weeding thru vehicles & would love some suggestions/help

[bantamcattle]

hello, i'm brand new and about to be very long winded. i do so to help myself and to hopefully add worthwhile content to the forum. thankyou for any information offered as i feel i have much to learn.<br><br>i've done some test runs in my friend's 1991 VW Vanagon (non-camper model) and found it to be plenty spacious. what i found it to be lacking was the ability tackle 4x4 terrain and its fuel efficiency was lowish at 21mpg on my trip.<br><br>what i want;<br>- to be able to drive over heavily rutted dirt roads, washed out dirt roads, thru creek crossings and up steep loose roads (basic 4x4'ing).<br>- fuel mileage in the 20's. 25mpg is way better than 20mpg.....<br>- i'd like the vehicle to be on the cheaper side for repairs. i should be able to afford maintenance and could handle 500$ or less repairs way better than 800$ or more repairs.<br>- 6.5 to 7 foot indoor sleeping area, width don't matter too much as i am skinny.<br>- to be able to sit upright inside at a table/tv tray to type and draw. (sitting on a comfortably low chair at home, the top of my head is 1-2inches above 4 feet)<br>- an overall vehicle that is not too bulky (too bulky to me is a tall wide slide in camper like this - http://www.six-pac.com/images/fit1.jpg (i think that is something like a Six-Pack 650) or towing a trailer)<br>- to be able to see the tree tops and stars when i lay down somehow. also windows that allow me to see out each side of the vehicle.<br>- to be able to set my bicycle inside the vehicle when i drive or take off for a hike. (it can go on the roof or something when i'm sleeping)<br><br>i will mostly be floating around Colorado and Utah following the warmth but do plan to visit friends as far as Maine and elsewhere. i hope to be mostly in the country but will hav plenty of times in cities. my gear won't be extreme spartan but it most likely won't be excessive either, i tend to lean towards less is better.<br><br>i hav 3000$ total for the vehicle/rig. (of course every $ under 3k can go to food, fuel and time!)<br><br>my original thinking was that a mini-van would be perfect but i found out that the all-wheel drives in mini-vans would not work for the 4wheeling mentioned above. the only mini-van i found with 4x4 was the Toyota Van but have found that they are highly sought after and that parts for them are very difficult to find. i was also surprised by the lowish gas mileage of vehicles like the GMC Safari.<br><br>next i thot a mid-sized truck with a camper or shell would be good (like a Ford Ranger or something) but i have found almost no long bed mid-sized trucks and also found that their gas mileage was not all that great either, especially if i had to put a camper on it.<br><br>a 4x4 fullsize van really seems ideal but they seem clearly out of my price range.<br><br>to my surprise i hav been left looking at fullsize trucks. they seem quite available and have plenty of different bed sizes that could work for me. i'm thinking that a tall shell might be good to start with and maybe look for a small slide in camper down the road or maybe build something myself. if i've read correctly, some full-size trucks can get fuel mileage in the 20's while carrying a load. if my above deducing is right, i guess i'm left trying to sift through all the truck years and models to find the efficient engines, the reliable builds and the more efficient gearing. (i'm really intrigued by diesel engines for their better fuel efficiency and their longevity but don't really know if they are better overall especially since i may not have all that heavy of a load.)<br><br>i definitely don't assume that i am right in ruling out mini-vans and mid-sized trucks, that is just where my thinking and research has lead me. i may very well be thinking incorrectly or not seeing certain options. so i would be happy for any suggestions and insight. if a big truck really is my best option, then i could use any and all info people have on good trucks for truck living.<br><br>thankyou so much for your time reading this. i look forward to any help.<br><br>

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Hey, Bantam</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">You might want to wade through the extensive posts by Johnny Canuck here:</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Simple-Survival-Expedition-5172482?trail=15" target="_blank" target=_blank>https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Simple-Survival-Expedition-5172482?trail=15</a></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">He has some really good ideas built into his rig, which could easily be used on a 4x4 small&nbsp;pickup to meet your requirements.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">You could add a side window and a skylight/vent on top.</p>

