I very much think this is a bad idea. A Morris Camper?

[Spurious]

This is very much like the Ruinous camper thread. 

The other half has gotten very into these chic and cool campers, spotting things on Instagram.  I mean, I think half the country is doing the very same looking at prices. I've been linked several of these for sale. And I'm usually very dubious of cheap campers as they normally hold their value and they're usually cheap for a very good reason. I've been asked twice today to go look at this.

She's so far resisted my idea of a Citroen Dispatch and just DIY it with a mattress and a camp stove. 

But this link is interesting and I know nothing at all about them. It's old. It's British. It's got a petrol engine. And a 4 speed gearbox. And it's not a Transit. Makes it sound like a terrible idea. Realistically, if someone else on here buys it and saves me from going to the bank cap in hand. And I can just buy a mid size van next year when this fuss has died down.... 

 

https://www.quirkycampers.co.uk/for-sale/british-leyland-rarity-morris-sherpa-campervan-by-autosleeper-surprisingly-usable-2-litre-bl-workhouse-converted-to-four-berth-camper-be-the-only-sherpa-on-the-site/

 

It's also rather cheap. 

 

[Timewaster]

I would absolutely love that.... 

 

 

to be owned by someone on here so I could hear about the misery it brings them. 

[High Jetter]

Caffyns used to rent Sherpa campers out for the summer. Many didn't make it back on their own.

[loserone]

2 minutes ago, Timewaster said:

misery

It's all I see if you're planning on sleeping in it

[brownnova]

If I hadn’t just bought an Express... 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

That belongs to former member 'Breadvan' off here

[Timewaster]

[strangeangel]

It looks lovely, but it will be the embodiment of misery to drive anywhere that's more than 20 miles away, and looking at the MOT history suggests that its due for it's next massive bout of welding right about now. Overpriced by about five grand IMO.

 

If you're looking in this price bracket, Holdsworth converted Renault Trafics go from £2000-£7000, drive like something from this century (albeit not much faster than the Sherpa) and - based on the ones I've seen - stand a better chance of not being made entirely of wob.

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

An MGBGT hi-top. Miserable to drive is relative; people actually buy type 2 campers for insane money and drive them about for fun, and that's like volunteering to have your teeth pulled without anesthetic by Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man.

[BorniteIdentity]

7 hours ago, Spurious said:

It's also rather cheap. 

 

As Reg Testes says it was owned by Breadvan72. There will be info on it here but I remember him buying it to go to a festival with his daughter.

For context I’m absolutely certain he paid under £2k for it. 

It looks great but one thing I wouldn’t say it  is, is cheap. Not even in the madness of today’s prices. But that doesn’t matter - if you’re keeping it long term, don’t care about making a loss or are under strict orders then just go for it. 

[Talbot]

7 hours ago, Spurious said:

It's also rather cheap. 

No it isn't.  £6k will buy you a Talbot Express/Fiat Ducato based coachbuilt camper with about twice the space, a decade newer and doesn't look like an absolute pile of crap.  I suspect if you turned up to many campsites in that Sherpa you might be turned away.

and that's even in the current madness of utterly overpriced campers.  The Talbot ones should be about £3.5k.  That Sherpa should be £9.95, and in about 6 months time they will be.

[Mrs6C]

14 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

As Reg Testes says it was owned by Breadvan72. There will be info on it here but I remember him buying it to go to a festival with his daughter.

It still is. That is his advert.

[500tops]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124309151580

[BeEP]

All things are relative but they're not that bad to drive.  We drove this one all over England, Scotland & Wales in 2010 towing a pop-up caravan.  Only needed to change a front wheel cylinder in a Lake District campsite (yes, they have drum brakes on the front).  I paid about £300 for it, spent four figures getting it welded then sold for £900.  I know this has no bearing on today's prices but that one is still over-priced.

Forgive the 'paint job'; but it was already covered in something resembling white emulsion when I got it so it wasn't exactly original...

[HMC]

I think that’s great. More interesting and way cheaper than a Vw t2.

Also re the driving characteristics comments- again I refer you to a t2. To me the harder thing to square isn’t what this is worth, but what a t2 is worth. Plus you don’t have to fork out for a flower garland for the rear view mirror.

 

[HMC]

Has anyone transplanted more modern running gear into these? Wonder if a late LDV pilot would have any commonality, or maybe an oselli MGB lump.

[lesapandre]

I'll give a thumbs up for the early Trafics if you are looking. I have a van version. Watch out for rust, cambelt and the gearboxes are made of cheese - solution very regular oil changes and take the gearbox slow. Buy the biggest engine you can.

If the current unpleasantness with Covid was not happening I'd recommend looking in France - which is full of old campers...and their vans.

