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What are the STW hive mind thoughts on buying a retired Ambulance and a water or crash damaged caravan then merging the two to create a budget motorhome?
Ambulance would likely be a panel type and not coach built type.
Bit pie in the sky at the moment but thinking of a family camper/motorhome based on a large panel van for the future
A vehicle that's lived the hardest life imaginable and a caravan that's suffered the most damaging fate imaginable.
Seems like a surefire recipe for success....or motorway debris.
Not sure which.
Seems like a good way to end up with an end of life vehicle with no real resale.
A water damaged van to donor is a good shout
But don't think you'll end up with a camper van. unless your very good it'll always look like a caravan fitted into a van.
Get a horse box, either truck or trailer & go from there. Probably be much cleaner too.
A vehicle that’s lived the hardest life imaginable and a caravan that’s suffered the most damaging fate imaginable.
But don't two negatives make a positive?
A horse box. So the most expensive indemand and over loaded vehicle around.
Trailrat - yea I hadn't thought about that bit, seen a horse trailer converted and it was quite cosy. I was a truck labeled "Dragons" in Wales the other day, maybe these are cheaper 😉
I have seen insurance write-off caravans with minimal damage online, e.g. after being jack-knifed into the towing car. None of the frame of the caravan would be used, just the fittings, e.g. cooker/sink unit, bathroom, electrics, furnishings.
For the former Ambulance option, I've heard some say they are well maintained and others say avoid like the plague!
Is it actually possible to source a used panel van that's had a fairly easy life?
What is your budget both of time and finance? Also how are you about compromise and are you a completer finisher? I built ours but from a delivery van and mostly new or ebayed parts. Turns out I am both a bit OCD about getting it just right and a procrastinator. I think I would have probably been better getting a 2nd job and using the income to buy a 2nd hand van! "Oh but think of the sense of satisfaction" - yeah right, whatever! And I've got a Design degree and every tool imaginable at my disposal (these factors might have also been as much as an issue as a positive - when you can literally consider every option you tend to do just that!).
I know stw is meant to have the answer to every problem in a jack of all trades master of none kind of way ........but SBMCC is the place you need to go for genuinely useful advice. Only warning - I think many of the inhabitants there see the conversion as as much of the pleasure/hobby as using the final outcome. Many seem to convert a van every year or two for the pleasure in it - weirdos! https://sbmcc.co.uk/
out of interest, has anyone tried to convert those tesco/asda delivery vans? My thinking is they're already insulated pretty well..
I'd not touch a retired ambulance!
They get thrashed to death either being gunned from cold or just left idling for ages. When they die the coachbuilt ones get re-bodied onto a new chassis (i.e. they're getting rid of them because its the chassis/engine that are beyond economical use not the 'ambulance' bit). And when they retire a whole one, they (or at least some services do) give them away (as no one with common sense would buy one) to the army who leave them in former warzones when they withdraw.
out of interest, has anyone tried to convert those tesco/asda delivery vans? My thinking is they’re already insulated pretty well..
It'll still look like a tesco lorry.
Would those (and ambulances) not be >3.5t, you may need to take another test too.
What's your budget.
I'm 8k in the hole for my van which is an ex parcel force van on a 55 plate with FSH up to 80k when it was converted. I've owned it since 94k.
It sleeps 4 , has a toilet on board , solar , refillable lpg , fridge etc.
It could be done much cheaper on a smaller less equipped van.
For the former Ambulance option, some say they are well maintained and others saying avoid like the plague!
Probably both.
A fully kitted out Ambulance is an expensive piece of kit and as a consequence they tend to be used to the limit of their useful lives. All that kit is heavy and the vehicles are on the road 24 / 7 / 365. They'll be rigorously maintained but also worked to within an inch of their lives.
But don’t two negatives make a positive?
Aye, right!
What’s your budget.
I don't have one yet*, this would be save up/sell stuff to get the money together. Definitely not more than £10k and ideally much less.
*As I've no idea what something would cost
Tesco delivery van would be great if you were 3.5 ft tall
Do not under estimate the importance of being able to stand.
Is it actually possible to source a used panel van that’s had a fairly easy life?
A mate bought a high top LWB crafter that had been owned from new by a Balloon “sculpture” company (seriously)
Easy life for a van doesn’t get any easier than that 😂
A fully kitted out Ambulance is an expensive piece of kit and as a consequence they tend to be used to the limit of their useful lives. All that kit is heavy and the vehicles are on the road 24 / 7 / 365. They’ll be rigorously maintained but also worked to within an inch of their lives.
It also varies by area.
The Fiats at WMAS were immaculately maintained in new workshops (dunno why the budgeting is so different), and apparently fix stuff before it breaks i.e. if they know a component regularly fails at a predictable mileage, they replace it rather than risk it breaking down on shift. Over six months filming I think we had one off the road for a shift with an oil leak.
