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Messages - Silver

#1
Cheers Bruv  :)
#2
No straight answer on this one unfortunately.

It kind of depends on what you want. Camper_Dan and many on here prefer older vehicles as they are much easier to fix (provided you can find the parts or find a way to make the spares if they aren't available), but depends on how you intend to use it I reckon.

I have just spent a massive chunk of money on a new van, and getting that van kitted out by my good friend Joe who is a cracking Conversion artist having now refurbished two old boats. It wouldn't be everyones way of doing it but everyones different. My story is that I work away, a month at work and then a month off. I've been living for the last two years in a pretty derelict old LDV convoy called Barabara, I loved her to bits, but she used to be a minibus and was a pain to keep warm and dry, and because I have limited time available for the maintetance and repair it made sense that with the money I have saved living in Babs to get something newer which doesn't require as much work to start with.

Its been a tricky road though. before I bought the new one (and what led me to it), was I bought a camper off ebay, which looked amazing.

But the guy who sold me it was a lying toerag, and despite promises of mechanical soundness, the van broke down woth a blown engine before I could even get it back to my brothers in Leeds having bought the van in Manchester (not a huge journey by any stretch). I am now having to take the guy to court for lying about the state of the van he sold me, not a way I want to be spending my time quite frankly as time is a precious resource for me.

So what I would advise is if you're not mechanically minded, take along someone with you who is, as its a lot of money to lash out.

And don't rush into it or let yourself feel pressured. Inspect the conversion, do you like it? Could you live in it? Is it as close to perfect as it could be without you starting from scratch? Does everything work properly? Is the guy whose selling it a van liver or someone trying to make some money? Why is he getting rid of it, ask him these questions and if anything he says doesn't sound right and doesn't give you the good feels, stay away.


And like Dan says maybe go for something older and cheaper and lived in, especially if this is your first foray into Van living. That way you'l have money left over to travel with, and possibly save towards something that is exactly perfect in every way.

I'll end up with my perfect van, but damn I went round the long hard way.

Don't be like me, be like Dan  ;)



#3
Any ideas?

The illustrious Haynes manuals seemed to have ended in 2006...

I think the model underwent changes in 2012? And a new version in 2018. I would really like to start doing some of the maintenance on the van myself rather than using garages and especially the manufacturers themselves, except when it comes to big services.

If anyone can advise that would be ace :-)

Andy
#4
My friend Joe is doing my Campervan.

He is an incredibly good carpenter based just outside of bristol in the UK.

I've known him for years and he's a cracking lad, easy going, knowledgeable and very talented.

I chose him as as he lives on a boat, the second one he has converted and knows about 12v offgrid living. The second boat was a dutch barge that was pretty much a ship wreck when he got it, the only work he didn't do himself was the repair to the hull, which he had done at a ship yard, and now its seriously good, cool, rustic, very fit.

He was able to tease what I wanted out of me and build it quicker and better than I ever could have.

Check my ongoing build on insta @andyscuz and hes putting pics up on his insta @dikkovision

Have a look, send him a message.

Sweet!
#5
Van Conversion / Re: INSPIRATION FOR YOUR VAN CONVERSION
September 13, 2018, 09:39:47 PM
Mate thats well fit!

Strong work :-)

Nearly as nice as mines going to be ;-)
#6
Common Room / Another Newbie!
September 13, 2018, 09:34:30 PM
Alright Everyone!

My first post here, Hope everyone is doing sound!

Just wanted to introduce myself and say Hello.

Been living in a decrepit old heavily graffiti'd LDV Convoy (called Barbara) for just over 2 years now, during which time I continued working part time to save up some money and have just started my dream van build, I'm on instagram as @andysuz if anyone fancies a nosey.

I hope its done soon as just before I left to do another months work I crashed poor Babs into the back of my mates van, which has left me a bit on the homeless side ha ha. Poor babs. Poor mates van.

Ah Vanlife, when it works its awesome, when it doesn't, well, yeah anyway.

Big love, peace out, happy travels to you all :-)

Andy

P.S. Can anyone advise me how to put picks up on here? Barbara was a winner and deserves some love bless her. And I want to show off about the new one (obvs). I have employed a mate whose a chipy to convert the new one, yeah its not the same as doing it yourself, but he's going to get it done faster and to a better quality than I would be able to. So its his work I want to show off as well, even though its my van.

Anyway thats enough for now, peace out.