Hi this is my first post and I just wanted to introduce myself and, of course, my Panda. My name is Max, I'm English and I live in central Italy (Umbria). I am planning to travel around Europe at the end of next summer in my Panda!


The General Plan:

Convert my 1998 Panda Jolly 900 into a camper D of sorts ) on a budget doing everything I can myself. And go on an epic Road Trip around Europe. Some people think I'm crazy (rightly so I suppose :nutter but I am 19 (just finishing my 5 years of Hospitality school here in Italy) and I'm looking for an adventure, so why not!!

My Panda "Chappie":

I just bought it. It hadn't been used for the last two years and has only 74,000 km/46,000 miles! It is in quite good condition but I have had to do some work on it (rubber bushes, brake lines, rear shocks, new window mechanisms etc...). Now Chappie is definitely happier but there are still lots of mechanical things to do.

Conversion:

I'm creating a sleeping area in the back and...well there isn't room for much else but I have various plans in able to make it a comfortable one of a kind Mini Panda Camper :slayer: ready for an adventure!!

I am new at all this, so I will be picking everyone's brains soon!

Hello there, Max! Nice to meet you and your Panda, welcome to the forum!

An epic road trip around Europe is something I've thought about too, I would love to take part in something like the Mongol Rally one day, or do something like you and just have a part-converted "camper" car to go around in. It may be a while before I get to do something like that, but it's exciting to see someone else thinking about it and going for it soon.

Any ideas on where you'd definitely like to go in Europe yet?

I think I will first drive up through France and then drive all the way up England to Scotland and come back down again stopping at lots of friends houses because I've lived in many places in England and even in Scotland.
I will then go thought: Belgium, Netherlands,Germany, maybe Norway, back down to Germany, Czech Republic,Austria,Croatia,Macedonia, Greece (obviously stopping at famous city's or anything that looks fun or interesting)
I also want to avoid motorways as much as possible, hopefully that way I will come across things that aren't necessarily on tourist maps but are full of culture, surprises and of course fun!!

Although it might seam like I've planned it quite a lot, I haven't and won't. I think that it would be less of an adventure if everything was planned

Ps: Thanks for the warm welcoming !

MaxOnline said:

I think I will first drive up through France and then drive all the way up England to Scotland and come back down again stopping at lots of friends houses because I've lived in many places in England and even in Scotland.
I will then go thought: Belgium, Netherlands,Germany, maybe Norway, back down to Germany, Czech Republic,Austria,Croatia,Macedonia, Greece (obviously stopping at famous city's or anything that looks fun or interesting)
I also want to avoid motorways as much as possible, hopefully that way I will come across things that aren't necessarily on tourist maps but are full of culture, surprises and of course fun!!

Although it might seam like I've planned it quite a lot, I haven't and won't. I think that it would be less of an adventure if everything was planned

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Sounds like a great trip! No need to plan it all, but it's good to have a rough idea of what you definitely want to see. Sounds like you got a rough guide in mind, now that you've got that, it's just a matter of what ever the hell you want!

You may see some of us in England then. There's a few of us Panda owners scattered about that you may be able to meet on this trip as well... will keep a keen eye on this thread to see what you are doing, hope it all goes well!

Thanks! It is a bit scary in a way, sleeping (in a ball because I'm 6'4'') in Chappie for months on end and living on as little as possible and being far away from anyone or thing I know, but hey it's all part of the fun!!
Regarding meeting up with other panda lovers, I would love to, closer to the date I will investigate on where some of you guys are!

welcome

check this out.... some good ideas



:worship::idea::slayer:

Thanks Lukmek! I have already seen this guy, and would you believe his name is Max too!! :slayer:

I think one of the major issue would be keeping warm at night... Have you considered a ceramic heater you can plug on the cigarette lighter plug?

lukmek said:

I think one of the major issue would be keeping warm at night... Have you considered a ceramic heater you can plug on the cigarette lighter plug?

