I present to you: Charley!

[mahu]

After almost 5 months of waiting, our 2016 NV2500 SL is finally here. Picked up our van named Charley earlier today. Heading across the country to CA starting Tuesday and will settle near Lake Tahoe for the winter while slowly converting to camper van. Come spring we'll hit the road towards Alaska.

 

 

[ASD Dad]

Congrats! You have some patience!

[mahu]

The amazing price was the only reason we stuck with it. And we wanted glass on doors, blue, SL trim with technology package and since that is hard to find we kind of had to wait for it. The deal we had agreed to in June almost fell apart today as they tried to renegotiate on the (manufaturer) discount but after 3 hours of back and forth in which we held firm we got the deal.

[KMG]

Congrats!  Please keep us posted on your conversions and trips.

[mahu]

will do! I am sure i ll have questions too as we get into the conversion. we

also have website where we'll update about trips and a build thread. www.travelswithcharley.us

[andy_george]

Congrats! Sounds like it'll be an amazing experience! You guys are so young!..... Can you work careers out of the van, or are you living he dream of retirement at 30?!

 

Can't wait for the updates!

[radin2son]

Welcome, Now you will be able to tell us what works well, doesn't work and everything in between with your NV. We looked at your blog, well done. I booked marked it along with Anderson's. Speaking of David, he has't updated his in a long time.

 

I know this sounds like a monitor and you will do this on your own, please post your build under "conversions." Real time posts are easy to follow; it is the search that is awful.

 

With your NVs arrival, we are getting close to needing a group site for my half baked suggestion for a meetup in Missouri. Need to convince ASD Dad to bring his tools and Chris the cm to bring his boat...

[KMG]

I have 5 acres near Springfield, Missouri  on a bluff overlooking the James river and would host a gathering.  

[radin2son]

Would we need to bring a shovel? Next, where is that caterer on this site?

 

Mahu, perhaps Chris the cm, asked you this. Why did you chose a NV?

[KMG]

"Would we need to bring a shovel"?  Sorry, I'm thinking slow today

[radin2son]

Don't worry.*

 

There was a meet up in SoCal that reminded everyone to bring a shovel. "Unh?" I thought to myself. It had been a long while since we had gone backpacking.

 

*Where is that pit toilet when you need it.

 

To avoid hijacking Mahu's post, maybe they will address this part of their build under conversion. It is seldom addressed but is often the second question asked after "What is that?" NV, that is...

[mahu]

@andy_george: We'll be working a bit out of the van but over the next 12 months we'll be transitioning into a mid-life retirement for a few years. After really stressful careers in DC for 6 years we are ready to slow down and leave the 80-100 hours weeks behind us. Lived very frugally to allow us to leave DC and be financially secure.

 

@radin2son: Did lots of research over the past 2 years about which vehicle to get and in almost all categories the NV came out on top and was the logical choice. Price, warranty, reliability, ease of conversion, comfort of ride position, safety, price of maintenance to name a few. Yes, a Sprinter or Ford Transit would have offered a bit longer cargo area allowing for addition of bathroom and both offer diesel options, but then one has to look at price. To get a Transit or Sprinter similarly equipped and adding the diesel and stretch version would have cost between $50-55k, compared to just over $30k for the NV. I am not willing to pay $20k more to have and extra 2 feet in length or a diesel engine. And long-term maintenance and possible repair costs 20 years down the road will be many times higher for the Sprinter than for the NV. So while the NV is not perfect it comes pretty close and offers great value for the money. It's a lot of car for $30k with a ton of features that would all cost extra in the Sprinter. Want bluetooth or USB in the Sprinter? $1000. Want side curtain airbags? Another $1000. Want adjustable drivers seat? $1000. And so on. It'll quickly add up to be a $60k vehicle.

 

Been talking with Chris CM quite a bit the past few weeks also on the phone regarding our factory order. The dealership we bought it through was not the most competent/too busy and so things got delayed quite a bit. That's why we ended up getting a 2016 NV instead of 2015, the first one the dealership received. We stayed firm on the rebate after they tried to bump us by $2200 since there are obviously no rebates on the 2016 as there were/are on the 2015s. Not sure how exactly they are booking it internally and I am pretty sure they are losing money on the sale as invoice for the SL with Technology Package was $33,200 and we got it for $30,000 before fees and taxes. Overall glad we got it for a great deal, but the hassle of chasing after the dealership and being held in uncertainty for months/lac of communication and having a 4 hours negotiating marathon yesterday was quite draining. All good now and will be soon forgotten. 

