• 1994 Ford Club Wagon XLT E150 Hi-top camper van, built by Adventurewagen in Ft. Bragg, CA. 5-liter V8 engine, regular unleaded gasoline; automatic transmission, cruise control, dash air.


• Well-maintained. Good condition, with a few mechanical repairs and do-it-yourself chores that will substantially reduce the price.


• Professional oil changes every few months, and I have always warmed up the engine for a few minutes before driving. These greatly increase the longevity of the engine.


• New heavy-duty Michelin tires in 2012, with less than 5000 miles on them. These are guaranteed for five years.


• Many additional accessories — hoses, two toolboxes with tools, spare Autodrain, collapsible washing brush, electrical parts and replacements, front floor mats, Gorilla steering-wheel lock, bug screens for the major windows, nesting stainless steel cooking pots, etc.


• If you buy this van, you will need to spend about $765 more for truly necessary work that can be done in a few hours. If you want to be perfect, you can spend an additional $3000 for desirable but probably non-mandatory work, as outlined below. With this in mind, I think that a fair asking price is $6,500; but since it is the market itself that will determine the price, I will consider all serious offers. Cash only, as-is, no trades. The van is located in Mountain View, CA.


• Fully-self-contained for two people — full double bed, seating, 6 ft. 2 in. interior standing height — compressor refrigerator, 2-burner propane stove; stainless steel sink with home-grade fixtures, hot water, shower, chemical toilet.


• Roof-mounted solar cells (not presently working), solar water heater — secondary stovetop water heater for cloudy days.


• Numerous improvements already added and tested in the field.


• All teak woodwork; oak parquet floor.


• Awning side windows, awning rear windows; upper awning windows; sailboat roof hatch, powered roof hatch; custom solar foils for all windows; plenty of airflow at all times. Outside awning for sunny days, bug screens for the windows.


• Many liveaboard accessories included — a full on-the-road set of tools, spare parts, kitchen utensils, and special storage containers.


• All essentials in good, safe, working condition, with exceptions noted below; recently checked out by a reputable garage; all papers and receipts in hand and ready to go.
  

I am offering this Adventurewagen camper-van on a modified Ford E150 chassis --- fully self-contained and comfortable for two --- for immediate sale. It has been conscientiously well-maintained, and carefully modified into a capable mobile office, travel van, or nomadic home. As of 2014, the van is located in Mountain View, CA, USA, with less than 119,000 miles on the digital odometer.

I purchased this van in June, 2000, from Hoch Motors in Santa Rosa, CA, on the recommendation of Ed Anderson, the creator and CEO of Adventurewagen, Inc., and have always had it professionally maintained. I traveled and camped in the van between 2000 and 2006, and then placed it in storage during 2006 and 2007. Since 2008, I haven't done much with it, except to use it occasionally as a car around town.

This van is in good condition, and it looks and feels fairly new. The body is almost perfect, and the paint still shines. It has always been kept clean and fresh --- no smoking at any time, and only vegetarian meals were cooked in the kitchen. All major service or installation work was done by Adventurewagen, Ford, or AAA, where the work standards are high.

Owning this van brings many unique advantages, as will be explained below. But one of the most attractive things is that it has already been technically modified and thoroughly tested in the field, and it looks and feels solid and harmonious. At the same time, the fact that it is 20 years old (and needs a little work) brings a substantial reduction in the price.

Also, for myself, I am done with it. I previously maintained it well, but right now, I have moved on to other things. So I really cannot get motivated in refurbishing it properly; and I would rather pass it on to someone who will appreciate and enjoy its unique qualities.

First, let's get the negatives out of the way, so that you can decide if the cost savings are worth the trouble of the extra work required. And then, if this is still interesting to you, we can go on to the good news.

The van needs a little work. I will list the work in two sections: Advisable Vehicle Repairs and Optional Enhancements.

I had the van checked out in January, 2014 by a reputable local garage here in Mountain View, CA, and these are the issues that they found. The quoted costs for parts and labor are from this source. If you are serious about buying this van, I can go over their diagnostic paper with you, along with all other labor and parts receipts since 2000. If you wish, they can do the necessary work. Repairs marked with * should be done soon, before any major journeys.

1. Check-engine light is sometimes on.*
   I am having this fixed myself, as it is necessary for getting the van smogged. The problem seems to be in the exhaust system, probably the EGR valve.
   
   Update 3-20-2014: This has been mostly fixed, but not completely. I will take it back to the mechanic until it is perfect. The Check-Engine light now turns on only occasionally, for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the vehicle passed the smog test on 3-11-2014.
   
   Update 5-25-2014: The check-engine light now turns on for a few seconds, once in a great while. The problem seems to be disappearing on its own. Meanwhile, I have put in a new starter and a new battery.


