At the risk of being shunned.... I've got this idea I just can't shake, about a plain, old US Isuzu NPR 2WD "retirement vehicle" that The Little Woman & I can put together to see the US in a few years once we have the time. We're getting REAL tired of dealing with the snow, so the plan is to summer here in northwestern PA, or other temperate regions, & spend the winters further south, living full time out of the camper. As such, I've talked myself out of 4WD. We've always had it (or VW's) - almost a necessity here in the snowbelt. Would love to have it for this new buggy, but we'll have a tight budget, & no matter how you do it, 4WD is a lot of money we'd rather put to camper amenities. That's how I've come to look at the Isuzu NPR.
Here's our general outline:
Wide range of overnighting options, from campgrounds, to parking lots, to off-grid boondocking, to the occasional motel. On-board solar, toilet, & shower.
We won't be in a hurry - if there's somewhere we need to be, we'll plan ahead to have the time to get there.
We'll have a budget line-item for maintenance & repairs, but it won't be obscene. If we can run $300 tires vs $800, & $45 filters vs $100, we'll be a lot happier.
We plan to stay in North America, with no special accommodations for fuel quality or availability.
Most of our travelling will be secondary roads, with some interstates as required, maybe 20%, if I had to pick a number. And, again, we won't be in a hurry.
- Any off-highway excursions will be mild & relatively short - won't be shooting a bowl at Glamis or running the slickrock at Moab. Forest Service roads, BLM gravel, etc.
- I've run the NPR, hauling a skid-steer for a snow removal outfit, & had one for a [rural] Schwan's home-delivery route, including winters, so I have some idea of their capabilities & how to stay within them.
We're keeping our options open at this point for accommodations - what we will end up with to live in will depend on what we find to start with. Right now I'm thinking either box truck conversion or building a composite camper box. I have some experience with panel construction, so that may help if we are able to go that way, to save both weight & cost. As for design, I've done nothing but, so far, so I've got about every variation covered, depending on what base truck/ wheelbase/ options we find. I've got working layouts sketched from 14 ft. to 20 ft. Looking for a good balance of compact maneuverability & roomy comfort. I've downloaded the body builder's guide for the '05 NPR/ W3500 - https://www.gmupfitter.com/files/media/photo/209/2006_MD_LowCabForwardW.pdf - but there's so much info there, that's going to take some time to sift thru....
So, at last, to our question. Feasible project, or Walter Mitty dream? For those with more experience with the Isuzu's in an expedition application - if it were you, which options would you be looking for? What vintage? Gas/ diesel? Auto/ stick? Or "why don't we just buy a '92 Winnebago & call it good?" (I've seen the dirty little secrets under the skins of those things....)
Thanks in advance for any help & advice. And if the advice is that it's not worth the effort, so be it. That's why I'm here, to get answers to our questions. And there will be plenty more questions, depending on how this goes.
Randy & Lois
Here's our general outline:
Wide range of overnighting options, from campgrounds, to parking lots, to off-grid boondocking, to the occasional motel. On-board solar, toilet, & shower.
We won't be in a hurry - if there's somewhere we need to be, we'll plan ahead to have the time to get there.
We'll have a budget line-item for maintenance & repairs, but it won't be obscene. If we can run $300 tires vs $800, & $45 filters vs $100, we'll be a lot happier.
We plan to stay in North America, with no special accommodations for fuel quality or availability.
Most of our travelling will be secondary roads, with some interstates as required, maybe 20%, if I had to pick a number. And, again, we won't be in a hurry.
- Any off-highway excursions will be mild & relatively short - won't be shooting a bowl at Glamis or running the slickrock at Moab. Forest Service roads, BLM gravel, etc.
- I've run the NPR, hauling a skid-steer for a snow removal outfit, & had one for a [rural] Schwan's home-delivery route, including winters, so I have some idea of their capabilities & how to stay within them.
We're keeping our options open at this point for accommodations - what we will end up with to live in will depend on what we find to start with. Right now I'm thinking either box truck conversion or building a composite camper box. I have some experience with panel construction, so that may help if we are able to go that way, to save both weight & cost. As for design, I've done nothing but, so far, so I've got about every variation covered, depending on what base truck/ wheelbase/ options we find. I've got working layouts sketched from 14 ft. to 20 ft. Looking for a good balance of compact maneuverability & roomy comfort. I've downloaded the body builder's guide for the '05 NPR/ W3500 - https://www.gmupfitter.com/files/media/photo/209/2006_MD_LowCabForwardW.pdf - but there's so much info there, that's going to take some time to sift thru....
So, at last, to our question. Feasible project, or Walter Mitty dream? For those with more experience with the Isuzu's in an expedition application - if it were you, which options would you be looking for? What vintage? Gas/ diesel? Auto/ stick? Or "why don't we just buy a '92 Winnebago & call it good?" (I've seen the dirty little secrets under the skins of those things....)
Thanks in advance for any help & advice. And if the advice is that it's not worth the effort, so be it. That's why I'm here, to get answers to our questions. And there will be plenty more questions, depending on how this goes.
Randy & Lois
