Just got back from the Caravan and Motorhome Show (Manchester) where I had a look at the Citroen Nemo Motorhome Conversion. First impressions were there is not a lot of room even for one person which it is designed for. Little or no stowage space and ultimately too small.
Sorry, didn't get my vote, but then again neither did the large American touring caravans that have a 5th wheel coupling and need a massive towtruck to move them around.
Sticking with my Berlingo thank you very much
I heard that convention was VERY popular, lots of people there!?
I figure the Berlingo is just the right size, without going to the trouble of getting a dedicated vehicle.
Have you seen the Berlingo campervan that someones done? There's a film of it on YouTube. This one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyffv623TDA
I've slept on the back seat of mine, but it wasn't that comfortable.
(22-01-2011, 08:29 PM)Andre Wrote: [ -> ]I heard that convention was VERY popular, lots of people there!?
Yes it was quite busy and listening in on conversations between caravan salespersons it seems that quite a lot of sales were generated too.
We enjoyed our day out, helped by the fact that we obtained free complementary tickets for the show. All it cost me was the price of two breakfasts in a cafe in Manchester, well I did promise the wife that I would take her out for a meal...
I did look at the stall advertising "add on" electronic gismo packages for electronically controlled diesels (HDI's etc) to improve performance and fuel economy, the salesman inputted some data into a "break even" programme to find out when the package would pay for itself based on my mileage and usage. To make it economically viable I would need to be doing a lot more miles than at present.
I had thought about the idea of a campervan adaptation but the trouble is that even to just nip out for a paper or down to the beach for half an hour, everything has to be stowed away so I'm sticking with my caravan for longer trips and possibly using a tent for the odd weekend.
Re "I had thought about the idea of a campervan adaptation but the trouble is that even to just nip out for a paper or down to the beach for half an hour, everything has to be stowed away so I'm sticking with my caravan for longer trips and possibly using a tent for the odd weekend."
I converted a Talbot Express, It was great when the family where young ,You are correct once set up on a camp site we did not travel around much .It was great on day trips to the beach getting changed into wetsuits and having a brew when you liked, oh happy days.Unfortunately the spigot bearing started playing up and I was short of cash so had to sell it.It may still be going somewhere.
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Talbot express - that's a name from the past, didn't think any of them were still going.
just bought my meths stove , stage one of my internal conversion......no futher yet on how to do it, but we do sleep in back and keep our gear in little tent. Much more cosy for odd night , save using caravan. But main goal is to be able to have a cup of tea somewhere when out on day walks so getting my head around design at moment.
(23-01-2011, 01:08 PM)jimbo Wrote: [ -> ]I converted a Talbot Express, It was great when the family where young ,You are correct once set up on a camp site we did not travel around much .
Wow, what you had there jimbo is really cutting edge technology to what I cut my teeth on.
I wonder how many people can remember the vehicle shown on the photo???
For the uninitiated it is a Standard Atlas, made by the Standard Triumph Company, famous for Standard 8,10, and 12 cars, Triumph Herald, Spitfire, Stag, TR1 - 7 and this...
Well my dad owned one similar to the one shown and I inherited it. 1963 vintage 1300cc (yes that's right) Standard Triumph petrol engine, 4 gears, 50mph tops downhill with a following wind... Ours had the conversion by Kenex which included lift up roof and bunk beds, fold down seats to make a double bed, sink, cooker and wardrobe. Along with Dormobile, this was one of the pioneering companies that converted commercial vehicles into campervans.
An absolute pig to drive, it had an inherent fault on the steering which used to pull like mad and the gearstick was straight into the box so you had to reach back with your left arm and risk dislocating your shoulder in the process. The engine was positioned between the two front seats, nice in winter but hot in summer. Similar suspension to the Herald with phosphor bronze trunnions that used to collapse with alarming regularity and she used to wallow in corners.
Lovely motor, remembered with fond affection
Engine in between the front seats ,that takes me back my best friend had just passed his test we where about seventeen and his dad somehow thought that an ideal first vehicle for him would be a bright yellow commer van
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any way this thing kept on overheating so we thought that driving along with the centre seat/engine cover open would help, he gave me a lift to purchase a second hand tape deck .It was not until we got into the well lit house of the owners of the tape deck that we realised that we where both covered in oil ,when we got back in the van and turned on the light there where two perfect sillouettes of us on the rear bulk head evidently the oil filler cap had blown off !
Hee hee, remember the old Commers. When I was an apprentice (1973) the place where I used to work had them as service vans for fitters etc to go out on site in. They weren't bad to drive once you got the hang of them but there was that much slop in the gear linkage I could never get the hang of finding first gear and always seemed to pull off in 3rd gear. Then I had a go in my first Transit, absolut luxury!!!