This 2012 Nissan NV high-top van is a dream to drive! I purchased it as an empty cargo van in 2019, and my dad and I converted into a camper van. Nearly everything in the van is custom built for this rig, including the roof rack and tons of storage. I originally built this van to live in full time, so the build is optimized for comfort, storage, and long-term travel. The odometer currently has 136,814 miles on it (as of February 13, 2024).
Nissan NV vans are known for their reliability. I’ve driven this van from Iowa to Virginia and back with no issues, and I would do it again without hesitation or worry. These vans were built to last, and I’ve heard of Nissans still running great at nearly 300,000. I have no doubt that this van has a long life left!
This van has no known mechanical issues. I took it to the shop for an inspection a week before posting it for sale (February 2024), and the inspection came back spotless. It is a V6 with a 4-liter engine. New all-terrain tires were put on the van in 2022 and few miles have been put on it since.
This van was owned by an appliance company before I bought it, so it has a few dings here and there. When I bought the van, there was a bolt missing in the sliding door track. The unbraced movement of the track when the door opened and closed caused two cracks to appear above and below the track right by the door. We added a bolt which fixed the problem, but the cracks remain. There is also some damage at the bottom of the back left door that also occurred before I bought it. Some light rust is showing in those spots. No major rust spots, but it may be a good idea to get those three small cracks fixed before they start to rust more aggressively.
Insulation and sound-dampening materials were added to the ceiling, floor, and walls of the van during the build. The side and back doors also have insulation and sound-dampening materials. The van is very quiet when you are driving; no annoying rattling!
This van did not come with a backup camera, so we installed our own with a large monitor where the rear view mirror would be. I opted for the style of backup camera that can be turned on even when the vehicle is not running as an added safety feature. The camera has night vision, so you can use it at night without turning on a light. You can also turn the camera on while you are driving to act as a rear view mirror. I found this to be very helpful in heavy traffic situations.
This van comes with 400 watts of solar panels, two 100AH deep cycle AGM batteries, and a 1500 watt converter. The solar system is Renogy brand and comes with a monitoring system and Bluetooth connectivity. The van is both 12v and 110v capable.
The four 100 watt solar panels are mounted on a custom aluminum roof rack. The stainless steel rear ladder gives you easy access to the roof and to the panels if needed. (It’s also great for hanging things while camping.)
The ceiling lights in the van are recessed LED puck lights (warm lighting) and hooked up to a dimmer switch for brightness control. They run on 12v power. There is one vent fan in the roof of the van. It is a two-way 12v vent fan. The water pump also runs on 12v power.
The vent fan has cracked a bit where the inside cover screws into the ceiling. This is a minor issue, but will likely need to be fixed eventually.
There are four 110v outlets in the van: two in the main cabin area, one by the side door, and one in the upper cabinets above the bed (on the passenger side). The two outlets in the main cabin have USB hookups (four total). The one by the side door is an outdoor outlet.
The fridge in the van is a regular mini fridge with a freezer. Although it runs on 110v power, it is pretty energy efficient. I selected this fridge because of how little power it pulls. I’ve never had an issue with it running down my batteries, even on cloudy days. I love that it has a freezer, and it stores about a week’s worth of food if packed strategically.
This van comes with one induction burner that runs on 110v power. I recommend only using this stove if you have access to power other than solar power OR on very sunny days. It is a lifesaver when you need food fast and can’t cook outside of the van, but it pulls quite a bit of power. I mostly used it for making coffee and got along fine, but I wouldn’t recommend cooking every meal on it.
The kitchen area of the van features a ton of storage, running water, a beautiful copper faucet, and a custom wood countertop. I have two 2.5 gallon fresh water tanks and one 2.5 gallon grey water tanks under the sink, but there is plenty of room to put larger tanks if desired. As mentioned, the water pump is 12v. The system is currently winterized, but it works perfectly.
The bed in the van is a platform-style bed with storage underneath.The van features a slide-out bench (with storage inside) and a slide-out table. The bench also acts as a step to make the bed easier to get in and out of.
The bed is a full sized bed width but a bit shorter in length. I am 5’2” and it fits me, but a taller person would likely need to modify the bed to make it a bit more comfortable. We originally built the bed higher up but lowered it mid-build. Based on that experience, any bed modifications shouldn’t be too difficult.
There are three storage compartments under the bed. The middle compartment can be accessed from the inside and the back of the van and holds the slide-out table. The passenger side holds the slide-out bench and can be accessed from the back of the van or the inside if you pull the bench out completely. There is about a foot of space behind the bench for storage when the bench is pushed in completely (I usually left the bench out halfway, which gave me even more storage space). The driver side storage compartment holds the batteries and all of the solar accessories. There is some room for additional storage as well. Although you can only access this compartment from the back of the van, the switch to turn the inverter on and off (for AC power) is accessible under the sink area inside of the van.
Since I was planning on living in this van, we built in a lot of storage. In addition to the under-bed compartments, there are three drawers, five cabinets, under-sink storage, storage by the sliding door (where the “back” of the bench is), and a hidden compartment to keep valuables. The van came with two storage compartments above the cabin and two drawers under the seats.
The floor is a beautiful varnished wood and the ceiling is a pretty sky blue color. The majority of the van is painted white, and I made the leather cabinet and drawer pulls.
I have the title and it is clean! There have been four recalls on this van and all have been fixed.
As I mentioned above, nearly everything in this van was custom made for this van. A lot of love, thought, and time went into the build, and I have enjoyed every minute of building, traveling, and living in this van. I am only selling because I have new dreams, but I hope this beautiful home-on-wheels finds new owners who love it just as much as I do.
Please ask questions! I have a lot more information and tidbits I can share about this van. I also have videos and build photos I can share as well, and I’m happy to answer any and all questions.
