Best S/Hand Motor Caravan (professional conversion) for wilding?

[bumperman]

I'm still researching & looking for the best van for the two of us.

The cheapjack in me is considering perhaps an old Talbot Express 90-94 high top,
while the flash side of me likes the look of a Duetto 94-99.

Presumably for wilding window blinds are better than curtains for a complete black-out?

Is it possible to have a decent 6ft long bed in a Talbot Express high top?

Any thoughts?

thanks
bumperman

 

[kimbowbill]

I'm still researching & looking for the best van for the two of us.

The cheapjack in me is considering perhaps an old Talbot Express 90-94 high top,
while the flash side of me likes the look of a Duetto 94-99.

Presumably for wilding window blinds are better than curtains for a complete black-out?

Is it possible to have a decent 6ft long bed in a Talbot Express high top?

Any thoughts?

thanks
bumperman

Hi bumperman

try this link

Talbot EXPRESS Campervan/Motorhome Owners Club & Forum (Peugeot J5, Citroen C25 & Fiat Ducato models) • Portal

there is lots of self builds, advice etc on this forum, may help you make the decision

Jen

 

[iwm]

I had a Talbot Express High Top and I seem to remember that most of the beds were a squeeze - I am 5ft11.

I now have a Autosleeper Symphony and if the beds are used as singles the bed on the same side as the cooker etc is OK as my feet extend to the side of the cooker. See below

Hope you find your ideal van.

Best Wishes

IanM

 

[Dezi]

Hi, As always it comes down to the pennies & the difficulty in parting with them.

My opinion is that the best motorhome for wilding,long term away from the madding crowds etc is the Murvi Morello by a long way, buuut they aint cheap.

years ago we had an Elddis Autoquest 270. Ideal for two, small,built like a tank & plenty of internal space.

Dezi

 

[Firefox]

Only you can decide what exact look and layout you want.

And when getting something that old, condition is likely to be more of a factor than anything else.

Get your ideal van first... you can always worry about extra batteries, low wattage fittings, or solar panels for wilding later.

 

[Byronic]

Choosing the best van is of course a very subjective question. I've had the same Mercedes 709d for 17 years, and although I could afford a new van I just can't find enough compelling reasons to change.
The 709d is spacious (compared to Sevel/Transit vans) and you can't have enough space long term wilding in the winter months, even in the Med. regions.
The engine is simple, can be repaired by a mechanic rather than a technician. No cambelt, gear driven. Easy and cheap to maintain.
Twin rear wheel drive. High ground clearance, I've often seen low clearance vans giving wild camp spots a miss for lack of ground clearance.
Over 2.3 tonnes payload, which means it always has a large safety margin, personally I consider running @ GVW is something to be avoided.
There are cons of course,most notably it could do with more power or possibly higher gearing so as to keep in front of HGVs. However keeping the speed down where possible means I average 28mpg, not bad I reckon.

 

[MartianTom]

I was looking at a Talbot Express or Swift Autosleeper, or some similar kind of van conversion, but was eventually put off by the sleeping arrangements. Although there's only me, I'm 6' 5" - and whilst I generally sleep in the foetal position, I do occasionally like to stretch out!

I looked at a few coach-built models, but they were all far too big.

And then I found the one I finally bought: a Fiat Ci Sirio 1.9 TD coach-built, 1995, mint condition, one previous owner, low miles... £12000 from a dealer. It's only 16 feet long, so it's actually shorter than many vans. Still, it's got the usuals: shower, toilet, fridge, hob... and an over-the-cab bed that's as big as my king-size indoors! There are blinds as well as curtains for all interior windows, and black-out panels for the cab windows. It's perfect for me, but is roomy enough for 2. It's 4-berth, and the other bed - which is folded together from the on-board sofas - is also big enough for me. It gives me 35 mpg at a steady 60, so all around I'm chuffed to bits. It's perfect for wilding, too - which is mainly what I got it for.

How about something like that, which'll be a good combination of convenient size with coach-built comfort and fuel economy? Do a search on Google images and mine's the one that comes up! I think there are also quite a few for sale around the country.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Deleted member 207]

Westfalia make a nice conversion based on the Mercedes T1 through to the latest Sprinter - various internal layouts were available in the T1s and T1Ns, later version no choices in layout. 4 berth, shower, toilet, hot water, diesel heater, gas tank uses autogas, fridge, 2 burner hob, insulated, blackout blinds and mosquito nets on double glazed windows. High roof about 8' inside clearance. Lower bed is typical rock n roll, upper bed is roll out. Later models had air con, earlier models just fresh air. 100 litre fresh water tank, 80 litre grey water tank.

T1 have a simple engine, later models get progressively more complex and exxy to service as electronics took over.

Merc have worldwide parts and service backup - buy it in the UK and you'll still get parts in the middle of Russia or Africa.

The high roof was fitted on the Merc assembly line, rather than being cutoff and a new roof stuck on by the converter.

Downsides - rust in wings and sills in T1s, parts prices for T1N onwards.