Well we have made it to Adelaide and we are caught up in the trips from one caravan sales to another. Then the car sales yards, then back to the vans....... Still we do not know what to buy, everyone gives us different reasons for each buy.  Please help. We are on a tight budget but want to live on the road and work from our caravan.  Today we are investigating petrol and gas..... Who knows what is the best to tow a 2500 tops van.?
Cant afford a turbo diesel, sad but true.
We have a couple of vans in mind, what do you seasoned travellers think of Jayco. smooth side models?.
Looking at Landcruiser 80 series dual fuel, heard they drop in power up hills and that it is hard to get gas out of the cities. True or false? We are staying on bitumen.
All help apprieciated thanks
Graeme and Jackie

Hi and welcome Graeme and Jackie from another Kiwi!
I came over in August and had the same confusion. In the end I got WHAT BEST SUITED ME! I didn't want to tow, I will pobably stick to mainly butimen, budget etc etc. I ended up with a Winnebago Freeway motorhome, with low kms. I will be travelling solo, and like yourselves will be working my way around. There is a huge choice out there of rigs and it may pay to make a 'wish list' of 10 things of what you require in your rig, and then go for whatever gives you at least 7 out of the 10.
I will be heading up to Adelaide (from Melbourne) in Jan so hope I can catch up with you.
Till then, Cheeers!! 

Hi Graeme and Jackie, cant help you much with your choice of van as its a very personal thing, what suits one doesn't necessarily suit another. Take your time and make a list is the best advice I can give. I drive a Mitsubishi Challenger which I recently had put on LPG and its great, no problems at all and the loss of power is so small that its not a bother. As for supplies I have never had a problem but I dont go bush. Most small towns seem to have one supplier. Whilst deisel is good its also much more expensive and does require servicing more often, so what the end savings are I'm not sure. Hope this is of some help Keith

Hi guys. I am a diesel fan through and through, but if you are stayimg on the bitumen, petrol/gas should give you good economy. You won't have trouble getting gas on the bitumen too often either. Out in the sticks it is harder to get gas. I would prefer the 'commercial' Cruisers (78-79 series diesels), but the 80 series Cruiser would be pretty good as a tow vehicle. Good parts availability. They should be good value too, maybe $20-25K? Very negotiable. Should also be plenty to choose from. Just make sure you get one without rust nd in good mechanical condition. Get an independent mechanic to check it out for you before you buy it. Good Luck Peter.

Thanks guys we now have some good points to think about, off we go again tomorrow on the search

Hi there. My 80 Series is diesel, and while diesel is more expensive per litre, you get more kilometres per litre, and you have heaps of grunt to tow whatever van you choose. They're down to about $15,000 to $20,000, and I hope they stay up there until I can't tow anymore, whenever that is.  I paid $20,000 3 yrs ago in WA.
As for van, if you plan to live and work around the country for a while, you need something solid and roomy or you'll be choking each other, especially if you can't get out because of weather, and you can't leave the annexe up. All my wordly goods, except the lawn mower, are in my 20 footer, and in the back of the Cruiser. Shower and toilet are handy, but your choice, depending on van size and storage requirements. There are some really good quality used vans out there, and if you're lucky someone else has done the modifications which may suit you. My Roma 20ft was about $32,500 in 2006.  Good luck and happy travelling.  Granny