Nice little self-build

[wildebus]

I wonder what his budget was? The electrics system alone probably cost more than most peoples vans!

 

[Deleted member 12559]

A relative of mine used to own the last campsite in Spain before the ferry terminal Tangier/Ceuta.
I used to spend winter months there, so used to come across quite a few of these, 'expedition
vehicles' usually custom built to order on German reg. Some were just poseur wagens, others were
used for what they looked like they were intended for.

One bloke in particular used to cross to Maroc and I'd come across him pitched up in Taghazout Campsite
for 6 months every year polishing and vacuuming his pride and joy every day, he had at sometime made one
trip to the Erg Chebbi and that was it! Conversion cost as he was keen to inform those who asked, was €250,000
plus the truck and that was 20 years ago! In my experience these specialist trucks tend get used for actual
expeditions when +70% of their value has been knocked off, and if they can't be repatriated for whatever reason from some where such as Timbuktu not too many tears are shed!

Then by way of contrast you'd come across a couple of 23 year olds in a scrap value ancient 240D merc (Grand Taxi in the Arab world) on their return leg from South Africa!

 

[wildebus]

I would love a van like that.

But .... I could not afford to run it even if I had the money to buy it
I would probably be to scared to go anywhere challenging in it anyway (usually by the time people have the money to afford something like this they haven't got the balls to really use it I reckon )

 

[Deleted member 12559]

I would love a van like that.

But .... I could not afford to run it even if I had the money to buy it
I would probably be to scared to go anywhere challenging in it anyway (usually by the time people have the money to afford something like this they haven't got the balls to really use it I reckon )

To me a motorhome is a means to an end, fundamentally the end in my case involves the travelling with independence. Getting on using the thing is the main reason I take no more than 3 or 4 months from whoa to go on the vans I've converted. Naturally there's always the 5% ongoing unfinished and the upgrades of course LoL.

Way back I used to consider an expedition type vehicle but quickly talked myself out
of taking that option all things considered. Viz. 58% time it would be used on tarmac, slow ponderous and noisy, high fuel usage. not the most efficient use of space relative to body length etc. The other 2% of time it would be used to get to inaccessible places, the other 40% it would be unused sitting on my patch in the UK. not exactly suited to being used in
UK conditions. Admittedly that 2% would probably be the most exciting bit, but it comes at a price.

So at the present time I have something slow, ponderous, noisy and sits virtually unused
40% of the time..........err Lol
Well at least it's reasonably fuel efficient has good space to overall body length ratio. And importantly these days I find it doesn't attract unwanted attention.
Although quite a few Spanish Gitanos and French Gens de Voyage have made me offers
that I've refused over the years. It's the offer I can't refuse that worry me !