Help With Finding Ideal Vehicle

[Cummins_expo]

IT is all doable except for the MPG deal breaker you mentioned. Off the top of my head I cannot think of anything returning that kind of mileage. I'd love to be wrong.

Google Scotty Serro Hilander Class C Rv
Can be had with 12v Cummins
4x4
22-27 feet long ours is 24
full shower tub ( dry bath)

We get 15-17 mpg no problem 12-13 towing our jeep

 

[sertguy]

2005 Dodge Ram, one ton, 5.9 diesel, SB, SWR, 6spd manual, with 2005 Outfitter pop up about 2400 pound wet. Right around 35k with 16 MPG and 4wd> Inside bath and shower with 45 gallon fresh water. Miles and miles of off road with no issues. Love it.

 

[redsoxfan1001]

I think your best bet is with something like a Tacoma with a truck camper. There's some decently priced campers with bathroom and shower available. Personally, I'm saving for a 4wd Tacoma (+mods) with a Travel Lite camper to go to South America and Asia. You can definitely have the set up im talking about well below 35k. Probably the best of what youre gonna get out of what you want.

Cargo expected for me is 2 people and two dogs. You can do it.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Sportsmobile van would meet all needs

 

[Yotav8]

My 2 cents:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5900922223.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5912692953.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/5908775846.html

 

[rruff]

0) Has to be $35k or less. We aren't rich.
1) Has to have a place to install a car seat. We have an infant, and we don't *plan* to sell her before we leave, so the ideal vehicle will have a back seat with either a seatbelt or some other way to anchor the car seat for her.
2) Has to have a shower inside. It's important to my wife that we be able to rinse off ourselves and the baby easily, no matter where we are. (Maybe I smell bad. Who knows?)
3) Has to have a toilet. It could be a portipotty, but it's important (to both of us) that we be able to do our business when and where we need to.

-We don't have an exact size in mind, which may not be very helpful. The best I can really say is, bigger than a Westy but smaller than a Class C RV. Something navigable. I think our ideal size is like a Sprinter or a large conversion van.
-Terrain-wise, I'd say 80% of the time we'll just be on regular paved roads. We will be doing a lot of camping, but nothing too rough, at least in the beginning.
-Fuel economy I would prefer be around 20-25 mpg, although I don't know how realistic that is. I'd say anything below 15-17 mpg might be a deal-breaker.
-Seasons of use would be all seasons. We're going to be full-timing for a while. We aren't planning on any excursions above the arctic circle or anything, but we would like to spend some time up north. However, we're prepared to make some sacrifices obviously. We aren't expecting perfection with our first go.

Used smaller motorhomes in very good condition can be had easily for <$35k. Or a truck with a slide in camper. Many choices.

You are not going to get 20-25 mpg with anything you want to live in, and 15-17 would require a diesel. 15-17 is pretty typical of a loaded Sprinter. If you get a diesel I'd advise an older one before they made the emissions really strict ~2006 or older. In the grand scheme of things fuel costs will not be large compared to maintenance, insurance, depreciation, site rent, etc. If you drive 15k miles per year, then gas at $2.20/gal will be $2750 at 12mpg and $2200 at 15mpg. If you are cutting it so close that $550 breaks you, then I think you have other important issues. Note that diesel fuel costs more! Around here it's ~25% more than gas, so there goes your savings.

You can put a car seat in the middle of bench seats on trucks.

Washing and showering facilities and portapottis can be added to any rig. Most RVs and truck campers will already have them.

 

[KittensOnTheRoad]

2005 Dodge Ram, one ton, 5.9 diesel, SB, SWR, 6spd manual, with 2005 Outfitter pop up about 2400 pound wet. Right around 35k with 16 MPG and 4wd> Inside bath and shower with 45 gallon fresh water. Miles and miles of off road with no issues. Love it.

That sounds amazing! (The picture doesn't show up for some reason, though.)

 

[ABCanuck]

Couldn't agree more with gbail. Even in Canada, where fuel is much more expensive, purchase price and maintenance of a vehicle can far outweigh the cost of fuel. If it's personal conviction about emissions, ok dokey, but cost, no comparison


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[Betty Ford]

Given the budget and fuel economy requirements maybe a 2wd diesel pickup with slide in camper would be a better choice? 2wd would drastically reduce purchase price and a crewcab would provide required seating. There are lots of used slide in campers out there.

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That's what I was going to recommend too. My wife and I bought a Ford F350 4WD diesel pickup and truck camper and have been full timing in it for almost 3 years. Pickups come with 4WD from the factory and are common, tough as nails, and much cheaper than conversion vans. And conversion vans are just over 6' wide while our camper is almost 8' wide. Believe me, that extra 2' of width makes a lot of difference. And if you don't like the truck...sell it and get another and if you don't like the camper...sell it and buy another. Get rid of the one that causes you the most grief. We get 14 mpg and make up for the mileage by making our own solar power (no electrical bill), getting almost a month on our 2 propane tanks ($25 utility bill) and boondocking most of the time so we're not paying for campsites.

 

[rruff]

We get 14 mpg and make up for the mileage by making our own solar power (no electrical bill), getting almost a month on our 2 propane tanks ($25 utility bill) and boondocking most of the time so we're not paying for campsites.

14 mpg is very good for a house! Also, no need to do a lot of driving. And boondocking in the western US is ridiculously easy. You can park for free, and have pleasant weather all year, moving with the seasons.

Regarding the comment above that 2wd drastically reduces price, 4wd was about a ~$2k upgrade when I bought mine, and EPA mpg ratings were the same.

There is a lot to recommend a truck plus slide in camper, but you will have some compromises if you wish to really get out in the boonies. Width is a negative then. Campers are heavy and usually not built to take a lot of pounding. But if you aren't hard core about taking the camper offroad, and especially if you are planning to use it a small portion of the year (take camper off when home), it's the ideal way to go.

 

[ABCanuck]

What about this?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/vancouver/1994-mercedes-benz-mb-100d-westfalia-style/1231255674


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