Used Camper Repair

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>>1053041

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>>1053041
OP, I would be very very cautious with buying an RV in that condition. This is coming from someone that has lived in a 30ft 5th wheel for the last 3 years. The first thing that comes to mind is mildew and mold concerns with the ceiling and insulation, or even possible rot. I've never dealt with pop up RVs. But if the ceiling liner is anything like mine, and every other Rv I've been in, the liner is more like a very thin cardboardy particle board. My guess is that there was water damage and he took off the ceiling and put new insulation in. The problem with RVs is that they are very expensive to fix and restore, and no matter how much you put into it, you'll never see that money again when selling it. They're literally money pits, and possibly bigger money pits than boats. They depreciate in value faster than any other "toy" and it's almost ALWAYS not worth it to restore one. That being said, if you're set on buying this, check the plumbing. It looks like it was kept outdoors and possibly not winterized. If it wasn't winterized then it's most likely got leaking and cracked plumbing. Make sure the black tank is not leaking they're a PIA to replace and pricey. Make sure the electrical is good. Inspect the axles, suspension, and tires. But honestly I'd look elsewhere, unless you really really want this and are not afraid to throw 4-5k into fixing it. My best advice is to keep looking and find something in better condition.

>>1053041
5th wheel guy again. Offer him 1k. A 15 year old pop-up camper that sits in the back of the truck, with needed repairs is not worth 2k.

>>1053049

Thanks for the input - the mold, mildew and potential rot is my biggest concern considering the state of the ceiling and that it doesn't look like he took great care of it. One reason I was looking at this model is because it's just an empty shell. No plumbing, electrical, and it just slides into the back.

Even without those issues though, the potential repairs/upkeep you mentioned is above my skill level and time and money. I'll keep reading up but this and responses elsewhere have set me against it.

>>1053051

Yeah I guess I am still considering giving a really low offer and would be fine with walking away form it if he turns it down. I'm looking at living in this almost full-time, so the $1000 would just be a month's rent I'm not paying (I'm currently in a standard cab high camper shell so this would be an upgrade). But 4-5K in maintenance is not worth it.

Guy from the QTODDTOT thread, with less than $20 in repairs you could probably live in this thing, and would likely be an upgrade from a standard camper shell in terms of comfort. But if you'd like it to look civil, nice, and not a crackheads house, you could expect to spend $1-2k bringing it up to a nice condition.

You can spread this cost out over a year or so, but it'll be a large time sink and you'll need tools and skills to do the repairs.

Would you be willing to post a pic of your current living situation?

>>1053104

This is the best picture I have. It's just a bed in the middle and shelves on the sides. It's fine for the part time living, but I'm 6'3" so it's kind of cramped to be in full-time. I've got a gym membership and go to school so I don't need much in it.

I'm in the SF Bay Area and people are pretty blatant about living in vans/RVs without getting hassled. What would you recommend to get it out of crackhead territory? If $20 makes it not a health hazard to live in then that's great, I'm mostly concerned about $1,000's in maintenance to keep it from falling apart.

Currently I'm fine with sleeping in it with the roof down (less obvious) and there's a marina a mile away from me where I can pop the roof and hang out in during the day. Having a pop-up camper at night is a bit much, but would be great when I go to National Forests and whatnot. It occurred to me you could create a kind of hard shell to go over to the canvas, but that would probably be difficult to achieve without really going into crackhead looking territory. Probably just a pipe dream.

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>>1053135

...

>>1053135
I'm down here on the central coast, and crackheads like to take their grandads RV or popup camper, and it just deteriorates and rots over time through use. Then through crack and attempted burglary, it just gets abused and beat up, so they use rope, duct tape, and insulation foam to hold it together. I saw one yesterday with visible bullet holes, and the passenger was clearly a crackwhore.

Its potentially thousands, we can't tell over the internet, and you can't tell without laying eyes on it. You have to look at it structurally, then look at the materials to see if they're still solid. But overall its not a one time purchase then its good to go for 30 years before any more money has to be put into it. Most people don't maintain these things because they just don't want to spend the money on them.

>>1053041
If you can export from Canada. Sealander is shipping there October. For like 37grand I'm considering getting one... But I want to wait for them to important to the US so I won't have trailer tagging issues... They look like better qaulity POPUPs in my book. And they float... Can't find a place to park overnight? Find ur nearest public boat ramp and launch out and more onto the lake! Lol.

