radin2son

Sure, but do you bill from the moment you get in your NV and drive to Tucson? Just below this post is an ad for "plumbers in your area." Google is on the job...

One of the advantages of not having plumbing for water is that there is nothing to fail. After 3+ years of use, we are starting to have minor problems. 1. On our trip to Big Bend, TX, it got much colder than forecast and the gray water tank drain shut off froze. On our most recent trip, it leaked. Not that big a deal since the tank is way to small to depend on. We always use a pan, but some stays in the tank to leak later. 2. The "city" water intake started leaking more when under pressure. This past trip, I tried tightening it only to make it worse. It hardly leaks when I use "city" water to fill our 20 gallon tank, then turn off the water. I have to take another look to see what is leaking. Everything is in an impossible to see and reach area, so my goal may be to just get it to leak less. We rarely use available "city" water for more than filling the tank when needed. Having plumbing for water is still the way to go for us, but I would try to keep it all easily accessible if doing a home build. 2/24 Where is a NV plumber when you need one? Looked, or rather tried to look at the connections. Other than seeing "pex?" blue water lines coming off the intake, I couldn't get near them to see if if any were loose or cracked. So, if I need to use city water, I can shut it off when not in use...

Red Rocks, Pink Jeeps, rental ATVs built for families and one NV... Forest Service roads near Sedona are dusty and corrugated when dry, impassable when wet. NVs can handle dry conditions easily with lots of use of 1st and 2nd gear. Verde Valley off I-17 south of Sedona is a destination you have to want to visit. If Faced with a choice of the Grand Canyon and here, pick the Grand Canyon. We had 6 archaeological sites we wanted to visit and added 2 more. Temps in Verde Valley were in the mid-70s, 15* warmer than Flagstaff, and there was no snow. In the summer, stay in Flagstaff. On I-8, near Gila Bend, it was in the mid-80s. Much nicer than 120* in the summer. We always just drive through to San Diego, but decided to check out an site and BLM campground. 60 sites, better described as 60 concrete picnic tables with no water and 2 2seater pit toilets. Sunset and sunrise among the petroglyphs made it worthwhile. In the last photo, you can see our van in the background

Our VW camper had swivel driver and passenger seats. The swivel apparatus was attached to the original rails with the seat attached on the swivel rails. Worthless! Particularly the driver's seat... Also very hard to swivel. We stopped using them in short order. The bin is too important to give up. It also is sturdy enough to sit on.

Where are you and what research have you done online etc.? NVP owners tend to use this forum, then disappear shortly after the purchase. There is a Commercial Manager on this forum that you may want to PM.

Yes, but look what you get. If Nissan Commercial would start marketing dealer conversion possibilities like this, BraapRider and others wouldn't question or delay their purchase. NVs are real trucks, and you can't beat the way we use them. BraapRider will soon forget buyers' remorse and mpg when he transports his bikes and gear to the first race of the season. It is that group that will be impressed.

This falls under you can measure CRL window instalation 3+ times, and it still won't look right if you install a counter or cabinet with space to be able to operate the driver's side louvered window. After getting in and out of our van via the slider uncountable times, I noticed either the counter or window were not level, Poor workmanship? Nope. Nissan side panel styling. It is strickly a visual issue.

Keene, NH is a long way from Salt Lake... Let us know what you think of the dealership if they or another dealership do the service. You will soon appreciate what this vehicle can do. We only see white and silver NVs in the SW. When did Nissan start offering "body color bumpers and grill surround." Looks sharp but not without problems per another post under Appearance. Edit: What was I thinking... Body color bumpers? Our cargo 2012 SV is similar to the newer SL, only we had to pay for the tow package. Still the black with black is sharp looking.

Where can I enlist? Utah is not a reality for most on this forum. It should, however, be a trip destination. NW is a great destination as well...

Utah? If you are unfamiliar with southern Utah, check out the new videos by dave-anderson.com. His camperized NV 2500 high top V6 was used as their base camp when not in Moab. These are climbing videos produced for Aceteryx China. Sub-titles are available on some, but you don't them to appreciate the beauty of the climbs and the area. Utah is still tough on NVs. His has a dinged front bumper; our's has a dinged rear bumper. Shows that we are proud owners, or can't see over the hood or out the back. The flat tire, not so much... With temps in the 80s, we are headed north toward the Sedona area for some archaeological exploring. If the weather holds, we may head toward Zion and sites in that area.

Braaprider may have found just what you are looking for at Ken Garff Nissan in Salt Lake. See his Buying V6 or V8 posts and pictures under on topic lounge. It is probably an Advance 4x4 conversion, but you can see what a NVP conversion will run you. We also are curious. There are several Quigley owners and one Advance owner on this site. This particular NVP may be a 2015 model, but they all hold their value well.