2. Water pump leak.*
   A very small leak, but probably should be fixed soon.
   Install new pump: $500.


3. Slight cracks on serpentine belt; flat spots on idler pulley.*
   Replace both. $175.


4. Front end play.
   For some years now, there has been a tiny bit of play in the steering wheel when you turn the wheel. I did not think it was important enough to worry about; but you be the judge. The steering and suspension are otherwise fine.
   Replace 4 ball joints, 3 tie rods, draglink: $1550.


5. Tuneup: spark plugs and wires.
   Not imperative; but you may get a little better gas mileage.
   Replace sparkplugs and wires: $325.


6. Slight fluid leaks in engine pan, tranny, differential cover. These have been there since 2000, and cause no harm. At the regular 3-month oil changes, the fluid levels are always within spec. But to be perfect, you can replace all these gaskets.
   Replace drivetrain gaskets: $1325.


7. Temperature guage is inaccurate.*
   Replace temperature sensor: $90.


8. Electronic entry key not working.
   The pushbutton pocket key that unlocks the doors from a distance is not working. Either the two handheld transmitters are defunct, or the receiving unit is bad. You have to unlock the doors with the regular door key, and then the electronic locks all open, as they should. The electric mirrors and windows and the electric door locks all work properly from within the van.

I would do (2), (3), and (7) soon. The cost for these (parts and labor) is $765.

To fix everything else, the cost is $3200. If you can do some of the work yourself, you can save some money. But in the worst case, it will cost you about $4000 total, plus the time and trouble to take it to the shop.

There are two other issues — the ABS light and the Airbag light sometimes turn on, intermittently. I have had this checked out years ago, and also in the recent diagnosis, and the mechanics' advice is always the same — that I should just ignore these things, as the cause is likely some dirty electrical contacts or a loose switch somewhere, and tracing the fault could take countless hours of trial-and-error replacing of various parts, with no guarantee of a solution. So there is no real problem in the ABS braking system, nor in the airbag system — but the lights sometimes do go on.

As of February 2014, here are the little things in the camper part of the van, that you might want to fix.

1. Solar cells not working.
   There are two 30-watt Solarex cells, mounted on the roof. They were working well from 2000 to 2006, when I placed the van in storage. But when I retrieved the van in late 2007, their transparent surface coating had gotten cloudy and had peeled a bit, and there was no voltage output from the cells. My guess is that the surface peeling is acting like shading, which inhibits these types of cells. You can try actively cleaning them of the residues. In the worst case, you may have to replace them.
   Cost: maybe nothing plus a few hours of your work, or maybe $600 to replace plus a few minutes of simple labor.


2. The van needs a good bath.
   When I camped in the van, I always kept it impeccably clean. But since 2008, I have not done much with it, except to take it in for oil, filter, and lube service every few months, and to occasionally add distilled water to the 235 ampere-hour Trojan house batteries. So the interior is a bit dusty, the top of the fiberglass roof has some grimy residue that I can't reach with the carwash brush, and the whole thing needs many hours of cleaning and care. Nothing terrible, but a bit of work.


3. The teakwood needs some care.
   The teak molding and paneling in this van are really nice. However, they have gotten dry and waterspotted, like the teak in an old sailboat. Ed Anderson, the creator of this van, showed me how to remedy this. First, you meticulously sand the teak down with some fine steel wool, and then you either rub some good teak oil into it, slowly and repeatedly, or you varnish it with a varathane coating. I would opt for the teak oil, but either way, you will make the wood glow nicely.
   Cost: maybe $30, plus a bit of patient labor.


4. The headliner near the sun visors is tattered.
   The cloth has detached at the front of the headliner in the driver's cab, and needs to be re-glued, or a new headliner put in.


5. The upper awning windows could use new weatherstripping.
   In the fiberglass bubble-top, there are 5 opening awning windows. These are great for general air circulation, and also allow good airflow when it is raining. They use regular household weatherstripping for sealing, and this has become worn. You can do this yourself in an afternoon. Cost: about $25 for the materials.


6. One of the upper windows needs a new opening mechanism.
   Of the five awning windows in the fiberglass top, the rear one is not working. I have the replacement crank operator on hand, but to replace the operator, you have to remove the window, and to do this, you need to send a very small person into the upper storage area to unscrew the window. An agile kid could do this quickly.


7. The rear seat needs a little help.
   The rear bench seat (with seatbelts for three) has become a bit uncomfortable. It probably needs to be reworked by a good upholstery expert. In addition, there is a large tear in the upper seat cover.


8. A plastic curtain track should be replaced. It is broken in one place. The curtain still works fine if you are careful with it.


9. The powered roof vent may leak slightly in a really heavy rainstorm.
   I do not know if it does, for I have not been in the van much, nor have there been any big storms recently. But years ago, in a really high wind, a little bit of rainwater came into the van. This was remedied by recaulking the vent every year or two. So you probably need to recaulk the vent.


