Selling a campervan conversion? Here’s what HiAce buyers actually pay for

Selling a campervan conversion means accepting that you’ll get back less than you spent. Rising Rides puts a mid-range build at $10,000 to $25,000, and the resale market pays for only part of that list. Here’s which part.

What is a converted HiAce actually worth?

A converted HiAce is worth the current market value of the base van plus a fraction of the build cost, and that fraction is usually well under half.

Start with the van underneath. Commercial Motor Group puts a used standard Toyota HiAce at $15,000 to $30,000, a long-wheelbase example at $25,000 to $40,000 or more, and a Japanese import at $20,000 to $35,000 or more. That number moves with kilometres and service history exactly as it would for any work van.

The ceiling comes from what finished vans sell for. Rising Rides lists unconverted HiAce 4WD stock from $29,900 and pre-converted campervans between $28,900 and $67,800. The top of that range is a professional build on a desirable base van, not a weekend project.

Your van also competes with factory-built ones. Youi puts a typical conversion at $40,000 to $50,000 against roughly $100,000 drive-away for a new manufactured campervan. That gap is why a good used conversion sells at all.

So price it in two parts. Find three comparable unconverted HiAce listings at your age and kilometres, then add a build premium you can defend with receipts. Rising Rides notes first-time builders overspend by 20 to 30 per cent, and none of that is visible to a buyer.

Which conversion features do buyers pay extra for?

Buyers pay for the items that are expensive, hard to retrofit and easy to verify: a pop-top roof, a lithium electrical system, fixed cooking and water, and climate control.

A pop-top moves the price most. Rising Rides costs one at $8,000 to $13,000 or more, the most expensive single structural item in a typical build, and it’s the one thing a buyer can’t add on a Saturday. Standing headroom changes who the van suits.

Electrical capacity comes next. A lithium off-grid system costs $4,000 to $10,000 according to Rising Rides, against $1,500 to $3,500 for a mid-range solar and AGM setup. AGM, the sealed lead-acid battery type most older builds use, is the cheaper comparison point.

The difference is usable capacity. Rising Rides puts lithium at 2,000 to more than 5,000 charge cycles with 80 to 100 per cent of capacity usable, against 300 to 500 cycles and 50 per cent for AGM. Write that into the ad.

After that, a short list of fittings holds value, because each one is a line the buyer can price at a shop. Rising Rides costs them like this.

• A 12-volt compressor fridge, $700 to $1,500, because it ends the daily ice run.
• A diesel air heater at $300 to $1,500, or a hydronic system at $2,000 to $4,000 for cold-weather buyers.
• A 12-volt air conditioner, $1,500 to $3,500, which is what makes a van usable in a northern summer.
• A rock-and-roll bed, $800 to $2,500 against $200 to $800 for a fixed platform, because it also serves as a seat.
• An awning at $400 to $1,500 and a powered roof vent at $250 to $500.

Which parts of the build barely move the price?

Insulation, lining, cabinetry and your own labour are close to invisible at resale, even though they take most of the time and a fair share of the money.

Rising Rides prices insulation from $200 to $500 for foam board up to $800 to $2,000 for spray foam, and wall and ceiling lining at $300 to $900 in materials plus $600 to $2,000 in professional labour. A buyer sees a lined wall. They can’t see what’s behind it, and won’t pay extra for a version they can’t inspect.

Joinery is the other one. Rising Rides puts a full custom kitchen at $4,000 to $10,000 or more against $200 to $600 for a basic camp-style setup, while Commercial Motor Group costs DIY storage cabinetry at $200 to $600. Buyers pay for the fridge and the sink, not the drawer runners.

Your time counts for nothing. Rising Rides says a mid-range DIY build takes three to six months of part-time work. That’s real effort with no resale line item, so price the van on what’s in it rather than what it cost you in weekends.

What paperwork will a buyer expect to see?

A prepared buyer will ask for compliance certificates covering gas, 240-volt electrics and any structural or seating changes, plus a weighbridge ticket.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Vehicle Standards Guide 5 requires LPG appliances to be installed by a licensed gas installer, who issues an Installation Compliance Certificate, and gas cylinders to sit in separate secure storage away from the living space, built to AS/NZS 5601. A mains-connected 240-volt system needs an Electrical Safety Certificate showing compliance with AS/NZS 3000 and AS/NZS 3001, signed by a licensed electrician.

The same guide requires solar installations to meet AS/NZS 5033 and treats seating as a safety item. A motorhome needs at least one designated seating position for every sleeping berth, and new or relocated seats, new seatbelts, child restraint anchorages and GVM re-ratings all need certification by an Approved Vehicle Examiner.

Weight is where DIY builds most often come unstuck. The regulator defines carrying capacity as the gap between Gross Vehicle Mass, the maximum the loaded van is allowed to weigh, and tare weight, what it weighs empty. The finished conversion has to sit inside its axle limits and its GVM, and a weighbridge ticket settles that in one page.

Requirements then vary by where you are. KT Insurance notes that compliance differs across states and territories and can involve engineering assessments, a changed vehicle classification, weight checks or extra inspections. In NSW, Van Life Theory reported that reclassifying a panel van as a motorhome needs an engineer’s Vehicle Modification Compliance Certificate, a weighbridge report and gas and electrical certificates where fitted, with the engineer inspection costing $770 including GST and the weighbridge report $45 per 2023 figures. That state also wants a fixed bed, fixed cooking facilities, a sink, storage and seats matching berths.

If you skipped any of it, say so in the ad. A buyer who finds out during the inspection walks away. A buyer who was told upfront negotiates.

How do you present the van so it doesn’t read as an unfinished project?

Lead with documentation and working systems, because that’s what separates a finished build from an ongoing one in a buyer’s mind.

Put everything in one folder before the first inspection: certificates, receipts for the major items, the weighbridge ticket, and the photos of the wiring and plumbing you took before the walls went on. Those photos are the only proof a buyer gets that what’s behind the panel was done properly.

Then show the systems running. Have the fridge cold and the battery monitor visible, run the water pump, and set the bed up while the buyer watches. A system nobody sees working is one they assume is broken.

Raise insurance, because most buyers haven’t thought about it. Youi points out that an agreed value on a vehicle policy does not automatically include campervan modifications and the owner has to specify their value separately, and its optional contents cover is capped at $1,000 per item. Telling a buyer what your build was insured for gives them a figure to work from.

If your fit-out is a removable kit rather than fixed joinery, sell that as a feature. Camplify notes that kits such as Nomad Vans and Kata Camperbox are modular and come out of the van, which is best for buyers who need the HiAce as a work vehicle during the week and a camper on weekends.

Lead the ad with the van, not the fit-out. Camplify says converters choose the HiAce for its reliability, parts availability and service network across regional Australia, and that’s what every buyer values whatever they think of your cabinetry. Finish the trim, gather the certificates, and price the build honestly against the base van.