Update: SOLD!
Things change, and so do our plans for future trips. We have decided to SELL our beloved CUSTOM BUILT truck camper. The vehicle is included in the sale. The camper unit was built by BEKA, a Dutch brand. It will fit (should you wish) on most pickup trucks such as L200, Hilux, Tacoma, F-150, etc. because the bed size is standard.
There is a lot to tell about this unique 4×4 camper. We want to limit the number of viewers due to lack of time and therefore add an extreme amount of information here. So read our advertisement carefully before contacting us... BVD!
General information:
- Brand:Mitsubishi
- Type: L200 4×4
- Year Built: 2003
- Motor: 2.5 Turbo Diesel
- Gears: 5
- Air conditioning in vehicle: Yes
- Weight without superstructure: 1840 kilograms
- Weight with (fully loaded) superstructure: +- 2800 kilos
- Road tax: quarter rate (gray license plate)
- Building: BEKA
- Mileage: 229.000
- APK: New MOT
- Timing belt + water pump + pulleys: done at 186.000 in 2021
- Maintenance history: Present
Why we sell
For the marktplaats.nl visitors: first of all you should know that it is a 'famous' camper. He shows off on almost 100 pages Wereldreizigers.nl – this is the 4×4 camper with which we traveled through Europe and then through the US and Canada for a year, see: https://www.wereldreizigers.nl/noord-amerika/
However, after a year of traveling around the US and Canada, our plans have changed. The camper needs love and maintenance after the year of intensive use. However, we hardly have time for this anymore.
Almost all of 2023 we traveled again without the camper - often by invitation. In 2023 we visited no fewer than 18 countries, but not one was with the camper... We think that's a shame because it stands still while it is of course not intended for that.
We expect that this will not be very different in 2024, our agendas are already full with many wonderful trips. That is why we think it would be better to sell the camper to someone who will use it full-time or at least intensively again.
About the BEKA camper unit / Sales unit
The camper unit is a custom build from the Netherlands, done by a small company called BEKA that unfortunately no longer exists due to retirement. BEKA was known for building high-quality units. They used a rigid fiberglass/plastic frame and built everything with thick insulated sandwich panels. The original owners made many northern journeys with it, so insulation was crucial. All windows are also insulated.
Quality-wise, the construction is completely different from what is sold today. This sales unit is over 20 years old and still strong. It's not 'tupperware', so to speak. We are the third owner of the unit. The first owners owned it for over 15 years, visited the Arctic Circle and visited a total of 45 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia before deciding to sell it. The second owner had it for 4 years and also drove it in most of Europe.
We (Wereldreizigers.nl) bought the unit in early 2021 and visited several countries in Europe to figure out what we wanted to do with it before reaching the US and Canada. We ended up doing a lot of upgrades to the unit in March 2021 before shipping it to the US for our amazing 1 year trip. We invested more than 2021 euros on the upgrades in 2022 and 15.000. (We have all the papers to prove that). It's also important to know that we only used quality brands like Victron and Truma, so nothing in this device is Chinese Alibaba stuff 😉
Also important to know: All Victron items are still well within the 5-year warranty.
The interior:
We thought it was important to have a permanent bed, so that you don't have to turn your bed into a sofa every day and vice versa. What we also found important is having a shower. Of course it is small and limited because you only have 100L of water with you, but rinsing off after swimming in the sea or during a sweaty day is priceless in our opinion.
We have mounted the shower hose tactically on the left, so that it can also exit through the window. This also makes it possible to shower outside.
The interior was extensively renovated in 2021. For example, we had the sofa completely reupholstered, vinyl wood tones were added and extra storage space was created with black elastic nets and spice racks. In addition, the curtains have been renewed, the window frames sprayed and a new PVC floor has been installed.
At the back of the vehicle we have made a cargo box in which we can store two diesel tanks, shovel, table leg and two comfortable folding chairs. This way we ensure that we do not get unpleasant odors and sand from the chair and table legs into the camper itself.
Maintenance, history and upgrades
A lot has also been adjusted to the camper below the surface to modernize it. Below you will see a summary of the maintenance and upgrades we have done.
Electrical upgrades in 2021
- Victron solar panels (two, total 300 watts)
- Victron Bluetooth Solar charge controller (MPPT Smart 100/30)
- Victron Cyrix-CT 12/24v-225A intelligent combiner (so that the batteries also charge while driving).
