Wanted Should I buy a Merc Sprinter? Campervan conversion.

[LeeCooper]

Hello, all.

 

I'm joining the trendy bandwagon of campervan converters and have been looking into which van to use.

 

The only thing that stopped me from getting a VW Crafter was the amount of people on this forum who said they were incredibly prone to rust.

 

I thought I'd throw it out there to the van experts and ask what the best choice for a conversion might be, all things considered. I just really want to avoid doing a conversion and then dealing with severe issues like rust.

 

I get the impression that modern vans can be a bit flimsy and prone to failure, but there are lots of contrasting opinions out there.

 

Thanks for your help.

[lesapandre]

Look for rust. These like to... a lot

[LeeCooper]

Look for rust. These like to... a lot

Yup.    Are you able to recommend a brand of van that doesn't rust?

[Cavcraft]

Yup.    Are you able to recommend a brand of van that doesn't rust?

None of them!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yeah those Fiat Ducato/Peugeot Boxer type vans are galvanised from about 08 plate onwards so theyre pretty unrusty.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Defo can't reccommend a Dodge 50 btw

[SherpaMog]

Renault master the new shape. Got mine to 280000 without much trouble but that was the rwd heavy duty version.

They do not rust.

[rusty998]

Vans that don't rust you say, seconded above on the Peugeot and fiat Ducato,

But I present to you

The Toyota Hi-ace

[Kiltox]

Yeah those Fiat Ducato/Peugeot Boxer type vans are galvanised from about 08 plate onwards so theyre pretty unrusty.

Fuckin’ uncomfortable on a long run though IMO (which must be considered for a camper surely)

[Bren]

Sherpa is for winners.

[wuvvum]

LDV Maxuseseses don't seem to rust much, which is odd given that they are made out of foil.

[Timewaster]

LDV Maxuseseses don't seem to rust much, which is odd given that they are made out of foil.

Nothing for the rust to get hold of!

 

The Iveco Dailys we have at work are crap.

They are however, not rusty. 07 and 08s

[Lacquer Peel]

Vans that don't rust you say, seconded above on the Peugeot and fiat Ducato,

But I present to you

The Toyota Hi-ace

I don't know, shiter phil_lihp's Hiace is pretty rusty. Most vans have had a hard life and rarely get washed.

[HillmanImp]

Not sure if these rust or not?

 

[Timewaster]

Not sure if these rust or not?

 

FB_IMG_1555520505730.jpg

"The Iveco Dailys we have at work are crap.

They are however, not rusty. 07 and 08s"

 

Echo.....

[HillmanImp]

"The Iveco Dailys we have at work are crap.

They are however, not rusty. 07 and 08s"

Echo.....

I hadn't noticed that, although I only really wanted to post the picture as it said Massive Cock, I had nothing constructive to add, as usual.

[LeeCooper]

Well, thanks for all the tips and advice.

 

So, all things considered, a Fiat Ducato/Peugeot Boxer would be better for a campervan conversion than a VW Crafter/Merc Sprinter?

[Wingz123]

Fuckin’ uncomfortable on a long run though IMO (which must be considered for a camper surely)

+1 after driving from Reading to Devon to Kent to Reading to help colc move house! Lol

[Kiltox]

Well, thanks for all the tips and advice.

 

So, all things considered, a Fiat Ducato/Peugeot Boxer would be better for a campervan conversion than a VW Crafter/Merc Sprinter?

For longevity unless you rust treat the hell out of it yes. For comfort and enjoyment definitely not

[dieselassist]

Ive driven a few of the modern - 2010 n up Sprinter panel vans; hired a few, and on another occasion did a few deliveries n pick ups, with the chap that I used to hire them off; it'd coincide - the destination with some other shit I needed to pick up for myself... I nearly got caught out at junctions n roundabouts a few times...

 

...The brakes on the panel vans, are woefully shit; laden or unladen, they were piss poor at stopping; he was well aware of this, after I mentioned it n said a few of his previous fleet got stoved up the up front when on hire, n subsequently written  off.... he'd since got out of the van hire biz...

 

...they also seem a tad thirsty, from personal experience; tho these were all mega LWB ones...

 

I think there is some sort of brake upgrade you can do to them, but I cant remember the details...

 

..as mentioned above a fiat ducado / Iveco panel van would be a better basis for a conversion; they literally go on for years, n will go anywhere on a long trip...

[twosmoke300]

I’ve got an 09 Ducato l3h2 and find it comfy for trips from Cornwall to wales on a regular basis .

The sevel vans are a good bit wider inside than a sprinter so you can have a bed across the back as long as you are less than 6 ft tall . Might help your build options

They seem to be the least rusty of all the modern ish stuff too . They do still rust but nothing like transits and sprinters.

I’d go with the 2.3 Ducato over the 2.2 in the boxer and relay . That transit motor is a bit wanky IMO . Has an appetite for injectors and pistons in 2.2 format .

The 2.3 also doesn’t have a DMF .

[Ohdearme]

Perhaps I could interest sir in a delightful Ford Galaxy with spinny round seats that would mak an excellent camper type vehicle?

 

It is also not made predominantly of orange corn flakes.

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/35196-price-drop-rofflez-galaxy-20-pez-mot-oct-£450-quid-or-£8-a-go-2x£15-or-3-for-£20/page-2#entry1794504

 

[spartacus]

We had a 2010 Citroen Relay van and that didn't seem like it was going to rust,I think it had been looked after fairly well previously though.

Vans are designed with a relatively short service life in mind, even more so than cars, so rust protection and elimination of rust traps is not a priority.

As others have said French vans seem to hold up quite well. If you can buy something that's always been a camper, or at least privately owned then it will have a better chance of being looked after.

[brownnova]

Why not just buy a Talbot Express which is already a Campervan?

 

I mean it’ll rust, it’s slow, they are as far from a cool camper as it’s possible to get...

 

That’s what you wanted right?

 

For that is The Autoshite way...

[HillmanImp]

Why not just buy a Talbot Express which is already a Campervan?

I mean it’ll rust, it’s slow, they are as far from a cool camper as it’s possible to get...

That’s what you wanted right?

For that is The Autoshite way...

Mrs wants a camper. If we get one this is what we'll end up with.

[spartacus]

They do rust for England but they are all very old now. Most panels are available and most campers left are Autosleeper, which were well thought out and constructed conversions.

[Timewaster]

I like a camper, although I've never holidayed in one.

My dad had one or two when he first retired. The thing that bothered me was paying £10k for a £500 van with a plastic roof and a portaloo.

The cost of the dam things is horrific!

[Matty]

The previous shape Renault master/vauxhall movano are a good straight forward van. Nice and wide and a good low load floor as well. Had a few through work and liked them, good bus style driving position. I failed to kill one so take that as a mark of respect

[HillmanImp]

I like a camper, although I've never holidayed in one.

 

https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/family-discovers-camper-van-just-a-prison-cell-on-wheels-20180403146692

[bloobloo]

LDV Maxuseseses don't seem to rust much, which is odd given that they are made out of foil.

+1 for Maxus. I've just bought one partially converted, well mostly converted, but not the way I want it. No rust, surprisingly comfy (some sort of leather electric seats been installed)  and a decent drive. It had it's problems at first such as stupidly stiff clutch and a pig to start but these are really easy fixes. I also have a Shitroen Relay LWB hightop that I can't decide what to do with (sell or convert). I have had to use the sparkly stick all under the Shitroen, but in all honesty now prefer driving the Maxus