Monday, March 28, 2011

If Not Sprinter Life, Then Who are we?

It's true, our Sprinter van is officially for sale! We've decided that the Sprinter is not the best vehicle for our around the world road trip.  We love the Sprinter, but we didn't design it for what we now intend to do, which is to spend the next 5-6 years driving around the world through remote areas and harsh conditions. Africa, Russia, Australia, and Asia are not the place for my beloved Sprinter. So, if you're interested in buying a great van in South America, email us.


When I was a kid I loved getting the secret message decoder prize in the Cracker Jacks box. Little did I know how valuable that childhood decoder skill would become. Why? Because unlike all you chump husbands out there who didn't eat Cracker Jacks, I know what the hell my wife is really saying most of the time. When I pondered the question whether we could still be Sprinter Life without a Sprinter van, Stevie answered it eloquently. She said, "Oh honey, don't worry. We'll always be Sprinter Life because you're always SPRINTING from one thing to the next." Cracker Jack decoded translation = "STOP RUSHING ME ALL THE TIME." Believe me, this super hero ability will eventually win me a Husband of the Year award.

Anyway, our plan is to continue to the tip of South America in the Sprinter and then hopefully sell it to a party interested in reversing the Pan American Highway from the south to the North. That gives me approximately 1 year to procure our next home. I have absolutely no idea how we are going to afford it, but I rarely let pesky details like that get in the way. Old Chris said it well...

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"
Christopher Columbus

I like to think of pesky details as "the shore." So, here is where we're at with he new rig so far. If you have any suggestions or advice, we'd love to hear from you. Just drop us a comment or email.

Option #1 - GlobalX Unimog
We like this vehicle a lot. It is built on a Mercedes chassis which is bomber and is serviceable around the world. It has a lot of living space. This is a vehicle we can see ourselves in for 5 or 6 years, no problem. The down sides are it's really heavy and quite expensive, even used. It also won't fit in a container which means it's hard and expensive to ship. GlobalX is great to work with though so we are discussing some other options with them. They are located in the US so that would mean we'd start back in the US and either ship from Halifax to Europe, or from LA to Australia to begin the next leg of the around the world trip after South America.


Option #2 - Earth Cruiser
We really like this rig. These are built in Australia which would be perfect. We could just fly in and pick up the rig which would completely eliminate one leg of the ATW shipping logistics. And speaking of shipping, this baby actually fits into a container, so down the road we have more flexibility for moving it from continent to continent. It's smaller than the Unimog which means less living space, but gains more maneuverability. It's 4 wheel drive and the Mitsubishi chassis is serviceable around the world. These vehicles really are mind blowing. I can't do them justice, so you should just watch this short video. (Steve Cox, you're gonna love this man)...

Earth Cruiser Video - Watch Now




So, that's where we're at. Sprinter Life will always be Sprinter Life so long as I keep sprinting through life. My spiritual practice will be learning how to sprint without rushing my wife. Other than that, life is butter!
Over and out - TREE

25 comments:

Tjodleik said...

Bouth cars look lovely, but I woud mostly have bought the Mog.

Then, back to reality. Go for the Earth Cruser.....

Whatever you chouse, have a safe trip, and post more letters for us to read.

Bergum
http://www.b4x4.no/

Tom said...

Oh boy. You guys should put that Sprinter on ebay. Let the bidding war commence. That thing is a collectors piece. Sprinter Life's first home! I'll start the bidding. $20. I mean, $20,000?

Unknown said...

Size matters, so i would get the earth cruiser. Shipping rates will only get more expensive and i would think parts for Mit vs Merc have got to be cheaper. The only issue i see is its right hand drive, do they make a left? And where is the nursery in these vehicles?

Ruin Running said...

I love the unimogs and have actually seen them out on trails. They are remarkably nibble and capable for such large vehicles. But, the Earthroamer looks more suited for narrow trails and less top heavy with the pop up feature.

Envying you guys,

Steve

Tree said...

Hey Rich, love it, you haven't changed a bit! Size does matter. :)
One of the main reasons we are upgrading rigs is because we anticipate the need for a small bunk bed in the near future. So that will be in the specs for sure. And with one of these vehicles, the world becomes the nursery! Take care bro. TREE

Ruin Running said...

