Is this a bug out vehicle ?

[grenfell]

Going to sound a tad more positive. Assuming the legal factors for the mot are sorted out , and the gas system checked out and declared safe I would have no problem with the appearance. A tired , scruffy looking vehicle is probably the wheeled version of the grey man approach , a grey van if you like. It certainly looks less attractive to criminal elements that would a super dooper fancy brand new motor home .

[Citizen H]

Going to sound a tad more positive. Assuming the legal factors for the mot are sorted out , and the gas system checked out and declared safe I would have no problem with the appearance. A tired , scruffy looking vehicle is probably the wheeled version of the grey man approach , a grey van if you like. It certainly looks less attractive to criminal elements that would a super dooper fancy brand new motor home .

Id avoid this one at all cost, the roof has been leaking badly during this spell of wet stuff, I know he's going to run into trouble locally as for 5 months he's planning to "bugout" in Park near a children's play area.... with all the cameras on the roof he will possibly have some explaining to do.....discrete it isn't.

[yorkshirewolf]

I'm confused, are you looking at buying this or are you 'rating' the vehicle itself?

I build camper vans for a living and have seen some horrors, but as long as the vehicles are in a safe, roadworthy condition and the owners are enjoying their van, I say good luck to them!

The checks for gas and electrical safety are becoming more stringent and more of a necessity for any conversions, most people who do DIY builds are less than honest with their insurer, stating its a regular panel van, so they're putting a lot at risk if something happens and they have to claim, and more insurers are requiring proper gas and electrical safety certification to insure a converted van, some won't even touch DIY builds as they have no way of knowing if the van is built safely, as a result we regularly have people asking us to buy their own DIY built van as they've been refused insurance and don't have the money to undertake the work to bring it up to standard.

Still, as long as they're happy and safe, and the vans not a complete death-trap, enjoy it!

[Deeps]

I'm confused, are you looking at buying this or are you 'rating' the vehicle itself?

I build camper vans for a living and have seen some horrors, but as long as the vehicles are in a safe, roadworthy condition and the owners are enjoying their van, I say good luck to them!

The checks for gas and electrical safety are becoming more stringent and more of a necessity for any conversions, most people who do DIY builds are less than honest with their insurer, stating its a regular panel van, so they're putting a lot at risk if something happens and they have to claim, and more insurers are requiring proper gas and electrical safety certification to insure a converted van, some won't even touch DIY builds as they have no way of knowing if the van is built safely, as a result we regularly have people asking us to buy their own DIY built van as they've been refused insurance and don't have the money to undertake the work to bring it up to standard.

Still, as long as they're happy and safe, and the vans not a complete death-trap, enjoy it!

Like.

I'm desperate to get a mobile home but would settle on a campervan. Poverty aside, the missus isn't keen on the campervan, she will only go for a mobile home. We're waiting on either paying off the mortgage or parents dying. She doesn't want to do it on the cheap. One of the neighbours has a campervan that he got for about 9K that I'd love. I could always change my wife I suppose....

[yorkshirewolf]

I could always change my wife I suppose....

I dunno mate, if you can get her into it, it's great being able to get away together, I find we both work really well together setting up and organising, and we both enjoy the little chores you get with camper-ing!

Try getting her to have a look at some nice camper vans, you'd be surprised what you can get in them and with a pop-top roof you can stand up inside.
Before i worked building them we had a look at a few and my wife was shocked at how nice they were, what you could fit in etc, just try to distract her from the prices - especially if it's got a VW badge.

The Peugeot Boxer/Citroen Relay vans are great for conversions, they're cheaper and bigger than the VW T5/T6 transporters...

[Deeps]

I could always change my wife I suppose....

I dunno mate, if you can get her into it, it's great being able to get away together, I find we both work really well together setting up and organising, and we both enjoy the little chores you get with camper-ing!

Try getting her to have a look at some nice camper vans, you'd be surprised what you can get in them and with a pop-top roof you can stand up inside.
Before i worked building them we had a look at a few and my wife was shocked at how nice they were, what you could fit in etc, just try to distract her from the prices - especially if it's got a VW badge.

The Peugeot Boxer/Citroen Relay vans are great for conversions, they're cheaper and bigger than the VW T5/T6 transporters...

Apart from Her Maj being a bit of a princess and only wanting a Gucci one, we have 2 good sized dogs to factor in. I'd also finally need to learn to drive as she lacks the confidence to drive a van.

I'm sold on a conversion, the neighbour I mentioned has a Merc van and I'm 'well jel', Her Maj thinks its too basic after I took her to the Caravan and Camping show last year and she's had her head turned by all the brand new shiny ones (that cost a fortune... ). We'll get there.

[grenfell]

.stuff

Id avoid this one at all cost, the roof has been leaking badly during this spell of wet stuff, I know he's going to run into trouble locally as for 5 months he's planning to "bugout" in Park near a children's play area.... with all the cameras on the roof he will possibly have some explaining to do.....discrete it isn't.

Must have missed the bit about the leaks and I do agree that they can be frustrating at the least and if not found and dealt with can become a major problem. I did wonder about the cameras as they would seem somewhat pointless unless he drives around finding bad driving and then selling the footage to a tv company . Still like the "too tatty to be worth stealing" approach though

[korolev]

I'm confused, are you looking at buying this or are you 'rating' the vehicle itself?

I build camper vans for a living and have seen some horrors, but as long as the vehicles are in a safe, roadworthy condition and the owners are enjoying their van, I say good luck to them!

The checks for gas and electrical safety are becoming more stringent and more of a necessity for any conversions, most people who do DIY builds are less than honest with their insurer, stating its a regular panel van, so they're putting a lot at risk if something happens and they have to claim, and more insurers are requiring proper gas and electrical safety certification to insure a converted van, some won't even touch DIY builds as they have no way of knowing if the van is built safely, as a result we regularly have people asking us to buy their own DIY built van as they've been refused insurance and don't have the money to undertake the work to bring it up to standard.

Still, as long as they're happy and safe, and the vans not a complete death-trap, enjoy it!

Do you mean they've been refused insurance as a camper/conversion or that they've been refused insurance completely ?

If I have learned one thing from buying a £3k camper van off Ebay, it's don't buy a £3k camper off Ebay. I'd have been much better off buying a van and modifying it.

[sniper 55]

I'm led to believe that roof leaks in camper vans can be a bit of a so and so to fix properly. I'm told some have the roof part bonded on in the building process and the bond can leak after a few years, the only way to fix it properly is to remove the roof and start from scratch (which sounds expensive to me) The other part thats tends to cause issues are the "fan lights" or whatever in the roof, the joints or rubber seals go.
Only ever had one, and that was one of those pop up roof bedford vans. Great while it lasted but a bit heavy on petrol for a daily ride.

[Citizen H]

I'm led to believe that roof leaks in camper vans can be a bit of a so and so to fix properly. I'm told some have the roof part bonded on in the building process and the bond can leak after a few years, the only way to fix it properly is to remove the roof and start from scratch (which sounds expensive to me) The other part thats tends to cause issues are the "fan lights" or whatever in the roof, the joints or rubber seals go.
Only ever had one, and that was one of those pop up roof bedford vans. Great while it lasted but a bit heavy on petrol for a daily ride.

Aha... I do believe its a combination of drilling holes for cables and then sealing it with pound shop sealant..... I will try and get photo of the inside however an announcement has been made that the head liner above the driver and passenger seats is to be removed along with the plastic shelf.... as..... a much bigger one can be made from wood, more as it happens.