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I have thought about that but then I did sleep in it on top of a mountain the other day when it was 3 C° and with a proper sleeping bag I was more than comfortable(I actually got hot), although that may be a way to deal with sleeping, I will also use Chappie in the evenings and cold days as my "house" effectively so a heat source will most likely be needed.
I've previously looked at ceramic heaters for my last project (an Ape 50 that I decked out with Duke's of Hazards air horns, led light's, fog lights on the roof, speakers etc.. I might post some pictures of it on another thread at a later date) anyway I was saying, I've looked them up before and they definitely could be a viable solution, although draining battery power is something I will have to think carefully about. I thought about mounting a photovoltaic panel on the roof and/or have a separate battery with a switch to allow the alternator to charge it when I'm driving. Because I will need electricity for : pc, phone, lighting, cameras, maybe heating etc.. And I don't want to go to start Chappie and find the battery is dead!! But that might be overkill.

A second battery sound good as well
I saw some solar panel you can attach to the battery to keep it in top shape maybe a viable solution... I would also try to install LED bulbs to keep the battery strain at a minimum plus additional LED lights for the interior.. Just in case you like to read a book before bedtime...
Have you got a list of spare parts to take with you?

I agree, led lighting is a must, plus, it gives of a much nicer light. And, yes something like those "top up solar panals" I think would be good although they don't tend to have a particularly high output so I'll have to investigate further.
Regarding the list of spares, no I haven't yet but I will definitely have to!

This is a Dropbox Link to a folder that i will update as the project continues for those of you that may be interested.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3ye84k2gai5e23l/AAA2RjpT7GYxAmt3gD63qUX1a?dl=0

Quick update

I've had a lot going on recently so progress has been quite slow but I did manage to find some time for Chappie.

I've carpeted a bit of the boot (going to do more) and stained the wood


I've also bought a mattress online that I then cut up and restitched it so now it fits perfectly and it's actually quite comfortable !!




I've also mounted a roof box

MaxOnline said:

Thanks! It is a bit scary in a way, sleeping (in a ball because I'm 6'4'') in Chappie for months on end and living on as little as possible and being far away from anyone or thing I know, but hey it's all part of the fun!!
Regarding meeting up with other panda lovers, I would love to, closer to the date I will investigate on where some of you guys are!

Click to expand...

I seem to remember in the 80s when the panda was first introduced to the UK a sales brochure said all the seats could be folded flat to make a bed but this may not be applicable on the mk2 panda.

Re: Meet my Panda "Chappie" my plan: Road trip around Europe!

Michael Dranfield said:

I seem to remember in the 80s when the panda was first introduced to the UK a sales brochure said all the seats could be folded flat to make a bed but this may not be applicable on the mk2 panda.

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This is probably what you are referring to, and no it doesn't quite work with my version, and I'm actually happy because doing it my way I have a mattress + better seats than the original 1980s model ! [emoji1]

Michael Dranfield said:

I seem to remember in the 80s when the panda was first introduced to the UK a sales brochure said all the seats could be folded flat to make a bed but this may not be applicable on the mk2 panda.

Click to expand...

Correct, not applicable to the mk2 - the mk1 Panda had those seats but the mk2 has the proper head rests and nicer seats so I suppose they couldn't manage it! Would have been nice to have removable head rests and still allow it to lie flat but that's an if only...

Chappie looks quite comfy now! I thought of doing something like that with a car previously, your re-stitching of a thick mattress idea brings it to a whole new level of comfort though!

FDNY21 said:

Correct, not applicable to the mk2 - the mk1 Panda had those seats but the mk2 has the proper head rests and nicer seats so I suppose they couldn't manage it! Would have been nice to have removable head rests and still allow it to lie flat but that's an if only...

Chappie looks quite comfy now! I thought of doing something like that with a car previously, your re-stitching of a thick mattress idea brings it to a whole new level of comfort though!

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Thanks! And yes it's getting quite nice and cozy

You could get some Windows black out as well!

lukmek said:

You could get some Windows black out as well!
View attachment 174232

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Yep, I'm planning to either get something like that or some kind of curtain

FDNY21 said:

Correct, not applicable to the mk2 - the mk1 Panda had those seats but the mk2 has the proper head rests and nicer seats so I suppose they couldn't manage it!

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With the exception of mk2 Panda's in L spec, such as the 750L, they still had the hammock seats