Light Commercial

Campervan Conversions And #VanLife

June 17th, 2024 | blog, Driving in Australia, Home, Light Commercial, People Movers, SUV, Ute, Vans

Comments off

It’s perfectly possible to sleep in the back of most cars in a pinch, as long as the rear seats fold flat and you have a reasonable bit of padding underneath you and a pillow (speaking from experience here). However, I wouldn’t want to do it for more than a night or so in a row without very good reason. If you like to stay in campgrounds or in the middle of nowhere but don’t want to lug around a caravan, then possibly the answer is to build your own campervan, giving you more versatile motoring as well as the ability to take secure accommodation with you – and making it easier to find a park when you stop in to pick up supplies.

If you want to convert a vehicle to a campervan, you need to start with the right one. Vans are always popular and give you more floorspace and headroom in your mobile bedroom, but it’s also possible to convert a sizeable SUV or MPV.

Good vans for converting to a campervan include:

Mercedes Sprinter (a popular choice for many enthusiasts)
Ford Transit
Fiat Ducato
Toyota Hiace
Hyundai iLoad
VW Crafter
VW Kombi – the classic retro campervan!

Good SUVs and MPVs for conversion are:

Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Estima
Honda CRV
Honda Odyssey
Skoda Octavia

In fact, any decent-sized SUV or van or MPV can be converted into a campervan. Even some utes with a covered deck can be used as campervans. Some can even be converted into full legal motorhomes, as long as you meet the standards.

The simplest way to convert your vehicle into a campervan is simply to fold down the back seats, then toss in a mattress, a butane stove and some picnic plates, and you’re good to go. You may also be able to even remove the rear seats completely, although whether you can do and have a legally roadworthy vehicle will depend on which state you’re in.

Assuming that you can remove the rear seats permanently (or at least until your holiday’s over), then you can go one step further and build a bed platform, which will avoid the problem of weird niggly bumps under the mattress that will make you realize where that folk tale of the Princess and the Pea came from. The advantage of a bed platform is that you can store stuff under it (like your clothes and your cooking gear).

If you want more than a place to sleep and a place to stash clothes and food, then you can add all sorts of things. LED fairy lights and rechargeable batteries have made lighting a lot easier than it was when I was in my 20s, so don’t worry about installing fancy lights unless you’re super-keen. The upgrade that a lot of people like to go for is a loo of some sort; in fact, if you’re a New Zealander reading this, you have to have some sort of loo on board to get certification as a freedom camper. I’d add curtains as one upgrade, as cars and vans are usually built for visibility, which means that when you’re trying to sleep or get dressed inside the van, you’re still exposed to the outside world. Even if you are in the middle of nowhere and get changed in the dark, the light of the rising moon can still wake you up in the wee smalls (although an eye mask or a beanie pulled over your eyes can do the trick).

Ultimately, exactly what you want to put into your vehicle to convert it to a campervan will depend on what you want to do with it and how long you’re going to be doing it for. If you are currently without a permanent home and living the van life, like one of my nieces did, then something larger will make your life more comfortable. The big thing to remember, as with any DIY project, is to measure first and play around with squared paper (or a computer-aided design tool if you know how to use one) before you head down to Bunnings and start cutting up the timber.

To be legally classed as a motorhome in Australia, the vehicle has to be fitted with seats and a table, which need to be fixed (although fold-down tables are legit); storage (fixed), somewhere to cook (also fixed) and somewhere to sleep, which also – you guessed it – needs to be fixed. It also needs good ventilation and a fire extinguisher, and you need to stick with the weight restrictions for the class of vehicle. If you want to add anything fancy involving electricity, water or LPG gas, then this needs to be professionally installed and certified for your own safety as well as to meet the requirements. You can read the full requirements here.

You can also take the easy option and simply add a rooftop camper to a ute or 4×4, which takes out a lot of the hassle of cutting, measuring and shocking the neighbours by what you say after hitting your thumb.

Some New American Muscle For 2024

April 15th, 2024 | American cars, blog, Light Commercial, Makes and Models, New cars

Comments off

This is an older model of Jeep, but you get the general idea.

Like American made stuff? You’ll probably like Harleys and a pancake breakfast, follow the NBA, and celebrate Independence Day. This might be a stretched and oversimplified generalisation, but I can see why many people still appreciate an American-made automobile. They are usually large, powerful, and comfortable vehicles to travel in.

Now, there are some current car sale outlets in Australia that specialise in importing and selling a wide range of imported cars from the USA, old and new. The American Car Company and Dazmac are probably the most recognised businesses. The American Car Company’s mainstays of fresh new imports are the latest GMC Sierra (a tough light truck/ute) range, Ford F-150 (another tough light truck/ute), Toyota’s Tundra (yet another tough light truck/ute), and the sensational Dodge Hellcat performance muscle cars.

However, there are also some other mainstream American models you can buy that are easily bought and are available for buyers on the lookout for a brand-new American machine. Chevrolet, Ford, Jeep, RAM Trucks, and Tesla should all ring a bell, and these American icons can be found on numerous showroom floors throughout Australia. Private Fleet’s team members are happy to engage in getting you the right American car for the right price.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet has a superb version of their own tough light truck/ute in the form of the big Chevrolet Silverado HT. This is a big, powerful, and tough truck that has space to burn in the cabin and remains one of the most comfortable and stylish models of its type in its class, and it carries all the modern technology and safety you’ll need for serious work and play.

