Holiday on wheels shite.

[Cavcraft]

All this Sherpa campervan stuff on here must be pushing some buttons in my head. Quite fancy some old motorhome or other, especially since Mrs Hitler has declared wherever we go on holiday the dog is coming with us.

 

Now, finding a cheap one that isn't held together with Isopon, has four berths and might actually make it within 20 yards of the seller's house is getting tricky. Any recommendations? There's a seriously shite worthy Renner on eBaY which I like ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... TQ:GB:1123 ) but confusingly enough it's a two berth apparantly, though description seems to imply one double and one single bed.

I like that one because it looks like some mingebag's idea of a French Winnebago/Meet The Fokkers lash up and has a bit of room to sleep in while the RAC are on the way for the nineteenth time in a fortnight. But as said two berth is a no-no.

Am I ever likely to find a decent sized one with a bed over the cab ideally for around two grand or do I have to resort to another pop top CF or something?

 

Oh, and are the old Peugeot/Fiat/Citroen C25D type things much cop or are they as shite as their commercial van equivelants?

[Station]

All this Sherpa campervan stuff on here must be pushing some buttons in my head.

 

I've had the same. There's a Sherpa on ebay but I don't think I'd like it at all, but gutting and refitting would be fun.

[messerschmitt owner]

you want to buy a Volkswagen

 

 

Not!

 

They're all much of a muchness, buy something you like the look of that has what you want/need inside it. Anything else is just plain silly. You don't seriously think motorhomers buy these things on style or good looks, do you?

 

Anything decent is mega money and continues that way till it is scrap and only the crap ends up cheaply priced.

 

So, fancy a Renault Holdsworth, a Toyota Hiace Devon, a CF even or a Mk2 Transit CI, they're all reasonably priced. You'll spend all day slogging the guts out of it to get it to sixty, it'll be rattly, noisy, uncomfortable,draughty and leaky, but you won't care as you drive into the services and make a cheap coffee or tea and sandwiches for lunch, saving yourself a tenner every time. They come in one colour too - beige! What more could you ask for!!!

 

Seriously, a cheap one is never gonna get driven at ninety, you'll want to see the scenery go by. I've had amazing fun in £400 Bedford CA Dormobiles, in Toyotas and Land Rover campers, in a coachbuilt Talbot Express - they're what you make of them. Buy right and it will never lose money, and think of the fun you'll have on the campsite. Just get one with what you want inside it and sod the base vehicle! They're all as crap as each other in their own way.

[messerschmitt owner]

oh

and look here to start with

 

http://www.classic-campers.co.uk/id4.html

 

and the renner above is a three berth

 

this is the time to buy one though! Winter - brrrrrrr

[Mr H Sceptre]

If you just fancied hiring a cllassic camper for a holiday, then check these guys out:

 

http://www.yorkshireclassiccampers.co.uk/

[trigger]

If youir going to buy a camper, then i think you should do it the autoshite way...

 

Transit Caravan by kenjonbro, on Flickr

 

Caravan Transit by kenjonbro, on Flickr

[Cavcraft]

oh

and look here to start with

 

http://www.classic-campers.co.uk/id4.html

 

and the renner above is a three berth

 

this is the time to buy one though! Winter - brrrrrrr

 

Cheers, some more sensibly priced stuff on there that catches my eye.

[Mat.T]

 

Hiace RioGrande!Get a 2.0litre like mine and you can cruise at 70!

[chaseracer]

 

Class.

 

[messerschmitt owner]

Cavmad

 

seriously, don't worry about the front end apart from it being tidy and serviced - with campers, it's all in the back!

[scooters]

Go for it mate.

 

The great thing about these things is that you can enjoy old kit with the family. I don't get grief from the doris about working on the van like I do the other kit

[Cavcraft]

Cheers gents. Thing is I like 'pop tops' but after a long and arduous trip in a shagged out CF one year my missus, is, erm, 'less then enamoured' at the thought of another one. Having a bed over the cab appeals for various reasons (like maybe parking opposite some right hotties so I can spy on them from above) but they command a premium.

[M'coli]

Cheers gents. Thing is I like 'pop tops' but after a long and arduous trip in a shagged out CF one year my missus, is, erm, 'less then enamoured' at the thought of another one. Having a bed over the cab appeals for various reasons (like maybe parking opposite some right hotties so I can spy on them from above) but they command a premium.

Hahahahahah! Ok, we've only been 'vanning since July, but hotties are thin on the ground - the "hottest" thing I've seen parked near us was a petrol J-plate Traffic-based Hymer A-class. Strangely enough it was doing about 22 mpg on pez, our dizzler does about 28, so a cheap LPG kit would see you alright.

 

The most important thing about a 'van is the inside - you ned to be able to comfortably stretch out in it to sleep, and it needs to be big enough to get the dog dry and not get the living space wet whilst doing so. It doesn't matter whether it's a pampered pooch or not - if it gets a sniff of something that ER would turn his nose up at, then it's Goodnight Vienna!

 

Just one last thing - the A-class tend to suffer from a lack of doors.

[Des]

It's the right time of year to buy a camper, prices climb steeply once summer comes. a lot of Talbot conversions seem to have survived, often in incredible condition, some nice Renault Traffics as well. Volkswagens are obviously overpriced at any time of the year, but worth considering the later ugly square ones from the eighties, actually a far better vehicle than the scene knob aircooled dross.

I went hunting for a pop top, and after looking at countless overpriced rustbuckets came across a sound high top at the right price, thinking that maybe I would top it and pop it later, but then found the high top preferable, lots of room to carry stuff, able to stand, (had a pop top Commer many years ago and I could rarely be bothered with the faffery) just need to really keep on your toes for low bridges, height restrictions. It seems sad, but campers become very addictive, park it up for the winter and you'll start to miss it.

[scooters]

don't forget that 70's Auto-Sleeper pop tops are wooden affairs - very substantial - no canvas and remarkably draught free - I'm sleeping in my one this weekend - all be it with a mains hook up and a halogen heater