Recommend a camper van OR pop top for me......

Hi all.

I know this is a common question but would love to hear people's thoughts.

I'm looking to purchase our first 'home away from home' and want to make an informed decision before handing over the dollars. Below is listed our/my circumstances/needs etc.

Price: I know this will make many cringe, but I 'm only looking to spend up to $5000. I am prepared to be realistic about how this will limit me but this is all I can afford.

For Who: I have three children - 6yrs, 3yrs and 8 weeks + my wife and I.

Going where: I will NOT be going major off-road. The odd dirt road with a spoon drain, pot-hole and corrugation is about as nasty as it will get. Caravan parks and the odd park here and there will be our point of destination.

Towed by: A 05 Ford Territory. Fuel economy is a major consideration. I don't want to have to drive at 80kmhs to keep the fuel cost down.

Must haves:
sleeping for us all - kids can bunk in together for now ie - the eldest two on a double bed and (for now) the youngest is still in a cot - but will need to future proof to a degree.

an Annexe: I know people say these area hassle, I'm sure they are, but with three kids, Mum and Dad (and the kids) need their own space and we don't really want to have to whisper inside the van come 7:30 when the kids are in bed.

Not fussed: (unless someone can convince me otherwise)
If I have to take 10 minutes to set up. When we do trips it will most likely be to destination where we will stay for a few days so it's not like we'll have to set the van up every day while we are away. I can't see us needing to pull over on the side of the road a great deal - if we had the option we'd use, if not, we would live without it.

Would be nice:
To have storage - kids like to bring toys and it would be nice to have the essentials permanently living in the van - linen, food staples etc - so that we are not starting from scratch every time we want to go somewhere.

So as you can see, I'm probably leaning more towards a camper van. but I'm happy to be convinced to get a pop-top. I know my price bracket is an issue, but I can't do anything about that.

I look forward to hearing of people's thoughts/experiences.

Chris

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