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07-12-2019, 05:26 PM #1Banned
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Not Van life. More like Van trip? Need some recs...
What do you think is a good for the following?
1) Not going to be a primary residence
2) Want to be able to move from driver's seat to the back with ease and without going out of vehicle
3) Sleep in a dedicated spot fully stretched for one person (at least 6' long sleep zone)
4) Don't need a high roof
5) Keep a bike inside vehicle
6) Don't care about any #vanlife luxury shit (sink, shower, swivel seats, storage drawers, etc.)
7) Drives more like a car than a huge ass camper van
I'm talking like rip all the seats out of a Toyota Sienna/Kia Sedona kind of dirtbag mobile. Any do this?
Or maybe just a Ford Transit kinda deal but that is really low roof.
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07-12-2019, 05:28 PM #2Registered User
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Do you need any 4x4 capabilities?
If not I was thinking mini van before I read it.
Only thing I’m not sure about is what you meant about the driver’s seat. Assuming you’re talking about swiveling action?
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07-12-2019, 05:34 PM #3Banned
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07-12-2019, 05:49 PM #4
Sienna AWD if you can get past it being mini van. I wish I could lol.
Or if you're handy with vehicles AWD Astro/Safari.
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07-12-2019, 05:50 PM #5
Minivan or I’m seeing a fair amount of used plain Jane commercial white transits for sale for not that much. Toss a bunk in back and a potty pail and you are GTG
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07-12-2019, 06:18 PM #6
Honda Odyssey, they have the most cargo room especially when you take out the last two rows.
What’s your budget?
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07-12-2019, 07:14 PM #7Registered User
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- Mar 2009
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What's your budget ?
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07-12-2019, 07:32 PM #8
6'5" homie of mine just picked up an AWD Sienna for this purpose. Mint condition, fully loaded, every option (including adaptive cruise control from 2006!), <100K mi all for <$9K. It's beige and mom-ed out in every way. Just needs an indicator light to tell you when you're ovulating.
The thing has tons of storage space (stow n go seats baby!) and gets good mileage. My buddy has no children, insists on calling his a Sienna a truck, and uses it as his daily driver. His other car is an E36 M3. Coworkers, salesman at the dealership, pretty much everybody is dumbfounded by this level of commitment to practicality.
I think it's the best budget dirtbag vehicle around. Lift recommended if traveling on FS roads with any sort of cargo load.
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07-12-2019, 07:39 PM #9glocal
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- May 2002
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It's about time you got the fuck out of my garage!!!!!
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07-12-2019, 10:50 PM #10
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07-12-2019, 11:57 PM #11
I see your point about all the other stuff in a van but swivel seat aren't all that expensive and are nice to hangout in at the end of the day.
The pacifists always lose, because the anti-pacifists kill them.
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07-13-2019, 07:12 AM #12
Whatever is cheapest? Plain Jane transit would rock. And if it's a cargo/work van has the added benefit of few windows. So much easier to stealth. A simple platform bed of plywood and 2x4s gives room to stow shit and sleep. That's what I did in my old Chevy. I had dreams of all kinds of fancy shit. Faced with a deadline I built a platform and put my double futon on it. Bikes could go next to it for short haul, or under it for longer.
If you don't mind sleeping in a fish bowl, Toyota Sienna is 2nd choice. Curtains if you want. Remove the center row of seats. Stowable rear seats are best of both worlds. Make your platform modular so it comes apart if you need to use the seats in a pinch mid trip. Or you want to be able to sit down and relax in the back after a day of skiing or riding. And the third row is 60/40 split so you could have a raised platform on one side and be able to use the other seat. Left side is the 40, if that helps. I find I wish it was the other side. I haven't slept in it, however I love our 2011 Sienna. It is a great gear hauler.
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07-13-2019, 07:18 AM #13
Edit to add:. My 2011 Sienna has a console between the front seats. It is useful however it is an impediment to climbing in the back. If I was setting up the van as my vacation condo I would remove it.
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07-13-2019, 07:55 AM #14
Oops. Right side of Sienna is the 40. My bad.
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07-13-2019, 09:26 AM #15
Also, a full Transit not a Transit Connect. Those are probably good if you're 5' 0" and 90lbs. I hear they suck to drive in most conditions. My wife and I met someone who fits that description and she has hers done up pretty nice to spend summers kayaking and biking on the road. Very small niche.
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07-13-2019, 09:42 AM #16Registered User
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07-13-2019, 09:49 AM #17Registered User
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AWD Sienna is the most obvious answer. Downside is you need to ditch the run flat tires most came with. And clearance ain't very good.
AWD Safari/Astro is cheapest. But they are old and starting to show for most of them. Solid engines last a long time after you replace the lower intake manifold. The front end suspension is kinda a shit design which means you'll replacing parts every 50-60k mi. Better clearance and easiest to lift a few inches. Savannah / Express is the full size version and they made it more recently, but same basic tech. More room.
The extended wheelbase Transit connect is a fine option too. Newer, FWD, drives better than the Astro, but not the Sienna.
In any case -- with bike inside and no high roof you're only going to be sleeping 1 person plus bike.
Budget for seat swivels. They are worth their weight in gold compared to 95% of other van upgrades.
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07-13-2019, 10:50 AM #18
does anybody use a pop-up camper trailer in the winter? Cary 2x4s to prop it up during snow storms?
can you put a heater in one to dry gear?
a pop up and a sienna mini van sounds like a great way to family camp
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07-13-2019, 10:59 AM #19
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07-13-2019, 12:17 PM #20Registered User
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07-13-2019, 12:32 PM #21
I use a Chevy Suburban.
Pros: good 4x4 drive system - 4Lo, 4Hi, AWD (4 fulltime), 2WD. Clearance. Tons of length. Box on top for extra storage. Cheap as the all get out as they can be had for pennies on the dollar for various vintages.
Cons: Not all windows open in rear (rear may depending on door style). You are trading head room against a van.
I've slept in the back w/ a dog @ feet and a bike on either side of me - plus gear hear and there. You have to take the ft. wheel off tho - which is a pain. I just crawl from the front to the back sometimes if it's raining. It feels like a nice self-contained unit. Low visual footprint for on the sly overnighters. oh - I've even put my moto trials bike in the back upright.Last edited by Carl_Mega; 07-13-2019 at 01:44 PM.
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07-13-2019, 01:26 PM #22
That combo worked for us. In the summer. No desire to try it in the Winter. However, you definitely want a light trailer. Ours I think is a little on the heavy side and I am not that excited to take it on long trips. The engine and transmission just don't sound as solid as they used to.
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07-13-2019, 01:41 PM #23
I second an old Suburban, they are fucking huge and bombproof.
Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
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07-13-2019, 02:56 PM #24
I did pretty good with GMC Safaris when I was younger. They’re pretty much the perfect size for what you want. As somebody stated earlier though it’s been a while since they were disco’ed so most of them are pretty thrashed now. Seems like the closest thing to that size now is the Mercedes Metris. Either that or a promaster with a long couch/sofa bed mounted length wise is what I would go for if I was in the market.
Unless I could locate a clean AWD Astro or Safari with less then 100k on it.
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07-13-2019, 07:21 PM #25
I never intentionally camped in a pop-up trailer in winter conditions, but have by, accident. It sucks. It's a big tent without any insulation. You sleep out over the edge, on plywood, with cold air below you. The built in RV furnace cannot warm it sufficiently.
In warm weather where you want a lot of cross ventilation, they're fine. Or if you get stuck in the rain or in buggy conditions with your family, they're fine. Definite trade offs in setup and breakdown time.
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