Here are my essentials:
Diesel engine
Pref. LWB or MWB
Under 200000kms
No damage
Suit conversion to false floor and maybe overhead racks for surfboards, SUPs and kite boards.
Want to install a bed & a bit of storage space for weekender.
Anyone have any suggestions as to make and model, it has to be 2003 or newer, and under $12k. I'm looking at a sweet ford transit but it's way overpriced compared to redbook.
Give me your wisdom, forum!
Enter everything you've said into carslaes.com.au. I wouldn't get one with the surf racks though. it means salt and salt water in the past. Blank canvas courier van will be the cheapest, or some back packers about to leave the country. 
beware of of the Ford transits. you will sink money into it, very problematic transmissions etc.
Also, avoid any Volswagen transporters with auto, (meaning the price bracket that you can afford year models) they too are VERY problematic and expensive to fix, and will only guarantee them for very low K's. Manuel trans are fine though. I have an older 90 model combi, 480,000 kilometers on it, still no rust, still the original engine with no work done on it ever, and still purrs like a kitten and burns no oil. This has been a dream van.
Toyotas are great and reliable, but like all Japanese vans they rust easy. Mechanically they are great though.
Vans are the best way to travel, hope you find yourself a good one.
Dafish is spot on with transits
Pirtek have a huge fleet of them and they call them ford tragedy's
THere was one combination that they had no problems with though, not sure if it was manual/ petrol or what
Stay away from the semi automatic Ford Transit van with the dual mass flywheel. This flywheel is problematic, the first sign that it is failing is the starter motor dies. The reason for this is that the Dual Mass Flywheel starts to degredate and fine metal particles from it enter the starter motor drive and destroy it. The customer comes in with a starter motor complaint but the cause is this flywheel. Suppliers no longer warrant starter motors for these vehicles as this fault is so common.
The repair consists of new starter motor and new dual mass flywheel, these flywheels are available aftermarket more cheaply but they take longer to install and are more problematic.
Total cost to do the job using a genuine flywheel and including the starter motor is somewhere around 3 to 4k. If there are problems with the electric over hydraulic system after the repair then the cost could be higher.
I have gone into a bit of detail about the Ford Transit as you have mentioned them however, without going into detail, also stay away from the 5cyl Mercedes Sprinter Van 
Thanks guys. Helpful info.
I need it to be 2002 or newer for the finance. Am considering petrol with low kms now as I won't be using it for my everyday car so fuel consumption is not paramount. I've seen a 2005 econovan with 60,000 kms for $10k. How do they go, has anyone got one?
There is nothing for sale in my town so I'm looking anywhere now, will have to pay for a mechanical inspection and go off advice I guess.
Dafish - how about a VW caravelle auto 2003?$10k, 60k on the clock. It seems too cheap to be true though so probably has something wrong with it.
I'd love a bus like yours Ric!!! Hard to justify for just weekends away tho lol
RE: Ford Transits
What years are you talking about ???? I'm very keen to look at one, Do the current models(2-4 years ago)still have these issues..??? Or are some of the earlier models better....it's just a great space & ground clearance...
Currently have a VW Transporter SWB 96' with 220K/km....decked out for kiting/surfing (8 surfboards with fins on underneath the bed + more), and never had any issues, just keeps going and going....will be up for sale soon too if anyone interested
Suzuki APV
Best van in the world
(though I hear it was designed by the same guy who did the slingshot link)
The vw transporter or caravelle are hard to beat . I had mechnical busness and a customer of my had a fleet of these . they did in the area of 300k ks and had not much work on them apart from good servicing . dont be fooled though if you go to jack them up they weigh a lot . They need good shockes and good tyres . They have great fuel econ for a van and they do ride nice uro comfort for the driver is always really good . Petrol 5 cyl or diesel turbo 5 cyl are the same block and heads just converted to suit which fuel . The power out of one of these is not a ss or gt but dose surprise ya weather it is a petrol or a diesel they are about the same in power as we had a little test the petrol got going faster till around 60kph than the diesel took off so i would say the diesel had a little more power .
i got a 2001 sprinter 4cyl
its going ok
drove to phillip island and back to goldie
costs $700 in fuel loaded both ways
only problem ive had is injector seals
Put some thought into if you want a semi bonneted type or a mere wafer of metal between your knees and anything you may hit
If you can find your way to Sydney. They have recently reopenned the underground carpark in Kings Cross for car sales. This is the prime location to sell/buy converted vans by backpackers heading home to europe. Depending on how desparate they are to get some or any money back on their vans you can pick up a bargain.
Have found a manual 2004 VW diesel T5 LWB for what seems like a good price at $14k, 200,000kms. It's a blank canvas stripped bare in back and history/logbooks complete. No rust, new tyres. Had the turbo redone 20,000kms ago. It seems to drive great, my dad took it for a drive too and said he thought the clutch/gearbox felt fine. This paragraph probably exaggerates the sum of knowledge I have about cars (flame on) but I am great at research. If anyone has some specific tips for this type of van to check it out pre-purchase it would be much appreciated. Should I pay for an independent mechanical inspection? The dealer assures me that isn't necessary
This may be the wrong forum for this but for some reason I trust other kiters.... plus over on the home decoration forum I was getting tumbleweeds and crickets
My best advice would be to have the vehicle checked by the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) or it's equivalent in NSW.
It is a comprehensive check and will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars. It will take an hour or two for them to do and it will hopefully give you some peace of mind.
I know from dealing with the RAC here in WA that in some instances and given the right circumstances that should a fault appear in the vehicle after the inspection it may be covered under warranty. I know there is a lot of if's, but's and maybe's in that sentence so check with them for the details.
No check is a guarantee that everything in the future will be fine and with a commercial vehicle of 200,000 km I would be mindful that it's fuel system will need an overhaul or service at a minimum.
