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M_A_X
@nick_h.
Well.
Budget £7 - £10k. I ruled out anything non-ULEZ. No Euro 6 diesels because too expensive and I don't want diesel, I want to be green. Hybrid or EV obviously too expensive. It had to be petrol, with the option of LPG and bioLPG.
Bongo size would be too small because I want to take my motorbike and bicycle and have a fairly big proper mattress, not a rock n roll bed. And a composting toilet. Nothing terribly long or high because I couldn't get a Lambeth parking permit and I want to be stealth.
4WD highly desirable for wild camping off road.
So my shortlist was very short. Elgrand or Alphard or Mercedes V Class at a Japanese auction. Or a Hyundai i800 in the UK. Those are all a very similar boxy shape, which gives more volume than the other more aero MPVs like the Estima or the Elysion. And there aren't so many Elysions going through the auctions. There's a huge choice of Elgrands and Alphards - both are very popular in Japan, which ought to be a good sign?
V Class are easily the best buy, they're almost giving them away in Japan. Hyundai in the UK also a very good buy. But I ruled both out because they're RWD only.
So it was Elgrand vs Alphard. Elgrand are cheaper and said to be better as a camper conversion, with a bit more space and a bigger flat area, whereas the Alphard has more angles and slopey bits. Elgrand not as reliable or well built as Alphard, but if you know that before you start you can hope to overcome it with preventive maintenance. And mine's the V6 which has a better track record for huge mileages than the 4 cylinder one. The Elgrand has a part time 4WD which cuts in when you lose grip. I can't remember what the Alphard's 4WD is like.