At first I saw this pic, and thought it was brilliant
Then I saw this pic and got very confused
Sure, it can cruise the beach, but with that big big booty I can't see it doing much else. Guess I'll have to keep searching for my Pan-American highway trip rig.
This one is if you feel like playing Spin Tires IRL. And have a bagillion dollars
Wheelie machine!
Joey
Well, as you mentioned, beach-parking/fishing is pretty much what it's meant for. And many of the beaches won't let you on unless it's 4WD. The other choice is a pick-up with a slide-in, but those tend to be tight for more than 2 people.
I kinda like the layout. I'd pull the couch next to the stove out and install something to hold my bikes.
Hungary Bill wrote:
Priced a Vanagon recently? how about a Syncro Vanagon? How about a Syncro Vanagon Westphalia? These are about up there with that eight wheeled behemoth in price
Westfalia..
It's even in the picture.
Wheatalfalfa?
^^^ oh the irony of that thing having solar panels...
-J0N
In reply to HappyAndy:
Looking at the floor plan it seems like you just need to chop off the rear bedroom...and a zero off the price...for it to be perfect. 
Joel, where is the picture of you and Jamie camping in the Subie? LOL
jmthunderbirdturbo wrote: ^^^ oh the irony of that thing having solar panels... -J0N
It's not about conservation, it's about keeping the beer cold.
Hungary Bill wrote:
Side note, what would be the modern equivalent to a syncro westie, with out going all the way to a full size van?
neon4891 wrote:Hungary Bill wrote:Side note, what would be the modern equivalent to a syncro westie, with out going all the way to a full size van?
Modified AWd astro. Home brew.
In reply to Fueled by Caffeine:
Yeah, pretty much. Possibly an AWD Grand Caravan/T&C, but I've not seen one done.
Converting any van/minivan into a small camper is a fairly simple matter. The hard part is if you want the Westy-style roof so you can stand up inside.
In reply to Ian F:
The AWD mopar vans really weren't suited for off road. The Astro/Safari were available with an extended roof though, but I'd be surprised if any were built with both AWD and the tall roof.
There is a shop in Oakland, CA that does nothing but VW Westie 4x4s. Can't find a link, but every time I drive by I want to stop and just ogle the cool stuff they have.
In reply to petegossett:
I don't really consider ANY van all that suitable for off-roading. I know guys do it, but I just don't see the appeal. I love vans and I love off-roading, but I'd rather just tow a purpose built Jeep or something and leave the RV as base-camp.
I have seen AWD Astro/Safari's with raised roof conversions done. These were aftermarket conversions and almost always custom ordered. Here in the snow-belt, the AWD versions were fairly common and I still see quite a few on a regular basis.
In reply to Ian F:
I would rather take an AWD Astro up to base camp towing two small dirt bikes. So there!
I would think a 4x4 van is as suitable as its pickup counterpart. I thought long and hard about homebrew-Quigleying my E350. Its basically an F250 chassis with a toaster on it instead of a bed.
singleslammer wrote: In reply to Ian F: I would rather take an AWD Astro up to base camp towing two small dirt bikes. So there!
That would work too... although to me an Astro would pretty much suck as a camper due to the lack of size. FWIW, this sort of thing is basically what I use my van for now.
Plus, Astros kinda suck to drive, so you get much of the annoyance of driving a van without the useful "big box" part. Yes, I've driven one. Quite a lot, actually. A company I worked for had one for deliveries.
curtis73 wrote: I would think a 4x4 van is as suitable as its pickup counterpart. I thought long and hard about homebrew-Quigleying my E350. Its basically an F250 chassis with a toaster on it instead of a bed.
Sort of. The truck frame doesn't really work at all under a van body. I researched the crap out of 4x4 vans a number of years ago and read that statement a number of times - then they tried to actually do it and found out the mounts don't line up at all. Much easier to swap/adapt the 4x4 bits onto a E250/350 van frame, which is what Quigley does.
I've found a number of DIY build threads/pages over the years. A fairly well-travelled road. Granted, when all is said and done, it'd be cheaper to just buy one that's already done and maybe needs some work although IIRC you have a diesel van and 4x4 diesel versions are rare and don't come up for sale often.
You'll need to log in to post.
