craig1010cc
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,993
Club RR Member Number: 35
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Been daydreaming again about getting a camper van, but coming to the conclusion that a VW based one is going to be out of the question. So, any thoughts on alternatives. It would have to be my main vehicle so has to be reliable (I do 15k a year) and capable of high 30's+ MPG. Budget (inc converting to a camper if its a van based suggestion) would have to be a max of £2k, the quirkier the better. Have a few pic's     |
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Aaarrrgh P5 sacrilige!!
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Koos
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Should be able to get one of these for your budget. 6 wheel quirky enough? Cortina mechanics, so you could dump a Sierra diesel in easy enough.  |
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Koos
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Local scrap yard (F W McGuinesses, Longport, Stoke-on-Trent) has a saveable Sierra pick-up based camper outside the breaking yard that could be worth restoring. Not demoutable / walk though.
BTW They also have a nice Sierra XR4x4 and an NCF Diamond kit car also in the "do not touch" area. In the yard is a VW Caddy with disabled type hardtop (slightly higher than normal hardtops) that I reckon would be ideal for turning a roadworthy Caddy into a micro camper project.
Paul H
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Brian Damaged
West Midlands
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 9,553 
Club RR Member Number: 33
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I'd discount going the trad Brit CF/Commer route on the grounds of fuel consumption, unless you're intent on going down the diesel route. Petrol Commers will do low 20's with gentle use, CF's (in slant-4 pre-CF2 guise, anyway) slightly worse. I used to use a '76 2.3 petrol CF for band transport in the early 90's, loaded with amps/speaker cabs, beer and hairy musicians the worst we ever managed was 13mpg. ;D
Daddy Damaged's coachbuilt '83 CF2 with Opel 2.3 dizzler power will just about do 30mpg if you stick to a steady 55 on the motorway. Back in the 80's he had a '69 Commer Autosleeper with 1725 petrol lump, even with an overdrive box from a Hillman Hunter and a higher-ratio Humber Hawk diff it would struggle to do 25mpg max. Round town it was monumentally thirsty.
Plenty of '80's Japanese options, but again I think you'd struggle to find something that economical. I saw a Toyota Lite Ace camper on holiday in Cornwall last year, looked uber-cool racked up with surfboards.
Were it me I'd be looking at a late Peugeot or Ford diesel-powered Sherpa/Pilot. The smaller 200-Series had the 1905cc XUD lump and will do 35mpg with ease. The bigger 400-Series came with either the legendary 2.5 Indenor diesel that powered the 505/Ford Granada or (in later LDV guise) the 2.5 TD from the Transit.
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morns
Part of things
Posts: 222
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Mazda Bongo?
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I'd be suprised if you'd get that kind of mpg from anything commercial based, I stuggle to get that from my suzuki carry.
From what I've been told mid twenties is normal for a bongo.
It deoends on how much comfort you want, the bigger the van the newer it'll have to be if reliability and mpg is important.
As mentioned lite ace or vannette are going to be a safe bet but clean, running campers fetch a premium regardless of age or size.
Might be worth looking at converting a previa or espace etc.
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Delica l300 or l400, run it off Bio at the right price and your running an "equivalent" of 45mpg (well i am anyway)
Quirky and capable.
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Personally i would buy a commer (cos well, i have one so of course i would say that), they are increasing in value daily, and would most certainly be an investment. They do suffer from nasty rot in places, but they are fairly easy to work on, there isnt much to them
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'73 Commer Campervan under full restoration, '83 VW T25 Doka under partial restoration to become rolling project, '04 Saab 9-3 Vector Sport modified and certainly not finished...
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If you don't mind certain death in the event of even the smallest accident, then surely something Bedford Rascal / Suzuki SuperCarry based is the solution? OK, if you want to get 35mpg you need to drive very carefully, but its doable. I would have suggested one like my Mum used to drive when I was a youngster, but it turns out they're ridiculously expensive these days. cgi.ebay.co.uk/Bedford-Bambi-Camper-Van-Sale-1989-49000-miles-/140508564626?pt=UK_Campers_Caravans_Motorhomes&hash=item20b6f68c92Having said that, those things are absurdly top-heavy and are terrifying in crosswinds, so something more van based than pickup based may prove a better idea. |
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didnt the supercarry come in an LPG version?
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta
2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van
2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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You could build somthing like this,,  |
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anything with the tranny banana engine (2.5 DI) will do about 25-30 mpg, all day. all the accelerator does is make more noise and more smoke  the turbo version wasn't that reliable, hardly any quicker, and also thirstier, bigger smoke screens on demand mind! |
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Isnt there a 2.5DI tranny in the for sale section (10mpg selling it i think)
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta
2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van
2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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Would instantly push for a J-Tin based vehicle - Toyota Hiace/Mazda E2200 etc  |
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro
1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck
1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban
1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop
1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan
2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T
1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate
2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet
2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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dungbug
Posted a lot
'Ooligan!
Posts: 2,852
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What about converting a people carrier into a camper? It would save the need to cut out windows etc, you'd pick up something like an Renner Espace or Nissan Serena for reasonable money. Tear out the seating and anything else you don't want and build the inside to suit. Inside isn't going to be a spacious as a van but it might be a bit easier for everyday use etc. Depends how much 'camping' you plan to do to how much space you'd need inside. As for mpg, not too sure but it should be similar to a car with the same engine capacity. If you want it to be quirky then J stuff can certainly be made to look quirky. Serena   |
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Past: 13 VW Beetles from 1967 - 1974
Bay Window Campers (1973 & 1974)
Mini's (1992 Cooper lookalike & 1984 '25 Anniversary)
MK2 Polo Coupe S (1984 & 1986)
MK2 Polo Breadvan (1981 & 1984)
MK4 Escort (1989)
MK2 Granada Based Hearse (seriously)
Fiat Uno 60S (1986) Punto 60S (1998) Cinq (1997)
1998 Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat
2003 Ford KA
Current: 2004 Ford Focus (barely alive)
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Hi Craig, Just PM'd you, my camper might be for sale......  |
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Hi Craig mate - I started a thread almost identical to this some time last year (which I now can't find!) and got some really good suggestions / advice  You have a Mk1 Escort on your opening list.. They make fantastic little campers! Getting hard to find but parts availability is excellent (except the camper-conversion parts, which are mostly unobtaneum) and the usual Ford upgradability is win win  That said a they're not that budget-friendly  guess how I know..  Hope you find something you like ;D |
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It it just you that will be using the camper, or is it going to be a wife and kids setup too. Reason i ask, is becuase you might be interested in one of these.....  |
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta
2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van
2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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MK2VR6
Posted a lot
Mk2 Golf GTi 90 Spec
Posts: 3,328
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This old dear is on the 'bay, £720 with just over 4 hours left. Looks a clean one...  |
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That said a they're not that budget-friendly 
guess how I know..