Quote:
Originally Posted by stanw909
I have seen many Juicy rental vans out and about. How did it work out for you? Other than the blowout.
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Sorry for the late reply. Between our touring and the birth of a new granddaughter, it's been hopping!
We now have toured with our Jucy for six weeks total, sleeping in places ranging from rest stops to national parks and KOA-type campgrounds. And after all that, we still love this micro-camper.
Vehicle: The 2010 Chrysler T&C platform has been flawless over about 11,000 miles. Runs like a champ. I've been faithful with oil changes. With 140,000 miles on the clock now, I've been using standard viscosity "high mileage" oil to maintain good seals. I'm debating whether to change out tranny fluid, which is apparently the original install. My mechanics are split yes and no. (The one's fear is that, if never changed before, the service will break something loose and cause trouble.) Fuel efficiency has been a surprise, in excess of 20 mpg at 70+ mph. I also added a rear-view camera and a Sirius radio receiver, and upgraded the vehicle's speakers.
Sleeping: The cabin bed is comfortable. I am 6 ft and over 200 lbs. I have no trouble getting comfortably situated. (The trick is to sleep with head to the back of the vehicle.) Dear wife isn't complaining, either. We can set up in two minutes, re-situating stuff from the back bench to the front seats to clear the sleeping area. The blackout/privacy curtains work very well. Lighting is all LED, so battery drain in minimal while illumination is just fine, whether the dome light or re-directing the kitchen light strip. The inside body panels have convenient niches for your eyeglasses, watch, wallet, keys and phone, plus a cup holder. Clothes and toiletries bag are easily accessible under the bed. Ventilation has been no issue. We made screens for the front windows and rear vents, and have two small fans to move air, if necessary. We have not personally experienced the Penthouse, yet.
Kitchen: The kitchen is most efficient when the portable butane stove is used at a picnic table. Meals have been simple on the road. The stoves have performed excellently. Some have complained about an inability to find butane canisters. I found them at WM, Lowe's and Home Depot, and are commonly available at kitchen supply stores. (I'll again plug the "My-Joe" non-electric K-cup coffeemaker, now $13.99 at WM.) The food prep area is sufficient, with little niches for paper towels and other items. "Fridge" is fine in cooler climes. Overall, it worked well enough. It's thermo-electric, supposedly cooling to approx 30 degs below ambient. Well, if you're in 90 degrees... (I'd like to find a compact 12v compressor unit that doesn't cost me $1500.) It was capable of actually keeping custard frozen in cooler weather.
Jucy has no shower or toilet, although I read newer models include a cassette toilet that hangs out one of the side doors on a drawer that goes into the bench. (Surprisingly, many of the folks we've met in Pleasure Ways or Road Treks tell us they never use their unit's facilities.) We do not use the unit's water tanks, either fresh or gray. We fill our 2.5 gallon collapsible jug and dispose of our used water as prescribed. (Why haul all that added weight?)
Lastly, we had problems with the clamshell Penthouse - on closing it wouldn't properly align or shut fully. Neither Jucy nor the acutator manufacturer were of much help. After we tore apart the inside panels, we discovered the culprit. Someone had miswired the circuit and the voltage protector, and that allowed the new house battery to fully exhaust itself to oblivion never tripping the protector. We rewired and added an on/off switch to the fridge to eliminate any drain there when not in use, installed a new battery, and have a small solar trickle charger attached to maintain the battery. Works perfectly.
Every time we use this vehicle, it earns a fonder place in my heart. It has fulfilled its purpose for us in spades. Easy to drive everywhere, useful daily driver, cheap to insure and drive, comfortable, convenient, quick set-up...what's not to like? For the price I paid, I'm well satisfied.
Now to map our next little trip...
Quebec, St. Lawrence, Maritimes and New England
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