New project. New van.
I am retiring from work and now wish to get on the road to do some
extended adventuring. After travelling to Canada and the USA, I saw many of my
adventure cohort travelling around in R.V's anywhere from old beaten up school
buses to modern Mercedes Sprinters. It is time to get myself a van.
In March I had a trial with my Subaru. I removed the rear seats and made a
cupboard in the space. I travelled up to Sydney it, but there was not
a lot of room for me to sleep in with all the gear I carry.
I realised that this is not going to be practical for longer journeys. A
van is a far better way to move around in. I am not comfortable
towing a caravan, and caravans are almost as much as and often more than
decked out vans anyway.
The covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has accelerated everyone else's pent up
passion for road adventure and pushed up the prices of campervans to
ludicrous values. Mind you looking at the price of a new one I can see why.
A new Fiat Ducato or VW Crafter or Mercedes Sprinter can cost upward of
$160000 with a bare bones make-over. I am seeing 1990 Toyota Hiaces fetching
over $12000 without a roadworthy certificate, where a year earlier they were
lucky to get $5000. Back in 2019 I was taken aback when a riding buddy
bought a new Fiat Ducato campervan for around $80000 - he got the last
laugh.
My daughter bought a 1996 Hiace with a not much more than a metal frame to
support a mattress. It seemed cheap at the time at $6500.00. Soon the costs
mounted:
- Registration
- Radiator
- Fan Belt
- Hoses
- Clutch
- Ball joints and steering linkages
- Brakes
The list goes on, so much so that within eight months of ownership the
vehicle has cost close to $17000, and it is still an old beat up Hiace.
She is getting enjoyment out of it however and we have spent some time
improving the interior with lining, cupboards, roof shower and a table.
Not much more to break down, one hopes....
In my youth , I have been down the path of keeping old vehicles alive and am
over it.
So I looked in to buying a new one. The benefits of 5 year warranty,
everything new were compelling. I did not anticipate the
dramatic change in new vehicle prices and shortage of new vehicles. No more
end of year discounts or "run-out" deals.
It was even more difficult because I had my heart set on a Volkswagen
Crafter 4Motion. I looked at this vehicle on 2019 and was impressed with how
well it drove and its price point. At the time there was a 3 month wait as
it had to be specially ordered. Now it is 12 months if I am lucky: there is
a world wide computer chip shortage delaying manufacture along with Covid-19
!
Here is what I thought of getting in 2019:
- VW 4Motion MWB, high roof
- Lift kit 30mm
- Option pack to include adaptive cruise control
- Swivel front seats
The price quoted was $69000.
The only way I am going to get one is to hope a dealer gets one in or
somebody has one for sale.
Over a period of 3 months after making a decision to get a VW Crafter, It
was like seeking out that needle in the haystack, then warding off the
Christmas crowds after that single super sale item. In the end I was feeling
somewhat frustrated and was checking every other day:
- I flew to Tasmania to get a 2nd hand one only to find it was a front wheel drive and was erroneously listed as a 4Motion.
- One came up new in BrightonVic, but had $20000 of expensive extras such as ceramic coating, upgraded trim and satellite navigation bringing the vehicle up close to $90000. Over my budget. It was sold in a week.
- One came up 2nd hand and was sold within an hour of listing - too slow.
- One was up for sale new in Sydney for $78000, it was long wheel base though.
- Another came in Brighton again, this time a MWB standard roof.
I needed to make a decision. If I delay much further I won't get one in a
timely fashion. I checked the one in Brighton and realised the high
roof had the advantage. The one in Sydney had some extras such as side
windows and an additional battery that pushed up the price unnecessarily.
It wasn't quite what I wanted, but what choice do I have - I could wait or
get something else.
I am not going to get exactly what I want, life is about compromise. Stuff
it: I made the call, confirmed the deal and sent the cash.
In these days of Covid-19, there is a great level of anxiety produced by
every case of the illness. A fear of shut-down and quarantine caused a delay
of a week to get it as Sydney had a case. A declaration of zones
covered the airport so I wasn't in the mood to take immediate
delivery. Fortunately the hot zone was cleared, so I flew up from
Melbourne and collected the vehicle.
Here I am:
In no mood for hanging around I immediately drove home.
The heavens opened in a big way so I was able to test the sound
levels, driving in high winds and braking capability. I am glad to say
it passed impressively. I am amazed at how well the vehicle drives and
how surprisingly quiet it is despite being an empty shell.
It was a long day starting at 5:30am with the flight journey and
finishing in the wee period before midnight with the 11 hours of
driving.
I have bought a new vehicle. Van life will be real: eventually. Let's
hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew !
This blog series is separate to my adventure blogs. It will log my
progress as I build the van.
Blog Indexes:
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Registration Frustration
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