I live away from India now, but planning a comeback soon and wish to go on tours on a regular interval. Was thinking of a Thar,
but after understanding the freedom a campervan offers, I inquired about it with one company, and guess what, its costing
15-20 lacs 
excluding the vehicle cost, i.e. with vehicle it would go above 25L . Bearing the fact in mind that I would travel max 50,000kms length and breadth of the country over a period of 1-2 yrs, I think is doesn't make sense to invest Rs. 25L + fuel + maintenance costs. Additionally, if I go to sell it in the market later, I have to compromise on price or I have to keep it myself, which would then serve no purpose for me anyway.
It is also toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo big budget for my requirement.
For25L, I can buy a 2BHK flat in Hyderabad
So, I am contemplating on a DIY Camper van project when back home and trying to understand issues involved, so I am equipped and ready to go with the project.
My requirement of a van is as below:
1) Sit and sleep, carry requirements of a family of 4-5 ppl.
Don't need high end, but basic requirements of water tank, solar power, beds, storage, kichenette, shower, washroom, etc. etc.
2) Should be able to cruise through high altitudes and normal rural terrains,
3) Don't need a 4x4 but should be a reliable machine and powerful enough to ride highs and lows.
I checked on the specs of Force Tempo, Mahindra Maxximo Plus, Tata ACE and Ashok Leyland DOST and find DOST to be a fit for my requirement.
The idea is to buy a used DOST
or
a new DOST with chassis and engine only, w/o body and convert it into a motorhome.
I would like to know if there is anyone on this forum who had done any DIY campervan project before,
if so, what are the issues / problems that I can expect, what would be the cost?
My estimation is, used DOST should not be more than3L + 3-4L for conversion, which would be around 6-7L in total.
3-4L for conversion is less or more?
1) should check with RTA for personal usage approval and stuff...if ok, I think these vehicle are for commercial use and come with yellow plate by default.
2) need to identify travel gear supplier, take measurements of my required gear,
3) supply measurements to a CAD designer to design basic layout
4) need a fabricator to build the vehicle body based on the layout.
5) need a solar engineer for wiring, etc.
On the contrary, DOST also has RUV's and I found that the shells of a Steel Container, Ambulance and Service-At-Site Van are suitable, but need to do further research.
but after understanding the freedom a campervan offers, I inquired about it with one company, and guess what, its costing
15-20 lacs excluding the vehicle cost, i.e. with vehicle it would go above 25L . Bearing the fact in mind that I would travel max 50,000kms length and breadth of the country over a period of 1-2 yrs, I think is doesn't make sense to invest Rs. 25L + fuel + maintenance costs. Additionally, if I go to sell it in the market later, I have to compromise on price or I have to keep it myself, which would then serve no purpose for me anyway.It is also toooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo big budget for my requirement.
For
25L, I can buy a 2BHK flat in Hyderabad So, I am contemplating on a DIY Camper van project when back home and trying to understand issues involved, so I am equipped and ready to go with the project.
My requirement of a van is as below:
1) Sit and sleep, carry requirements of a family of 4-5 ppl.
Don't need high end, but basic requirements of water tank, solar power, beds, storage, kichenette, shower, washroom, etc. etc.
2) Should be able to cruise through high altitudes and normal rural terrains,
3) Don't need a 4x4 but should be a reliable machine and powerful enough to ride highs and lows.
I checked on the specs of Force Tempo, Mahindra Maxximo Plus, Tata ACE and Ashok Leyland DOST and find DOST to be a fit for my requirement.
The idea is to buy a used DOST
or
a new DOST with chassis and engine only, w/o body and convert it into a motorhome.
I would like to know if there is anyone on this forum who had done any DIY campervan project before,
if so, what are the issues / problems that I can expect, what would be the cost?
My estimation is, used DOST should not be more than
3L + 3-4L for conversion, which would be around 6-7L in total.3-4L for conversion is less or more?
1) should check with RTA for personal usage approval and stuff...if ok, I think these vehicle are for commercial use and come with yellow plate by default.
2) need to identify travel gear supplier, take measurements of my required gear,
3) supply measurements to a CAD designer to design basic layout
4) need a fabricator to build the vehicle body based on the layout.
5) need a solar engineer for wiring, etc.
On the contrary, DOST also has RUV's and I found that the shells of a Steel Container, Ambulance and Service-At-Site Van are suitable, but need to do further research.
