OT resurrection of living in a van thread

[jimcav]

So after many months and pretty much giving up hope, I got the job in Ridgecrest CA. I am NOT living in a van, because I couldn't find one I trusted to drive here for under 10k. Maybe that was a completely unreasonable budget, but all I found are incredibly nice (and $$$) Sprinters, ridiculously priced westfalia, or beat to hell "surf" vans that might cost 3-4k but I had no hope they'd survive desert temps in the summer or even make the trip up here etc. I do have a truck so considered a micro-camper, but am still enamored with the idea of the van for some reason--park it and sleep, take it to Kernville to mtb etc. I gave up on 4x4 once I saw the costs of those. anyway, my new question is: I was reviewing the truck threads here and wondered if the advice on certain years of trucks from ford, dodge, chevy would also apply to the vans of the same model years? My wife laid claim to our old freestar for the times she needs to schlep 7 kids for school functions--my initial plan was to try and convert it on my own. But now that I am working, I know I won't be spending my free time doing a van conversion myself, so am back to looking at already done camper vans. I figure my hotel lodging is only about $12500 a year, so it doesn't make sense to buy a 45k sprinter. I plan to talk to the RV park and see if I could park my truck with a "pop up" style roof top tent there--don't see why not.
jim