G'Day Sand Woman, you can live the dream for very little. If you want a genuine badged Sandman, there will be a hefty toll to pay...however I've owned 4 x Holden panel vans previous to my current project and only one of them was the 'real deal'. The others were neat Holden's fitted with sporty stuff like V8, buckets, GTS bits, suspension bits, roo bars and even a Sandman stripe here and there. All my memories are equally as awesome in all of them, so if the budget is slim, a well worn HQ - WB could be just a grand or two. Maybe even a HK - HT van would fit just as good?
If your going to set off around the country, all of your best stories later on will revolve around flat tires, rust, breakdowns, off road adventures, being bogged, running out of fuel, camping pissed, broken radio, hitting a roo, whiny diffs and having to drive the last 20kms into a remote town in first gear only as the all Aussie 4 speed selector has failed! These epic adventures need a cheap van that won't win the Victorian Hotrod Show so hang in there, you will find the perfect van soon.
Cheers
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