>>1053161

Yeah, I definitely understand the concerns over people living in their vehicles and the recent restrictions on RVs and all that. Right now in the Bay Area the cops treat it as a low priority unless you're obviously disrespecting the neighborhood. I know a few people who have done/are doing this here and you're generally fine unless someone calls the cops on you.

I keep myself presentable, don't trash the area I'm in and keep a low profile. Until they really crack down on it I'm going to enjoy saving the $1,000+ it costs to rent a bedroom here.

I'm pretty clueless about this stuff so all this info has been really helpful. We'll see if I get to the checking it out in person step. So far I've bought a couple small camper shells and later sold them for more money...this one has a lot more that could be wrong with it though.

>>1053166

That sealander is beautiful...next time I have $50,000 to spare I'll look into it.

>>1053135
Hey im in the SF Bay Area too and looking at doing this or a pop-up for my Tacoma.

What kinda truck you got anon?

>>1053267

Nice, I've got a 93 Toyota. It's just a 2wd though. Having a proper Tacoma with 4wd opens up a lot more possibilities. You're looking at moving into your truck or just getting a pop-up camper?

>>1053276
Eyyy mines an 03 PreRunner.

Either one.
Still trying to figure out how to outfit my bed/camper properly.
If i do a decent job then ill stick it it or if not then ill go for a pop-up

I have a wooden platform in it currently, its okay

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>>1053284

What kind of shell do you have and where are you? I've been debating just getting a regular high rise shell or something bigger (like this pic). It's just a shell so it's light but a lot more spacious, plus it has a ceiling vent and blends in as a work shell. I really should have bought this one

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>>1053310
Generic campershell.
Ugh sideways picture.

Yeah the one you have in pic related looks pretty good, that might be better

>>1053310
Oh and im about an hour East of SF but i work all over the Bay Area.

Do you have anymore pictures of the side cabinet set up you have?

I have the wooden platform that i can always drill into

Wouldn't getting a 14 or 16 foot be easier? With room to move, a bathroom, and no need to
Put it up down every day and night... Getter privacy, insulation, and about same cost

>>1053620
Its hard as fuck to park, manuever and store a trailer in the Bay.
Trailers usually draw more attention to you too.

>>1053620
This. You can find some good deals on the "over nighters" as I call them. The kind that you can take a shower while crapping at the same time. They're light, pretty stealthy when needed (parked in residential blocks)it just looks like you're visiting family on a road trip. If you really want to go stealth, just get a rape van and tint the windows.

>>1053620
A full size van would be a better option. It doesn't need to be a brand new van, but its stealth enough that it wouldnt draw attention, but still big enough to fit a bed and living accoutrements in. With all the horseshit of living in a super extensive metropolis, van living and van companies are becoming legit businesses. You don't need to have someone do the work because they charge at least double what you could do it for, but its not a jerry-rig system anymore.

I have a full size ford transit van for work, and its big enough that I could fit a bed, desk, and have storage space in it. After looking around, there are several companies that outfit these vans to be stealth RVs.

>>1053449
>>1053616

That's the truck I wish I had...I'll get some pictures of my 'cabinets' but it's really just stuff I've picked up around town haha. A speaker box, ikea furniture made to fit (due to my lack of diy skills). Not the most efficient but it was free and it works for now.

>>1053620
>>1053628

I'd imagine a trailer would be a bit too much. And to me a shower and toilet just seem like more of a hassle when you can always find an open bathroom, and then shower at the gym.

>>1053639

A Transit is probably the ideal for me. Even the small ones have enough space, although the Sprinter-like ones would be great. And they lack the rape van association of older vans. Vandwelling is definitely taking off, maybe the overdone Instagram style stuff might change the perception or they might just crack down more as it grows...

>>1053706
Nah, the newer full size vans and retrofitting them to be campable or livable is still too expensive for the average hipster, poor urbanite, or hobo. Gently used vans are easily $20k, then to convert them to RV status with an aftermarket company is another $20k for their base outfit. The full setup can easily reach $50k.

In reality, if you did everything /diy/ and really tried, you could outfit them for as little as $1k, plus a few weeks of time and sourcing materials. But again, the van itself is going to be a HUGE money hurdle for most people.

>>1053785
Go on...

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>>1053706
Ah okay.
I wonder how hard it would be to get a flatbed and build a small house on top

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>>1053785
>nice Chester the Molester van

>>1053727

$20k sounds about right for a low mileage full-size van, and people pay that much a year in rent here. But paying someone that much to convert it crazy to me...considering the depreciation and all. How do you like your transit? Is it reliable?

