Not a replacement, not an upgrade, just a new van...

[tribri1]

As you may or may not remember my 2003 Astro pop top took an unhappy roll down a hill in eastern Oregon back in May. Ever since I have been either bitter or sad every time I see a sweet Astro drive by.

I have been searching the ads for a replacement vehicle, mostly looking for a 2000 to 2007 AWD Express that I could convert to a camper van. Figuring it was the next logical step to jump up to the Astro's big brother. Last Tuesday on my normal morning search, I was blindsided:

2000 Ford Camper Conversion Van - 1 Owner
Make: Ford
Model: Conversion
Exterior Color: White
Interior Color: Tan
Trans: Automatic

V-8, Power Windows, Power Locks, Air Conditioning, CD Player, Microwave, Sink, Stove, Rear A/C, Refrigerator, Lift Top! This is the Ideal Camper Van & It's Like New!

This is a Steal at $9750 - Trade Ins Welcome!

I've had lots of vans, Dodge, a few Chevy's, VW, etc but never a Ford and to be honest I have always stayed away from Fords. This ad kept drawing me back though and the van was only 150 miles from home. Much better than driving half way across the country. I hemmed and hawed and finaly decided to take a half day off work to check it out.

The shop selling the van really had no idea what they had. The basics are all listed, but check it out... (btw it is now sitting in my driveway so you know the outcome.)

[mdmead]

Congrats on the new purchase!

But now you'll need a 4x4 conversion...

[tribri1]

Don't think we have not talked about it. Quadvan is here in Portland... For now I'm going to enjoy my surf trip this weekend on the southern Oregon coast with a shower to rinse off in and a warm bed to sleep in.

[T.Low]

Too sweet! I may have missed it if you said so, but you do realize it's a GTRV. Nice score.

Here is a link to UJoint 4x4 DIY conversions.

http://www.ujointoffroad.com/

Chris at UJoint is the most helpful guy on ExpeditionProtal.com.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/f ... amper-Vans


I'd be curious to hear your initial comparisons and experiences of going from the midsize of the Astro to the fullsize of the E series.

If your van said Sportsmobile on it, it would have gone for $29k or something.

[H2OJoe]

Sweet ride! Like previously said - let us know what you think of the space upgrade. It looks like a great weekend
to be at the OR coast.

[tribri1]

Too sweet! I may have missed it if you said so, but you do realize it's a GTRV. Nice score.
If your van said Sportsmobile on it, it would have gone for $29k or something.

I noticed it was GTRV immediately. My first email was to my lady. My second was to Mike at GTRV, his response was to let him know if I don't buy it because he was interested... I told the dealer (which outside of the obvious stuff, had no clue what they were selling) that meantioning Sportmobile in the ad alone they could have sold it for $5k to $10k more.

The first trip went great. We spent two nights camping on a friend's land just outside of Coos Bay, Or. After this trip I have a laundry list of short term and long term fixes. Here is a breakdown of comparisons:

Driving: I consider the Astro the perfect size. I could get in and out of parking stalls just fine, had a good view around and few blindspots. Moving up to the full size feels like I am in an RV. Now keep in mind I have driven many 12 and 15 passenger vans for work. For some reason this still feels bigger. I keep thinking that I won't fit in the parking stalls, but I do. The turning radius is fair. Being that this is a cargo van converted into a camper, I was amazed at how quite and cushy everything felt. The Astro drove more like a truck.

Extra space "up top": If you look at my thread, viewtopic.php?f=38&t=7444, you can see the benefits and drawbacks of the GTRV astro poptop. The full size poptop is much roomier. When I moved around my head never touched the ceiling (I'm 5'10") and the bed was easy to get in and out of even with too people. It did not have the backpacker tent feeling.

Downstairs sleeping: I can't compare this to the Astro since I was still working on the downstairs bed when the van was wrecked, but I do have an idea on scale. The bed was going to be 76" long and 54" wide. (the width of the stock rear seat) When in the bed position there was about 16" between the edge of the bed and the rear of the front seats. Basically enough room to put your feet, stand up do the normal get ready for bed stuff. The full size van bed is 60" wide 80" long and when it is in the bed configuration you can still access the fridge. There is about 40" between the edge of the bed and the rear of the front seats. I think the Astro has plenty of space, but the full size is just luxurious.

