Hi guys and gals
My girlfriend and I came to the decision we'd like to buy a vehicle from The USA and import it back home to the UK. We considered cars, pickups and vans before settling on buying an RV, doing a roadtrip and importing it back to the UK. So in February 2014 we bought an RV from a dealer in LA on eBay. To cut a long story short, don't do this. It's a bad idea. It was a total pile of unroadworthy poop but fortunately we got our money back. We were in LA without a roadtrip vehicle. Up popped on eBay not far from where we were staying a 1990 Ford Econoline E250 with a Coachmen Fiesta camper conversion. A somewhat more suitable size for UK roads we bought it and bid farewell to the west coast.
The van however immediately broke down and after a very stressful day underneath it on a busy Los Angeles road working-out how the dual tank fuel system worked, we were on our way to our friend's house for an impromptu night at hers. The following morning, one tyre was flat. They were all perished! 4 new tyres later and we were genuinely on our way to Las Vegas and Hoover Dam for our first night sleeping in our new van. Owning a local vehicle as a tourist is a slightly bewildering experience!
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Check out the size difference between our 24 year old camper and all the RVs!
We woke at Lake Mead, Hoover Dam the following morning and headed off to see the dam itself as we drove across it into a new timezone, Arizona time, which bought us an hour.
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Me & Andy
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The USA is a fabulous country. Incredible food, hoppy beers, intriguing folk, great radio and music and of course, breathtaking landscapes!
Grand Canyon!
Meteor Crater!
USA Roadtrip by Fergus McIver, on Flickr
Standin' on the corner in Winslow Arizone, just like The Eagles!
Albuquerque
Austin, TX for SXSW Music Fest
Galveston, TX
Van dropped-off at the port in Galveston ready to be shipped home
Anyway, 2 months later the van arrived in Southampton. The temporary perspex window I'd gaffer taped to the aperture had gone missing. The rain was lashing in. A wheel trim had gone. The cooker light had been left on so the battery was flat. We ran out of fuel so had to go for a can AND buy jumpleads but we did eventually get it home.
After weeks of hard graft, repairs, tinkering and working out how campervans work, it's all up and running nicely. Andrea retrimmed a load of bits of interior, added curtains and a screen shade for privacy. We removed the horrid faded window tint and have given it all a jolly good clean. The van is a 5.8 litre petrol, 3 speed auto. It's got an onboard generator, roof AC, dash AC, hob, 3 way fridge, fluching toilet, hot water, heating, shower, canopy and most importantly an MOT and UK registration now. We will be at the Gathering hopefully with my 1968 Toyota Corona too. Come see us and say hi!
Here's the van in use back here in The UK at a friend's wedding party
My girlfriend and I came to the decision we'd like to buy a vehicle from The USA and import it back home to the UK. We considered cars, pickups and vans before settling on buying an RV, doing a roadtrip and importing it back to the UK. So in February 2014 we bought an RV from a dealer in LA on eBay. To cut a long story short, don't do this. It's a bad idea. It was a total pile of unroadworthy poop but fortunately we got our money back. We were in LA without a roadtrip vehicle. Up popped on eBay not far from where we were staying a 1990 Ford Econoline E250 with a Coachmen Fiesta camper conversion. A somewhat more suitable size for UK roads we bought it and bid farewell to the west coast.
The van however immediately broke down and after a very stressful day underneath it on a busy Los Angeles road working-out how the dual tank fuel system worked, we were on our way to our friend's house for an impromptu night at hers. The following morning, one tyre was flat. They were all perished! 4 new tyres later and we were genuinely on our way to Las Vegas and Hoover Dam for our first night sleeping in our new van. Owning a local vehicle as a tourist is a slightly bewildering experience!
[/a]Check out the size difference between our 24 year old camper and all the RVs!
We woke at Lake Mead, Hoover Dam the following morning and headed off to see the dam itself as we drove across it into a new timezone, Arizona time, which bought us an hour.
[/a][/a][/a]Me & Andy
[/a]The USA is a fabulous country. Incredible food, hoppy beers, intriguing folk, great radio and music and of course, breathtaking landscapes!
Grand Canyon!
Meteor Crater!
USA Roadtrip by Fergus McIver, on FlickrStandin' on the corner in Winslow Arizone, just like The Eagles!
Albuquerque
Austin, TX for SXSW Music Fest
Galveston, TX
Van dropped-off at the port in Galveston ready to be shipped home
Anyway, 2 months later the van arrived in Southampton. The temporary perspex window I'd gaffer taped to the aperture had gone missing. The rain was lashing in. A wheel trim had gone. The cooker light had been left on so the battery was flat. We ran out of fuel so had to go for a can AND buy jumpleads but we did eventually get it home.
After weeks of hard graft, repairs, tinkering and working out how campervans work, it's all up and running nicely. Andrea retrimmed a load of bits of interior, added curtains and a screen shade for privacy. We removed the horrid faded window tint and have given it all a jolly good clean. The van is a 5.8 litre petrol, 3 speed auto. It's got an onboard generator, roof AC, dash AC, hob, 3 way fridge, fluching toilet, hot water, heating, shower, canopy and most importantly an MOT and UK registration now. We will be at the Gathering hopefully with my 1968 Toyota Corona too. Come see us and say hi!
Here's the van in use back here in The UK at a friend's wedding party