10. The dash radio could be better.
    I had a Blaupunkt AM-FM-CD player installed in the dash. It works fine, except that the digital volume control is a little touchy, and you sometimes need to play with it for a minute to get the volume right. But the built-in Ford speaker system is really good, with excellent acoustics and audio range. There is also a little hand-held remote for the unit, so that you can play and change the music from the rear seat or from the bed. You can eliminate the volume control's touchiness by just using the remote.


11. The teak paper-towel roll holder is broken.
    You can re-glue it, or buy a new one at a sailboat accessories store.


12. The rear ladder is missing; and a spot of rust.
    The van originally had a stainless steel ladder mounted on the rear door. This was convenient for washing the roof, or for removing and repositioning the solar cells, i.e., putting the solar cells in the sun while parking the van in the shade. But someone backed into the ladder, bending it. So I removed the ladder and threw it away. You can buy a new one from an auto-accessories distributor for about $70. However, as you can see in the picture, where the ladder contacted the van body, there is a little spot of rust, the only rust on the vehicle. I think that this can be sanded down and repainted. I have the Ford factory touch-up paint tubes, both red and white, for this.


13. The front 12-volt outlet is disconnected.
    There are two 12-volt cigarette-lighter type of power sockets, one fore and one aft. When the dash CD player was installed, the 12-volt connector apparently got detached from the socket. To fix this, you have to remove the dash and stick the clip back on. This requires about an hour's work for the dash removal, which I have never done because I always used the rear socket anyway.


14. The mattress is beginning to show some age.
    The foam mattress is in good condition, firm and resilient, and should last for many years. However, in places, the surface of the foam is beginning to tatter a bit. You will not notice this in use, as the mattress is enwrapped by a vinyl mattress cover and a bottom sheet. To be perfect, you could replace the mattress, but there is really no need to do so.

This really is an interesting and useful van, well-maintained, that could last a long time.

It has been gently traveled in and lived in for the first six years that I owned it, while I added many liveaboard enhancements, described below. Then it rested in storage for a year and a half, and then it has only puttered around town for six and a half years more.

The Adventurewagen is a great all-around vehicle. It is small and agile enough to go and park just about anywhere, it uses regular unleaded gasoline, and it averages about 12 mpg. The Ford E150 van is well known, and service is available everywhere.

You can always drive it to the grocery store, then put the perishable groceries into the fridge, and keep them cold as long as you want. Or you can open the rear seat into a bed, and then, through the rear and side doors, you can access a double-bed-size platform for transporting large things.

Even if you are using the van for commuting to work, you can always pull over somewhere, close the curtains, and take a nap — or brew a cup of coffee, or read a book, or take out your laptop and jot down some notes. You are pretty much at home anywhere.

I freecamped around Silicon Valley in this van between 2000 and 2006, and never had a problem. Whether at the campground or parked quietly out of everyone's way along some city street, you can stay in this van in moderate comfort, with small but adequate versions of all home facilities.

When you open the rear bench seat into a full double bed, your bedding is already there in place. The wall-mounted thermostat for the furnace is right above the bed, so you just reach up and make it warm when you want. Setting up the hot-water shower only takes a couple of minutes, and cooked meals are easy to prepare using the two-burner propane stove. The 12-volt compressor refrigerator keeps things cold, and there is plenty of storage space in the teakwood cabinets.

You can relax in the front or rear seats, and there are 12-volt power outlets, fore and aft, for your laptop or tablet or phone, with overhead compact fluorescent lights for general illumination, and little incandescent spotlights for reading.

The built-in freshwater tank holds 19 gallons of water. This tank is mounted inside the vehicle, so the water will not freeze, even if you go camping in the snow.

When you turn the faucet handle at the sink, the water pump comes on automatically, filtering your water through an Everpure water filter that is hidden from sight. The waste water from the sink or shower goes into a 13-gallon holding tank, and this tank is emptied quickly and cleanly by pressing a switch near the driver's seat, which actuates an Autodrain electric valve that does the work for you. Just drive over an approved drain, flip the switch, and in less than a minute, you are done.

The best way to see and comprehend all of the Adventurewagen's qualities is to study its original brochure, as made by Ed Anderson. Just click on the picture to the right to see the full-color PDF, with good technical descriptions of everything.

The Adventurewagen for sale here is exactly the same as the one in the brochure, with all of the accessories and features, albeit older.

Between 2000 and 2006, I had a number of liveaboard accessories installed in this van. They greatly extend its reliability and comfort.

Having traveled and lived in various mobile offices, motorhomes, and camper-vans since 1970, I learned what is important in such a way of life.

First, you must be somewhat self-reliant and self-maintaining. Second, you should remain modest, unobtrusive, and polite to all of your neighbors, because you have no real claim on the space that you share, and no right to intrude your traveler's prerogative on the householders' perspective. You, the moving one, can always move on, but the householder is stuck with everything in his view. And third, you realize that comfort and work are a tradeoff between each other, so you balance them both to a reasonable minimum. And this balance is the seed of your freedom.

With such ideas in mind, here are the things that I added: