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

[barefoot]

I own a VW T2 and have done for more than twenty years, consequently my views & comments on anything automotive or camping related are not worth a flying fuck.

[Mr Pastry]

It seems to me that the last thing you want is to drive 200 miles in a Sherpa, then be turned away from the campsite because it's more than six months old.  

[wuvvum]

30 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

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.

Back in 2002 I went to have a look at an Audi 200 which was advertised in the Freeads.  I didn't buy it as it needed too much work, but the seller had a big barn full of what he claimed were genuine James Bond film vehicles, of which one was a Sherpa van with the roof ripped open.  He also had an AMC Matador, supposedly used in the same film.  I have no idea if they were genuine or not (I'd imagine several Sherpas were used in the filming so there's probably more than one "genuine" van anyway) but it looked pretty convincing.

[paulplom]

I reckon you'll spend more time chasing rust than camping unfortunately.

[dave j]

I quite like it! But then I drive a vw bay window! I love driving my van so I wonder how it Compares? 

[Timewaster]

Would a Morris, camper be "Maurice" dear? 

[anonymous user]

14 minutes ago, Timewaster said:

Would a Morris, camper be "Maurice" dear? 

Fortunately the tumbleweed passing broke the fall of the baddum, tish.

[somewhatfoolish]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

Back in 2002 I went to have a look at an Audi 200 which was advertised in the Freeads.  I didn't buy it as it needed too much work, but the seller had a big barn full of what he claimed were genuine James Bond film vehicles, of which one was a Sherpa van with the roof ripped open.  He also had an AMC Matador, supposedly used in the same film.  I have no idea if they were genuine or not (I'd imagine several Sherpas were used in the filming so there's probably more than one "genuine" van anyway) but it looked pretty convincing.

Wasn't the Matador was in "The man with the golden gun"?

[St.Jude]

6 hours 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...

I love this. And the paint job. There is nothing to dislike here, except maybe for the fact I don't have it. 

I think I've found my new favourite van after the Ford Transit...

[wuvvum]

35 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Wasn't the Matador was in "The man with the golden gun"?

Could well have been.  It was 18 years ago, I don't recall the exact details!

[wuvvum]

If you really fancy a Sherpa camper but Breadbin's is too salty, how about this beauty*?

[somewhatfoolish]

It narrowly avoided a Boris extension to its MoT. Glacial drift will be faster than this, a non-turbot Perkins Prima dragging that thing around. I particularly like the auxiliary fuel tank on the dashboard. GIB.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

holy balls that Sherpa motorhome must be dangerously slow!!!!

[eddyramrod]

2 hours ago, dave j said:

I quite like it! But then I drive a vw bay window! I love driving my van so I wonder how it Compares? 

I've driven both, although granted the Sherpa was a B-series.  There's no contest, I'd buy the Sherpa every time.

[Talbot]

8 hours ago, Wilko220 said:

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.

Talbot Express part of a "scene"?  Not even close.

All I'm saying, (as many others are too) is that this is ludicrously overpriced.  £6k will get something a lot better as a campervan.  The market for people who actively want a sherpa camper because it's interesting is vanishingly small (possibly limited to about 4 people, all members of this forum) so you have to compare it with other campers that are available, regardless of the base vehicle.

It's not a VW, hence should not suffer from scene tacks.

[busmansholiday]

I had an HiAce, Jap import built as a camper. Whilst it was a diesel, and very slow with the autobox, my memories of driving Sherpas makes me think that the HiAce was way faster, and amazingly less rusty.

 

[Jikovron]

I'm a fan of sherpa vans, the amount of times we've gone to load up works transit custom and subsequently partially unloaded it due to its 450kg payload after 300kg of people get in ,,we'd have 1050kg spare in a 285 K2! 

That said yes they are lacking in alsorts of aspects but then they are essentially a no frills basic tool which suites me down to the ground ,,not to the tune of 6k admittedly! 

[anonymous user]

3 hours ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

holy balls that Sherpa motorhome must be dangerously low!!!!

I just wonder  with that overhang, how often it's going to scrape its back end on the ground when encountering the slightest slope.

[davocano]

That's a lovely blue sky. Just look at the sky, yeah?

[eddyramrod]

I quite like a pez-powered Sherpa, but over on the ebay thread we've just seen a coachbuilt CF, also petrol.  It's already way past my budget but it'll finish a long way short of the Sherpa under discussion, and I'm sure would be a better buy in every way.

[tul66]

I was given a diesel version of exactly that van around 15 years ago. Even free is too much to pay for them; I ended up giving it way.

Verdict; DON'T they're appalling!

[bunglebus]

I had a T3 VW van. At the time I was in the trade and drove all sorts of other stuff, including a Sherpa and a Transit. 

The VWs suspension and steering is light years ahead of both, especially the Sherpa which felt like someone had installed an engine in a horse drawn carriage. 

I agree completely that VW campers are well overpriced, but they are a much nicer thing to pilot. Only drawback of mine was the 2.0 air cooled engine was pretty nippy around town but overtaking lorries was a pain as you'd get level and get slowed down by the airstream coming off the cab. I hate to think what a fully kitted 1600 camper is like.

I could hustle mine around the lanes pretty quickly though, to the surprise of mates following me in supposedly fast cars

[barrett]

21 hours ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

holy balls that Sherpa motorhome must be dangerously slow!!!!

Piss off, it's a 'Sportsman'!

I would love an early Sherpa panel van. I would even consider converting a camper back into a van except the lovely ribbed roof is the best bit and impossible to replicate. Maybe I'll find one when I go to Malta at Christmas

[Agila]

On 8/24/2020 at 2:47 PM, wuvvum said:

If you really fancy a Sherpa camper but Breadbin's is too salty, how about this beauty*?

Apparently mot expires in April and may get boris mot. It ran out in March and never had a chance of an extension. New owner alleged driven it 7 miles home??? Not exactly honest regards rust. 

[barefoot]

7 hours ago, bunglebus said:

... I hate to think what a fully kitted 1600 camper is like...

I think, 'an aquired taste' sums it up quite well. Above 40mph, there's no changing down and there's no acceleration. I've learned to just tuck in behind a lorry and potter along.

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

Also having owned a sherpa petrol van that cost me £50 in about 2004, the electric petrol pump is easily removed from under the van, as i found out 1 morning in south London after some local scallywags stole my petrol pump.  I returned the favour by borrowing a pump from under i presume an abandoned sherpa in woolwich. 

[face]

The damp collecting doo-bob on the worktop is also a good sign.

Get it brought.

[Talbot]

On 8/25/2020 at 1:29 PM, barrett said:

Piss off, it's a 'Sportsman'

In the same way that a grossly overweight, suffering from Type 2 diabetes and habitual chain-smoking darts player is a "sportsman".

 

Also.. sold for £500.  Even that seems a bit overpriced.  I guessed at £350.

[MJK 24]

On 8/24/2020 at 3:56 PM, Mr_Bo11ox said:

holy balls that Sherpa motorhome must be dangerously slow!!!!

He’s done 7 miles in it.  Probably took him half an hour.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

@Spurious Did you buy it?! I see the ebay ad has been pulled. 

If you missed out, he's got a mk1 MR2 listed for £3.5k. Wrong wheels, rusty rear arches and windows are tempermental, but I'm sure it's great apart from that. You'd need to sleep in it, regardless of comfort issues after the wife discovered how much you'd spunked on a ratty mk1.