1996 Sportsmobile Build Up.

Another crazy project begins.

So here we go. After a few years of looking at Sportsmobile, it's time to jump in.

These campervans have always interested me since I first saw them a couple years ago. Having owned a few of these vans in the past(GMC, Dodge, Ford), I have always appreciated how reliable, tough and easy to maintain they are - especially compare to my Westfalia Syncro...

For those of you who are not familiar with the company, here's the link: http://www.sportsmobile.com/

The goal of this project is to setup a camper that I will drive down to Costa Rica in November 2007 for a mountain bike race that my crazy friend convinced me to sign in.

http://www.adventurerace.com/

I intend to drive down through Baja, do some surfing/biking and spend a few weeks in Costa Rica/Nicaragua.

Some of the criteria for this project:

-Reliable
-Easy to fix through out North America and Central America.
-Parts available and cheap
-Low cost, as I do not want to stress out about the value of the van during the trip.
-Some Off Road capabilities (no need to go rock crawling...)
-Enough space and power to carry bikes, boards, etc
-A/C and Airbag (That discarded my Syncro)

Like most people, my ultimate desire is to get a 4WD Diesel E350. But with a price range of $50K-$80K+, I decided to start with something a bit more conservative. Also, this being my first time cheating on my Westfalia Syncro relationship, I choose to start easy emotionally...

So last Friday, after an intense bid war on Ebay(not really...), I bought a 1996 E250 Silver Sportsmobile. I have never been too excited about buying an used vehicle unseen, but sometimes you have no choice as I was unable to find a Sportsmobile for that kind of price in my area.

Standard equipments include front A/C, propane heater, pop-top, fridge, stove, bed, etc.

It is not 4Wd, but it supposed to have some sort of rear limited slip differential.
I am not sure how good that is, but I shall find out soon….

Despite of the high mileage, the van is reportedly an one owner van. The owner sold it to buy a new Sportsmobile. The seller has a huge stack of receipts from day 1.

Here some more pictures of the van in his stock condition – just as I bought it.

Some of the modifications I intend to do are the following:

-New wheels
-Bigger tires (285/65 R16??? – need to check)
-Lift Kit (http://www.bajavans.com/)
-Roof Rack
-Hitch
-Fender Flares
-Redo the interior/Change the colors (My girlfriend Persephone says she needs ginger pills so she won't get sick...)
-etc


So on Tuesday, I sent our mechanic and friend Senjay to Atlanta to pick up the van and drive it back to San Francisco.

Senjay was about 20 miles into the trip when he noticed a leak on the radiator. The seller (Elliot) was really nice and he purchased a new radiator.($200). Senjay spent most of the day replacing it, and on Wednesday morning he was on his way.

I guess somehow this incident confirms my thought about getting a van that is easy and cheap to fix....To me a expedition camper should remain simple.

When I talked to him this morning he was in Nashville, TN. So far the van is doing great, Senjay mentioned an issue with the cruise control switch and the need for an alignment.

Hopefully the next news in this blog (my first time by the way...) will be positive...and the van will make it to his new home in San Francisco....

Christian

www.2aroundtheworld.com

www.pbase.com/2aroundtheworld