“2022 us” has been a year of statistics for

2022 has been a year of statistics for us, with me reaching my eighth decade in April, and our Ducato van conversion passing its fifteenth birthday in the same month. The ’van’s mileage also reached 100,000 in May, and the number of nights we have spent in it exceeded 2,000 in August.

Human endurance is an unfathomable combination of luck, or lack of it, and, so far, my luck has held, so I don’t think there’s much more to say on that subject.

This particular camper has been part of the process, though, and it has carried us further and with more pleasure than any other motorhome we’ve owned.

After Fiat fixed the early gearbox issues, this ’van has been a pleasure to drive and been totally reliable. A few minor issues have arisen, but nothing serious. Besides the usual consumables (oil, filters, tyres, brakes, etc) and the early gearbox woes, the Fiat has needed just a new wiper motor and alternator. The replacement of the glow plugs after they seized into the cylinder head has been the only major expense in that 15 years.

The conversion, by the now defunct Nu Venture Campers, has done 15 hard years without incident, and still suits us perfectly. None of the appliances have failed, with just regular replacement of taps and water pumps being the only outlays. In truth, one of the major stumbling blocks in any decision to replace the ’van has centred around the fact that we just couldn’t find anyone we trusted to do what we wanted done.

We do feel a debt of gratitude to Stuart Abbott, the owner of Nu Venture Campers, for the 15 happy and healthy years we have had with his endeavours.

Are we going to replace the ’van, or will it be a case of waiting to find out who or which will last the longest?

It’s a complicated world, and we aren’t sure of anything.