cornercarver
Member
I saw my first sportsmobile online about 2 months ago and the lust started. Then I parked next to one at a mountain bike trailhead and the owner let me stick my head in, and it just got so much worse. I've been doing lots and lots of reading, but there are still a lot of questions that need answering.
First, I see a fair number of folks say that they would build their sportsmobile differently if they knew then what they know after getting some sportsmobile experience, but they rarely specify exactly what changes they'd make. I'm especially curious to know about the things that folks commonly get and then find that they don't use. I figure a lot of things can be added later, but you are going to take a hit, economically and potentially in space consumption, if you pay for something up front that you wind up not ever using.
I have 2 huskies and we like to go camping and hiking and mountain biking but it is quite a pain in the neck with my Subaru Forester (which is also approaching 200K miles so I'd prefer to keep the long trips to a minimum in it). I telecommute full time, so there is really nothing keeping me from making extended road trips with the dogs so that we can really explore. So I'm thinking about a camping oriented sportsmobile outfitted for fairly long trips. I'm single with no intention of reproducing, so outfitted for 2 humans and 2 canines is just fine. I figure penthouse top and gaucho behind the driver's seat which I could leave set up as a bed for the dogs to lounge on while rolling. That'd allow them to see out of a window and be up close to me, and I could put crates up there if I felt it were necessary.
A lot of folks seem to do away with the propane system. What sacrifices does that entail and what are the benefits? Cooking outside seems like a no brainer except in inclement weather, so living without the stove doesn't seem unreasonable, but I'm not sure what is gained besides slightly lower up-front cost.
Shower and toilet seem necessary. I'm not averse to the occasional squat behind a bush, but if I have the option of a throne, I certainly prefer it. How many times can the various toilet options be used between empties? Which one do folks recommend? Outside shower is fine, but I'm a cold water wimp. That said, I don't need boiling hot water to shower with, either.
I work as a composer, so if I can set up a rudimentary studio (laptop, desk+keyboard, integration with audio system (or separate built-in audio) and speakers placed to left and right of desk at head height, that would make it possible for me to work from the van for pretty much indefinite length trips. That's the fantasy, for sure. Fortunately, as a single guy, I need about 2 cubic feet for clothing aside from specialty outdoor and cycling gear. If anyone has recommendations along those lines, I'd sure like to hear them. Unfortunately, while it seems very easy to build a van which will be good for either a mobile studio or mobile base camp, combining them seems like it starts to involve significant compromise. I could see just replacing the table in the EB-4x layouts with a keyboard stand, or maybe even some kind of specialty workstation, pulling the keyboard off if I really require an interior table.
In truth, however, I'm more likely to buy used, both because of expense and because I don't think I'd have the patience for waiting the better part of a year once I'm ready to pull the trigger - but some of that decisionmaking will be impacted by my final set of questions below...
Financing. I certainly don't have 80-100K just sitting around in cash for purchasing a sportsmobile straight up, even assuming I could get a custom 4x4 build for that kind of money. I could probably live without the 4x4 functionality initially, though it sure would be nice given my intended use. Do most folks pay cash for their van or do they finance? I'm not big on borrowing to buy a depreciating asset, but I gather that RV loans are subject to the interest deduction, which makes it at least a little more palatable - and at the price even a fairly well used sportsmobile commands, I can't see it happening anytime soon without a bank's involvement. I'm willing to buy used, despite the sacrifice of a custom build, though asking prices on used 4x4 sportsmobiles seem only marginally discounted from new. Is it even possible to finance a used RV in this economic climate? I've got great credit and a good relationship with my credit union, but some folks seem to have had a hard time convincing their bank that the sportsmobile is truly an RV - and that was in reference to a new build, not used. I figure that coming up with $30K down wouldn't require that I liquidate savings that I don't want to and there are a fair number of used vehicles with potential that are priced under $70K on the sportsmobile website. Alternatively, I've found a number of unconverted vans in the $10K range that I could purchase and then have the conversion done, but then I'd definitely have to finance the entire process with cash (I assume), so that becomes more difficult despite the lower price. How do other folks solve this issue? I imagine a lot of sportsmobiles were financed via home equity in the bubble years but that's not an option any longer, even if I had much equity to leverage.
