I had a 1974 poptop VW and loved it, but I never really felt comfortable with taking it on really long trips due to its age. It also drove kind of squirly, and was under powered. I also have extensive family experince with standard American make vans (dodge, chev, ford). We had several growing up. If you are at all handy I would buy the best running van (dodge, chev, or ford) conversion van or passanger van. Take the passanger van and retrofit the interior with custom made cabinets etc., or can go to the junk yard and get a refridgerator and sink from a VW and retrofit into your cabinet set up. My grandpa did this to an older dodge and he also built some custom bench seats that folded into a bed. The underside of each was lockable storage. Be creative 8-10 K should go a long way with a little elbow grease. Forget the Stove, build a table that folds out when the side door is open, and use a colman gas or propane set up of your choice. If you put an awning on the side of your van you will have a sweet dry cooking and lounging set up.