Waining interest in NV forum?

[KMG]

Any one else loosing interest in this forum due to lack of participants?  I know that the NV has a small group of owners but to me there are enough vans on the road that a small but active forum should be possible.

Thoughts?  And before you say it... Yes I see the irony in asking.  Kevin

[ASD Dad]

Crickets... I was really active when I bought mine and did a few write ups. The past couple weeks have been dead in here. Maybe there's no problems to complain about? Maybe people are just going day to day now.

 

Still like mine a lot with the Bully Dog installed. Still want to add a rack, better lighting for the road and ideally some wheels and tires. Lacking in funds for all three right now! Next priority is new leaf blower and new tires for my camper. Don't trust the cheap oem tires and have 3 trips that are 7-10 hours one way coming up on the next several months.

[andy_george]

I've too noticed it's been a little quiet in here lately. It's definetely mainly due to the small number of members, but I don't think that's a bad thing. As new people join or just browse and search for answers to questions, there probably just isn't the need for new posts as they find their answers in older posts maybe?

 

I love my van, that hasn't changed! Just gave it the fall wax job, and dang it looks amazing. I sure appreciate the simple, easy to wash exterior. Just as much as I love the simple, no frills, and no squeaks and rattles interior. It's not the best looking vehicle in the world, and it doesn't have the most luxurious interior, but it's so refreshing to own a van that simply puts function before form, and doesn't try to be something it's not. That's rare these days in the automotive world....

[KMG]

Crickets...We're talking Daffy Duck on stage quite!

Still love my van for all the reasons andy_george stated.

I forgot to mention how my back felt normal after my trip.  The seats are like the van, the beauty is in the function not the form.

[axulsuv]

i think the truck buying public doesn't really know about our box's... Nissan should be advertising the passenger model more , it fills a void in the market quite well , and just because of the serious frame under them , along with the form and function , I don't understand how any commercial users would even consider the other offerings out there !? 

 Still love mine and drive it everyday ... And I like that our community is missing all the internet pretenders that clutter alot of other forums .:)

And I'm still saving for some rims and tires, My OE. ones just won't wear out ! So far I've had one problem with my van , one of the batteries in a tire pressure sensor went south . so it would always read low and tell me i had a issue , even though I knew the pressure to be fine ...Still on the original brake pads too , about 35% remaing all the way around , not bad for 65k+ on something this heavy ...

 Glenn B) 

[BuyinganNVP]

I check the forum but have nothing much to discuss at this point. I worked out most of my snags and questions from my purchase in August, and just drive it without any problems (when need be -- it's almost 2 months old and we're just going to fill up the tank for the first time now! And that includes the 250 mile drive back from the dealer ;) )

[radin2son]

Return from the cellular dead zone!

 

ASD Dad, you have mentioned the Titan Forum and I'm sure there is a Tundra forum. How were they set up?

 

My only experience with forums "was" the Sportsmobile forum. Amateurish look, but good content/participation biased toward/by ford 4x4 owners, I have nothing else to base this forum on. It's professional look fooled me into thinking it was Nissan sponsored.

 

I bring this up to see if it would be feasible to create another forum with fewer sections (already suggested by another poster) but with a focus on NVPs, conversions and performance or after market modifications.

 

I have no idea how to do this but imagine it would require time and perhaps money to pull it off.

 

It the above is a waste of time or may not generate increased interest, a "simple" effort to keep things on topic may help. For example, when a new owner shows up and has a towing question, welcome them and point them to the towing section and only answer their question there if not already addressed. This will make it easier to find things in general.

[ASD Dad]

Tundra has several forums and they're all huge.  Tundra has a ton more sales and a lot more years under it's belt.  Titan also has a few large forums but its also been around a whole lot longer, same with the Armada but that forum is smaller.

 

The Tundra forums all had unique feels and unfortunately cliques.  If you were new and asked a simple question you would get blasted for not searching.  Way more participation on those forums, again due to much larger user base.  In one day your topic would be a few pages back on the "New Topic" search page.  It was hard to keep up at times.

 

Even with niche vehicles there were other forums with a lot more participation.  Example would be the Toyota MR2 Spyder.  I owned and raced one 3 years and was the racing forum mod on a Spyder site.  That car has low sales but the forum was quite active.  I think the big difference is people loved to mod their cars.  From looks to audio to performance almost every single user was doing something to their car.

 

The Nissan NV on the other hand - you have the mods for commercial use, the mods for camping or trekking and then NVP mods.  Most of the NVP drivers I would venture buy their van and just drive it.  They may add running boards or tint the windows but they just own and drive.  They dont have a need for a forum unless they have a problem or specific question.  Even with towing, you can get a much bigger response on places like RV.net or the campers company site (like Forestriverforums.com), those forums are huge.  If you had specific towing questions they could be answered here but basic ones are just as quickly answered if not quicker on other sites.  

 

What I have noticed is there are a lot of photos in the gallery with no threads.  One guy on here has The Beast, a modded NVP with custom rack, ladder, LED lights, bull bar, etc.  Another a Quigly with bigger wheels, tires, a 4" lift, Aluminess rack, etc.  One has a crazy custom interior done with LED lights, multiple monitors, etc.  BUT, you search their username for a thread about their vans and 9 out 10 times there is nothing.  Why??  I'd love to read about their vans and have been PM'ing a few of them to get info.  Put it out there for all to see besides a photo.

[radin2son]

Having to sign in everytime I wander off is annoying...

 

ASD Dad, I agree that the majority of NVP buyers moving up from smaller vans are doing research and will not revisit the site unless they have a problem. Same for cargo/business owners.

