How much does a Sportsmobile 4x4 REALLY cost?

[moorefc]

These adventures are worth much more than the $. And a therapist over the period would not be as fun, and likely cost more
Think of the mechanical skills you have developed. Great writeup!
Similar to others, I keep the records, but skip the addition....
Almost time for that 3rd set of shocks...

 

[geoffff]

@Lewgillett, I was thinking the same thing about the $15k sale price. That seems low even for a well loved, 4x4, pop top van.

Definitely a low sale price. But I think it might be more understandable when you look closely at my van. I loved that van, and put lots of money into keeping it running. Interior was in OK shape. Engine ran strong at only 130K miles. But all that washboard road shaking, offroad body-flexing, and front axle bump-stop hitting took its toll over the years (weird cracks developing in the body, repeated radiator failures, etc.) such that my van really needed a do-it-yourself handyman with lots of time on his hands to fall in love with it and make it right again. Most people just want something that works, that they can use immediately, and occasionally bring to their mechanic for service. I had people turn around and leave without even ringing my doorbell once they saw my van in person.

Anyway, there's a reason I sold it and started over with a new (old) van.



Here is the full for-sale thread: https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f14/ugly-2004-sportsmobile-4x4-for-sale-28k-32856.html

 

[PatO-SMB]

You missed out on the pleasure of replacing turbo's having the V10. I'm on #6 counting the original. As the "RADIATOR" expert what is a recommended replacement? Mine is dripping... Thanks, Pat

 

[geoffff]

You missed out on the pleasure of replacing turbo's having the V10. I'm on #6 counting the original. As the "RADIATOR" expert what is a recommended replacement? Mine is dripping... Thanks, Pat

I don't have the specific brand/model, but for the last radiator replacement, my mechanic said he couldn't find any more OEM radiators, so he installed an aftermarket radiator that fit.

Advantage was that while the OEM Ford radiators use plastic for the bottom tank area (plastic that cracked and leaked), the aftermarket radiator was all metal.

 

[deserteagle56]

You missed out on the pleasure of replacing turbo's having the V10. I'm on #6 counting the original. As the "RADIATOR" expert what is a recommended replacement? Mine is dripping... Thanks, Pat

Wow! Why are you having so many turbo problems? I have turbodiesel pickups 20+ years old, and a twin-turbo F150 I've been driving for 9 years and never a turbo problem.

 

[Twoxentrix]

You missed out on the pleasure of replacing turbo's having the V10. I'm on #6 counting the original. As the "RADIATOR" expert what is a recommended replacement? Mine is dripping... Thanks, Pat

I went through 3 Radiators (OEM, and 2 Aluminum radiators recommended by BPD) - blew out seams on all 3 within 1 or 2 yrs of install.
Put a Mishimoto Radiator in 4yrs ago and no issues (they also come with a lifetime warranty).

 

[KTMRIDER-SMB]

Impressive record keeping there! Your new van is amazing and I am sure you will have some amazing experiences in it.

“ I recall doing that report mostly to justify whether or not to replace Fox 2.0 shocks for 4th time when they had increased 3x in price since I started my van adventure.”

I just replaced my Agile Fox shocks as well. John at Agile was very helpful getting me the proper info for my Agile TTB setup. For sure more expensive than when I bought the first set around 2016. I researched other options and talked to some suspension pros that do trophy trucks but it seemed like for my use it wasn’t worth it for the cost of custom work for 2.5s or other setups.

I love the van platform and my van. My grandparents had a camper van I grew up with. I sold my current van a few years ago right before Covid and regretted it and by luck was able to buy it back. It is so loaded and dialed in for my needs, and I knew its history, so I couldn’t resist trying to buy it back. I did more upgrades and having it back allowed me to get out with my aging father two more summers when he visited from Australia. That is priceless!

Now that he can’t really go anymore I’ve thought about selling it again and going with a more nimble platform but it’s tough to give up the apartment on wheels. Still deciding but I will probably post it and see what happens. Then make sure I let the new owner know I want the right to buy it back when they sell it. The V10 has been amazing and the TTB makes long highway drives and exploring fire roads comfortable.

Ideally it would nice to keep the van and have something nimble like a Jeep to explore more places I don’t feel comfortable taking the van. Not really practical though at this busy life stage.

 

[geoffff]

I went through 3 Radiators (OEM, and 2 Aluminum radiators recommended by BPD) - blew out seams on all 3 within 1 or 2 yrs of install.
Put a Mishimoto Radiator in 4yrs ago and no issues (they also come with a lifetime warranty).

Whoa! Glad I'm not the only weirdo out here with repeated radiator issues.