 

[Seraphim]

4x4&nbsp;AND good gas mileage is difficult, I would think, unless you take Stude53's advice and go with a small pickup rather than full sized. &nbsp;Pickups sound like a good idea. Small means less overall cargo weight. If you're willing to learn, an old slide-in camper in need of reconditioning should be found rather inexpensively. Upgrade it as you live in it, as long as it's waterproof.<br><br>It's doable.<br><br>

 

[bantamcattle]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Hey, Bantam</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">You might want to wade through the extensive posts by Johnny Canuck here:</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Simple-Survival-Expedition-5172482?trail=15" target="_blank">https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Simple-Survival-Expedition-5172482?trail=15</a></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">He has some really good ideas built into his rig, which could easily be used on a 4x4 small&nbsp;pickup to meet your requirements.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">You could add a side window and a skylight/vent on top.</p>

<br>thankyou stude53 for the link. i had not found that in the forums yet. when i first found the site, i read a great article that featured a blue f-150 with a hand built camper on it. it was quite impressive but i can no longer find that article? i believe i will just start going through the entire site and read most of it. i hope to push off in spring and figure it will be a little tough to find a vehicle, so i'd like to start my search now.<br>

 

[bantamcattle]

4x4&nbsp;AND good gas mileage is difficult, I would think, unless you take Stude53's advice and go with a small pickup rather than full sized. &nbsp;Pickups sound like a good idea. Small means less overall cargo weight. If you're willing to learn, an old slide-in camper in need of reconditioning should be found rather inexpensively. Upgrade it as you live in it, as long as it's waterproof.<br><br>It's doable.<br><br>

<br>my original thinking was that small and light would be the most efficient, but my initial search for small pickups w/ 4x4 showed many in the 17-19mpg with no load and since they hav short beds, i'd need to do an over cab camper, thus reducing the mpg. even if there was a 25mpg small truck, i would guess the addition of a camper would bring it under 20mpg. then i stumbled onto people saying they could get 20-25mpg in some of these big trucks while carrying a load, especially diesel ones. i don't totally understand it but i hav found some examples like this giant van getting 26mpg - http://cheapgreenrvliving.com/Ambulance-Living.html <br><br>your idea of refurbishing an old slide-in camper is very good, especially a pop-up type. i'm guessing one in need of repair would be pretty darn cheap.<br><br>if any one has examples of someone running a small 4x4 truck with a camper and getting 20-25mpg, i'd love to hear about it. i know there were some old <i>Chevy S-10's</i> (edited) with diesels but they are heavily in demand, thus hard to find and more pricey.<br>

 

[Les H]

There is someone on here, Bri (Bk2valve) who has traveled extensively with a Mazda 4x4 pickup with a popup campershell on it. Unfortunatly, he just left on a trip through Mexico and only checks back every now and then. He has a blog, too, that you can check out. Some other sites well worth looking at are [email protected] and vandwellers construction ( building of rigs)
Good luck and glad to have you.
Les

 

[bantamcattle]

well i've been ruining myself for many days with so much internet learning but i think i've narrowed down my search to a full-size pickup with an 8 foot bed and diesel engine. mainly looking for manual transmissions and older mechanical diesels. 3.08 gear ratio would be nice.<br><br>in all my searching, i haven't found a magic vehicle (25mpg) for the room i want and 4x4. so i think with a diesel pickup i might be able to get 20ish mpg on the highway if i go slow and everywhere else i will just get fancy with the clutch and hope for the best.<br><br>i did find an f250 4x4 with the 7.3l idi in it and manual transmission, all with a little over 100k miles on it for 3000$. seems about what i'm looking for and thus will try and go see it tomoro.<br><br>

 

[Seraphim]

Deisel still has advantages, especially in an older vehicle. Mostly the engine will handle many more miles. With the diesel prices, there's not much of an offset in gas prices. Used diesels still carry a hefty price tag.<br><br>100K and $3000? What year is it?<br><br><br>

 

[bantamcattle]

<br>100K and $3000? What year is it?<br>

<br><br>1993<br><br>i believe it sat for 2 years and they've just got it up and running; replacing a fuel pump and some hoses.<br>

 

[Seraphim]

That's low mileage for a diesel. We looked at several that we're only about five years old. And the had that much on them. A lot of rubber components may be dried out, so expect some repairs in the near future, but that's with any vehicle that old. Sounds good.

 

[bantamcattle]

That's low mileage for a diesel. We looked at several that we're only about five years old. And the had that much on them. A lot of rubber components may be dried out, so expect some repairs in the near future, but that's with any vehicle that old. Sounds good.

<br><br>checked it out and i got the feeling that it had little to no maintenance done on it during its life span.owner even believed it had the original tires on it. seemed like a farm truck that was used to pull then parked and forgot about until the next time to pull the horses to market. don't have money enough to do18 years of catch up maintenance.<br>

 

[akrvbob]

The best diesel engine in a pickup (with the best mpg) is the Dodge Cummins. They are hard to find, but an early 90's should be in your price range and loaded light easily get into the 20's mpg on the road. The 6.9 and 7.3 Ford diesels are very good but don't get as good as mpg.<br><br>The Ford 300 in-line 6 is a truly outstanding gas engine. It should easily get into the 20 mpg range on the road. A F1504x4 might cut the mpg a little, depending on the gear ratio. For your purposes this is what I would look for. I'd try to get a manual 4 speed overdrive transmission. <br><br>Here is a link to my homebuilt camper<br>http://cheaprvliving.com/BuildYourOwnCamper.html<br>It had the 302 with auto. It was very heavy and the best I got with it was 13 mpg. I've since gotten rid of the camper and I am in a converted cargo trailer now. Bob<br><br>

 

[4x4tour]

Bob is right about the cummins being the most awesome of all diesels, BUT there is an issue that WILL break the engine, if not addressed. &nbsp;If the Engine is a 5.9L Series "53" block, there's an internal pressed-in dowel plug that starts to loosen up after 100k miles. &nbsp;If not addressed, it works its way loose and does one of two things:<div><br></div><div>1. Fall harmlessly passed the timing gears and into the bottom of the oil tank, or....</div><div><br></div><div>2. Falls into the timing gear and creates havoc to the gears and case.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>A simple fix is to drill a sideways hole in the pin/housing and drive an expansion pin in there.&nbsp;</div>

 

[johnny_canuck]

I drive a 2004 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab rear wheel drive. This year I drove through the worst roads of my life. Camping on Government Land. Washed out roads, boulders, you name it. I grew up when all we had was rear wheel drive. I know what 1st gear is for. Bought Firestone Destination LX AT tires. Never spun the tires once. I like the tires too because there is no hum on the highway. 3.7 litre engine. Many times I had to stop at the crest of a hill and get out because I could not see over the front of the hood. That was a little scary. Best back road trip of my life.&nbsp;

 

[bantamcattle]

The best diesel engine in a pickup (with the best mpg) is the Dodge Cummins. They are hard to find, but an early 90's should be in your price range and loaded light easily get into the 20's mpg on the road. The 6.9 and 7.3 Ford diesels are very good but don't get as good as mpg.<br><br>The Ford 300 in-line 6 is a truly outstanding gas engine. It should easily get into the 20 mpg range on the road. A F1504x4 might cut the mpg a little, depending on the gear ratio. For your purposes this is what I would look for. I'd try to get a manual 4 speed overdrive transmission. <br><br>Here is a link to my homebuilt camper<br>http://cheaprvliving.com/BuildYourOwnCamper.html<br>It had the 302 with auto. It was very heavy and the best I got with it was 13 mpg. I've since gotten rid of the camper and I am in a converted cargo trailer now. Bob<br>