 

Am I losing interest? Sort of, but it is more like who cares? Very often, I will respond to a post or start a topic, read it, shrug and delete it. I had planned to do a 3 year review of our "bought and paid for (as of September)" NV and SMB, separately, when we finished our trip. In reality there is nothing to add to what is already known. If the other 28 or 29 NV SMB owners participated in this forum, I would to be able to compare what works etc. So far, only 2 others...That said, I have a few road photos to post.

[Chris_CommercialManager]

It has been dead in here for sure.  I firmly believe the main factor is a lack of problems.  

[Mc2guy]

I definitely view it as a good thing.  There are plenty of NVs on the road.  I see 10 every day on my commute alone... more than or at least equivalent to the sprinters.  Mostly commercial vans, but they are out there none the less.

 

1) It is not a cult vehicle (generally associated with, unreliable, foreign, or in some way funky, i.e. VW eurovans), and

2) It is not unreliable.

 

If these things had more problems, more people would be searching out the forums looking for solace on their experiences and how to fix the issues.  The fact that so few people show up complaining really goes to show you that not too many folks are finding reason to complain.

[ASD Dad]

I still dont see many NV's around.  I have started seeing more commercial NV's but very very few NVP's.  I have spotted one silver one like mine in the past few weeks and that is it.  There are two other NVP's but they are both shuttles so I dont count them!  

 

I do get asked often about my van.  Gas stations, stores, even drive-throughs.  The kids at my boys school all love it when they come out at dismissal.  Adults all ask how many it seats and then ask how many kids we have.  When I tell them just 3 plus 2 big dogs they ask why I drive such a giant van so that leads into towing and camping.  The kids all just think its a giant personal bus.

[andy_george]

I get a lot of comments on it's size also. Like a Nissan Cube on steroids;). But I think it's funny how the footprint of the NV really isn't much bigger than any Suburban or double cab full size truck. But the square greenhouse makes it look very bus-ish. And everyone knows that square shapes hold more than the other options with the slanted, curved rear glass and lots of tumblehome (the way the side windows taper in as they go up)!

[radin2son]

It is good to hear from new owners that have recently posted. As you can see from the posts on this thread, we are the same bunch who post over and over...

 

Generally, most NV owners are happy with their trouble free NVs and many disappear after a few posts. When issues do come up, we'd like to hear how they are resolved or not. Same for mods...

[ASD Dad]

That bugs me - when people come in with problems, we make suggestions and then "poof" they are gone!  I'd like to know if 1) they got fixed 2) what was the problem!  There have been several threads like that lately.  I followed up on one (the rack noise) and it was fixed.  Let people know!  If somebody searches they will find the problem but not the solution so will ask again.  

 

Really though - I dont see enough NV's out there still.  I see a LOT more commercial NV's but they are all fleet vans.  They certainly could care less about the forum.  I see very few private commercial owners.  Even fewer still NVP owners but they are slowly popping up.  

 

I still think most owners could care less about a forum or even know it exists if they have no problems.  It wont be until they have a problem or they decide "hey, some new tires would be nice - what fits?" that they may find us hiding in the dark corner of the internet.  

[KMG]

Long time posters excluded from this statement.  I don't appreciate it when I take the time to respond to a newbie with a possible solution to their posted question and don't receive a thanks, no thanks, or even a blow it out your ear.  Nothing!  It's why I read often but post rarely.  

[radin2son]

Rarely do I go to the full site when using my iPhone, but this topic is rated "hot" or is it KMG, good looks I presume.

 

Wollip, since I am on the full site, I'll try to post a picture... It worked! This is the campground at Capitol Reef National Park in November 2012, our second NV trip. It also was just before an early winter storm hit us at Arches National Park. Next month, we will be returning to this area.

Edited May 24, 2016 by radin2son

[chphilo]

I am just getting started, haha.

 

To be honest, often it's not what's going on in here that matters as much as how the forum itself becomes helpful for those outside. When I was researching the van, this forum in particular helped me tremendously. Even if the original questioner never comes back, the thread will show up for those who want to find out about those specific issues about these vans.

[wollip]

See there, Rad, looks like you're a Sage from the land of sagebrush. All of your time and effort lies dormant waiting for Google search to sprinkle a little water on those desert flowers.

[JB Harlin]

I still check what is new here most every day. . .

[Chris_CommercialManager]

I am quite frankly surprised there is not more a "commercial" van owner participation rate.  These guys do tons of cool things for their trades to equip their vans and really come up with awesome stuff.

 

I mention the forum to almost every person that comes through my door.  Excluding fleet I'm putting on average, 2-4 passenger vans and 10-15 vans into non "fleet hands" every month.  I don't think a single person that I've told has become a member here.  

 

We are growing, just slowly........

Edited May 27, 2016 by Chris_CommercialManager

[andy_george]

Here in Michigan there still aren't many passenger NVs, and a small amount of cargo versions. But my wife just got back from charleston, SC, and said there were a ton of NVs down there. Especially cargo ones.

 

I still get tons of looks and compliments with ours. I like driving something a little unique in a world of look-alikes......

[radin2son]

These photos (Boulder UT) may generate some interest...

 

Transit low top vs NV low top. We were parked there first. Some kind of challenge?

 

Saw a silver NVP at Bryce Canyon NP on 6/6. Anyone we know?

Edited June 9, 2016 by radin2son

[radin2son]

Black NVP on US 89 just west of Kanab, UT. Anyone we know, that is on the forum?

 

Had to slow down as there was a broken down tour bus partly in the east bound lane when we passed each other.

[seaweedsteve]

I've been lurking as I decide on getting my camper van going and have noticed how few people post here compared to Promaster forum which is a wealth of info.  STILL, there are a few key folks here that are so valuable for the info and pics you put up.  THANKS GUYS!  You really make the difference when there's such a shortage of good info.  Don't despair and I hope you realize that many people do see your info, just not much to add.....yet!