Pondering getting / converting something into a race van / basic camper. There seem to quite a few ambulances (movano lwb high top & Merc with the ramp on the back) for reasonable cost considering they are lined / insulated and have electrics (and water?) all ready.

Obviously they are high mileage and will have been driven hard, but I’m guessing they should have been well maintained?

Probably looking to spend around £5k Needs 2 single beds, seating and a garage/ bike storage area. Any thoughts / suggestions?

Minibuses also look reasonable value.

Ambulance will have been well maintained whilst it was in service, but if it is getting moved on it may have reached the point where simply oiling and greasing stuff is not enough.  I am sure policies on how long stuff is kept for will vary around the country and some are fixed times or miles rather than when they start to cause headaches.  In times of austerity though don’t be surprised if they are kept longer than they used to be.

are they well insulated? Generally they will be used with the engine running so don’t need to be as protected as a camper sitting overnight on a frosty evening.  Doubt they have water, and electrics will be limited.  Beware holes in the roof where lights, radio aeries etc have been removed.

minibus will have so much glass it will be difficult to keep warm.

I think the merc ones, and mayboe others, are rated up to 5 ton so you may need a C1 license unless you can strip out the weight (should be easy) and get it replated.

This guy knows his stuff:

A friends wife works for the ambulance service and said absolutely under no circumstances ever buy a ex ambulance. They are well maintained but due to cost of conversion they run them to the end of their life. When they sell them on, they are done.

Minibus could be ok but generally has a lot of glass so not good for security.

A panel van is the best choice, windows aren’t that hard to fit and you can choose where they are.

I’d not but an ex-ambulance and that’s all I will say.

Thanks all – time to look at panel cans 😀

Ex-MOD ambulances can be had, and they’ve not had anything like the life of civilian ones

Theres a bloke on here with an Ambulance.

I have a Renault Master ambulance and though it’s off the road at the mo (long story), I’d still highly recommend them.

The pros:

Lined
Insulated
Windows with fitted blinds (but not too many)
Lights, switch gear, heating, ventilation (the climate control system you’ll find in ambulances would run in excess of £2K new)
Often have auxillary battery with split charging and top quality 240v inverters already in place
Top quality latched cupboards and lockers, which you can reconfigure for your build.
Air suspension
Very well maintained
Often Bargaintastic
It’s got a frickin’ spoiler!!

The cons:

Generally very high mileages, though keep an eye out and you can often find em with about 150K, which considering they often make 350-400K means there’s plenty of life left
Likely to have been ragged, but less of an issue considering maintenance schedule
Coachbuilt wide body ones usually above 3.5t
Adapting existing wiring for your needs can be a bit fiddly, but there’s a massive relay box that has the full circuit diagram printed on the lid.
Air suspension (though when bags go, you can fix them with tubeless jizz; similary, if compressor goes, you can bypass and pump em up)

Bear in mind that not all ambulances are NHS emergency ambulances; in addition to PTS (Patient Transport) vehicles, there’s also St John’s and other private providers which will likely have seen less intense use

Also worth bearing in mind that Masters and Movanos (same van) don’t generally rust.

Here’s a sexy pic of my interior to get your drooling: