I agree with the above posters and will add a little more from my own recent experience. Yes to lots of looking and research before you pull the trigger. Go with your gut and walk away even if you're not sure why.
Drive it, make sure it runs smooth, shifts easily and without hesitation, turns without ominous bangs
Take on the freeway, on a bumpy road, accelerate up a hill - still sound smooth? Try the brakes going down. Obviously get a mechanic to look your choice over if you can, but you might not always have that option. Look in the engine - even if you don't know a fuel pump from a heat pump - is it fairly clean (but not washed down pristine - then someone might be hiding something) or is there oil and crud everywhere? Have the owner start it up while you watch the exhaust pipe. Except for early morning condensation you don't want exhaust that is smoking any color. This won't guarantee you something that won't break down, but learning the symptoms of major engine problems can help avoid a big mistake.
What I didn't know until after I bought my rig, an 84 although in good shape, is that it can be difficult to find mechanics that work on carbureted vehicles. You can't just roll it into your nearest Firestone. Most mechanics today have no idea what to do with a vehicle they can't plug their diagnostic tool into. Finding RV mechanics with the big lifts who also work on carbs are even harder find (even more so I have this weird I'm a truck, no I'm an RV, no I'm a truck thing going on in my rig). So if you can find something in your price range a decade newer you'd probably already be ahead of the game. I've settled into the realization I've gone "classic" and going to have to deal with all the head scratching that comes with it
And, as was stated above, make sure the shell is solid - a very small amount of leak damage can be handled - but you want your sides to be solid (not delaminated and bowing from the sides), check under sinks, the shower pan, in the cabinets, around vents - go over every interior inch hands and knees and above head knocking and stomping. You want hard wood with a sharp rap, not thunky thuds. Look for signs that something has been patched over as a quick coverup to sell that may be hiding rot underneath. Put your hands into all the bays and little doors and under the wheel trim and feel the siding wood - make sure it's not soft.
This is where a van has the advantage - much less worries about leaks!! I'm with you on the RV though - I went back and forth for a couple of years and decided I wanted the space more than I wanted the benefits. My compromise is lower gas mileage and having to maintain the camper...which can be quite costly and time consuming. So as others have said, it's really all up to the give and take you are willing to do - there's no such thing as perfect, only perfect for you within those parameters you've set! Good luck - I know where you are. Keep the faith you'll find your perfect rig!
