http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2366620481.html<br><br>I have RSS feeds set up for my local Craigslist and this came up under "campers" today. Normally it's something I would stay away from just because of the age, but the year wasn't in the title of the ad and anyway, sometimes I click on the link just because it sounds interesting and I want to see what it is the person is talking about. I checked out the ad, read the description, and then called the seller, who kindly drove all the way over to my side of town so I wouldn't have to spend about 2 hours on the bus getting to where he was.<br><br>I don't want to repeat the whole ad here (unless you can't read it, in which case let me know and I'll do that) but I'll add what I know. This is a box van that at some time in the past was converted - probably professionally - to an RV. The current owner was visiting family in San Diego and needed something to move here with so he bought this, I think from the original owner who had it converted for her son. He has a lot of the original receipts - possibly all of them; the original owner was just one of those people who keeps everything.<br><br>He drove it here (Denver) from San Diego in March. It had some problems along the way - first the fuel pump (now replaced with an electric one, $700) and then the water pump (another $600). It also has new (or redone - my ignorance is showing here) wheel bearings and new brakes and tires (6; it's a dually), and it had a major tuneup (new wires, I think he said). From what I could see - and recognize - under the hood it looks like a lot of the rubber (hoses, etc.) has been replaced too; it doesn't have that turning-brown-and-cracking look that you see so much here in dry Colorado. The seller said that the radiator is a heavy-duty one. (I was surprised to see how far back the engine sits; in most of the other vans I've looked at everything seems crammed as close to the front as possible.)<br><br>The engine and transmission have both been rebuilt. The engine is a 351 and has about 40,000 miles on it, although the rebuild was done several years ago; it just hasn't been driven much since then. I don't know how long ago the tranny was rebuilt. The chassis has about 157k on it.<br><br>OK, my observations:<br>-It's old - a '77 - which means carbureted, something I *didn't* want. And of course prone to all kinds of breakdowns of old parts. But as the seller pointed out, this is the kind of vehicle one of those older mechanic's shops would have very little trouble working on (because it's simpler than the newer models, I guess?).<br>- With the box and the cab it's probably still less than 20' long - not so big that you can't park it on a street (at least I could get away with it here; my neighbors had one of these). But it is wider than the average truck - we guessed slightly under 8' - and taller - slightly under 12' - so there are some spots it wouldn't fit into.<br>- It looks like an ordinary work truck. Stealth is not something I'm all that worried about but this does have it. Even the fresh and gray water outlets and the outside electrical plug (for campgrounds) are barely noticeable.<br>- The leveling system mentioned in the ad is controlled from a panel up front; the seller has never used it so he doesn't know if it works. I'm not sure if he's used the fridge either.<br>- You can't see the fridge in the photos so I'll tell you - it's big, at least for a vehicle of this size. And it has a separate freezer that's almost as big as the one in my apartment.<br>- The windows are electric - something I personally don't like - and they are also controlled from the same panel where the levelers are. They seem to have trouble going more than halfway down - I'm not sure why. But this is an old system; I was surprised to find electric windows in something of this age. Maybe they were put in with the conversion.<br>- There is a window - like a moon roof - above the cab. It leaks and will need to be fixed.<br>- There's no A/C. I don't really like A/C but because the box part has no windows there isn't a lot of ventilation. It will get really hot inside unless you leave the back open - which makes the entire inside area viewable by everyone nearby.<br>- No windows in the box part means it's darker back there - not great for the craft work I do (jewelry-making, mostly) that I will need to keep up because I want to sell some of my stuff on the road.<br>- There are 2 batteries, both under the hood. The vehicle battery is dated 10/07; I'm not good at reading dates so I don't know if that's when it was put in or when it was supposed to be replaced. There is also a house battery there; again, I'm not sure how old it is (seller didn't know either).<br><br>That's about all I can think of. I haven't decided yet whether to go ahead with an inspection; fortunately it's Saturday and I can't do anything about that until Monday anyway. In the meantime I'm curious what you all think about this. I also wanted to put it out here because I think it's a good example of what can be done with a box van. And maybe someone else on this forum is looking for something exactly like this and they're close enough to Denver to come check it out. The seller at one point did talk about what he would have fixed if he keeps it, so I don't think he really needs to sell it. But if it finds a good home I think he'd be fine with that.<br><br>Meg<br>
Boxvan camper I looked at today - any feedback?
- Thread starter MargaretA
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