Nissan Recon

[Viperml]

This is something people might want to consider.
Especially those people that like VW vans.
Also, they will be offered at Nissan dealerships.
I am going to consider getting one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLVcZpmuzMs

[Bruceper]

Not a huge fan of Nissan, but I like it.

[Phoebe3]

It would sure be great if campers were sold by auto dealerships - I think one would get better service because the parent company could put pressure on the dealer. Under the current RV system, the RV manufacturers don't appear to have any clout with regard to post-purchase service.

[wincrasher]

Take "at your local Nissan dealer" with a grain of salt. Recon is a tiny boutique operation. I doubt they can put out more than a handful of vans a month.

Most likely is that some Nissan dealers will have a kiosk or display where you can find out how to order a van. Some may even have an actual camper van in the showroom for display - but I doubt it will be very many stores - probably only the biggest markets for this kind of RV.

Actually, from their website, they say this:

"How does the conversion process work? What if I don't live in California?
The conversion process is very simple, the client buys the base Nissan NV200 from a dealer and we do the conversion on this van here in beautiful southern California. We work with a local dealer who sells vans to our clients at dealer invoice pricing. The dealer then delivers the van to our facility and will even ship it to your door anywhere in the US when the conversion is complete. The entire process can be done from your phone and computer in the comfort of your home."

[mlts22]

I would love to see auto makers make campers. This would bring the huge economies of scale and automation that they have to the RV industry.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by mlts22

I would love to see auto makers make campers. This would bring the huge economies of scale and automation that they have to the RV industry.

I agree - bring back the GM Motorhome!!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMC_motorhome


- - Mike
2012 Sprinter 3500 Extended converted B-Van by Airstream

[GeorgeRa]

.... or VW Westfalias.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by mlts22

I would love to see auto makers make campers. This would bring the huge economies of scale and automation that they have to the RV industry.

Be careful what you wish for. To get those economies of scale, they have to produce large numbers of units.

Large numbers of RV's out there mean even more pressure on limited campground resources and/or finding wild places to boondock.

[mlts22]

Here in Texas, there is a lot of pressure already. Around Austin, some of the CGs wind up having all their spots reserved as far as in advance as possible, usually by scalpers.

Given a choice, I'd rather see more campervans on the road than the fifth wheels and 45 foot class "A"s with telescoping slides. One can park ten class "B"s in the space one of those monstrosities require.

If "everyone" had a class "B", things would be interesting. A hotel could build a van friendly parking garage, offer bath-houses and electric, with a few dump stations, and could provide a very useful service for a dense area relatively cheaply, with the only real maintenance power. Definitely a lot less than a hotel. Class "B" specific RV parks could sprout up, offering very nice sites. Even dry camping areas become feasible. For families with 3-4 people, CGs could have small cabins and annexes.

[wincrasher]

Originally Posted by mlts22

Here in Texas, there is a lot of pressure already. Around Austin, some of the CGs wind up having all their spots reserved as far as in advance as possible, usually by scalpers.

Given a choice, I'd rather see more campervans on the road than the fifth wheels and 45 foot class "A"s with telescoping slides. One can park ten class "B"s in the space one of those monstrosities require.

If "everyone" had a class "B", things would be interesting. A hotel could build a van friendly parking garage, offer bath-houses and electric, with a few dump stations, and could provide a very useful service for a dense area relatively cheaply, with the only real maintenance power. Definitely a lot less than a hotel. Class "B" specific RV parks could sprout up, offering very nice sites. Even dry camping areas become feasible. For families with 3-4 people, CGs could have small cabins and annexes.

I think you are wildly optimistic. I would think that the number of vans could shoot up really quickly if someone started building camper vans in great numbers. Especially if fuel prices shot up really high and people were basically forced to downsize. If something becomes popular, or really affordable, people decide and buy in a matter of months.

The problem is, that the campground industry, as well as new players like hotels, would be very slow to react. It's a tremendous investment to build a new RV park from scratch - even modifying one to improve it to accommodate a higher number of smaller RV's wouldn't be insignificant. It's even more daunting when you can only charge $30-40 a night - do the math on a typical RV park - they probably only profit about $10 per site per nite. When you are looking at a multi-million dollar investment, plus property taxes at the commercial rates, the math just doesn't work. Your hotel idea sounds promising, but not when you consider the technical requirements of adding power hookups for several dozen RV's. Not to mention the requirements to put in a dump station - I could tell you it's almost impossible getting one permitted in CA - even the State Parks are now charging a surcharge to dump because of the astronomical costs they are now experiencing.

