I'm here to throw my .02 into the ring for the Vanagon. After lusting after one since high school I finally bought one at the start of the new year. I flew in to Fresno and drove it back to Phoenix, camping along the way. Its a diesel conversion, which was a big selling point for me on this particular van, because I wanted something with really good gas mileage. My trips have been very limited in years past due to the cost of gas over a weekend, not sure if thats a factor for you. I went with just a tin top van, as I'm not a big fan of stealth camping with a pop top, and I also didn't want all the cabinetry and accessories. RV's are nice, and we had one of those too, but at the end of the day I was just trying to get back to basics and wanted fewer systems to worry about, not more. I knew that buying a 28 year old vehicle there would be maintenance issues, so I wanted to cut down on those. Also, if you just do the tin top then you have more options for mounting things to the roof. I try to carry everything inside the vehicle if possible, but I also don't have a kayak.
So far I have been happy with just the 2wd. I survived a '4wd only' road out to Picacho a couple of weeks back with no problems, other than a few spots where I wish I'd had gotten that new suspension installed. After having 4wd trucks for the last several years, I discovered that 97% of the places I wanted to go were nothing more than some rough dirt roads. Is it nice to have when you need it? Sure, but I guess I just didn't need it as much as I thought I would. Thats just me and the style of camping and travel I have evolved into.
So far *knock on wood* the van has not left me stranded, although I did have to do a couple of trail repairs on the last trip thanks to a freak power steering pump failure. Its in the shop right now for new brakes as those were shot, but again these were repairs I knew would have to be done. I had to go into purchasing this van with the mindset of, its old and things will need to be fixed. The good news is the van really is pretty simple to work on with a small learning curve if you are willing to put in the time. There is a huge community and network of people around the country more than willing to help you. People who will come out and help you if they can while you are on the road. Tons of VW shops abound around the world, especially through Central and South America. The van will make you smile, even through all of its troubles. All of these are reasons I decided to go with a Vanagon.
I'll be spending some time over the coming weeks working on the interior, putting in a small cabinet so I can stop living out of plastic bins while I camp. Its nice to have a full size bed for two of us plus a dog. I'm hoping to get it down to Baja in 3 weeks for some whale watching, and planning a 3 week trip out to Pensacola and back at the end of May. If the van and I can survive these trips together, I don't see myself wanting or needing more anytime soon.
With that said, if the possibility of repairs, etc frighten you and you can afford it, then perhaps look into the Ford vans with a diesel. If I had been willing to spend the money, perhaps I would have gone this route. Maybe one day I still will. They are great vans and give you a lot of space.
If you are still considering a Vanagon, check these out:
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/4336567651.html
http://prescott.craigslist.org/cto/4325058193.html
Look around there are some good deals out there, especially if you are willing to put in the work, or pay someone to put in the work. I'm on a limited budget myself right now, so I have to put in the work on what I can. But I feel that also helps to make me less helpless if something should break while I'm out on an adventure, because now I know the van. Cheers.