So many vans, so much to think about!
Jeff and Mary are one of the many ‘soon-to-be grey nomads’ who have been learning quickly as they prepare for their big trip. And, as Jeff explains here, choosing their perfect rig hasn’t been plain sailing.
“I looked up some caravans-for-sale websites and we bought ($8000) a little 1993 Millard Mirage (640kg tare, 950ATM). The plan was to pull it with our 1996 Commodore (the old girl has 325,000km on the odo yet is still running like a dream). But our auto electrician looked at the towbar rating, then looked me in the eye and said: “when loaded you’ll be right on the upper limit of 1250kg. There’s been cases of the whole back end being pulled out of these. Do you still want me to put in the electric brakes switch?” Good on him. Decision made (actually I had just been repairing rust damage near the towbar anchorages in the boot, too!).
So, I went to a used car yard and put a deposit on a 2.5 litre 2001 Nissan Xtrail.($7000). Then had second thoughts about its pulling power. Would we be the typical snail holding up all the traffic? So I did what I should have done and looked up the car sales websites and began talking to knowledgeable friends. Dealer kindly gave me back the deposit. Finally found not too far away a beautiful 2008 Toyota RAV4 SX6 (3.3 litre V6 – a fairly rare bird) with 90,000 clicks and in showroom condition. Towbar and wiring to be fitted.
Then, I had second thoughts about the van (could we now pull something bigger and more comfortable?). I did the websites again and made a snap decision to buy ($22400) the last unsold imported English used van (2003 model) at a local yard (beautifully finished, with a toilet and enclosed shower recess, double glazing, ducted heating, hot water system, etc). No more long 2am cold walks in the dark to the loo! We put the little van up for sale on Gumtree and quickly got three enquiries and two inspections (one of them told me about this website).
But that night my wife and I wrestled with whether an inbuilt loo justified all that extra money. Wouldn’t just a Porta Potti do? We went out into the little van on the front lawn, turned the lights on, lay on the bed and looked and talked and thought. We realised that the English van’s two single beds/convertible to double bed arrangement with no dinette would be a hassle. Also a lot of wind resistance for towing as well as the extra weight (would also be interested to hear any comments about how these vans go under Aussie conditions?)
So this morning I rang the van yard guy who also kindly agreed to refund my deposit, and I took down the Gumtree ad.
This diary of two beginners is just to maybe give some encouragement and guidance (and perhaps some sympathy and comfort!) to other new starters in making these big decisions when joining the grey nomad tribe. I wish I had found this website before starting the whole process.
We’ll see how we go on the road… Looking forward to meeting new friends!”
