4wd Vans
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HA, escorts in the backcountry....Hmmm, Maybe theres a business model to think about. |
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rj-n-foco wrote:I'm pretty sure this is the van Ian was talking about.Of course, especially since that's me in your picture! That's awesome that you've been able to get the van smogged and up to 15mpg...now I'm even more jealous! Also, for the record, the trip that picture came from was from a trip to Moab where we most certainly took advantage of the 4x4/lifted nature of the van to get us to some cool spots where we couldn't have otherwise gone. Plus you never have to go "back" to camp because you can just park it wherever the hell you want. Again, I'd take Ryan's van for $20k any day over an RV. |
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Portwood wrote:There are plenty of inexpensive used 4wd cargo vans out there...Really? Where are you looking? |
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My uncle picked up an old ambulance and is in the process of creating a camper out of it. It's already fully wired with lots of power options from defibulators, lighting, and life support equipment, has beefed up suspension, water supply installed, lots of stainless steel storage cabinets.. |
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I've been keeping an eye on Sprinters waiting for them to bring their AWD/4wd vans to the states. Unfortunatly that isn't going to happen for another 3+ years. |
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Dan Allard wrote:My uncle picked up an old ambulance and is in the process of creating a camper out of it. It's already fully wired with lots of power options from defibulators, lighting, and life support equipment, has beefed up suspension, water supply installed, lots of stainless steel storage cabinets.. something else to look into perhaps.. good luck!Yeah, these are great vehicles. The problem I've encountered is that there are specialists who buy these up at the auctions, refit them, and sell them back to ambulance services. So it's hard to get into a bidding war with these guys--they always seem to be willing to outbid mere mortals, and the vehicles they don't bid on are dogs. |
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i have a vw golf tdi. it has no ground clearance. it does great for long drives and little gear, and has hauled five cramped humans + gear and also three humans and three canines + gear. fuel efficient, but SMALL. |
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ClimbBaja wrote: #1. Sportsmobile does camper conversions, most often with fiberglass pop tops. They market the company so well that people equate 4WD van with the Sportsmobile name. Remember that Sportsmobile is a company that does camper and custom mods, then charges the customer a premium price for it. Sportsmobile orders vans converted to 4x4 from Quigley in Pennsylvania. Then they do the camper conversions in Calif. Quigley only converts new vans from the factory (due to liability issues).Not entirely true...at least not when I got my Sportsmobile ('04). Sportsmobile did the 4x4 conversion to my van themselves in CA.It is not a Quigley 4x4. I'm not even sure they offer the Quigley conversion anymore at all. |
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Nice post, ClimbBaja, that's all the info you need right there. |
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JLP wrote:Also, as mentioned, you're pretty much looking at Sportsmobile - legendary for their particle board, cheapo construction and massive depreciation.Dude, you really have a beef with vans. Did you have bad childhood experience in the back of a dirty no-window perv van? You don't need Sportsmobile unless you want the poptop. My 4x4 was custom done, most of the interior and furnace etc was custom. Like was mentioned before, you can start with a 4wd cargo van and build it out as you want it. Or work with one of many smaller conversion companies that do RV style conversions/upgrades or heck sack up and do the work yourself. My backcountry buddies have pickups with campers and I have had the opportunity to stay in and compare both. I prefer the van to the truck for camping. feels roomier than a pickup camper. The only major advantage I see to the pickup/camper is that you can take the camper off and have a pickup bed to use for hauling and such. |
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I've had the AWD van and now have the truck/camper combo. The Previa was a super reliable and suprisingly capable vehicle. It held a raised platform for a full size bed and plenty of storage room. The clearance was rarely an issue on fire roads and down in the desert as long as I knew my limitations but I can easily say I never got stuck. Most likely because of its weight, as opposed to the subarus with the awd system. It got good gas mileage too, with a 5 speed manual. The reason I switched to a truck and an ultralight four wheel pop-up camper was option to have a fridge and sink to cook with in cold or nasty weather. The van was fine for cooking outside but too cramped/dangerous for cooking inside. The heater and extra room of the camper are great too. The biggest thing about these two vehicles is the van cost me $3000 and I sold it for that. And the 95' f250 diesel and 88' four wheel camper cost me $7000 total. The diesel gets 14-17 mpg with the camper depending on how I drive it. Diesels do A LOT better if you keep the speed down and accelerate smoothly. Bottom line is you can find very capable and comfortable vehicles for not much money if you're ok with not having something super flashy. They're out there. |
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You can build out your own 4WD camper van for WAY less than the cost of a Sportsmobile brand rig. If you've got the time, there's lots of posts on the interweb about how to convert a cargo van. If you don't want to do it all yourself, you can have a local van converter/RV place do the insulation, electrical, propane and whatever else you don't want to do. |
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Ian Stewart wrote: Really? Where are you looking?Google "4wd Cargo Vans"... No really, Im not tyring to be a smart ass. Also there are blogs out there with people tricking them out to live in with sweet results. They are full of great ideas. |
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Maybe he went with an Earthroamer and the range of his 140 gallon fuel tank has left him far from any internet connection where he would be able to check this thread: ;) |
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I have to say that I've been very happy with my 4WD Tacoma / FourWheel Camper combo. |
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Didn't the Honda Element come in a 4wd version? Then do a popen top? |
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My boyfriend is trying to decide what to upgrade too. For 10 years we've traveled in his 03 tacoma, single cab, with all our gear and two dogs, sleeping in the tent. I just bought an 08 subaru which is great but not for sleeping in:) So... he really likes the new dodge RAM ProMaster to convert into camper style. I, on the other hand think he should go bigger tacoma/camper pop up. The promaster is front wheel drive which freaks me out in the snow and ice, and we can't go on 4whl roads very easily. He thinks it would be cheaper though than the truck/camper combo and he likes the idea of more space/standing room. Any more suggestions would be great or if anyone knows about the new promaster and can provide info. Thanks! |
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i used autotrader.com and did a customized search for vans with awd/4wd. worked for me. |
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Jess, |