An RV park going from 100 to 300 spaces doesn't sound very appealing to me. Neither does the spike in fees that would come with new development or modification of parks. Eventually, the market would balance, new facilities would be built - but we would all be paying much more and dealing with more crowded places - essentially being miserable for many years - many of us would be dead by the time all this would be completed and some kind of normalcy returned.

So no thanks, I like things as they are.

[GeorgeRa]

Interesting perspective of keeping young families away from camping by maintaining high B-class prices, it doesn’t jibe with my thoughts. B-class prices are skewed in NA. In comparison to fiberglass, A-frame or tent trailers they are very high. A good truck or SUV at $50K with a trailer for $20K option exists today and it doesn’t choke campgrounds, why would a B-class at $50-70K be different. In fact, a towing vehicle with a trailer does give a young family more flexibility than currently offered Bs with mostly 2 safe seats.
I bought 2 Westfalias at VW dealerships and still remember these very positive experiences. Purchasing from RV dealerships were nightmares.

I wish that the market of camper vans will continue but it is only possible if young people and family will join. My daughter wishes to have a camper van she remembers from her youth, but her husband is financially savvy enough not willing to cash out $100-300K for a B versus kids’ education or retirement at 50.

[Rocketman53]

Another expensive alternative to my Jucy. More (cost-adding) bells and whistles, and no more practicality as a camper van than mine offers.

[JakeyLee]

I just had the pleasure of finally seeing the Envy last weekend. While visiting friends in southern California, ran into an owner (actually my friends neighbor) who was driving a 2017 Envy. Real clever use of space. amazing seat/bed conversion. Heck, I'd get the pop top just for fun and standing room while boondocked. Not sure if I'd ever need it, but for the occasional guest sleeper, kind of nice to have.

This van has got to be the most "stealth" I've ever seen. Looks like a light commercial van. Length of a Camry, and gets 25 plus MPG. It sort of reminds me of the conversions we had in the 70's. Bed, sink, fridge..

Serious question: What would stop someone from using the gray tank for dumping a cassette or small bucket? I'm not trying to be gross, and certainly would never dump solid waste. I wouldn't advocate anyone pee in the sink... but seriously. What's the difference? A five gallon gray tank is nothing to sneeze at. Particularly in an emergency. What say you all??

[Anachr0n]

George Costanza:
"It's not good to hold it in. I read that in a medical journal."


Shameless Seinfeld reference..

[Bud]

" I wouldn't advocate anyone pee in the sink..."

No different than your home, pee ends up in the same place with toilet or sink, no big deal. In addition, there are folks that drink pee with some theory that a little might be good for you. Hey, I know because a read a 2 page article in one of the news weekly like Time or the like in about 1996, after the movie Waterworld came out.

Seems reasonable to me to use the gray tank.

Bud

[JakeyLee]

Originally Posted by Bud

" I wouldn't advocate anyone pee in the sink..."

No different than your home, pee ends up in the same place with toilet or sink, no big deal. In addition, there are folks that drink pee with some theory that a little might be good for you. Hey, I know because a read a 2 page article in one of the news weekly like Time or the like in about 1996, after the movie Waterworld came out.

Seems reasonable to me to use the gray tank.

Bud

Thanks, Bud. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something "I missed". Over the years I've seen and used different variations of tanks, including gray/black combo tanks. I never stopped to think if there was anything inherently different with the physical structure of the tanks or plumbing with ether black or gray tanks/systems. Ideally I like to avoid peeing in the same sink where people brush their teeth. But as a solo traveler, I probably don't care as much as I've let on.

[gregmchugh]

In a house, the only difference between sink, shower, dishwasher, and toilet drains is the size of the drain pipes, larger pipes for more flow volume and for larger chunks of stuff being drained. They connect into larger pipes as they head toward the main sewer drain out of the house. All the types of discharge gets combined at many spots along the way.