Possible New Van ?

RAW

RAW

Forum Member
So as many of you who know me already know, I have Sylvia an old Talbot
Sylvia is good for staying out and has some downsides, notably Speed and Cost of fuel etc

So today I looked at a New Second Hand Van as a replacement for Sylvia
Pictures of possible Van are here
photos.app.goo.gl

New Van ?

13 new photos added to shared album
photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl

On the Plus side of the New Van there is:
  • Diesel Ford Banana Engine - Reputable, bullet proof and low cost in Maintenance and Fuel
  • Van is self-build, already registered as Motorhome and has possibility to be modified by me
  • Van has fixed bed space at rear - We are really wanting that
  • Van has small efficient wood burner
  • Would be easy to add diesel burner as well
On the Minus Side of the possible new Van there is:
  • No water or waste / washing areas or tanks
  • No Toilet
  • Only Wood Burner as heat source
  • Only Carry Two as Two seat Belts (Vs Sylvia can carry 4 as 4 seat belts)
Comments anyone ?

TIA
Robert
 

Deleted member 4404

If the body is sound and has been well insulated the rest is just conversion work and that depends on your ability and circumstances. Looks a smart van (y)
 
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RAW

RAW

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Edina said:
If the body is sound and has been well insulated the rest is just conversion work and that depends on your ability and circumstances. Looks a smart van (y)
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Body is sound, has been re-welded underneath and just passed MOT
Conversion work I can probably do with the Skills I have though budget is limited a lot
Thanks for your input, appreciated :)
 
Greggbear67

Greggbear67

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Looks a nice van. Good size & bulletproof engine if looked after. Interior can be made how you want a bit at a time. Looks to be plenty room for water etc & a cassette toilet should fit somewhere. Good thing is log book already changed.....👍😏
 
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RAW

RAW

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wildebus

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As a potential full-timer van, would you miss having a shower and toilet in its own washroom?
It looks nice and very solid for that age Transit and those portable loos work fine (I have a very similar Dometic one tucked away in a cupboard), but it is right for Full Timing would be my concern?
 
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Greggbear67

Greggbear67

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Put a thetford cassette in mine & its sound. I don't got a shower but I wash in the sink & that does ok. Probably gonna put an outside shower together for summer, but to be fair I'm not full timing just now so not really a problem. You can usually find showers in gyms & some motorway services if you get stuck so I reckon a toilet is more essential than a shower. Also found out that apparently motor homes older than 2007 don't need belts on the seats in the habitation area.
 
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RAW

RAW

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wildebus said:
As a potential full-timer van, would you miss having a shower and toilet in its own washroom?
It looks nice and very solid for that age Transit and those portable loos work fine (I have a very similar Dometic one tucked away in a cupboard), but it is right for Full Timing would be my concern?
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Yes this is something that has crossed my mind, however although I have put a lot of time and effort into Sylvia, I think this Van might suit me for development purposes and the toilet part is an easy fix, however running water will be missed and the chance to plug-in
This will mean that I will develop potentially a water system for the Van and as @Greggbear67 mentioned maybe an outdoor shower and wash space, plus also integrated 240V; upgraded Leisure Batteries and additional Solar Panels and so on so will increase my learning and skills hopefully. The biggest plus will be driveability I think.
 

wildebus

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I am tempted by the LowLoader Lutons as a good base for conversions - that extra width I think would be most welcome.
Maybe a winter project while you have Syliva to use (or live in?), and converted ready for next spring - which would then be a better time to sell the current motorhome?
 
RAW

RAW

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wildebus said:
I am tempted by the LowLoader Lutons as a good base for conversions - that extra width I think would be most welcome.
Maybe a winter project while you have Syliva to use (or live in?), and converted ready for next spring - which would then be a better time to sell the current motorhome?
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Having looked around a little, anything like a Luton Low Loader would not be within my current budget sadly.
 
trevskoda

trevskoda

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Greggbear67 said:
Put a thetford cassette in mine & its sound. I don't got a shower but I wash in the sink & that does ok. Probably gonna put an outside shower together for summer, but to be fair I'm not full timing just now so not really a problem. You can usually find showers in gyms & some motorway services if you get stuck so I reckon a toilet is more essential than a shower. Also found out that apparently motor homes older than 2007 don't need belts on the seats in the habitation area.
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Nop,mine was turned down at first as anker points not correct,until i pointed out my wooden floor,passed then,if a steel van it will be required to have belts for convayence seats after if i can remember 2000 on acc to construction and use regs which mot station pointed out.
 
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wildebus

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trevskoda said:
Nop,mine was turned down at first as anker points not correct,until i pointed out my wooden floor,passed then,if a steel van it will be required to have belts for convayence seats after if i can remember 2000 on acc to construction and use regs which mot station pointed out.
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This Seatbelt thing can be an occasional problem with VW Transporter conversions.
Lots of folk fit "rock and roll" beds to provide bed (obviously) but in the daytime is seating. And many don't have seatbelts as they are used by couples just for seating when parked up and never for travel.
But come MOT time, some testers see rear seating and and decide it MUST have belts as there are seats. Easy solution to avoid long-winded arguements is to drop the seat into bed mode and shove the duvet and pillows in place. Voila, vehicle is now a two-seater :)
 
RAW

RAW

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I am not buying the "Possible New Van" Now and if anyone is interested I can put you in touch with the seller, in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Let me know. Thanks
 
Millie Master

Millie Master

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I have been away over in Norfolk/Suffolk for the past couple of weeks and have only just spotted this post of yours Rob and I didn't even see your last post prior to typing this!

Having now looked through the past MOT history of this van I wouldn't even give it a second glance, and although it has a new ticket, it only just scraped through because of the dreaded tin munching monster that is known to wreck these otherwise excellent vans.
Reading through that history it looks like this van has been patch repaired time and time again to an only just adequeate level time and time again.

You can change an engine or gearbox, but you can't change a body so surely shouldn't you simply walk away (a very long way away) ?

Phil
 
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RAW

RAW

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Millie Master said:
You can change an engine or gearbox, but you can't change a body so surely shouldn't you simply walk away (a very long way away) ?
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Thanks for the input Phil, yes indeed it is a bit of an old Van. I am sticking with what I have and upgrading Sylvia who is now in Garage getting some new front tyres and having tracking looked at.... More expense !!
 

wildebus

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RAW said:
Thanks for the input Phil, yes indeed it is a bit of an old Van. I am sticking with what I have and upgrading Sylvia who is now in Garage getting some new front tyres and having tracking looked at.... More expense !!
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Motorhomes seem to reach a certain price as they get older and then settle at that, so spending wisely on Sylvia should let you enjoy her without loosing much money :) (you'd have to get new tyres and maybe tracking on any van at some time)
 
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