Up until now all of the work carried out had been in the ‘no-brainer’ basket. On the whole it was work that had to be done and none of the aesthetics that had been done would have major consequences – i.e. they could be changed back if the van was to be kept original. A fair amount of money had been spent but I was / am confident that it was a reasonably safe investment and I’d get that back if / when I sold the van.

But – now decisions have to be made. It is October 2019 and I’ve had the van for almost a year. There’s a fair amount of capital now in the van and I need to decide what to do with it. Here are the options –

  • Sell it as is. That would be pretty straightforward and I’d get my money back.
  • Do a full camper conversion. I am reluctant to do this mainly because of aesthetics. I reckon any messing with the roof of the van seriously detracts from its original look. A fixed high top looks really dumpy on a short wheel base van. And a pop top just doesn’t look right either. So a full conversion is out.
  • A day van conversion. This is the option I’m going for. I won’t mess with the roof but I will put windows in all round. The van will be sound deadened, insulated and carpet lined. And there will be a full width RIB rock n roll seat.

The decision has been partly influenced by me dreaming that I might be able to afford to keep the van for myself. The van was bought with money meant for the kitchen in the house build. And the work up until now has taken up pretty much all of what was left in the kitchen budget. In fact we might be getting into the bathrooms by now. But the kitchen and the bathrooms don’t have to be built until at least September 2020 so I’ve got some time to work that out. Or, who knows, maybe I’ll come in under budget on the house build. (I’ve stopped watching Grand Designs.)

But – if I am able to keep the van then this is how I’d want it. I want it to be a practical daily driver which can carry myself and up to four passengers in comfort. It can also carry big loads and can be used to sleep in on holidays.

One thing I don’t like about normal T4 / T5 conversions is the 112 cm RIB – it’s a tiny double bed. This will have less in the way of furniture but it will feel more spacious and will have a BIG bed. It’ll have lots of light (windows all round) and will have good noise and thermal insulation. It’ll be set up as a day van / camper but also as a mobile office – plenty of aux power and wee desk spaces to work at. And a good sound system.

Just not right.

Too dumpy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[button link=”https://www.wildcampersscotland.com/strip-out/” size=”large” color=”black” rounded=”true” ]Next – Strip Out[/button]