<br>thankyou Bob, this is great stuff. i looked at a 1994 Ford F250 today with the 7.3l idi engine in it. i felt very good looking over this engine and seeing its simplicity. so the early diesels are at the top of my list. the 12v Cummins would be ideal but no luck yet. next best seem to be the Ford 6.9 &amp; the 7.3 idi's. i'm definitely open to GM's 6.2 and 6.5 but haven't come across them much yet and haven't heard too much about them.<br>i have definitely looked into the Ford 300 in-line 6 engines and think it would be a good back up if i find no diesel. it seems to get 20mpg with the 300 you have to have everything going right and try to keep it lightweight. while on one of these big diesels, i could add 500lbs to my load and maybe not notice a difference in efficiency.<br>thankyou for the link to your build a camper page. it was the first page i found on cheaprvliving and the photos and sentiment struck me right off as being in accord with what i was interested in.<br><br>

I drive a 2004 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab rear wheel drive. This year I drove through the worst roads of my life. Camping on Government Land. Washed out roads, boulders, you name it. I grew up when all we had was rear wheel drive. I know what 1st gear is for. Bought Firestone Destination LX AT tires. Never spun the tires once. I like the tires too because there is no hum on the highway. 3.7 litre engine. Many times I had to stop at the crest of a hill and get out because I could not see over the front of the hood. That was a little scary. Best back road trip of my life.<br>

<br>i like you line of thinking here Johnny, as it broadens my horizons. i don't have much experience with back road driving and 4x4's. i do know ages ago i took my friends rental compact car and drove it up the back way to Leadville CO on a jeep trail and we did a lot of getting out and lining it up and made it fine with no clearance and such. i will try and keep my mind open to two wheel drive.<br><br>i know that thus far its looking like 3000$ is scraping pretty tight to get a 4x4 diesel. i had planned to purchase a shell (cap) with this money too but that may be out the window. luckily i'm not pushing off until spring and have time to keep looking. if i get close to the deadline i can switch to looking for cheaper smaller alternatives and still be happy. also i have found that people are willing to come down in price quite a bit. i've found some nice pickups around 4500$ and emailed asking my questions and letting them know i only have 3k$ and for them to tuck my email away if they should have any trouble selling it. ( i should note that i don't do this as i ploy. i try to be open an honest while shopping in a somewhat limited pool) both times the sellers lowered their asking price. one by 1000$, the other by 1500$, which i think is significant and opens up my options a little bit.<br><br>at this point i believe my wish list is an early mechanical diesel engine with a 4x4 drive train that has an 8 foot bed. well maintained is of the utmost importance as i will be spending most of my savings and not have much for repairs right away. an extended cab of some sort would be great and if it already had a shell then awesome. i feel good having my search narrowed down a bit but as always i like new ideas.<br>thanks again for all the input.<br>

 

[akrvbob]

It occured to me you might be happy with a Chev Suburban or Ford Expedition with a diesel. It solves one of the worst disadvantages of a camper that you have to get out and walk around to get to the drivers seat. That really hurts both stealth and safety.&nbsp; Just a thought. Bob<br><br>

 

[bantamcattle]

It occured to me you might be happy with a Chev Suburban or Ford Expedition with a diesel. It solves one of the worst disadvantages of a camper that you have to get out and walk around to get to the drivers seat. That really hurts both stealth and safety.&nbsp; Just a thought. Bob<br><br>

<br><br>diesel Suburbans are definitely on my list, i just haven't had a chance to go look at one yet. i'd like to measure the interior height and sit in one to see if i'd be comfortable sitting up right and working on things. i'm guessing that after the rear seat is remove the footwell area could be set up as a nice seating area. so often i wished that front passenger seats in vehicles would swivel completely around or easily unclipped to be removed, as that could make nice seating for facing a table or desk set up.<br><br>i've completely overlooked the ford Excursions and Expeditions as none have shown up on my craigslist 'diesel' searches. it looks like the excursions got a diesel engine (powerstroke) in 2000 but there was something called a Ford Bronco Centurion that was a custom heavy duty truck converted into an suv in the 80's and early 90's. these would be great to find.<br><br>i had hoped to find a pickup with an openable rear window to go between the cab and rear but not too many do that anymore. it is something i will have to deal with when in cities. if it became a major issue, i believe i could replace a rear window and make it work. definitely worth thinking about.thankyou.

