mjltigger
Free Member
as suggested by @wizzer59
so we have had our van since I think about June. We started in April 2012 with a coach built that we kept for a few months, hardly ever used and then sold on for a small loss.
In April 2014 we decided to have another go and started hunting. We arranged finance and had the money in the bank but couldn't find the right spec, layout or condition.
In the end we bought our panel van conversion (hereafter known as the rusty old tranny or just 'the van'
It was a private conversion 2 owners ago. The last owners used it for commuting as well as weekends away, short distances (I think) from Cornwall.
AS soon as we bought it we started getting issues. It is still a panel van on the V5. The last owners (and I assume the owners before that) insured it as a panel van.
I hate insurance but if I am going to pay for insurance I want to be able to claim so I approached van insirers and declared modifications to convert to a campervan and I approached MH insurers and declared it was still registered as a panel van .
In the end I got insurance at a much higher price that I expected and I think for a fairly poor product but there it is I have the cover. It is insured as a motor caravan and I had to have an engineers report prepared to show that it internally met all the DVLA requirements fo such. I cannot make a claim until I have got DVLA to approve the change of body type but of course I have statutory cover in the meantime.
I now need to work on getting it sorted for DVLA change of classification. The problem is, the offside of the vehicle has had only 1 modification (water heater balanced flue) and the rear doors are windowless and unmodified. I am very concerned DVLA will reject my request to re-classify the van.
Additionally, the water heater only works on mains electric, there is significant missing trim round the cab area (as it is a home made job and so the old van trim hasn't been replaced when it was done) and the electrics are a maze which really I would like to re-do. I don't have a current gas safety certificate and the fridge goes out on gas whenever parked anywhere that isn't totally flat. There is no heating other than small portable gas fire.
All that being said, we love the van and have used it more than we even thought we would. We have had some fab experiences using it as a base and find the layout and size exactly perfect for us.
The van engine seems to be in better than good nick (pulled us nicely into Germany, luxembourge and France early December) but the bodywork is not the best. Plenty work to be done.
So April comes around pretty soon and I am starting to allocate funds for next year and wonder what your views are.
Option 1:Give this one up as a bad lot, sell it on to another couple as a great starter van and upgrade to a newer van with a similar layout with some of next years money
Option 2:Give this van the love and attention it needs to make it look as good outside as it feels inside, spend the weekend after weekend of crawling around tight spaces with screwdrivers in my mouth it will take to get the wiring sorted, fit a shower and some heating and then get a gas certificate
Option 3:Run this one as it is until it dies then get another one like it to keep up the FUN on a tiny budget.
View media item 14102View media item 14103View media item 14104
so we have had our van since I think about June. We started in April 2012 with a coach built that we kept for a few months, hardly ever used and then sold on for a small loss.
In April 2014 we decided to have another go and started hunting. We arranged finance and had the money in the bank but couldn't find the right spec, layout or condition.
In the end we bought our panel van conversion (hereafter known as the rusty old tranny or just 'the van'
It was a private conversion 2 owners ago. The last owners used it for commuting as well as weekends away, short distances (I think) from Cornwall.
AS soon as we bought it we started getting issues. It is still a panel van on the V5. The last owners (and I assume the owners before that) insured it as a panel van.
I hate insurance but if I am going to pay for insurance I want to be able to claim so I approached van insirers and declared modifications to convert to a campervan and I approached MH insurers and declared it was still registered as a panel van .
In the end I got insurance at a much higher price that I expected and I think for a fairly poor product but there it is I have the cover. It is insured as a motor caravan and I had to have an engineers report prepared to show that it internally met all the DVLA requirements fo such. I cannot make a claim until I have got DVLA to approve the change of body type but of course I have statutory cover in the meantime.
I now need to work on getting it sorted for DVLA change of classification. The problem is, the offside of the vehicle has had only 1 modification (water heater balanced flue) and the rear doors are windowless and unmodified. I am very concerned DVLA will reject my request to re-classify the van.
Additionally, the water heater only works on mains electric, there is significant missing trim round the cab area (as it is a home made job and so the old van trim hasn't been replaced when it was done) and the electrics are a maze which really I would like to re-do. I don't have a current gas safety certificate and the fridge goes out on gas whenever parked anywhere that isn't totally flat. There is no heating other than small portable gas fire.
All that being said, we love the van and have used it more than we even thought we would. We have had some fab experiences using it as a base and find the layout and size exactly perfect for us.
The van engine seems to be in better than good nick (pulled us nicely into Germany, luxembourge and France early December) but the bodywork is not the best. Plenty work to be done.
So April comes around pretty soon and I am starting to allocate funds for next year and wonder what your views are.
Option 1:Give this one up as a bad lot, sell it on to another couple as a great starter van and upgrade to a newer van with a similar layout with some of next years money
Option 2:Give this van the love and attention it needs to make it look as good outside as it feels inside, spend the weekend after weekend of crawling around tight spaces with screwdrivers in my mouth it will take to get the wiring sorted, fit a shower and some heating and then get a gas certificate
Option 3:Run this one as it is until it dies then get another one like it to keep up the FUN on a tiny budget.
View media item 14102View media item 14103View media item 14104