FS:2006 Sportsmobile RB30 4x4 Ford E350 Diesel 68k mi, SoCal

[avantboy]

Originally Posted by Wanderer23

Hi there! Do you have the third captain chair and can it be used when gaucho couch in sleeping mode? Also, can you please provide upper and lower bed dimensions? Thanks

The 3rd chair doesn't come with the van, only the brackets and quick-release base. I'm not 100% positive but pretty sure that the couch bed will open fine with the chair in place though you probably won't be able to swivel the chair around once the couch is down. I've attached pics for reference. We never had the 3rd seat in place, maybe others here can comment on that.

The gaucho bed measures 45" wide, 75" long when open as mentioned on the SMB site.

The penthouse bed measurements are 42" wide (widening to 53" around the shoulder area) and 74" long, as shown on the SMB site.

[anotherhalfjap@yahoo.com]

Hi everyone, I saw and drove this rig personally, and was VERY impressed with the whole thing. The owner was very meticulous with maintaining and taking care of it. All manuals and maintenence records are available and in order. I can’t decide as of now if I want a turn key van or one that may require some work at a different price point- this one is a showpiece. As the owner stated, the inside was really never even used as apparently they camped in the trailer- again, it shows. Starts right up, drives straight, stops straight, pulls well, I was really impressed. I did not run the sink, microwave, etc, but expect that it would work as well as the rest based on how clean the van is. Pop top goes up perfectly, canvas is in perfect shape, there is no rust or paint wear where the top seals down.

I know these vans pull interest from around the continent, and its not easy to just get up and drive over to see it, so I hope this helps in someway make up your mind to look into it seriously as it is worth it. I have no prior relationship with the owner, and am doing this unsolicited (with the owners permission- I did ask if he would like me to leave any comments).

Feel free to DM me if you want, but please if you have interest, go and see it.

[Wanderer23]

Great info, thanks for sharing. I’m a little leery of the 6.0 and all the windows related to privacy/insulation issues. I guess I could make/find covers.

[anotherhalfjap@yahoo.com]

He has covers for the windows. From what I understand- after all the modifications he has done (bulletproofing), it is very reliable, but I’ll defer to others that have actual experience.

[Wanderer23]

Originally Posted by anotherhalfjap@yahoo.com

He has covers for the windows. From what I understand- after all the modifications he has done (bulletproofing), it is very reliable, but I’ll defer to others that have actual experience.

Thank you! Yeah, maybe others could share their thoughts on this motor. From what I’ve seen, not all “bulletproofing “ is the same. Maybe the owner could list specific mods that were done.

[avantboy]

Originally Posted by anotherhalfjap@yahoo.com

Hi everyone, I saw and drove this rig personally, and was VERY impressed with the whole thing. The owner was very meticulous with maintaining and taking care of it. All manuals and maintenence records are available and in order. I can’t decide as of now if I want a turn key van or one that may require some work at a different price point- this one is a showpiece. As the owner stated, the inside was really never even used as apparently they camped in the trailer- again, it shows. Starts right up, drives straight, stops straight, pulls well, I was really impressed. I did not run the sink, microwave, etc, but expect that it would work as well as the rest based on how clean the van is. Pop top goes up perfectly, canvas is in perfect shape, there is no rust or paint wear where the top seals down.

I know these vans pull interest from around the continent, and its not easy to just get up and drive over to see it, so I hope this helps in someway make up your mind to look into it seriously as it is worth it. I have no prior relationship with the owner, and am doing this unsolicited (with the owners permission- I did ask if he would like me to leave any comments).

Feel free to DM me if you want, but please if you have interest, go and see it.

Thanks for the kind words! It was good meeting you and I hope you find your perfect SMB, whether or not it's ours.

[avantboy]

Originally Posted by Wanderer23

Thank you! Yeah, maybe others could share their thoughts on this motor. From what I’ve seen, not all “bulletproofing “ is the same. Maybe the owner could list specific mods that were done.

It is true that not all “bulletproofing” is the same and it has become a generic term for any attempts to fix the original design shortcomings of the 6.0 but when all of that is sorted out, they are very nice running engines. When I get a moment, I'll post details of the work our van had done and, as noted, all of the work was performed by one of Sportsmobile West’s recommended shops in L.A.