I think that van is pretty damn cool. I would be much happier paying $65K for that than $180K for the Sprinter which is less usable...
THE IDEA
I built this van with the intention of spending months at a time exploring the Baja Peninsula, my needs were simple:
-Cozy enough for my dog (she demands a queen size mattress)
-Secure storage for my surfboard and bike collecting problem (I’ve fit 8 boards and 4 bikes in the “garage”)
-RELIABLE and cheap/simple to maintainwith easily available parts/mechanics south of the border or anywhere for that matter, hence the 5.4 v8 mated to the 5R110 tranny (arguably the stoutest factory transmission ever made by Ford, they regularly go 400k miles behind the V10 and 6.0 diesels, and only came behind the V8 in some cutaway chassis E-350s)
-sprinters are for yuppies
-Not too big or heavy: its almost 2 feet shorter than a SWB sprinter, stayed well under 10k lbs and under 9 ft tall
-Be comfortable on endless Baja washboard roads: reason I ultimately stayed 2wd and went with the whoop scissor kit from weldtec instead of solid axle 4x4 , you’d be surprised at where 5k lbs over a limited slip 4.56 axle with good tires at <20 psi will get you, and at how plush the KING/Weldtec kit feels
D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:36 pm
I think that van is pretty damn cool. I would be much happier paying $65K for that than $180K for the Sprinter which is less usable...
THE IDEA
I built this van with the intention of spending months at a time exploring the Baja Peninsula, my needs were simple:
-Cozy enough for my dog (she demands a queen size mattress)
-Secure storage for my surfboard and bike collecting problem (I’ve fit 8 boards and 4 bikes in the “garage”)
-RELIABLE and cheap/simple to maintainwith easily available parts/mechanics south of the border or anywhere for that matter, hence the 5.4 v8 mated to the 5R110 tranny (arguably the stoutest factory transmission ever made by Ford, they regularly go 400k miles behind the V10 and 6.0 diesels, and only came behind the V8 in some cutaway chassis E-350s)
-sprinters are for yuppies
-Not too big or heavy: its almost 2 feet shorter than a SWB sprinter, stayed well under 10k lbs and under 9 ft tall
-Be comfortable on endless Baja washboard roads: reason I ultimately stayed 2wd and went with the whoop scissor kit from weldtec instead of solid axle 4x4 , you’d be surprised at where 5k lbs over a limited slip 4.56 axle with good tires at <20 psi will get you, and at how plush the KING/Weldtec kit feels
makes sense if you ask me.
I am curious what person can do this sort of a lifestyle.... Pro surfer ? Pre bum? iNflUenCeR?
D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:36 pm
I think that van is pretty damn cool. I would be much happier paying $65K for that than $180K for the Sprinter which is less usable...
makes sense if you ask me.
I am curious what person can do this sort of a lifestyle.... Pro surfer ? Pre bum? iNflUenCeR?
Pre bum or someone on a sabbatical maybe? iNfLuEnCeR is what most think I bet, but that's not reality.
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm
My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
Ah maybe she hadn’t braked and just let off the glass while the dude was turning and that’s why it went
Thanks for the info! I’ll look up how to max those distances out for her.
Yeah, in my scenario, I let off the gas and started to swerve around the turning car - and it started to activate the smart braking system.
People also take waaaaaaaay too much time to get the fuck off the road when turning, though.
Preach brother. We ain't got all damn day.
Detroit wrote:Buy 911s instead of diamonds.
Johnny_P wrote: ↑Thu Feb 09, 2023 3:21 pm
Earn it and burn it, Val.
max225 wrote: ↑Mon May 01, 2023 5:35 pm
Yes it's a cool car. But prepare the lube/sawdust.
Wow interesting... I haven't had mine go off in the taco once in the 4000 miles, even as a warning. Wondering if some manufacturers are fucking it up more than others.
The collision warning in my GTI can be twitchy and go off at random times, like if a tree is too close to the road on a curve or there is a dip in the road at an intersection or something. It hasn't randomly locked up the brakes, though.
Does it work the brakes at all? I don't think mine does, it just gives that annoying beep and the weird red warning light, both usually after I've already seen the "danger".
Where are these mangos?
Detroit wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:19 pm
I don't understand anything anymore.
The collision warning in my GTI can be twitchy and go off at random times, like if a tree is too close to the road on a curve or there is a dip in the road at an intersection or something. It hasn't randomly locked up the brakes, though.
Does it work the brakes at all? I don't think mine does, it just gives that annoying beep and the weird red warning light, both usually after I've already seen the "danger".
Some systems are just alert systems and don't actually integrate into the brakes.
Which...just what I wanted MORE distraction when driving.
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm
My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
Does it work the brakes at all? I don't think mine does, it just gives that annoying beep and the weird red warning light, both usually after I've already seen the "danger".
Some systems are just alert systems and don't actually integrate into the brakes.
Which...just what I wanted MORE distraction when driving.
Agreed.
BUT.
I AM glad mine doesn't auto-brake precisely because of the scenario mentioned where his mobile did that unexpectedly - and unnecessarily - and they almost got in the by a
Where are these mangos?
Detroit wrote: ↑Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:19 pm
I don't understand anything anymore.
D Griff wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 3:36 pm
I think that van is pretty damn cool. I would be much happier paying $65K for that than $180K for the Sprinter which is less usable...
makes sense if you ask me.
I am curious what person can do this sort of a lifestyle.... Pro surfer ? Pre bum? iNflUenCeR?
Yeah, that I don't know
I mean... teachers could do this for 1/3 of the year. Some nurses can get months off at a time. I suppose if I had a badass hot spot I could work remotely from it, but I think that would get old pretty fast.