 

Thanks for the compliment on the blog. That's all my wife's work. I'll start posting once the conversion starts. :-)

 

Originally we were hoping to do the conversion in September and October and hit the road during winter enjoying snow-free weather in the South. But with the delay we'll settle into a family condo near Lake Tahoe, I'll learn how to ski or snowboard and once ski season is over we'll hit the road. In between ski runs I'll do the conversions, hopefully get the wiring and insulation done before the first snow hits at the end of November. 

 

I'll make "fresh" posts for conversion updates so it'll be easy to follow along.

[radin2son]

Interesting process; you had much more info to review. I saw 1 high top NV in early 2012 and thought it was a Titan cutaway. Next time I saw it, someone had broadsided the driver's side. It was caved in but still drivable. Never gave NVs or camper vans another thought.

 

Until... A road cycling competitor/friend showed us his older Pleasureway Dodge/Sprinter. We started looking at Sprinters until we found Sportsmobile. Online, we looked at Ford E-series and used Srinters. Took awhile to realize SMB also converted NVs.

 

Had NVs come in an extended version, we would have paid the difference. Counter space is one area that is lacking in our van. You also may find a use for that extra 2', but it isn't an option.

[laharview]

Congratulations and nice truck. Looking forward to a thread in conversions so we can copy your ideas!   I am converting a 2015 High Top. Photos are in conversions under Laharview Farm Camper Build.

Best Regards,

Mike

[mahu]

@laharview: Been following your conversion, especially the "cutting the body for a window" adventure...Very nice job! We are going to add a window on the driver side, maybe above the existing window in the sliding door for cross ventilation and then a square hole in the roof for the fan. I am switching back and forth between "Oh, I got this how hard can it be" and "Holy (&$%, I should bring it to a body shop to have those cuts made." I am very experienced working with wood but cutting holes in a brand new van is quite a bit outside my comfort zone. 

 

Nice job also on the insulation and the paneling. Hopefully I'll "catch up" to your level of conversion so we can compare notes in real time as the conversions progress!

[mahu]

Had NVs come in an extended version, we would have paid the difference. Counter space is one area that is lacking in our van. You also may find a use for that extra 2', but it isn't an option.

 

Yes, indeed! If the NV came in an extended version we would have definitely opted for that. Getting an extra 20-30 inches would be fantastic. It'd probably be around $5k more (based on what Mercedes and Ford charge for extended versions) and it would be totally worth it. 

[Chris_CommercialManager]

You know I am happy you finally got into it after what you went through, sorry that it went the direction I thought it would.

 

Make sure to keep us updated of pics and your travels!!!    

 

and, if your ever rolling through the area I am right off the highway, you better stop in and say hi!  Go to lunch for BBQ and Fried pickles  :)

 

Christopher

 

You have my #, you need a question answered in a pinch text or call.

[mahu]

Apparently folks like to steal temporary license plates in Albuquerque...Watch out when staying at the Candlewood Suites off I40.

Luckily no damage and they were only able to grab the back plates before security scared them away. We still have the front plates and police was kind enough to switch them to the back for us so we are good driving in NM and AZ, where you only need plates in the back. For CA we'll put a printed copy on the front. And just to make sure we don't get pulled over when the tags are run by police, APB will hold off putting them into NCIC as stolen until we get to CA and can register the car to get our permanent plates. Time to get out of NM and hit the Grand Canyon! 

[laharview]

Hey Charlie,

Installed the drivers side vented window yesterday.  Found it best to have a pair of right cut and left cut tin snips (red handle and green handle).  On my NV the factory stamping did not have a tight enough radius on the front upper and lower corners. A bit of work with a round file fixed it.

[KMG]

Laharview, Pictures?

[laharview]

Hi All,

 

Posted photos under "Conversions" and "Laharview Farm Camper Build".  Really like the CRL windows.  Fit as they should and easy to mount.