly with no air-lock noises and the boiler should fire on both gas and 230V if it's a dual-fuel unit.
Habitation check vs MOT — they are not the same thing
An MOT covers the chassis cab. It tells you nothing about the living quarters, the gas, the damp, the bodywork integrity of the conversion or whether the seatbelts fitted in the rear meet the original M1 standard. A current habitation check from a recognised workshop is worth its weight in gold; treat its absence as a price-negotiating tool.
Realistic running costs nobody mentions
Insurance on a self-built or one-off conversion can be double a factory-built equivalent. A proper service runs £250–£450; cambelts £600–£900; a habitation check around £180–£250; DPF replacement on a high-mileage Ducato or Sprinter £900–£1,600 fitted. Build a £1,200/yr maintenance reserve and you'll sleep better at every campsite.
Common questions
How many miles is too many on a used campervan? On a well-serviced Fiat Ducato, Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit base, 120,000–150,000 miles with documented history is still fine. We'd be more cautious of a 60,000-mile van with no service receipts than a 140,000-mile one with a full folder.
Are self-built conversions safe to buy? They can be excellent — often better than factory builds — but only if the previous owner has documentation: gas certificate, photos of the build stages, evidence of habitation testing. Without paperwork, insurance gets harder and resale value drops.
What's the single best check to ask for? An independent habitation check plus a written report from a workshop that doesn't work for the seller. £180–£250 well spent. It's the equivalent of a pre-purchase inspection on a regular car.