The NWAS Merc's on the other hand........ pretty much every shift had an electrical gremlin requiring the mercedes tech to come out and reset something, and they frequently just broke down requiring new gearboxes, turbos, clutches, brake systems etc. And those were the Mercs which the crews prefered to their Fiats!
They cost about £100k-£150k to build depending on spec, so to be beyond economic use they have to be pretty knackered!
I don’t have one yet*, this would be save up/sell stuff to get the money together. Definitely not more than £10k and ideally much less.
*As I’ve no idea what something would cost
I'm sure it can be done, but looking at a lot of conversions, there's some horrible compromises. Like low top vans (T4's etc) without pop tops. Presumably because putting a £2k pop top in a £5k van isn't financially sensible. Great if all you want is somewhere to sit and sleep, but you can do that in a Mondeo.
I'd at least look at Sprinter's and Transit/Ivecos that you can stand up in and accept the hit in fuel economy (admittedly not compared to a box van or ambulance).
I saw something like what the OP's on about in Scarborough last year. Loads of people were taking photo's & laughing, it was that bad.
When I 1st started doing this driving job with the council I thought that the minibuses would be good for conversion to camper. Merc Sprinter auto's, very well maintained, not usually thrashed. Trouble is theyr'e fitted out with removable seating & tracks for wheelchair clamps so maybe the whole floor would need to be sorted, & they all have wheelchair lifts fitted.
Could be an alternative for a handy person/
Definitely not more than £10k and ideally much less.
You'll be tight I'd say. A surprisingly large amount of my conversion budget came from stuff you won't get from your old caravan - insulation, plywood and wood/steel for frameworks etc.
THe other aspect to take into account is the long term cost - only a total lunatic is going to buy your DIY camper made of two sets of pre-knackered components off you when you want to sell it on? Chances are the whole £10K is worthless scrap to a third party. Buying a tatty old comercial camper and giving it some tlc might actually be the more cost effective option especially if you put any value to the hundreds of hours of your time it will take to do the job.
Tesco delivery van would be great if you were 3.5 ft tall
Do not under estimate the importance of being able to stand.
The sprinters used by Sainsburys and a few other brands, have more space. I used to drive for them, and I'm 6'5. I can't recall if I could stand, or had to bend slightly, but if I did bend it wasn't much. The vans with a back door, not the side loading options.
Also you can drive them on a standard license.
I had a BT box Van. They can carry and tow shed loads, slow and basic but already have a cooker and gas position and maybe even an esperbacher heater.. The back door is a terrible insecure design but could be modded for a motorhome.
All other BT vans wave at you. Stealth camping an option.
I saw something like what the OP’s on about in Scarborough last year
Err, this?
That's not really what I'm thinking of 😂. More like taking the functional stuff out of a caravan and putting it into a panel van
For the former Ambulance option, I’ve heard some say they are well maintained and others say avoid like the plague!
They’re kept on road yes but by the time they’re served their life as an ambulance they’re not in great condition. Look for an old fire service vehicle, delivery mileage only at 10 years old.
Look for an old fire service vehicle, delivery mileage only at 10 years old.
😂
In all honesty, I wouldnt even consider a retired ambulance. They've been hammered day in, day out, their entire lives.
I'd honestly say that any retired ambulance is a huge bill just waiting to happen.
With regards the maintenance of the ambulances, that's something that would put me off one for life knowing full well how well maintained they can be and I'm saying that as an ex ambulance service mechanic 😁
As said, in 5 - 10 years your ambuvan will be worth very very little.
Theres nowt in a caravan you can reuse. Just a hob and a fridge, and they will likely be knackered / mouldy. Once you cut the flimsy lightweight cabinets they will look rubbish and the finish won't match.
If I had a 10k budget I'd spend it on depreciation. Buy a £30k motorhome and be happy with to losing £10k on it over 5-10 years.
Doesn't help you if you don't have the 30k to splash, you could remortgage for a cheap loan for that though.
Theres nowt in a caravan you can reuse. Just a hob and a fridge, and they will likely be knackered / mouldy.
To be fair a bit more than that - water pumps, taps, switches, main electric panel and mbc, hook up gear. But depending on the age of the caravan if the lighting is not Led it's not worth having and the piping and electrical cabling will probably be the wrong lengths. Old caravan stuff can look pretty shockingly naff too.
Converting a van is about compromises and space efficiency is a real priority. Fitting stuff not intended for the van you have might not be a compromise you are prepared to make - Example - onboard water volume is a good thing and a key ingredient to keeping you off grid for a good length of time. You can buy water tanks that are slung underneath a van and are moulded to fit around the chassis of that specific model. I've got 130 L of water and it takes no internal space to carry. If you are relying on bits from a donor caravan that won't be an option for you and you'll end up filling an entire cupboard with a water tank of whatever shape it happens to be and lose all that internal space and still only have half the capacity. Only snag is the bespoke way is $$$.
You aren't going to lose much if anything on this over 5 years:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201907089849112
Or a very nice pro panel van conversion if thats what you want
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201907290576852
So the most expensive indemand and over loaded vehicle around.
