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Thread: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

  1. #21

    Join Date
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    klamath falls, oregon
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    Vaughn really hit the nail on the head with his first post. How many people? For shorter trips, or living in for a long period of time? Does it need to be dual use, or can it be dedicated for camping? What sort of amenities do you want? Do you want/need 4wd and clearance regularly? It is important to be honest with yourself about what your needs are.

    My wife and I used a Eurovan (no pop-top) for years, and it was great for our needs at the time. It could carry 5 people with whitewater kayaks on top for day trips, was decent for weekend camping. Now we have a Sprinter that I outfitted myself, and we love it, especially now that we are retired and take trips that last for weeks or a month+.

  2. #22
    bill
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    Mar 2011
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    wisconsin
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    I bought a used 2011 Mercedes 2500 Sprinter 5 years ago and thought I had the best thing ever. In those 5 years in spent around $10,000 to keep it on the road. The check engine light has been on more then it has been off. Tomorrow I will pick it up from the
    shop and call the new owner to pick it up... Never again will I buy a Mercedes diesel. I have ordered a Dodge Promaster.

  3. #23
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Humboldt County, CA
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    Big RVs are like boats...it takes money to run them and to keep them afloat.

    My sister has a Sprinter/Sportsmobile. Sweet machine, reasonable size (pop-top), drives better than their old Dodge Ram conversion, etc, but the up-keep, as Bill mentioned, is high.

    Parts are becoming an issue with rigs like mine.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  4. #24
    Drew Wiley
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    Sep 2008
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    SF Bay area, CA
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    The places I've seen RV's broken down all over the West, oh my, my, my ... There's nothing quite like being towed down a desert highway and spending most of your vacation in a Motel Six in miserable dusty Barstow while it's being fixed. That happened to some friends of mine.

  5. #25
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Wiley View Post
    The places I've seen RV's broken down all over the West, oh my, my, my ... There's nothing quite like being towed down a desert highway and spending most of your vacation in a motel in miserable dusty Barstow while it's being fixed.
    My air-cooled VW camper broke down in Shasta. After they dropped the engine and pushed the bus back outside, they let me sleep in it until they finished it a few days later. As a result, I got to see the Dalai Lama perform a ceremony on the flanks of Mt Shasta during his world peace tour...and did some hiking up the mountain a little ways. One makes the most of it.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  6. #26
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Dec 2011
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    The big advantage with a VW Bus Type II, Air cooled, is the ease of shipping a new engine anywhere and getting it installed in an hour

    New, not rebuilt https://darrylsaircooled.com/

    Many parts interchange from 1950 to 1975

    and they gain value...now...https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds...2/2437671.html

    I notice a lot of movies used to smash up a VW Bus just for a cheap laugh

    My best one came with a front fold up tow bar, if it broke just tow it somewhere with any pickop

    I never needed to tow it
    Tin Can

  7. #27

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    Dec 2007
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    klamath falls, oregon
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    Quote Originally Posted by bill2424 View Post
    I bought a used 2011 Mercedes 2500 Sprinter 5 years ago and thought I had the best thing ever. In those 5 years in spent around $10,000 to keep it on the road. The check engine light has been on more then it has been off. Tomorrow I will pick it up from the
    shop and call the new owner to pick it up... Never again will I buy a Mercedes diesel. I have ordered a Dodge Promaster.
    We drove Sprinter, Promaster, Transit. To each his own, but the Promaster just didn't work for my body, which was evident after 10 minutes of driving it. I liked the Transit, but liked the Sprinter even more, and it had some safety features my wife liked and was already partially configured the way I wanted, in terms of windows. After reading horror stories online, I was hesitant, but pulled the trigger on a new one anyway. No problems so far. We've been somewhat frugal DINCs all of our working careers and wheeled travel is important to us, so we just opened the checkbook. Hopefully our experience will be better than yours!

    Off topic, but we had a diesel Jetta sedan for some time, and we lived in Laramie, Wyoming. That thing was amazing, in terms of starting, even as cold as it gets there. (We used our gas Toyota Tercel exclusively on sub-zero days!) I worked with a guy who had a diesel VW pickup, he used to let it run all day when he got to work. (Kept it in a heated garage at home.)

  8. #28

    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Middle Georgia
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    85

    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    I have a travel trailer towed by a pickup. My parents had an RV (commercial Ford Chassis?) that my brother borrowed and had a front bearing seize on the spindle in the middle of Nebraska. that ruined the spindle. No parts available to fix it immediately.

    My truck is a run of the mill truck that can be easily serviced about anywhere without requiring specialized providers or equipment.

  9. #29

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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    Truck and trailer are definitely a good choice when staying put for more than one night. I imagine someone who is efficient can move daily with ease, as well. And the truck is dual (or more) purpose!

  10. #30
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Vancouver Washington
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    Re: Camper Van Suggestions in 2021

    We owned a top of the line Leisure Travel Serenity. Vaughn you saw the rig, it was beautiful. It literally spent more time in the shop than on the road. Frustrating as hell and it was brand new! Had to sue the company via the lemon law. Lost a lot of money and learned a valuable lesson. Now I'm building out my Toyota Sienna. I'm a woodworker and it will be built better than the van I bought and a hell of a lot cheaper and more reliable. Plus my wife and I are not big people so it will work for us. It took a while to find the right layout and when it is done it will be just what I need for the cameras and have plenty of comforts for my wife.

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