OK, if you are still with me, I look forward to your answers. Thanks.
First, I see a fair number of folks say that they would build their sportsmobile differently if they knew then what they know after getting some sportsmobile experience, but they rarely specify exactly what changes they'd make. I'm especially curious to know about the things that folks commonly get and then find that they don't use. I figure a lot of things can be added later, but you are going to take a hit, economically and potentially in space consumption, if you pay for something up front that you wind up not ever using.
I have 2 huskies and we like to go camping and hiking and mountain biking but it is quite a pain in the neck with my Subaru Forester (which is also approaching 200K miles so I'd prefer to keep the long trips to a minimum in it). I telecommute full time, so there is really nothing keeping me from making extended road trips with the dogs so that we can really explore. So I'm thinking about a camping oriented sportsmobile outfitted for fairly long trips. I'm single with no intention of reproducing, so outfitted for 2 humans and 2 canines is just fine. I figure penthouse top and gaucho behind the driver's seat which I could leave set up as a bed for the dogs to lounge on while rolling. That'd allow them to see out of a window and be up close to me, and I could put crates up there if I felt it were necessary.
A lot of folks seem to do away with the propane system. What sacrifices does that entail and what are the benefits? Cooking outside seems like a no brainer except in inclement weather, so living without the stove doesn't seem unreasonable, but I'm not sure what is gained besides slightly lower up-front cost.
Shower and toilet seem necessary. I'm not averse to the occasional squat behind a bush, but if I have the option of a throne, I certainly prefer it. How many times can the various toilet options be used between empties? Which one do folks recommend? Outside shower is fine, but I'm a cold water wimp. That said, I don't need boiling hot water to shower with, either.
I work as a composer, so if I can set up a rudimentary studio (laptop, desk+keyboard, integration with audio system (or separate built-in audio) and speakers placed to left and right of desk at head height, that would make it possible for me to work from the van for pretty much indefinite length trips. That's the fantasy, for sure. Fortunately, as a single guy, I need about 2 cubic feet for clothing aside from specialty outdoor and cycling gear. If anyone has recommendations along those lines, I'd sure like to hear them. Unfortunately, while it seems very easy to build a van which will be good for either a mobile studio or mobile base camp, combining them seems like it starts to involve significant compromise. I could see just replacing the table in the EB-4x layouts with a keyboard stand, or maybe even some kind of specialty workstation, pulling the keyboard off if I really require an interior table.
In truth, however, I'm more likely to buy used, both because of expense and because I don't think I'd have the patience for waiting the better part of a year once I'm ready to pull the trigger - but some of that decisionmaking will be impacted by my final set of questions below...
Financing. I certainly don't have 80-100K just sitting around in cash for purchasing a sportsmobile straight up, even assuming I could get a custom 4x4 build for that kind of money. I could probably live without the 4x4 functionality initially, though it sure would be nice given my intended use. Do most folks pay cash for their van or do they finance? I'm not big on borrowing to buy a depreciating asset, but I gather that RV loans are subject to the interest deduction, which makes it at least a little more palatable - and at the price even a fairly well used sportsmobile commands, I can't see it happening anytime soon without a bank's involvement. I'm willing to buy used, despite the sacrifice of a custom build, though asking prices on used 4x4 sportsmobiles seem only marginally discounted from new. Is it even possible to finance a used RV in this economic climate? I've got great credit and a good relationship with my credit union, but some folks seem to have had a hard time convincing their bank that the sportsmobile is truly an RV - and that was in reference to a new build, not used. I figure that coming up with $30K down wouldn't require that I liquidate savings that I don't want to and there are a fair number of used vehicles with potential that are priced under $70K on the sportsmobile website. Alternatively, I've found a number of unconverted vans in the $10K range that I could purchase and then have the conversion done, but then I'd definitely have to finance the entire process with cash (I assume), so that becomes more difficult despite the lower price. How do other folks solve this issue? I imagine a lot of sportsmobiles were financed via home equity in the bubble years but that's not an option any longer, even if I had much equity to leverage.
OK, if you are still with me, I look forward to your answers. Thanks.