Ford

Ford F-150

Like the Chevrolet Silverado, Ford’s F-150 is a big, classy tough light truck/ute that comes in two variants. Its strong underpinnings and rugged powertrain make this a perfect workhorse and prime business statement.

A true American legend is the Ford Mustang. Now onto the seventh-generation model, the Mustang is Ford’s longest standing model name, with the very first Mustang starting off its production a long way back in 1964. Currently, in 2024, you can buy yourself a sensational wind in the hair experience with a brand-new Ford Mustang Convertible GT. This performance car brand also offers the Ford Mustang as three variants of the 2024 Ford Mustang Coupe.

Jeep

A big global American player and a longstanding brand, Jeep still champions a range of comfortable, spacious SUVs and utes, all of them delivering formidable off-road capability when the occasion demands itself.

Jeep’s flagship model, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, is a spacious, powerful, luxurious 4×4 SUV that can happily spend time in a city environment. Shake off the shackles of the urban jungle and head out to the wild blue yonder, and this vehicle provides some of the most serious off-roading ability you can find.

Just look at the Jeep Wrangler, and all three of the current models will trumpet “I’m a serious off-road, 4×4 machine!” A Wrangler is a load of fun, too!

Jeep Compass is another great SUV from Jeep with all the goodies, 4×4 ability, and a great size for the family.

The Jeep Gladiator is a model perfect for the builder and tradie who needs to get a long way off the beaten track to commence work. It’s also fun for recreational use and a good tow machine.

RAM

RAM Trucks are the other American-made tough light truck/ute brand you can look to for your seriously good King of the Road experience. The RAM 1500, RAM 2500, and RAM 3500 models are all available.

RAM 1500. There are six versions you can buy in Oz. In America, the 1500 is considered to be the “light duty” version, but it still delivers up to 295 kW of power and 558 Nm of torque, plus up to 5783 kg of towing capacity and a 953 kg maximum payload.
RAM 2500. There are two versions of the RAM 2500 available here in Australia. The RAM 2500 harnesses up to 306 kW of power and 582 Nm of torque. The mighty 6.7-litre Cummins turbodiesel engine gives drivers an 8972 kg tow rating.
RAM 3500. The RAM 3500 Laramie is the top of the range. Offering 306 kW of power and 582 Nm of torque, with this version it has been built to cope with a jaw-dropping tow capacity of almost 16 tonnes (16,000 kg). Being a Laramie model, it also gets all the luxury and comfort features.

Tesla

Here is the battery electric vehicle (BEV) with American roots. You are sure to have heard about Tesla, so, if you are wanting to buy a new Tesla in 2024, there are three models of the Tesla Model 3 Sedan and three models of the Tesla Model Y SUV available.

Hilux Baby Ute a Champ

February 12th, 2024 | blog, Japanese cars, Light Commercial, Makes and Models, Manufacturer News, New cars, Ute

Comments off

I think plenty of people would love to get their mitts on Toyota’s cute baby Hilux. Due to the Champ’s very no frills disposition, the cost of buying a new Toyota Champ Hilux would only be around $20k if you could buy one here in Australia. However, we’ll have to wait and see if the new Hilux Champ actually makes it down under.

Toyota have launched the new Hilux Champ in Thailand, and it was a vehicle that featured, for the first time, at the recent Japan Mobility Show. At this show, it was displayed in numerous configurations to show just how versatile the little Champ can be, and so it was demonstrated as an off-road vehicle, a coffee van, and even as an ambulance.

The Champ workhorse has plenty of variety in the way it can be built up, so, for example, there are long wheel-base (3085 mm) and short wheel-base (2750 mm) variants with two different cargo trays offered. There are numerous holes for bolting down whatever you like to the cargo tray, so you could easily use this as a camper, a stock carrier for the farm, or even as a coffee van. The Champ’s payload for the cargo deck is around the 1-tonne mark.

You can also opt for any of three engines to power the little Champ. Five-speed manual and six-speed automatic gearboxes are available to link with your specific engine of choice. A rather nice 2.4-litre turbo diesel is good for 110 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque. This would be an economical engine with loads of grunt for performing any demanding tasks with relative ease. A 2.0-litre petrol has 102 kW and 183 Nm of torque, while a bigger 2.7-litre petrol produces 122 kW and 245 Nm of torque.

Luxury isn’t the Champ’s forte, so even electric windows are found only on the higher-spec models (not that this is a bad thing – I kind of miss having roll-down windows that work when the key’s out sometimes). The seats are upholstered in black vinyl, and there are a few safety features like seat belts, a strong structure, and two airbags. There is no infotainment system on-board when sold new; however it does come with two speakers, for which you can access, probably via the driver’s instrument panel.

The new Toyota Hilux Champ takes me back to the solid and reliable little 2WD Hilux and Nissan Navara utes of the eighties and early nineties. These were no frills workhorses, but they were very dependable and robust work companions. And yes, I wouldn’t mind having one.

New Utes and Vans

September 5th, 2022 | AWD, blog, Buy A New Car, Car Sales, Light Commercial, Makes and Models, New cars, Ute, Vans

1 comment

There are now lots of vehicles for sale that are well-suited for serving in many different roles in all sorts of Trades throughout Australia. Whether you’re an electrician, a builder, a plumber, a gardener, a boat builder, a florist, a baker, a butcher, etc., – the list just goes on – there is a load of new vehicles available on the market that will aptly serve your business and recreational needs.

Let me take you through them. I’ll make it easy for you and list them in two categories: Vans and Utes. In both categories the vehicles are listed in ascending order of price. That will make it easier to see which of the vehicles may fit into your price range and budget.

Vans