Detroit wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 4:42 pm
Some systems are just alert systems and don't actually integrate into the brakes.
Which...just what I wanted MORE distraction when driving.
Agreed.
BUT.
I AM glad mine doesn't auto-brake precisely because of the scenario mentioned where his mobile did that unexpectedly - and unnecessarily - and they almost got in the by a
Yea, these systems are increasingly std these day, agreed that one that doesn't engage the brakes is ideal if there's no other choice.
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm
My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
I am curious what person can do this sort of a lifestyle.... Pro surfer ? Pre bum? iNflUenCeR?
Anyone who can WFH, really. Hotspot and go, baby.
I wish it was that easy. A surprising amount of the country still doesn't have cell service strong enough to work from. I tried and couldn't even do it in Michigan.
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm
My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
I wish it was that easy. A surprising amount of the country still doesn't have cell service strong enough to work from. I tried and couldn't even do it in Michigan.
And depending on your job and how much you have to do, it would be tough in that setup. I legit need a desk, multiple monitors, a headset, etc.
I am curious what person can do this sort of a lifestyle.... Pro surfer ? Pre bum? iNflUenCeR?
Anyone who can WFH, really. Hotspot and go, baby.
Sorta ... connection needs to be quite strong, and if you have background noises and a dog that’s jumping around during the 4-10hrs of meetings
Daily I doubt it’s all that achievable.
Detroit wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 5:16 pm
I wish it was that easy. A surprising amount of the country still doesn't have cell service strong enough to work from. I tried and couldn't even do it in Michigan.
And depending on your job and how much you have to do, it would be tough in that setup. I legit need a desk, multiple monitors, a headset, etc.
Nah, wFH means you just chill in a van and are living your best life.
The collision warning in my GTI can be twitchy and go off at random times, like if a tree is too close to the road on a curve or there is a dip in the road at an intersection or something. It hasn't randomly locked up the brakes, though.
Does it work the brakes at all? I don't think mine does, it just gives that annoying beep and the weird red warning light, both usually after I've already seen the "danger".
No, it hasn't applied the brakes yet. If it started doing that, I'd be dropping it off at the dealer.
Reading the manual, it says that trees on twisty roads can cause it to chime, but applying the brakes is a last result. The manual also cautions you not to test the system.
SAWCE wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 11:58 am
Late to the party, but fuck some of this safety tech. Michelle and I were cruising the other weekend in her Cx5 and the car in front of us was making a right hand turn. They slowed down more than they needed to, but we were still a safe distance away and going pretty slow too, but then her forward collision sensor activated and locked up all her breaks bringing us to a complete stop and we were inches from being rear ended by the massive truck behind us who reasonably wasn’t expecting us to stop like that. She said it’s done similar stuff to her before. I need to spend some time figuring out how to turn as much of that shot off for her as I can.
Check the settings. Not speaking for every MFG. My GTI has settings that allow it to be “average” “late” or “quick” to react (front collision avoidance that is)
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:05 pm
DFD. The forum where everybody makes the same choices and then tells anybody trying to join the club that they are the stupidest motherfucker to ever walk the earth.
SAWCE wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 11:58 am
Late to the party, but fuck some of this safety tech. Michelle and I were cruising the other weekend in her Cx5 and the car in front of us was making a right hand turn. They slowed down more than they needed to, but we were still a safe distance away and going pretty slow too, but then her forward collision sensor activated and locked up all her breaks bringing us to a complete stop and we were inches from being rear ended by the massive truck behind us who reasonably wasn’t expecting us to stop like that. She said it’s done similar stuff to her before. I need to spend some time figuring out how to turn as much of that shot off for her as I can.
Check the settings. Not speaking for every MFG. My GTI has settings that allow it to be “average” “late” or “quick” to react (front collision avoidance that is)
My GTI applied the brakes. Admittedly I wasn’t paying attention the one time it did, got distracted by something. It is scary. But it’s awesome as a safety feature. 5/7 would return it if it does it randomly.
It does BEEP randomly but never had random brake locks
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:05 pm
DFD. The forum where everybody makes the same choices and then tells anybody trying to join the club that they are the stupidest motherfucker to ever walk the earth.
razr390 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 09, 2021 7:35 pm
My GTI applied the brakes. Admittedly I wasn’t paying attention the one time it did, got distracted by something. It is scary. But it’s awesome as a safety feature. 5/7 would return it if it does it randomly.
It does BEEP randomly but never had random brake locks
This shows the beauty of OLD M CARS. Dude goes to change the rod bearings which is an issue in itself...
Oil pump shot too ~$1200 for just parts
Vanos pump shot too ~ $2500 for just parts
On top of $1000 for the bearings...
like WTF... so over-engineered for anything but reliability. You can't really drive these things past 100k miles. I am still maintaining that... having had one with nearly 100k miles... Never again.
Well over 10k in just PARTS to bring it back to life... sigh.
Yea yea... M cars are Just fine at 300k miles.
yep... And the E46 M3 also has the same elements of this... As that the E90. They are all quite similar in architecture and design/flaws.
I love that V10, but I wouldn't want one with above 100k miles for sure, unless I pay someone who is REALLY good at it to change Vanos/bearings/pumps etc.
They're race engines. Race engines are rebuilt after ever race, they're certainly not designed to go 100k miles. It's just the nature of it.
Desertbreh wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm
My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
Detroit wrote: ↑Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:49 pm
They're race engines. Race engines are rebuilt after ever race, they're certainly not designed to go 100k miles. It's just the nature of it.
Built to be driven, appreciated, and then made love to with special tools for hours.
makes sense if you ask me.
mentioned where his 
mobile did that unexpectedly - and unnecessarily - and they almost got 
in the 
by a 
M cars are Just fine at 300k miles.