- Two 110ah household batteries, connected to the power station.
- Power station from ALLPOWERS with which we supply everything with 230v. See the specs and review here: https://wereldreizigers.nl/campers/vanlife/review-allpowers-s2000-1500wh-portable-solar-powerstation/
- Maxxfann Deluxe, a powerful automatic wind and rainproof roof fan with remote control.
- Truma Electric Boiler (850 Watt, 14 L).
- All electrical upgrades have been installed by a recognized automotive electronics company. They have spared nothing on quality and safety by using high-quality solar panels, spoilers, solid fuses, thick cables, etc. Receipts are available.
Costs Electrical upgrade costs in March 2021: € 7700
- €2450 for the solar panels, charge controllers and cabling.
- €2300 for the PowerStation.
- €250 for extra switches, AC output and cabling
- €600 for Maxxfan Deluxe + concealed installation (wiring is now concealed in the roof)
- €450 for Truma Boiler
- €850 for installing Truma boiler + water filter + wiring, etc
- €800 New rear lights + wiring and trailer connection.
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (1) | Interior
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (2) | Gadgets & Upgrades
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (3) | Technique and upgrades to car
Other notable upgrades in 2021
- We have completely redone the interior.
- We have added a high-quality water filter so you can fill up and drink water without chlorine taste almost anywhere without any worries.
- All cushions on the corner sofa have been reupholstered (sand color)
- New PVC floor with insulation
- Frames have been sprayed (black)
- New curtains all around (black)
- Completely renovated shower/toilet room
- New custom mattress (length: 1,85 m, width 1,55 m)
- Many extra storage nets added
- New extra heavy rally shock absorbers installed (rear).
- New extra heavy duty leaf springs installed (rear).
- New air suspension installed (rear).
- 4×4 system completely checked, lubricated and fitted with new vacuum valves.
Total costs: +- € 5500. Vouchers available.
That puts us over 2021k in upgrades in 13 alone!
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (1) | Interior
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (2) | Gadgets & Upgrades
More Info: Our 4×4 world trip camper (3) | Technique and upgrades to car
Maintenance and new parts in 2022
- New radiator
- New thermostat
- New viscous coupling
- New cooling fan
- New battery
- New extremely strong All-Terrain / All Season tires with snow quality mark (can last up to 30 to 40.000 kilometers)
Total costs: +- 2500 euros. Receipts available.
Maintenance and new parts in 2024
- New MOT
- Maintenance with new fluids, filters, etc.
- Skylight re-sealed
- New exhaust rear silencer
- Brake lines sanded and sprayed
Total costs: +- 1500 euros. Receipts available.
Other facilities and items
- All windows are equipped with mosquito nets and can be completely darkened (roll up or down)
- 3-burner propane gas stove
- Running water (hot and cold)
- Shower
- Thetford cassette toilet with 20L flushing water tank.
- Propane heating
- 80 liter freshwater tank (+ 14L in boiler)
- 60 liter gray water / waste water tank
- Smoke alarm
- Fire extinguisher
- Pots, pans, cups, cutlery are included.
- Extremely easy to use single-mount table (inside)
- 3-legged stand for the single-mount table, for outdoor use (the same table, so you don't need two!)
- Two lightweight folding chairs
- 2x 10L diesel cans, with all compliant badges
- You can remove the living unit from the car and leave it on the 4 leg supports (manual not electric, but an electric drill can speed up this process)
- There are two large wiring clamps to connect or disconnect wiring from the vehicle in seconds.
- Secret compartment/safe with lock.
- The camper is only 200 cm wide. The empty weight is approximately 700 kilos. Many pickups will handle it, especially with some suspension upgrades.
What else do you need to know?
We have removed the 20 year old refrigerator because it was broken. We use a portable 12v/230v cool box (not supplied) instead and the original compartment now contains our Powerstation, kettle, water filter and electric grill. If desired, you can of course choose to install a refrigerator again.
The Powerstation makes the unit completely self-sufficient and off-grid, we have been traveling for over a year without connecting anywhere.
Water pump, lighting, toilet flush, roof fan etc. work on 12v household batteries just like any other camper.