Side note, The Overland Expedition Expo is this April in New Mexico. That would probably be a good place to sell your Rig. I will also try to strong arm Sprinter drivers around Red Rock and my stomping grounds into making their friends buy it, LOL. Good look on the new home. I call "Shot Gun !!" Stevie.......

Anonymous said...

Wow - those are some serious rigs !!
I like the pop top on the Cruiser, makes the inside that much more light & airy, but, just like my old Eurovan Camper, it makes carrying stuff on the roof more complicated.
One question though, after you've backed the Cruiser into the container, do you have to kick the windshield out to exit the vehicle ??!! *grins*

Mick

Auntie Coco said...

COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL !!!!!

Tree said...

Hey Ruin - I'd love to sell the sprinter up in the US, but we're selling it in South America to avoid having to ship it back to the states. You've got shot gun for the shake down of the new rig!

Mick - good observation on putting the Earth Cruiser into a container. I really can't figure out how they get out of the rig in that case! I'll email them and ask. Otherwise, Stevie might have to hunker down during shipping.

Greg said...

Those are some SERIOUS Rvs. I've never seen anything like them.

Anonymous said...

Unless you guys have a ton of money, don't go with an Unimog. I used both platforms (Fuso and Unimog) for Overland vehicles. The mog is more capable in extreme offroad situations, but for sure more expensive for maintenance. The availability of Mitsu truck parts is very good worldwide as well.

lynn hamann said...

Hi Tree and Stevie...love reading your posts. I again copied a piece to my FB page...this time the Christopher Columbus quote...thanks Tree. Lol...love the cracker jack analogy...you are definately on your way to husband of the year : ) Enjoy my friends!

Veronica Grey said...

If you are a hot intelligent kind man and want to buy the Sprinter and drive it back up to Alaska from Argentina with me
Let me know.

Tree and Stevie are so inspiring that I have flown to Costa Rica to meet up with them and have decided that the aforementioned paragraph is the next chapter of my life.

I only wish they were selling it this summer and not next year.
Oh well that gives us time to plan.

Feel free to google me - I am serious.

Love
Veronica Grey

Veronica Grey said...

PS I actually have a lover with whom I am very happy currently who I hope answers
This Ad.

You know like the song
"If you like PiƱa Coladas..."

Darren said...

Super. Just super. Good work Sprinter Life crew.

Anonymous said...

you call that an RV? HAAAAAAAAA

Chris Davenport said...

what about a truck camper? 4 wheel drive, lots cheaper.

Anonymous said...

Michael and Joanne said...
I think you've got it wrong. Why travel through Australia with a rig made for Africa? Why travel through Europe with a rig made for the Jungle? Cut out the shipping and the one size fits all and just get whatever fits the locale you're gonna be in. Sell it when you leave and pick up another at your next destination. You're already ditching the "perfect" rig, so stop looking for the next one.
BTW...Howdy!

Anonymous said...

SO is the Sprinter sold? what's the asking price and date available?

Tree said...

The Sprinter is not sold, YET! It will/could be available anytime between January-July 2012. More info here...

http://www.sprinterlife.com/p/our-home.html

Anonymous said...

Hi there!
Have you considered to buy a second-hand off-road camper in Germany; they are supposed to be cheaper, and you can go on across land to Africa and Asia: http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/search.html?scopeId=MH&isSearchRequest=true&sortOption.sortBy=price.consumerGrossEuro&sortOption.sortOrder=ASCENDING&minPowerAsArray=56&minPowerAsArray=KW&maxPrice=60001&fuels=DIESEL&features=FOUR_WHEEL_DRIVE

www.elpotrerochico.com.mx said...

I thought that we already had an arrangement. 2012 I was going to fly down and drive the van back. I'll buy it for what ever it is worth in a year. We'll do the old reverse chenard trip.
Dragon

Neil said...

Go EarthCruiser for the size and shipping. They are working on building them in the US and should have a left-drive model for you just in time! Although you may want the right-drive for the rest of the world.

Anonymous said...

SICK. Intercontinental rallying. ~Sam

Tree said...

Thank you so much everyone for the great feedback. We are continuing to research and are considering all options at this point. I'm actually in the USA for a couple weeks and am thinking about heading out east to visit Global X.

TREE

Post a Comment

 
Powered by web analytics software.
web hosting companies