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Don't bother with getting a diesel. The overall costs are not recoverable.
If you don't plan on putting A LOT of miles on it, then get anything. But, if you're looking at 1000 miles per week, every week, then go Toyota. Be advised tho, Toyota's DRINK fuel like crazy. Taco's get 17mpg, and Tundras get 11mpg.
Have you looked at a Sprinter?
Yeah, thinking we'd go gas.
It would primarily be used for weekend getaways and extensive road trips. We're in Northern California (not the Bay area, more north!! Lol!) and want to road trip to Florida next year with a ton of stops.
Need to check out the price range on the used market.
Should have mentioned I'd want to buy a few years used, not brand spanking new. I know trucks can get very expensive!
Yes, AWD is great! Our Baru handled it just fine. We did see a car that got stuck in the sand though and people were pushing it out!
I've just always had the impression that AWD vans were hard to find and extremely expensive. Figure if we found a good truck a couple of years old it wouldn't break the bank. Then the camper we're looking at would be an additional 10k if we went for all the trimmings.
Personally, I wish the AWD Chevy Astro would come back!
First we need to start with the truck, but we've never owned one before.
We've been doing all our road trips in our Subaru Outback, but motel hopping gets old.
We were thinking of a van, but we like that trucks are (usually?) 4 wheel drive so we can adventure a bit more... although we're not heavily into the extreme off road/back country thing.
Not looking for a short bed, that would be too cramped for us with the camper, but probably 6 1/2 foot bed or maybe 8 foot? How do those two sizes compare for maneuverability etc.
Cabs... it will be mostly me and hubs, but do most come with a back seat?
Then I found out there's gas vs diesel... all new to me! Lol!
So... what's your favorite pick up truck? How do the different brands compare with reliability? Cost repairs, etc.
Any insights for this newby appreciated!
You got an itch, not a necessity.
Anyhow.
Here's indestructible diesel 4WD camper for 2:
Yes, AWD is great! Our Baru handled it just fine. We did see a car that got stuck in the sand though and people were pushing it out!
I've just always had the impression that AWD vans were hard to find and extremely expensive. Figure if we found a good truck a couple of years old it wouldn't break the bank. Then the camper we're looking at would be an additional 10k if we went for all the trimmings.
Personally, I wish the AWD Chevy Astro would come back!
True. I've been considering getting rid of my RWD Transit 350 MR,LWB and getting an AWD equivalent, but they're impossible to find and very expensive. Same thing with AWD Sprinters.
Interesting that you bring up the AWD Astro. I've been casually looking for one from which to build the van equivalant of a GMC Typhoon/Syclone. AWD Astros and Safaris aren't hard to find, but most have really high miles, as do many AWD Express/Savannas.
Van?
Want something really cool?..... Take an older 2WD model and have it converted to 4WD. There are companies that do that, and it makes for a go-anywhere cool (at least in my eyes) camper outfitted just the way you want. Quigley is one such company.
Here's a Quigley video that stir ya up.
Yes, ventilation is a must! The Moonlander has the option (which they HIGHLY recommend) of putting in a Maxxair fan and windows.
We thought about the travel trailer option, but it wouldn't work with the way we travel. We're "road trippers" rather than "campers". We're constantly on the move. Sometimes we'd still stay over in a Bed and Breakfast or hotel if we'd need a little luxury or if we're staying in a city for a spell.
For example when we were living in Vancouver, Wa. a couple of years ago, we drove out to Houston with our Subaru to visit relatives. We made several stops sightseeing and hiking on the way and did quick overnights in motels. With a basic set up we wouldn't need to do that, and if we needed a shower we could buy one at a Truck stop. We also love checking out little diners and such so water bottle and snacks mostly for us during the day. We'd probably bring our big battery for a few items like a small coffee pot or something, maybe a one burner propane thing to heat up some soup, but that about it.
Yeah okay... you can make the argument that you can leave the teardrop in the campground and then just run around in the handy SUV... but it sounds like that scenario just doesn't fit with the way you travel....
I will say that I also like the price tag on those Moonlanders. They are pretty simple and barebones of course in the base form, but, they look well designed and well built, which I wouldn't say about every camper I've seen, and at least you're not toting 2,000lb+ of camper everywhere. You really don't need stuff like a toilet or shower in the camper anyways (in my opinion) - they'll cost a lot and be poor substitutes for normal ones, and then you need to deal with disposing of grey water and black water and worry about water lines freezing...
They do have a number of nice options for useful stuff like quality arctic tern windows, fan, propane tank mount, and solar panels and prep, e.g. to connect them to a Jackery. And you can't get much these days normally, for under $10k. I may need to keep thinking on these myself :-)
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