The battery system and Powerstation can be charged in three ways: dynamo, solar energy or socket. Currently we only use the alternator and solar charging, which is sufficient if you manage energy consumption well. The Victron Cyrix-CT manages the load from the vehicle. It opens the connection when the engine is running and closes the connection when the engine is turned off. So you never have to worry about your car battery draining. When you have empty household batteries, you can start the engine to recharge them.
Some maintenance required
Is everything perfect then? No, it's not... We lived in the car full-time for a year! Some parts of the camper now need work and/or maintenance again.
- Cheap Gamma shower faucet from 2021 leaks after only 1 year of use. Cheap is expensive, it turns out, but it must be looked at.
- The O-ring of the cassette toilet needs to be replaced.
- The propane heater is VERY OLD and for some reason only works on the lowest setting. But since the interior space is quite small, it is still more than capable of heating the living space. In 20 minutes you go from freezing to sweating. It makes a lot of noise when starting, but after warming up the noise disappears. It could probably use some WD40 and keep in mind this was the case before we left for America. Since we didn't rely on propane in the US and the insulation was adequate, we haven't used it since. We also don't have a gas bottle to test it at the moment. I would recommend refurbishing/overhauling or replacing it after purchase.
- 1 of the handles of the cabinet doors is broken off, 1 handle is missing.
- The awning is 20 years old and very vulnerable. We've only used it a few times this year because we don't like it and we always found shade somewhere when we needed it. And, if it rains you can just go inside 🙂 I even thought about taking it off.
- The vehicle (Mitsubishi L200 from 2003) needs some love. The car has a new MOT and has just had a major service. Drives and shifts well. But realize that it is a 20-year old car and that you are carrying a lot of weight. We had two brackets to which the cargo box is attached welded in the US for about $400, but this will probably have to be done again.
Possible upgrades
Last but not least: we lived in this unit full-time for a year, so of course we know what could be improved. I've been thinking a lot about the 2021 upgrades and getting the unit ready to be fully electric at a later stage. So if I were to buy this device now in 2024, I would really consider doing the following:
- Replace the two old-fashioned and heavy household batteries with new LifePo4 batteries.
- Remove the 3-burner propane stove and install an electric stove.
- Remove the old propane heater and install an electric infrared or convector heater.
- Remove all other propane connections.
- Replace some of the 12v and 230v plugs with USB/USB-C variants.
- If you do that, you are completely electric. Never worry about propane again. You could also consider adding another solar panel, but if you drive a few miles every few days I'm pretty sure that will be overkill. 300 watts of solar energy is currently enough to keep everything running in combination with the normal driving we do. Adding more or larger batteries creates a much larger energy buffer that can last a week or even longer, where the 300 watts of solar energy can more or less keep up with consumption or at least significantly slow down the drain due to use .
Closing comments
You have read in this advertisement that this camper and accompanying pickup truck definitely need some work, we are very honest about that. You can also choose to use another, more modern pickup truck – the choice is yours. However, we only sell the camper together with the vehicle.
Anyway – a lot has been invested in this camper in 2021. In 2022 we replaced many engine parts preventively and after it stood still for a year in 2023, it was serviced again in early 2024 with a new MOT.
We lived full-time in this camper for a year and yes, things sometimes break when you use them intensively. We see this as part of the adventure. You solve it and move on. It also happens with new campers.
Realize that comparable campers that are in perfect competition condition can easily cost 75.000 euros or more. This camper costs a fraction of that and with a little work and love can be prepared for the next adventure.
In any case, one thing is certain: This camper is a real eye-catcher. Everywhere you go you will see people turning their necks and asking questions. It is a special appearance, especially in Europe. With this 4×4 camper that stands high on the wheels, you can also reach places that are unthinkable with a van, for example. The most beautiful travel memories we have with it are camping on one of the many remote beaches or somewhere high in the mountains after a beautiful off-road stage. With a 'normal' camper (bus) that is simply unthinkable.
If you are interested in coming to view the camper - please read the ad twice more. We are not going to knock 500 euros off the price for every minor point. We have placed an extensive, honest advertisement here so that you know in advance exactly what you are coming to see and you do not have to spend 2 hours in the car for nothing...
- Interest? Please respond below or send an email to [email protected]
- Call or WhatsApp: + 31682008058
- viewing day: this Saturday, February 3 in the Beuningen area near Nijmegen.
