School Me on the Camper Van Life

[timeo]

Interesting blog detailing their conversion of a Transit, very detailed on what they did and why:

https://faroutride.com/ford-transit-camper-van/

[Garbowski]

The website seems to avoid listing the weight.

Is says it weighs 230 lbs unloaded, plus it can take an additional 150 lbs of gear.

[toast2266]

At the more budget end of the spectrum:

https://www.hitchhotel.com

It's like all the stupidity of a roof top tent at four times the price.

[evdog]

Which means people will be all over it.

That Transit conversion looks awesome

[Core Shot]

Does anyone believe the transit AWD will actually make it stateside?
2019 was the promised date for 3 years

My chevy express AWD is dying, and sprinter is out of control pricey and unpossible to find
Plus the high roof and the 4x4 makes the sprinter a bit beastly for a daily driver, not to mention diesel only is not great for short trips.
Would be a helluva nice camper van for adventuring.
Amazing how many sprinter 4x4 campers are for sale for $100k +++
Millennials renting apartments and making house sized car payments??

[dcpnz]

Does anyone believe the transit AWD will actually make it stateside?
2019 was the promised date for 3 years

Promised by who??
Internet rumors/wishes don’t count.

Now Ford has actually announced it for 2020 model year then yes I expect it to be available stateside

[iceman]

Core shot where are you seeing all these vans for sale? I don't see many at all online.

[frorider]

Core shot, car & driver has a good summary of the US Transit awd. It’s not the same awd system as the European version.

There are instagram sites devoted to advertising campervans directly to that target audience. 4WD campervans, if the interior is reasonably well done, sell for cash at any of the burgeoning series of van expos popping up. One upfitter I spoke with said it’s crazy...he finishes a van, drives to an expo, gets $150k offers within an hour.

Not many dentists have the patience or inclination to build one like I did. Although I’m glad I had a professional (XP Camper) install the diesel appliances so I’ll have no warranty worries down the road.

As I type this I’m in the high Mojave desert after a day of skiing Mammoth. Just before sunset I turned off on a dirt road. This sure beats the hell out of staying in some crappy meth-adjacent motel in Ridgecrest

[iceman]

^^^wasn't that spot in the early part of No Country For Old Men?

I might possibly be a little sketched out going to sleep in a van by the side of a dirt road in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, maybe.

[mcski]

Flip a coin and I'll tell ya, friendo

Speaking of meth asdjacent, Maybe he will run into 333 skis out there

[idahospud]

I type this I’m in the high Mojave desert after a day of skiing Mammoth. Just before sunset I turned off on a dirt road. This sure beats the hell out of staying in some crappy meth-adjacent motel in Ridgecrest

I hear there's a good French restaurant in Ridgecrest. But if you were just at Mammoth, what the fuck are you doing down in God's country that doesn't involve meth?

[Core Shot]

Only $195,000

https://www.jstarautogroup.com/inven...FE7CD5HP559216

[byates1]

[Peruvian]

Has this been recommended?

https://youtu.be/INnFvMgET1E

[Tech Tonics]

Bumping this thread as I’m pretty damn stoked to have joined the van-lifers.

Yeah, we’re a clichéd bunch. But, like most things, cliches exist for a reason. Camper vans are fkn badass

I scored a 2001 e250 (5.4L gasser) EB with a sportsmobile conversion and Agile 4x4. 178,000 miles but runs strong, has been given a clean bill of health by 2 different mechanics

The extended bed is huge, but we are a family of 4 plus 2 dogs. And it sleeps all of us comfortably. Certainly not living out of it, but camping trips just got way more fun.

[simple]

Sweet!

[frorider]

Whatever happened to iceman?

Glad you scored a rig that’s working out well TT.

[Core Shot]

I pity the fool that tries to buy a 4x4 or camper van in covid.

But yes. It’s a sweet rig for getaways. Congrats.

[Tech Tonics]

I pity the fool that tries to buy a 4x4 or camper van in covid.

But yes. It’s a sweet rig for getaways. Congrats.

The prices these things are going for is nuts. I found it on the sportsmobile forums and got it tied-up quickly. I’ve had two people email me and offer to buy it, one offered more than they know I bought it for. Id say I paid its pre-pandemic price. It’s on p.2 of their classifieds now, and I got it for a little less than asking due to minor (alignment) issues that came up in inspection.

It’s definitely NOT a bougie ~$50,000 rig (or even close)

[simple]

I sold my Sportsmobile in a few hours. $5 well spent on Craigslist

[fastfred]

So I'm surrounded by a few college kids for a second night in a row. Total dorks. What happened to handfuls of drugs and being a nuisance? The redneck near me w the generator cranked is killing it on the grill. My dog is his new best friend. And the kid nearest to me with a chick sounds pretty gay, so she'll need me to bang her later. I think I like "camping"