wollip

Couldn't say it better and agree completely. The Dodge Promaster showed up in our little town a couple of months ago - I was not impressed - too flimsy to hold up. The Ford Transit finally made its appearance last week - it would have tempted me but honestly I am nearing completion of our NV to RV conversion and have spent, in total, less than just the purchase price of the Ford. Nissan NV equals safety, economy, and comfort.

Welcome to the group. You are going to love your new van. This is a great group that treats each other with respect. Most posts are brief but always to the point with quality information. Sprinter owners are chatty and go on and on about anything, BUT I have waded thru pages and pages of their posts to glean some good info on travel/camper/recreational conversions at Sprinter-Forum ( sprinter-source.com/forum ). I personally wouldn't buy a Sprinter, but the interior conversion process is basically the same. Reading every post we have here will not take too much time and will really bring you up to speed on the NV.

I would first install a bulkhead for safety - Adrian Steel is a good source. The floor will need to be replaced every few years. I'd use the best exterior grade plywood I could find and secure it to the floor with Teks wood to metal self tapping screws (Home Depot). I'd also want an in-floor track system such as VersaTie (macscustomtiedowns.com) or UniTrax (coterie downs.com) or E-Track (conversioncomponents.com/cargo-control-e-track/ ). Recessed is worth the extra effort. You're going to love your new van!

Axulsuv / Glenn - Thanks for your post yesterday. You gave some really good tips for improving mpg and helped me add items to my list of "just too many variables".

MikeyNV - There is an interesting discussion going on in the NV 1500 thread - "Disappointing Gas Mileage". Maybe you could jump in there and give Backfire1 some info on mpg with your 4.0 - trip and daily use.

Backfire 1 - Any discussion of mpg is dependent on so many variables. But over several days and posts you have laid out good information and others have posted pertinent clues to their success or failure in the mpg quest. IMHO - you seem to be doing everything anyone can do only to be tripped up by a ladder rack - an accessory vital to your business; therefore, a cost of doing business. So it goes...... I agree with others that you will see a slight increase with break-in (probably 1 mpg). I had that increase with the V-8 only to see it disappear when I bolted an air conditioner to the roof. I've got the ac, mud flaps, running boards, and a rooftop exhaust fan all dragging down my mpg. In my case, the cost of comfort. So it goes .....

Backfire 1, For some reason I just can't stay out of this. At some point you stated - "Again, I love my Van and I put approximately 100 miles on it a day while doing HVAC service work." My question to you is this - have you ever taken the van out for a 100 to 200 mile trip ( or longer), that was mainly (95% or better)highway or Interstate, at a steady rate of speed, and checked the mpg the old school way with a pencil and division?

I obtained a second rear grip handle for the driver's side from www.factorynissanparts.com . Enter your vehicle year & type on the first web page and then enter this part # 81910-1PF0A into the part# / keyword search window on the 2nd page. This will take you directly to the appropriate part diagram. The grip handle is part #8 and the bolts are part #9 (need two, of course). I didn't worry about left or right since you turn it upside down and ... magic. This is an exact duplicate of the factory installed handle and cost less than $30 delivered. I think the same number chruncher that eliminated the cabin air filter decided that we only needed one grip handle. This info will probably work with any OEM Nissan parts dealer online but price and shipping may vary.

Are you sure your exhaust is "factory" and not modified?

John ... Sounds like you have hit the ground running. Don't know if you plan on a vent fan and/or AC unit but I had to have both living and mainly traveling in the South ( Arkansas - 800 miles minimum any direction from anything you want to do ). I decided to place the AC unit in the rear so I wouldn't hit my head on the interior distribution box every time I stepped inside from the slider.

John ... One other rather obvious point is that even with current prices $40,000 in savings will buy a lot of gas. Enjoy!

Welcome to the group - you are going to love your NV. The windows are a big plus for navigation even with the NV having a great set of mirrors. I highly recommend a set of running boards for entrance/exit comfort. Your $20,000 estimate on having the interior finished out is accurate and should buy quality top to bottom. The result is a travel vehicle done your way without the complications and maintenance headaches of a factory RV. And, you can park your NV anywhere (except for parking decks :-) ). We are doing the same conversion with a 2500 but I am a glutten for punishment and am doing the work myself slowly but surely. Maybe we will cross paths someday.

VanGuy - you just nailed it - well said! I would like to add that one of the primary other advantages of the NV is comfort. Perhaps Chris can give us a comfort comparison after a few months of ownership.

I just have the side window in the slider and it is fixed. My other side "windows" are 3M gloss black film. Those areas look so much like real windows that most people don't even realize they are fake.

It isn't the altitude so much as it is the mixed driving - IMO. I have the 2500 high roof with v-8. Highway trips (which are why I have it) are 16 to 17 and it doesn't care if that is at 55 or 65 mph, windy or calm. I've only driven it around town once and the mixed results dropped to 12. Hope some others will share their results.

I have side and rear Hehr windows that came from nissanvanwindows.com/page2 . I did not install them since I found a glass shop that turnkeyed the project for two Benjamins. I really didn't want to have to explain to the wife why a rear window fell off into traffic. The side window is a "pinch" design with an inner frame. I remember the glass guy saying he would also use some glue on the side window. He also had to loosen the door latch to work the edge of the inner frame into place in that corner. I like the windows - installed for about a year now and no leaks.

2012 2500 high top with S trim pkg - I have door speakers and they do work. I use the radio so seldom I had to go out and check this to be sure. I am very interested in your sound deadening project for the doors. I have never removed interior door panels - does it require much in the way of specialized tools? I also am looking for someone who can help with procedure for removing headliner and overhead molded storage unit. Bugs and such give off a tin can ring when they impact the large forehead of the high top. See my recent post in the cabin and interior thread.

NV 2500 high roof - I would like to install some sound deadener in the slope between the top of windshield and the flat roof - the bugs make considerable noise when they hit that area. The molded headliner will need to be removed - question is, how to remove and hopefully reuse the 3 retainer buttons. The molded plastic storage area is bolted on and looks simple enough - are there any issues to watch for while removing it? I appreciate any input!

Welcome to the group! We look forward to your input and hope that we may be of assistance to you as well.

Just scroll up to the start of this thread for the bulb information - they work well.

Any thoughts on best way to add fog lights to my 2012 2500 high roof with S trim pkg.? Bull Bar comes to mind but seems more like an expensive bracket to me.

The question is - why hasn't the dealer already made this right?

Russ - I have them and installed them myself. Don't remember any problems but I would position them lower if I had it to do over. I followed the directions closely and measured carefully for position only to discover that they really weren't providing much "coverage". The windows can barely be opened and have any measure of protection from rain. I would just pull them down as much as possible and forget the measuring. The clips were unexpected but they do seem to work. It would have helped if they had included enough of the little plastic rivets but I found some at the parts store that worked okay.

Vanguy - thanks for such a detailed post! The extra effort you took is greatly appreciated!

Seems to me that the narrow space between the driver's side door and rear wheel well might accommodate a tank similar to one that was used on 2007-ish Airstream Interstates. Those tanks show up on ebay occasionally. Otherwise, the only significant space is occupied by the spare tire.