Of the 8 dealers who sold NV SMBs, KG set the highest price by almost $10K for the conversion. Since there was online info regarding the NV invoice etc, there was little he could do to jack up the NV price. He did on dealer installed options. We didn't try to deal with KG. An early poster from Salt Lake didn't either; bought a high top SMB from a SoCal dealer. Fortunately for you, the tow package is included with the V8. Not sure if the tech package is included. It is worth getting as basic as it is. It works in all the cell dead zones in the west. Good luck with your trade. Another issue that you probably found out in researching dealers, they are far and few between. Unless you do your own service or have a good mechanic, only NV dealers can do service. This has not been a problem as NVs have few mechanical issues and dealer service has been very good.

I can't make out the plate using my phone, but is the dealer Ken Garff in Salt Lake City? Great looking NV! 4x4? I can see why it caught your eye vs the white NV. From your description, you appear to have made an offer for a 2x2. The 4x4 high too V8 does get reasonable mpg. If is is Salt Lake, they also sell Sportsmobile conversions. "Sold" may be a better word, as I'm not sure any more have been built. But, that is another story.

That's the best part of "camperized" NVs. There is no right or wrong way to convert or use them. I agree that the 20' length is perfect for parking, but it also is under most ferry, campground or road restrictions. We based our purchase on our old VW and were unaware of most restrictions until we started using our NV. It would have been a costly mistake had an extended version been available. At 20', we ignore the No RVs sign and continue on in our camper van. What is painful to see is the barely used SMB camper vans for sale on their site. But, the second buyer gets the best deal... You just have to make sure you want to do this.

Tank does need his comforts... Our 2 are medium size and have taken over the couch/bed. The cooler has become the "loft or balcony." We get the penthouse. Big Agnes makes or markets backpack, basecamp chairs that fold up and fit into a case about 20"+x5". The swivel chairs are the best. Pricey but save on storage space. No cup holders... Are you going to put any carpet in the front 1/2? Our's came with a removable carpet that is more comfortable and warmer than the subfloor and pebble marine coating. After every trip, I remove it to vacuum and hose it off. With dogs there is little point in trying to keep them from tracking things in. Did I mention wet dogs? The downside is once it gets wet, as it did in your part of the country, it never dries until we get back to the desert. What you have done is made a great weekender that can be modified further as needed.

We have a 12v cooler in the same spot. When 1 of our 2 dogs is no lounging on it, we can use it as a table/staging area...seldom. The back 1/2 of your van looks full. What are your plans for the front? Had we had the option, we would have increased the length of the counter (under the driver's side window. This would mean no hanging closet at the rear, which I think is a waste of space, or poorly used space. Lower storage would not be affected. This is not yet an option, and may never be, but we think camper NVs are 2' short of being full time. This would offer a little more room for propane, furnace, toilet/shower for those who need/want this. It will be interesting to see what Mahu builds and how they deal with the phenomenon of shrinking space after 30+ days of camping.

If mpg is your only concern based on your planned use, go with the V6. It will get 17-19 mpg according to most posts. Axulsuv's 1500 gets 21+ mpg. The V8 will get 14-15 mpg. City use or towing will get you 7-10+ mpg. Our low top 2500 camper van has averaged 15.4 mpg over the 3 years we have owned it. We went with the V8 because the conversion added 1000# and gear etc adds another 1000#. This assumes you are getting the cargo version The NVP 2500 V6 may be under powered.

You must be cooking inside, unless you very, very tall. We have a table that stores under the couch/bed with the tripod leg stored in the storage in back. Both are very difficult to get to when the van is packed, or maybe that is just an excuse not to use it. Good use of temporary space space. Like the paper towel holder.

"Sightings" may generate some more participation in this forum in general. Another is posting travel photos. I'm always interested in new places and photos help. There are quite a few towed RVs and camper vans on this forum, so bring on the photos... Build descriptions with photos are much appreciated as well.

The Zodiak high top conversion mounted the awning on a rack, which I thought made it too high and perhaps cut down on the shade/shelter of the awning. On a low top, or in our case a pop top, I would mount it on a rack. But... This would make it too heavy to manually put up the top, particularly as I get older. We are considering, down the road so to speak, having the top modified to electric. I expect our NV to be "major" problem free, so the cost might be worth it if it extended our use.

I have always thought the driver's side with only 1 window looked strange, but didn't do this because up close you can tell the "depth" difference between the window and vinyl. It is, however, an improved look.

Nice fit. Since you have lots of wall space, are you planning to add more on both sides?

Makes sense, but I would be inclined to keep the seats for resale unless you drive it into the ground. Then again, where would I stash them. No matter, you will enjoy the van as you cruise around the southwest.

There have been several posts regarding a need for rear seats. There also is an unused "classified" thread under Louge, off topic. That said, why did you buy an NVP if you didn't need the rear seats or plan to keep them? AC?

Welcome. How many seats do you have to remove to get your cameras inside? Looked at your web site. Great photos. It is nice to see you can still take a photo of your NV just like the rest of us.