Alternatives to a Transit

[Skyedriver]

I've been thinking about a Dayvan/Camper for about a year now having seen a couple of Bongos done out.
But people say the Bongo is old, poor on fuel etc. I've seen some pretty ropey older versions that for sure.
On top of that there are three of us and two dogs.
Read the thread on here of the chap who converted the yellow Transit and that appears bigger and more sensible for the 5 of us.
So is a Transit the answer, or are there other better, cheaper options?
Buy converted or convert your own? (Actually an unconverted van would be useful for a soon to happen house move.
Side windows: buy a van with or cut holes and fix?
THanks for anything you may be able to offer.

[bristolracer]

There's lots of self build forums out there for building your own van

Be prepared for about 350 hours work for a full conversion.

[blongs]

Renault Traffic??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Camper-van-Motorhome-Fur...

[LeighW]

bristolracer said:

Be prepared for about 350 hours work for a full conversion.

I converted mine from a panel van, it's a T5, but the principle is the same. Build thread here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I weighed up all the pros and cons, and in the end chose the T5 over alternatives as it was so easy to get conversion parts for, and will (should) hold it's value better. It's almost three years since I bought it - no regrets so far.

[Shakermaker]

The Vivaro and Movano (along with the Renault and Nissan versions thereof) are also extremely popular to use as a base for a camper.

[Skyedriver]

LeighW said:

I converted mine from a panel van, it's a T5, but the principle is the same. Build thread here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

I weighed up all the pros and cons, and in the end chose the T5 over alternatives as it was so easy to get conversion parts for, and will (should) hold it's value better. It's almost three years since I bought it - no regrets so far.

Leigh, just read all the pages of your T5 build - absolutely brilliant and very professional. You could a do a "Mark Evans" build series on Discovery with that.

Off to read the different web sites you mention for parts. It's likely a year away but need to get as much info as possible. Out of curiosity was it cheaper to buy a panel and fit windows rather than buy one which had windows from the production line?

[LeighW]

Skyedriver said:

You could a do a "Mark Evans" build series on Discovery with that.

Not with this face...

Skyedriver said:

Off to read the different web sites you mention for parts. It's likely a year away but need to get as much info as possible. Out of curiosity was it cheaper to buy a panel and fit windows rather than buy one which had windows from the production line?

With a T5, it's much cheaper to buy a panel. If it came from the factory with windows fitted, it will be a Kombi or Multivan, which will be more expensive, and have seats and trim in the back that will need removing anyway. One thing you need to decide is long or short wheel base, and for a camper conversion I'd go long wheel base every time. A couple of my mates have short wheel bases, and while the difference of 14 inches or so may not sound much, it makes a huge difference to the interior space, especially when the bed's down. The only downside with a long wheel base is parking it in car parks, but as it's not my daily transport, it doesn't bother me.

[Skyedriver]

Thanks for that info.
I took note of the comment about a pop up roof with interest.
With me, wife, 11 year old son and two dogs, I was thinking the roof might make the extra bed accom (ala Bongo) but not so sure now, the "losing heat through a tent" is a genuine concern.

[bristolracer]

Skyedriver said:

Thanks for that info.
I took note of the comment about a pop up roof with interest.
With me, wife, 11 year old son and two dogs, I was thinking the roof might make the extra bed accom (ala Bongo) but not so sure now, the "losing heat through a tent" is a genuine concern.

The heat loss through the pop up isn't the issue.
You are sleeping in a tin can which unsurprisingly gets cold at night. Insulation is the key,bizarre as it sounds you will be warmer in the pop top than the uninsulated van.
Any self build you see on line will be big on insulation,celotex and rock wool are your friends.
My old camper which was a Toyota conversion didn't have any insulation and loads of windows. The mixture of cold and a hard bed was ok for a couple of years but we ended up not feeling great in the van and so we moved on .
There are some great build sites out there, just be prepared for some hard work to get there.

[LeighW]

Skyedriver said:

Thanks for that info.
I took note of the comment about a pop up roof with interest.
With me, wife, 11 year old son and two dogs, I was thinking the roof might make the extra bed accom (ala Bongo) but not so sure now, the "losing heat through a tent" is a genuine concern.

Hmm, space could be an issue then.

You could always fit a diesel heater (a popular one is the Eberspacher D2), and if I converted another van I'd probably fit one myself. That said, we always stay on campsites with electric hookups, so we take a small electric fan heater with us, although I've yet to need it.

[bristolracer]

LeighW said:

so we take a small electric fan heater with us, although I've yet to need it.

We now have a caravan with a gas heater,which we obviously cant run at night or when we are out.
I have bought one of those tube type electric greenhouse heaters which keeps the chill off quite well.