Seating: The van currently has a swivel passenger seat. to turn it around takes a seat contortionist including opening the passenger door and you can't just sit on the seat and spin around. It felt very similar to Herbie's experience with his front seat. Once you get the seat turned around however it is makes the van feel so much bigger. I would recommend adding a swivel seat as your very first step in converting your Astro to a camper van.

The Amenities: I am typically a minimalist when it comes to camper stuff in the van. I carry a kitchen box and roll table. When I get to camp I pull it out and setup camp near the van. That being said all the extra amenities feel like staying in a four star hotel.
- Fridge: Ran off the two house batteries for 2 days without ever starting the van to recharge. Kept our beer, soda and champagne (yes we are roughing it) at a wonderfully crisp temperature. It was quite and really nice to walk in an grab a cold drink.
- Sink with electric water pump and holding tank: The sink is small and it would be hard to do dishes or anything like that. I will more than likely go back to the wash basin dish washing method. It was really nice to have running water to wash hand and prep food.
- Microwave: Only works when plugged in to 110 power so we didn't touch it. Outside of making popcorn I don't see using it and may remove it to make space for more useful items.
- Stove: We bbq'ed every meal, so I have yet to give it a try. I'm skeptical about cooking in my van because I don't really want the van smelling like bacon all day.
- Propane Furnace: We used this at night and it as great. It runs off of the house batteries and the propane tank. All combustion is vented outside of the van. Set the temp you want and go to sleep. I can retire the Buddy Heater that I used in my astro and westaflia.
- Handheld shower: This is my favorite feature. It is tied into the same water tank and pump as the sink. The water is not heated, but since it is inside the vehicle it is not too cold. We used it to easily wash our hair, surfboard, squirt as unsuspecting pedestrians, etc. I feel I will get a lot of use out of this. I would like to figure out a way to heat the water. Here is something that i think would work well for an Astro, http://biobug.org/jeep/zj/shower/.
- External AC: Like the microwave this too only works off of the 110 circuit. We didn't use it and rarely camp in places with electricity, so I don't see using it often. I figure it will be good when family invade my house and I have no place for them to sleep.

T.Low thanks for the link to Ubolt. The conversion may be down the road. For now we are getting snow tires since typically our all wheel drive needs revolve around snow and ice issues.

The next upgrade is adding a forward facing jump seat behind the passenger. I need the van to be a six seater by the end of the month for a relay. I'm hitting the JY for a center counsel style truck jumpseat that I can bolt in. After that is is just a bunch of small things to get ready for the ski season.

All and all we are really happy with the purchase, but I will admit that I a little part of me feels like it has died for leaving the Chevy world. If anyone wants to drop by and check it out next time you are in Portland, PM me. In June/July 2013 I am planning a trip from Portland hitting, the Eastern Sierras, Death Valley, Grand Canyon, Four Corners, Moab and Canyonland. If anyone wants to rally along PM me as well and i will send details as the trip starts to take shape.

[T.Low]

[quote="tribri1"]

- Handheld shower... We used it to...squirt as unsuspecting pedestrians, etc. I feel I will get a lot of use out of this and we are really happy with the purchase, quote]


Excellent post. I'll read it again when i have more time.

In the mean time, thanks for the warning. If we ever go camping together, I will park well out of hand held shower range.

[tribri1]

You won't know your being sprayed until it it too late. (I spent way to many years as a swim instructor.) We are camping out on the North Umpqua Labor Day weekend. If you're free come join us and break out that dusty whitewater kayak of yours! I think we have two or three families coming out with kids ranging in age form 4 to 13. I'm bringing my raft and an IK. We will play on those one day, mountain bike one day and hit the hot springs once or twice. One day we'll drive over to South Umpqua Falls, https://www.google.com/search?q=south+u ... 66&bih=643, great fun in the water for all ages.