Voila:

J'ai trouvé une annonce qui devrait vous intéresser sur leboncoin:

https://www.leboncoin.fr/caravaning/1809175033.htm

Et voici...

https://www.leboncoin.fr/caravaning/1706762708.htm

Et pour beaucoup d'argent...

https://www.leboncoin.fr/caravaning/1774085897.htm

Prices are no where near as crazy as the UK. Get something MoT exempt. Citroen C35, Peugeot J7 and J9 are all viable as well as the Trafic and Master. Plenty of more eccentric stuff. French love their campers but prefer the modern stuff so plenty of oldies about. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I think Bready has got his Sherpa on eBay as well:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/British-Leyland-Morris-Sherpa-Campervan-Mobile-Home-Recreational-Vehicle-NOT-VW/124309151580

He's having a bit of a clearout and i suspect if after a phone conversation he thought you were a decent no-nonsense kind of buyer, he'd probably knock a chunk off just for a hassle free sale.

[junkyarddog]

The owner definitely has a way over inflated view of its value.

?

[captain_70s]

The PO of my Dolly had one a proper coachbuilt one as a daily and quite liked it. It was terrifically slow and thirsty and also cost something like £800.

He once went to overtake a tractor, put his foot to the floor, pulled out into the other lane and... Sat there. For half a mile, keeping pace with the tractor but ultimately not gaining. I don't think he ever bothered trying to pass things in it again...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

FIVE grand? Hope he provides a welder and big tub of grease for the kingpins for the annual MOT ritual.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

1 hour ago, BeEP said:

All things are relative but they're not that bad to drive.  We drove this one all over England, Scotland & Wales in 2010 towing a pop-up caravan.  Only needed to change a front wheel cylinder in a Lake District campsite (yes, they have drum brakes on the front).  I paid about £300 for it, spent four figures getting it welded then sold for £900.  I know this has no bearing on today's prices but that one is still over-priced.

Forgive the 'paint job'; but it was already covered in something resembling white emulsion when I got it so it wasn't exactly original...

That plate is now on a 2003 Pilot. Decanted interior into the new van and retained the plate I wonder? 

[stripped fred]

It does seem a lot considering it will probably require more work. I wonder if they will hold their currently high prices if you decided to sell.

[Wilko220]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

£6k will buy you a Talbot Express/Fiat Ducato based coachbuilt camper with about twice the space, a decade newer and doesn't look like an absolute pile of crap

Thanks, Honest John. The comparison kind of misses the point of the joy of owning something unusual, unappreciated, and not part of an insufferable "scene", though. 

I f we're looking at it pound for pound, I guess £6k could get you a considerable number of nights in budget hotels and you wouldn't need to bother sleeping in a van at all...

[Mally]

My father bought a CF version brand new,  Autosleeper conversions are second to non.

12 years later it became mine on his death. I sold it 6 months later as the house needed a new roof.

The Autosleeper conversion is exactly the same as our CF, the CF was possibly* a better option than breadvan's breadvan.

So can't fault the conversion,  not sure about Sherpa, but each to their own.

They are expensive things, if you try it and like it, maybe a little negotiation is possible.

Haven't fully read the description, has it got double bunks in the roof? ours had. They work well, but there's not a lot of room when they are used.

Make sure the fridge works on everything.

EDIT,

Having re read the ad,

He mentions fridge not working, and top bunks small.

Price up a new fridge and knock that off as a minimum.

They are compact, work for 2 people, but better with some sort of awning.

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

I like it lots.

BUT, having owned  a 2.3 bedford cf autosleeper which i loved, and trip of longer length is better / cheaper to stay in a hotel, the fuel costs were big..

South coast to scotland and back had me dining on baked beans for 2 weeks.

[Mally]

10 minutes ago, Sir Chocolate Teapot said:

I like it lots.

BUT, having owned  a 2.3 bedford cf autosleeper which i loved, and trip of longer length is better / cheaper to stay in a hotel, the fuel costs were big..

South coast to scotland and back had me dining on baked beans for 2 weeks.

You live in the wrong place.

Manchester to Scotland with a 2.3 was fine*

[wuvvum]

Isn't this the van that he tried to drive to Devon in with Junkman and ran out of petrol or something?

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

That plate is now on a 2003 Pilot. Decanted interior into the new van and retained the plate I wonder? 

Or maybe they've done a "Land Rover Defender owner" and transplanted the registration, VIN plate and chrome grille onto the Pilot and are now claiming it's an MOT exempt 1977 vehicle.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

When I see Sherpas of this era I automatically expect to see Richard Kiel tearing a corner of the roof off it with his teeth. Actually it would be great to get one and make a replica of this with it, just drive round like its perfectly normal. Maybe wear a sharp suit and make a witty wise crack about teeth/jaws/tin openers to passers by as you get out of it.