Sportsmobile vs. Westfalia

[b. rock]

As a recent vw -> ford convert, I'll share a revelation the wife and I had on the maiden voyage: the adventure on the trip with the ford was at the destination, the adventure in the vw was simply making it to the destination. It was immensely less stressful (as well as quicker) driving a vehicle of this century, built on vastly more robust hardware.

I'll trade that over the 'cool factor' every time although I will say the ford garners just as much attention to be honest.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by BeastGTRV

I meant to put "frames" in quotes. I love the extra space in the Transit, Sprinter, etc., and I see how they would be great trades and delivery vans. But I don't think they were built for half million mile duty, especially loaded down with camper equipment.

I once rode in a SuperShuttle E350 van with an honest 700,000+ miles, and the driver said they usually retire them around 800k. His was on its second engine and third transmission.

I personally put 500k on old asset number 104478 during my tenure as a delivery guy for (insert ginormous American shipping conglomerate here). It was a boxy third generation with an indestructible 4 liter straight 6 and a 3 speed tranny. That was just one assigned to me. I think I did about a million miles in a van for them. You could not kill those things. Rust is the only thing that might possibly slow them down.

That company ran them for so long that they retired them just because they looked so old. Some are still around as spares. Sadly, they started buying Sprinters but didn't buy Sprinter mechanics. Bad business move. Anyway, absolutely correct, you can pretty much drive an E-series through a nuclear war.

[shadetreevanman]

I still have my Vanagon with a Country Homes Pop Top and a 1.8 Turbo Jetta Motor. The Jetta motor made it very reliable and it can run 80 over the Grapevine. When we were driving it regularly we both loved it. Since buying our Ford I haven't driven it. Sadly It's sitting in the back yard.

My buddy liked the idea of camping in a van so much he bought this E350. This photo is before he added a high top and built out the interior. The differences in size is obvious.


I kept thinking how much more room he had than me. He could tow anything with his Ford. And his mileage was very comparable to my Vanagon. When we wanted to start towing our Jeep it was a no brainer to buy an E350. Once I got used to the size of the Extended E350 I don't notice it anymore.

[blueridge]

I'm thinking about using the Westfalia floor plan in another type of van.

For those who have experience using a Westfalia, does the floor plan work well for two adults for long term trips?

Thanks

[Orv]

It's very similar to the Sportsmobile RB50 layout, so people's experience with that might be relevant.

It's easy to move around in because only one side has cabinets, so you aren't trying to pass each other in a narrow aisle. You also have an open floor area you can use for additional seats, or for carrying gear while driving.

Having two decent-sized beds can be nice if you aren't keen on sleeping together, or just need a little space now and then.

One downside is the lack of cabinets also means a lack of enclosed storage space. There also really isn't a private place to put a porta-potty. Anyone traveling in the back seat is a long way from the cab so conversation with rear seat passengers is a little difficult.

This may be a personal preference thing, but my Westy had a sliding door and I found it annoying to have to open and close it all the time. I much prefer the barn doors on my Ford.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by blueridge

I'm thinking about using the Westfalia floor plan in another type of van.

For those who have experience using a Westfalia, does the floor plan work well for two adults for long term trips?

Thanks

Almost every camper van since the Westfalia has utilized and capitalized on their '50' floor plan. I would wager that at least 50% of SMB's out there are the 50 floor plan. If you look at just about every one of these newer conversions with a Sprinter, Transit or otherwise you see the major elements of the 50 layout. Open space inside curb side door, swiveling front seat(s), galley and cabinets down driver's side, bed or gaucho in the rear.

Suffice to say, yes, it works very well.

[rionapo]

Originally Posted by blueridge

I'm thinking about using the Westfalia floor plan in another type of van.

For those who have experience using a Westfalia, does the floor plan work well for two adults for long term trips?

Thanks

After living together 15 years, we learned how to live with each other over 6 months in a Westy in the early 90s. Opted for a galley layout in our SMB. The Westy is too confining for us and we love the gaucho facing the van doors in our van. Still have to live in a confined space so the old Westy skills are called upon regularly.

Don

[rionapo]

Originally Posted by b. rock

As a recent vw -> ford convert, I'll share a revelation the wife and I had on the maiden voyage: the adventure on the trip with the ford was at the destination, the adventure in the vw was simply making it to the destination. It was immensely less stressful (as well as quicker) driving a vehicle of this century, built on vastly more robust hardware.

I'll trade that over the 'cool factor' every time although I will say the ford garners just as much attention to be honest.

Amen. But what wonderful adventures they can be.

We took off one spring with a rebuilt engine and lower gear ratios. The Westy was a tank that made it through the Eisenhower Tunnel alive. But, we forgot to change our winter oil and blew the engine in Nebraska. Left Lincoln on July 4 at 2:00 am with a factory rebuild and weather forecast of a 100x100 day ahead of us. Spent the night in DuBois, WY watching cowboys and wanna-bes throw firecrackers at each other on the main drag. We sure enjoyed the mountain air.

It was a great vehicle. And a wonderful proving ground for designing our SMB.

Don

[campism]

Originally Posted by Orv

This may be a personal preference thing, but my Westy had a sliding door and I found it annoying to have to open and close it all the time. I much prefer the barn doors on my Ford.

We have not used the new-to-us Dodge yet (still needs a head gasket) so I don't know about the barn doors, but we're accustomed to the sliders on our Westy and our Mopar minivan. That Westy slider, though, has a sound as distinctive as a Zippo light being flicked open. No mistaking who's making a bathroom run in the middle of the night.

[rionapo]

Roger that. I always assumed everyone within hiring distance knew exactly what was going on. Don't know about the Dodge but Ford blessed us with a lighting scheme when you open the door that is not much better than the Westy slider. Porta potty. It's silent.

Don