2010 Chrysler T&C "Jucy"
Hello, my name is Brian, and live outside Baltimore, MD. My DW and I both grew up in camping families, starting with those heavy canvas tents. We spent several years in Europe tent camping with our little Kawasaki 550 motorcycle for transportation. In-laws are full-timers with a 35-ft Suncruiser.
Like so many others here, I am going into full-time retirement soon. DW and I both would like to spend time seeing and re-seeing the USA, and neither of us wants a land cruiser after years of hearing about the adventures of the in-laws...like how toll booths can be a challenge with awnings. We also had a Toyota Dolphin years ago that didn't work out well. Bottom line, we wanted a vehicle we could use in our daily lives, drive and park painlessly, get necessary parts easily, easy to maintain, and not upset the HOA.
While visiting our son in California in October we saw several of these Chrysler/Dodge minivan-based Jucy rental campervans on the road...couldn't miss them in their garish green and purple livery. We coincidentally parked next to one at Sequoia National Park and peeked inside. Two German fellows renting the vehicle introduced themselves and were kind enough to give us a tour. Really a brilliant little vehicle, designed by Aussie yacht builders used to maximizing tight space. (BTW: My brother's boat shares many parts.)
Months passed and we perused the usual websites for the usual vehicles - either too many miles, or a bit rough at the edges, or too much $$$. Looked at various vehicles at the RV shows, too. Then there were the scam artists on Craigslist and other sales consolidator sites. One almost caught me...Caveat emptor.
Anyway, two surplus Jucys came up for sale from reputable dealers. Didn't take much convincing, and the asking was reasonable. Had all maintenance records and clean Carfax. My mechanic looked at all that and said it all looked good. The dealer was a good guy, and we worked out a deal - yes, sight unseen. My wife, daughter and two granddaughters flew to Utah and drove the vehicle home to Maryland. It ran flawlessly, and averaged about 30 mpg. (Dealer put on a new set of name-brand tires as a surprise goodwill gesture.) Undoubtedly, we now have the only one on the East Coast.
We've not had a chance to give it a camping run yet. We have tested all the equipment and all is working fine. The refrigerator was sufficient to keep frozen custard frozen from Ohio! I've added a Sirius radio, a back-up camera, and a few other small bits. I've got a few other things I'd like to do. If we run to schedule, we will take a weekend run before we head off to the "Big One" - a two or three week trip to Nova Scotia via the St. Lawrence, then down the coast home.
So, while not running a "common" rig, we are interested in what the diminutive Class B-class veterans do to gain the most enjoyment from their vehicles.
Nice to meet you all.