Going Postal or "How not to buy a Sportsmobile"

[Ozrockrat]

OK short story. Found a Sportsmobile on the internet, no price no photos old but it had a poptop. Hmmm I need a poptop/penthouse I wonder what he wants for it????

A phone call later and the price is fair! OK now would it make the trip back?? And does the AC work. So a few more questions to the nice 80 year old gentleman who owns it and a deal is done.

General idea of condition from the owner: AC works, engine & tranny fine, tires are shot and yes he would jump in it drive it to Arizona

A couple of one way flights are booked. A stack of excess luggage (thankfully my continuous work travel means I get all my luggage free) for tools and camping gear and we land in Fort Myers.

MissusRockrat: It does have AC???
Ozrockrat: Yep asked several times (sound familiar)Previous Van Purchase
MissusRockrat: Are you sure?? After last time! If it doesn't work I'll cut your testicles off with a blunt hacksaw!!!!!
Ozrockrat:Sure it works!!

OK now a note to myself. Sometimes people who are 80 might have better long term memory than short term memory. This is otherwise known as "The older we get the better we were". Or to translate into vehicle buying "I remember it like it was not like it is now!!"

So what do we find!

1. Tires "got another 8 thousand miles left on them but they are old" translates to "Balder than a baboons butt"
2. Suspension OK translates to "Rocks worse than a teenagers car at the drive-in theater as you get over 65 mph"
3. Fridge works great translates to "It used to when I could remember how to turn it on"
4. No problems with the engine translates to "Runs on all 6 cylinders when under load (not too bad for a V8)"

Even so the guy did not try to mislead us at all and was truly a gentleman. An oil change later plus a couple of tires and we are off down the road.

MissusRockrat:Man its steamy down here!
MissusRockrat:Turn that AC on.
MissusRockrat: Mile 20: Ah this AC works well!
MissusRockrat: Mile 50: Can you turn that AC down a bit?
MissusRockrat: Mile 75: I gotta remember to bring a jacket up front!

Quick trip up to Orlando to give it a bit of a shakedown and visit friends. Buy a tuneup kit to carry with me and we are off.

MissusRockrat: Isn't Daytona Beach to the east.
Ozrockrat: Ah I though we might turn this into a Coast to Coast.
MissusRockrat: Are you NUTTS???
MissusRockrat: Ah what the heck! Lets go for it.

 

[ujoint]

Sounds like an adventure for sure! I look forward to pics/updates.

 

[Off Duty]

Subscribed:coffeedrink:

Happy 4th of July and enjoy the road trip

 

[Trail Monkey]

Very cool...!

 

[Scott Brady]

Great trip report- more please

 

[1speed]

I would have been happy to check that out for you before you came all the way down here. But then again it wouldn't be an adventure if you knew what you were getting into! :elkgrin:

Safe travels, next time stop and say :wavey:

 

[Riptide]

Oz, I gotta say, when I scrolled down and saw the picture, you gave me a start...

You look EXACTLY like my dad, down to the duds! Especially since he would do something just as wacky!

Enjoy the trip home!! Judging by the map on the side, that baby looks well-travelled...

Pat

 

[greg mgm]

I just did an adventure like this except I towed the new vehicle home.
Your story is very entertaining....but we need more pics!
Thanks for sharing your adventure!

 

[rctr03]

congrats on the purchase!

jimmy

 

[Ozrockrat]

Self promoting post to highlight this van.

OK this is a blatant bit of promotion because the van is for sale

Van made it across the country. Only a couple of small issues.

Shocks were buggered. Replaced on the road with whatever the local auto parts had in stock.

Continued to have engine miss issues. Generally under load it would hesitate. Changed all the tuneup bits and some improvement. Eventually changed nearly everything including distributor, MAP sensor, Plugs, Rotor Cap, Rotor Button, Leads, Ignition Control Module. Fixed now, just purrs along.

Fridge had a blown oscillator, replaced with a good 2nd hand one.

Tires were totally had it. Threw a couple of 2nd hand ones on to get it home. Replaced them with the ones from my 4wd van (good excuse to put Toyos on the 4wd).

It was losing coolant, small pinhole in radiator. Replaced the radiator, hoses and thermostat.

Got the transmission flushed and serviced (who knows when it was done last)

Brakes done.

An it has now served faithfully for the last 8 months. But HOA is saying I cannot keep it at the house so hopefully we will get to take it to Expo next weekend (If it has not sold before then).

Somewhere in the Hill Country Texas.

The Oasis in Austin. One of my old stomping grounds.

Checking out the beaches in the West Florida before the oil gets them.

 

[T.Low]

Thats quite a drive, alright. My buddy talked me into deliveriing my racing kayak to him in Michigan and I live in Washington state, in Whatcom County, the northwestern most county in the lower 48. A few invitations later and all of the sudden I was in Key West, Florida, as far away as you can get from Bellingham, Wa. and still be in the U.S.! Wow!

The map on the side of the van combined with the bright blue and bright red stripes really do scream "RV" regardl;ess of what body style they're on. Maybe take the map off the side of the SMB, turn the multi colored set of stripes into one larger ghost gray stripe shadowed by one smaller stripe, and tell the HOA to kiss my ***. You can have HVAC trucks parked in the neighborhood but not a Sportsmobile? RV or not, it's ridiculous.

I've been blessed with the best neighbors in the world. One 77 yr old lady asked me if I was the one on the black and red motorcycle riding a wheelie up the hill we live on, and when I apologized she said, "Oh, I don't care about that, I just want to know if I have to wave or not".:bike_rider:

 

[cowboy4x4]

My thoughts are the same for HOA's they can all kiss my ********. I live in one as well and I'm moving out to AZ. in four weeks and this state and all its lame ******** rule's. I would def. get rid of the map on the side, I'm not fond of the those blue and red stripes but thats just me. there is no way they can say you cant keep that on your property as long as its not registered as an RV. If it is then you would be screwed. If not show them the registration and say bite me!!!! God HOA's get my blood boiling ...rant over sorry.