>>1053821
No idea, but I've seen shells like that one (Toyota Chinook, sometimes Dolphins or Sunrader) on Craigslist for cheap. Way beyond me but it would be great

>>1053616

This picture isn't mine unfortunately

http://imgur.com/a/JYZvL

Mine's not much to look at. I'd like to think my shit camera makes it look worse than it is but I'm not sure.

There are some good examples out there, a few that come to mind are

http://www.desktodirtbag.com/pickup-truck-camping/

http://www.theofficehobo.com/2014/04/13/converting-a-truck-into-a-home-part-i/

The picture is

http://www.elkinsdiy.com/mobile-shelters/stealth-camper/

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>>1054194
Forgot the damn picture I was referring to

>>1054175
I have the direct Ford competitor to the Merc Sprinter van. Its only got 9000 miles on it so far (2016) and it's had to have the throttle body replaced under recall warranty. Other than that its alright. The V6 has enough power with an empty van to go up hills, but the mileage is deplorable. With a LOT of idle time, and several hour freeway trips daily, i'm averaging about 14mpg. I also have a ladder rack on the top. A contractor I know has the Merc van, and he's reporting about 22mpg with the turbo 4cyl diesel, and much less idle time.

>https://www.outsidevan.com/
Is the company that, if you bring them the van, will outfit it with whatever you want, and most of their packages range from $5k to $60k. Granted, most of that is labor to source and install this stuff, but its all RV equipment and knowledge how to wire and install it for a clean look. Its still a great site to visit and get ideas if you're serious about living in a van.

Anyway, the Ford Transit with the high roof is high enough for a 6' tall person to stand up in. I have a large plastic sheet (1/2" thick) covering the 'bed' of the van, and it has an upholstered ceiling, so i have to tilt my head down a bit. Mine is configured with a desk to work out of the van as if it were a mobile office (work van) and still has enough space for me to lay down in.

If one were motivated, you could definitely put a bed, cooking space, sink, desk, storage space, and even a shower attachment to hang off the door and live in this thing. Its seriously huge for how driveable the van is.

>>1054216
Also, that website outfits the 3/4 vans with showers, toilets, beds, bike storage, solar panels, A/C, refrigerators, cooktops, couches, convertable beds, tables, awnings, and all kinds of shit. They will take a base model van and turn it into an RV you could live out of for weeks at a time. This, unsurprisingly, is the most expensive option package, but feasably anybody could do what they do if they're skilled enough and brave enough to start cutting holes in their 1 year old van.

>>1053785
Comes with 3 dead kids and a locking deep freezer

>>1054194
>>1054198
Oh okay.
Youre further along than i am, i just have a flat surface.
I might look online for cheap IKEA furniture that people are tossing out and modify it.

What do you use as a light source?

Ive got an LED reading lamp and some LEDs i need to wire up eventually, im being a lazy cunt

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>>1053041
>I am not handy at all

For your own good, just walk away.

>>1054216

Hmm the mpg is a big part of the appeal of the transits over older vans. The smaller transits still seem like they might be a solid choice though. Small but efficient and cozy for one person.

The outside van is nice but I wonder who their customers are. I suppose if you've got the money and want to travel in luxury for ten or so years it makes sense. Nice clean style to emulate, like you said, though. The idea of cutting holes in a $20,000+ vehicle makes their service appealing though.

https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/rvs/5743577093.html

Then there's always the imitation sprinter shell

>>1054275

Yeah I'm being a lazy cunt as well. I've just got a rechargeable camping light. Or I use my phone's flashlight, I had a battery pack with a light on it and it kept my phone alive as well.

If you don't mind Reddit their Vandwellers subreddit has a lot of good info and builds that cover all the basics. Not as many trucks but stuff like lighting and shelving is all there.

>>1054589

Yeah, he rejected $1,000 (of course) and it's probably for the best.

>>1054589
You get it all wrong. A thousand isn't much. And then you learn. By doing. And not by just leaving the shit. You learn by doing even if you can't, That's the trick.

By the way, I try to teach this google captcha everything wrong. Now I have learned what image to click so that it believes me even if it's wrong.

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>>1054969

For where my (virtually non-existent) skills are at, it's likely a bad idea.

I bought this camper for $80 and am learning enough trying to get it up to a livable space. This has made me glad I haven't taken on a potentially far more demanding project like the pop-up.