You forgot with the great smell of horse pee and possible chassis rot.
Is that any worse than drunks piss and blood and guts Sandwich?
blood and guts Sandwich?
Does that come with fries ?
Aren't ambulances rated for 5.5T? Will need an extra test unless you passed before 1997 and much more restrictions than a 3.5t van over on the continent.
I’m just waiting for a manufacturer to make a crew cab van with a separate chassis and changeable pods on hydraulic jacks like Thunderbird 2.
I’d buy the Camper pod, the Day van pod and the Gardening pickup with cage pod.
Rock up with your camper, lower the legs, unhitch the pod, drive to the shops.
I've thought that Perchy what you want is a roro
If I had a 10k budget I’d spend it on depreciation. Buy a £30k motorhome and be happy with to losing £10k on it over 5-10 years.
Essentially like PCP for cars then?
Check out project amber on the you tubes, a talented guy has converted a merc ambulance.
looks very cool, but he has to fix a lot of ‘gremlins’
Get this book, they did it for a grand using a caravan. They used a shitty base vehicle, but you can spend the rest of your budget on that.
Another thing about self builds is, you don’t need to budget for all the bells and whistles on day one. You just need the minimum to camp, then spread the rest over the next few seasons.
Rock up with your camper, lower the legs, unhitch the pod, drive to the shops.
Sssh, no-one tell perchy about caravans! 😉
Didn't someone do this exact thing, (well maybe not the caravan fittings bit) and put a long thread about it on here a couple of years ago?
IIRC, he was from the Wirral or close by, it was wrapped as some kind of homage to his favorite Moto GP racer, (the Doctor?) and was spotted in the wild at Llandegla. I think the general consensus was it was all the awesomes.
I’ve a high top 55 plate LDV Maxus, self built camper, not as big as some of the others, but is great for a two berth with shower loo cooker etc.
If you need one I’ve a base van for sale, got mot, needs some tidying but it’s £750.
LDV Maxus 120hp long wheelbase hightop, based in south Warwickshire.
Sssh, no-one tell perchy about caravans
What are these “caravans” of which you speak?
I’m just waiting for a manufacturer to make a crew cab van with a separate chassis and changeable pods on hydraulic jacks
They aren’t pretty, but demountable campers are a thing already.
That gixerator van is genuinely impressive
Everyone here is assuming the ambulance is a blue lighter. Private companies have ambulances as well, we got rid of an old one with barely any miles on it and I doubt its replacement will do much more. The fire engine we replaced was still better specced than the Fire Service ones outside.
Look for big sites such as power stations and refineries that have emergency response teams and you will find them.
Private companies have ambulances as well, we got rid of an old one with barely any miles on it
That's often not a good thing. Our power station vans usually get scrapped at about 7-8 years old with a few thousand miles on them. Because they've spent their whole lives trundling around site at 15mph, never getting warmed up the engines are absolutely ****ed. Probably get above 2nd gear once a month when they need filling up with fuel.
Best buy (if you could find one) would be a major incident response vehicle from an NHS Ambo service. Minimal miles (major incidents are few and far between) but kept in a full state of readiness, and serviced as per manufacturers specs. Sometimes (though not always) garaged, too.
Edit;
Bit over budget, but this could probably fit the bill (never seen a smelly patient in its 25k mile life, either)
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264408691203
Or a HART vehicle.
It’ll still have the rubber tags on the tyres.
Do you honestly want to be sleeping in an old ambulance, knowing many many people will have drawn their last breath in there. It would undoubtedly be haunted..
id just buy a welfare van.....
Rock up with your camper, lower the legs, unhitch the pod, drive to the shops.
Like this, you mean?
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48476004112_f80a06ce4d_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48476004112_f80a06ce4d_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2gREc9m ]Weird camper thing[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/40141861@N00/ ]tillydog[/url], on Flickr
Like this you mean?
I was thinking more like this, but with wheels
Perchy dont be daft. Why would it need wheels if it can fly ?
Why would it need wheels if it can fly ?
To get it through a car wash , obviously.
That command ambulance thing is amazing, if I had the cash to spare I'd definitely go for that! 170+ bhp too, so would probably do more than 17mph up a hill unlike my mate's Bongo 😂Bit over budget, but this could probably fit the bill (never seen a smelly patient in its 25k mile life, either)https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264408691203
The same guy on eBay also has (much more reasonably at £10k) an old mobile library vehicle which would probably also make an awesome camper!
I've been looking at these starting their deliveries for the day from our local depot as I drive to work recently. Reckon they'd make an absolutely ideal base for a home-brew motorhome.
Seems the price for a Police or Welfare van Merc Sprinter is about £10k-£12k
Another option is buying an older pro-converted van and doing a refurb. However with an already converted van, you get much less choice on the layout.
I really like Mike_D's layout
Ups box vans are dismantled and recycled.