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Old 03-16-2016, 12:19 AM   #1
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Rex The Van - A Love Story

Hey everyone! Thought I'd post some photos of my dream SMB and tell you all a little about how we met.

I had just graduated college and needed a new car. The only car I'd ever owned was a small subaru, and initially I thought I wanted another small car. A car was such a big investment for me, I didn't want to buy something that would break down in a year and I wanted something that would be more useful than just Point A to Point B. I didn't really want a truck, but I knew I wanted to travel. I told my mom I was thinking about getting a van. "WHAT!? Oh my goodness you are not doing that. That's so weird!".

Flash forward 3 months of relentless craigslist searching and day dreaming and I found Rex. Me and my dad flew down to vegas (the van was located in Bishop, CA). We rented one of the tiniest cars I've ever seen and drove to purchase one of the biggest! She's a 2002 7.3 Powerstroke Diesel EB with the 4x4 Conversion. The owner was a firefighter and had purchased the van new from SMB in Cali. Kept AMAZING care of it. The miles were a bit high at 150K but I'm hoping she's got at least twice that left in her.

Dana 70 in the back and 60 up front. 46 Gallon Fuel Tank. 2 Fantastic fans. Propane Burner. He built a lot of cool features inside. I don't have a ton of photos of those but I plan to redo most of them anyway.

Here are some photos from a trip to Glacier (And here's a video if you wanna watch!

I'm currently working a desk job until she's completely paid off, but the second she is, I'm hittin' the road! Thanks for reading everyone!
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Old 03-16-2016, 12:55 AM   #2
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Knaw, it aint creepy at all ...just sounds like that to some folks. Wish I had envisioned something like these rigs back in my packing days. That is a nice lookin ride you got there...enjoy it.
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Old 03-16-2016, 01:01 AM   #3
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It's funny, I told a lot of people what I was buying and they always gave me this look like I was nuts. But it only took a few minutes of me explaining how cool SMBs are and before I knew it, they started pointing at vans on the freeway and going "Look at THAT one! It's so cool!!"

My friends are jealous, so I must be doing something right!
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Old 03-16-2016, 09:35 AM   #4
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That's a great looking van. I wouldn't sweat the 150k miles since those 7.3's are known to go wayyyy beyond that. Congrats on your new rig!
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Old 03-16-2016, 05:34 PM   #5
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Your Rex looks great, perfect setup for some awesome adventures!
You're going to love the new headlights' look.

See you on the road.
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Old 03-16-2016, 06:10 PM   #6
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Congrats, sweet van. 150k is nothing!

-Robb, Western Middle-Aged
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Old 03-16-2016, 11:41 PM   #7
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Don't worry about the mileage...
It's got a few more miles left.
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Old 03-17-2016, 12:14 AM   #8
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WOW!! That's incredible! Makes me want to try to hit a million!! Thanks for the kind words everyone!
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Old 03-17-2016, 05:25 AM   #9
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Nice Rig!
Where did you get the lantern you're using while reading?
Thanks!
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Old 03-17-2016, 11:50 AM   #10
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My dad actually got it for me so I'm not sure. It's called the Coleman Quad LED Lantern, I think target has them for like 55 bucks
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