 

[bantamcattle]

so i went and looked at a 1985 Chevy Suburban (sub urban) with the 6.2L Detroit Diesel and 4spd automatic with overdrive. its as ugly as it gets but the underside was very nice, even had skid plates on fuel tank and transfer case, which i really liked. the engine looked good and started up fine, it has 130k miles on it. the only leak seemed to be coming from a rubber line on the steering system (hydraulic return line that goes up to something behind the master cylinder).<br><br>the really great find was that the back bench seat is sectioned at the 2/3 point, meaning 2/3 of the back seat can fold up (or be removed) leaving a perfect 1/3 seat that you can sit sideways on and put up a little table where the other section of bench seat would be, thus a perfect spot to sit up right and type or whatever. the entire rear seat area is 8inches lower than the bed area. seeing this Sub Urban really makes me see the advantages of an SUV set up over a pickup, its just alot more convenient merging the cab with the rear.<br><br>the most troubling aspect was the white smoke while driving. it blew white at start up but went away, then while driving i noticed it again for a little bit. it has dual exhaust all the way back and i could not see if both sides were affected and i did not get a chance to see if the smoke smelled sweet indicating coolant in the cylinders (this i learned later from internet). it could be many things since it seems to have sat for awhile. it got up to speed fine and did not stutter, it had a steady idle and acceleration. its a big beast to drive but fine enough. i'm so foreign to diesels that i'm taking it to a local mechanic tomoro morning. the transmission seemed smooth as i never noticed shifts. i didn't get to test the 4x4, so hopefully the mechanic can do that. my only other resounding concern is the 5 power windows (big back window included). they all work now but who knows for how much longer but i think i can deal with this (maybe there is a way to convert them to manual if one breaks, who knows). i'm pretty sure most of the suspension is ready to be replaced as it looked original. driving it there were no immediate concerns with the suspension so maybe i can slowly replace shocks and mounts and such.<br><br>i'm hoping the mechanic can determine the state of the engine, transmission and injectors, though i'm not sure how much he can really tell with out opening up the block but if those things are in order, i think it could be a decent rig for me. the asking price is 2000$, so i could have some money left over for current or future repairs (agin, i really like this aspect).<br><br>immediately on the phone with the mechanic he suggested i look for a different motor, something like a 350 that is more common. he stated that the diesel parts are becoming harder to find and that repairs can be more expensive (glow plugs are pricey and injectors can be very expensive to replace). i thot he had a good point but i mentioned the importance of efficiency to him and that i thot if i found a solid diesel now that with proper maintenance i could avoid most repairs for quite awhile. hearing that he agreed that this was a very good engine for efficiency and he agreed to look it over for me. i appreciate his devils advocate approach and also giving me specific alternatives and potential problems. should be a good conversation tomoro. if he says this sub urban is no good, i may worry that i've found a make of vehicle that fits my needs but thus narrowed down my choices (mechanical sub urban diesel) in the used market that i may never find the right one. should be exciting, i got until spring!<br><br><br>

 

[jeremy33]

just my .02 but knowing alot of people with diesel trucks there not worth the money when it comes time to fix anything on them super expensive. i also have a friend that owns a 2000 chev astro van all wheel drive he put a 2in body lift on it and a set of 31in tires and it dose just aswell as my jeep on 4x4 trails. i was going to go this route but i need a little more room the the astro has. but for offroad it dose just fine if you use your head about it. <br><br>jeremy33<br><br>

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">A lot of mechanics know Chevy 350's, but don't know beans about diesels. Diesels that receive good maintenance can last for 300,000 miles and more without major problems. </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">That said, any vehicle is a crap shoot, even the new ones (hence the Lemon laws). If lower cost maintenance is your goal, a standard Chevy 350 V8 is a very common engine, so replacements are comparatively cheap and many shops are very familiar with them.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I'd just get the best vehicle I could find in my price range that meets most of my requirements, and realize&nbsp;you will require maintenance and repairs sometime.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">If you choose to live in your vehicle, you also have to be prepared to be without a home at times, so decide now what your alternatives are.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob (aka stude53)</p>