Prices for used vans on SMB website - Page 4

shenrie · 12-13-2016, 09:23 AM

imho, none of those westy vans would be worth squat if we had got the delica and hiace back when they were first introduced. those westy prices are nuts. not saying they arent cool or anything, just saying they wouldn't command those prices if there had been a reliable alternative to them back in the day.

86Scotty · 12-13-2016, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shenrie

imho, none of those westy vans would be worth squat if we had got the delica and hiace back when they were first introduced. those westy prices are nuts. not saying they arent cool or anything, just saying they wouldn't command those prices if there had been a reliable alternative to them back in the day.

Or affordable ones now.

JoeH · 12-13-2016, 10:10 AM

The guys around here with the Westys and Synchros and Subaru motors and Porsche drivetrains sink a hell of a lot more money into their rigs. Far more than I contribute to the 6.0 powerstroke cause.

Tell me, has anyone ever broken the dynatrac D60 front axle on an SMB 4x4 converted rig? They even cheaped out on the axle supplied by Dynatrac by going to 30 spline outer axle shafts rather than 35 spline. The Achilles heal is a semi-float rear.

Apples and oranges but the E350 platform is a better medium for 4x4 and van camping. It's really more about the enthusiast thing than being a hipster. Some folks just love a VW.

Flux · 12-13-2016, 10:20 AM

I showed that list to my buddy who has a very sweet Westfalia. He has put a new shock and tire setup on it and finally bit the bullet and got the Bostig Ford Focus motor kit and DIY'ed it. He loves it. I had not idea it cost like 6k though.

Most of the Ford vans could probably pull a Westfalia up a grade faster than it could climb it itself.

MountainBikeRoamer · 12-13-2016, 11:22 AM

Another thing that's kinda fascinating, amongst all the ongoing fever for capable/reliable camping-platform vans (of both 2WD and 4WD variety)....is that none of them, as delivered by their original automakers (at ANY time in the US) are/were sold new as "stand-alone, ready-to-go" solutions.

By this I mean that *none of them* are completely up to the task of well-laden expeditioning over even fairly-moderate terrain ---- not until they've been modified, beefed-up, or otherwise built out in a custom fashion. In short --- this type of desirable vehicle HAS to be built....and is thus **automatically relatively rare**--- and not easily bought. They simply don't mass-produce or sell capable camper-vans in the US.

And (as 86Scotty noted) as awareness and appreciation grows for a well-spec'd camper van's relatively-rare combination of living space, utility, and capability....the shortage of available vans to feed the appetite will only feed prices.

The VW Westy's obviously come the closest, in terms of an "as delivered by VW" solution that could be bought on the dealer lot as a ready-to-go camper van....but even in Syncro guise, they didn't have enough power. Hence guys will spend solid coin to swap in Subie drivetrains. So kabam --- these are gonna be rare and pricey. You gotta **build** a "proper" VW Westy if you're gonna roam far with it and not curse going up/down hills with any amount of load or passengers.

And then there's the E-series vans, as robust as they are --- obviously weren't ever sold as turn-key camper vans on Ford dealer lots, they had to start out as pedestrian cargo vans before the lucky few got hand-picked to go through a builder like Sportsmobile (or GTRV, or Pleasure-Way, or....). And then of course there's the rarity of a quality 4WD system under one of these rigs, it more than likely got bolted in by the owner in most cases. So run the numbers....there just aren't that many truly-ready-to-go-overlanding E-series camper vans out there. Super limited numbers.

And again it comes back to (yeah I did have a main point, lol) --- it all comes back to the fact that capable overlanding camper vans ALL have to be built, they have never (to my knowledge) ever been sold on dealer lots anywhere in a bulletproof final version....so they're always gonna be rare. (Until a car company steps up and starts offering ready-to-go 4WD camper vans in dealerships here in the US!)

As an aside observation of all of this:

It's just kinda neat.....that we pursue a passion for a specific type of vehicle that just isn't sold new by any automaker. Totally unique and different from other vehicle types....as, in contrast, most *other vehicles* that people have passion for can be bought in one easy sit-down session at their corner car dealer. (For instance, you can buy a brand-new fully-optioned/Rubicon-ready Jeep at a dealer....you can buy a track-prepped Porsche at a dealer....you can buy a fully-optioned luxury Rolls-Royce chauffeur-driven personal limousine at a dealer.....but you **CAN'T** buy a ready-to-go 4WD camper-van at a dealer, at any price. You've gotta have it built.)

Kinda cool...but also kinda easy to see why (now that people are really starting to wake up to the coolness of vans) why they're gonna start to get damn pricey.

bemerritt · 12-13-2016, 11:50 AM

Makes you wonder if a meeting is happen at a Sportsmobile right now about trying to expand enough to be able to build certain layouts ahead of demand and sell them to "walk up" customers.To your point, being able to walk in and walk out with a prebuilt campervan attracts $$$

86Scotty · 12-13-2016, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bemerritt

Makes you wonder if a meeting is happen at a Sportsmobile right now about trying to expand enough to be able to build certain layouts ahead of demand and sell them to "walk up" customers.To your point, being able to walk in and walk out with a prebuilt campervan attracts $$$

I bet it never comes to that, at least with SMB specifically. Too many particular needs and too hard to build a 'base' that would be a fit for most IMO. Maybe a few standard layout 50's would be good but as far behind as they stay already?

1der · 12-13-2016, 05:55 PM

Well, something crazy is going on in nostalgia world. My 18 yr old nephew saved his $$ and paid $25k for a 1967 Camarillo SS396 that was restored but not show quality. He loves that car, and a group of his buddies all have 60's/70's cars as daily drivers. We have a 1971 240z w 71k miles, inherited from my father in law. A super cherry 70 - 72 240z is commanding $18k to $40k !!!! This has happened in the past 5 or so years.

BrianW · 12-13-2016, 06:06 PM

To MountainBikeRoamer's point, for a while you could get an SMB-built 50 layout on a Nissan NV van on a Nissan dealer's lot. Not 4WD, but otherwise a fully built campervan produced by a Nissan and SMB partnership. Not sure if they still do that.

coyotearms · 12-14-2016, 09:08 AM

Until I took a look at the Transit replacement for the E350, I thought the value of my 2008 w/ 6.0 l would be a disaster. However, it appears the Transit is no E350 and probably designed for the highway only as it no longer is a body on frame, but just a spot welded box. It also has a wimpy choice of engines that do not come close to either the diesels or V10 gas engine of the E350 that in full RV form is a 10,000 vehicle that can still tow a boat or car close to that weight too!

Given the above and that I also had my 6.0 Bulletproofed by one of their "Preferred Installers" that also gets great customer reviews (but is not cheap!), I feel quite confident that I have something quite special and something that after six years of ownership I am not even close to thinking of selling. If you ever searched the web outside of the SMB site for a used SMB E350, you probably did not find much because there are so many folks like me!