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There is no shortage of compelling camping trailers and camper van options. The trouble with many of them is that they are expensive. Most individuals can’t drop $200,000-plus on a luxury yacht on wheels (vehicle to tow it not included). Those on a more reasonable budget must get creative. Perhaps this weird Mercedes/Airstream hybrid motorhome currently for sale on eBay that Motor1 found could be intriguing.
The base unit is a 31-foot Airstream Excella camping trailer. Instead of towing it, a previous owner mounted it to the bed of a 16-ton Mercedes 1617 truck. The commercial vehicle building firm E.J. Holyoake in England performed the conversion. The current owner asserts that a new engine was fitted just before purchase, and the diesel truck “drives like a Merc should.”
Amenities are ample. The trailer sleeps up to four with a double bedroom and a pull-out double bed in the main cabin. There are a shower and toilet, a galley kitchen and a full-size refrigerator. It offers both central heating and an air conditioning system (that needs service). The trailer can power itself via solar panels, a wind generator or a gas generator.
The seller is asking £24,999 for this rig, which works out to about $32,800. Shipping from the UK would not be cheap. Most buyers would want to give the interior a substantial modernization (there’s a definite cheap 1980s hotel room vibe). Still, with even a modestly sized Winnebago camper van running well past $100,000, this Mercedes/Airstream could be an odd, roundabout way to get your dream camper for less.
