Warning: This is a summarized yet long story about what we have really been doing the last four months.
I’m trying to remember when this crazy idea first emerged. At least six months ago, Mark was researching campers in Europe, since we thought/think this will be our new overlanding location. He must have stumbled upon a Mercedes Vario campervan, thought it looked cool and roomy, remembered our German friends Sabine and Michael having one, and focused his research on the 4×4 kind, only to discover that in Europe you need a special driver’s license for this “more truck than van” vehicle, prices wavered around a steep US$100,000, and there are many rules regarding registration, yearly inspections, insurance, and so on.
Driver’s side view of a Vario
It seemed like the Vario idea dead-ended right there. But on June 3rd (I checked my diary), an available 4×4 Vario appeared on the South America Overlanding Facebook page. There were only two problems: it was for sale in Peru with Peruvian plates and it was not converted yet. We inquired at a shop in Uruguay — the only place in South America we knew about — about how much it would cost to build out a van. More research followed and from the moment we realized that a vehicle can only leave Peru if it is owned by a Peruvian resident and that a new build would cost close to US$90,000, the idea was discarded again.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Fast forward to sometime in August when Mark discovered that Chile had imported hundreds of 4WD Vario vans from Europe to use in the mines as passenger transportation vehicles. Another problem arose: these vans had been well used and came with a bus door instead of a passenger door. Replacing that with an RV door would prove almost impossible, let alone dealing with the paperwork, the language, and other crazy logistics.
Soon after, Mark had a revelation. For months, he’d known about a Vario van that had been built out by a Chilean and had been for sale for a couple of years. It was located along the Chilean coast, four hours south of Santiago, but he hadn’t been interested because the camper section was poorly built and unattractive.
His revelation was this: it had a normal door and two seats in the cab, it was already registered as a camper (as opposed to a company vehicle), and becoming the owner of a new vehicle in Chile was straightforward and popular. It’s why many new overlanders buy a car or camper in Santiago to start their South American overland travels. Why not buy this crappy camper, gut it, and rebuild the living space from scratch?
Passenger side view of the Pichilemu Vario camper – with a normal door
By then, we had found out that there was a company in Santiago — Suzie Santiago CTW — that built out vans for a much better rate — but inferior quality — than the expensive shop in Uruguay. More research and communications followed with companies regarding the build and the paperwork. So many months of work and focus went into this pursuit! It’s pretty much all we did during our five weeks in Paraguay. We even drew up the perfect layout. Fun!
We bombarded the Vario campervan owner in Pichilemu with questions, requested photos, information, and videos, hired a mechanic to check out the engine and systems from afar, and locked in the idea we would buy this van and turn it into our “forever camper.”
This idea became even more attractive and feasible when — by coincidence — we learned about a professional camper building company in Santa Rita, Paraguay and received a quote for what we wanted done. While staying at the Manantial Campground in Hohenau last October, we used just our truck for a day trip to Santa Rita to visit the Dalazen Motorhomes workshop and were seriously impressed. If we ever built out a van on this continent, we wanted to hire them to do so.
Having this plan and the knowledge that Chile is the best country to sell our camper, we left Paraguay a bit sooner than expected. We traversed the width of Argentina as quickly as possible. We scaled the Andes Mountains, crossed the border into Chile, drove another three hours, parked in Santiago, and walked to the Suzie Santiago CTW office to chat with owner Noam about our idea and get answers about needed paperwork all in one day. We were serious and we meant business now that we had returned to Chile!
Next, we visited Noam’s workshop on the edge of the capital, slept at a truck stop south of the city, and drove the four hours to Pichilemu, where “our camper” was located. We had been told the vehicle was in perfect shape, the safety inspection had been a success, and the mechanic we hired had only found a few minor issues. Right.
The highly anticipated Monday arrived; we’d looked forward to checking this van for many months. Maya had to stay in our camper, because the yard where the Vario was parked was filled with eight barking, peeing, and pooping dogs. We should have brought an old sheet for Mark to crawl on the ground. We met the friendly and helpful owners and used translation and audio apps to help with the Spanish language when needed. Mark and I spent a full three hours scrutinizing the van and taking it on a test drive.
What was our conclusion? Let’s just start with these few items: all the known rust spots had been painted over, there was a hole in the transmission casing, the back doors were jury-rigged shut, the passenger seat belt was secured with a carabiner, none of the ventilation and heating systems worked, the dashboard showed multiple warning lights, there was a problem with the ABS system, no maintenance had happened during the four years they owned the van, and everything that broke during those years was either left alone or taped together. The visit was a huge disappointment, because the owner had misrepresented his vehicle. We were ready to back off and forget about this camper altogether.
But then, we realized how much time and effort we’d already put into pursuing this goal and how finding a Vario on this continent would be our only chance at building it the way we wanted. So Mark created a list of all the issues and the costs of resolving them whenever possible.
For anyone interested, this is the list we came up with:
Major Issues:
* Fuel pump is leaking.
* Replace the interior heater core and get the heating system working again.
* Repair all dashboard vent controls. The entire unit will likely need replacing.
* Repair the holes in the transmission housing.
* There may be additional internal clutch problems because the holes allowed dirt and air to enter for over a year.
* Repair the suspension issue that caused the holes in the transmission.
* Needs new springs and shocks. The driver’s side front springs are bent at the ends.
* Repair the ABS system.
* Repair the rear doors so they function properly, seal well, and have a normal handle.
* The differential lock indicator light does not illuminate on the dashboard when the locks are engaged. This indicates a possible problem with the locking system, as it appears the differentials are actually locking.
* The brakes feel less powerful than expected, quite stiff, and not very responsive. This may be normal, but a complete brake system check is necessary.
* Due to the oil in the air system filter, this indicates that there may be oil in the pneumatic system, which can damage the braking system.
* Remove the new paint and address any rust issues. The freshly applied paint is unreliable, as it was done unprofessionally enough to paint over the rear reflectors.
Minor:
* The oil drain plug needs cleaning and replacement.
* Replace the oil pan gasket.
* Replace the fuel filter and confirm there are no leaks, as it is currently dripping.
* Replace the spare tire.
* Remove and repair the spare tire carrier, as it is not functional.
* Replace the rubber bellows on the pneumatic brake system.
* Replace interior door handles and window cranks.
* The overall condition of the interior door panels is poor.
* The van needs a front-end alignment as the steering is significantly out of alignment.
* The driver’s door does not close easily and needs the mechanism replaced.
* The passenger door probably does as well, though less severely.
* Maintenance (likely never performed):
* Flush the radiator and refill with fresh coolant.
* Replace all brake fluid.
* Replace the clutch fluid.
* Replace the power steering fluid.
* Clean and replace the air filter.
* Replace the fuel filter.
* Grease all grease fittings.
* Grease the steering kingpin.
* Change the front differential oil.
* Change the rear differential oil.
* Change the transfer case oil.
* Change the transmission fluid.
* Replace the oil filler hose with the correct one.
* Remove all unused air conditioning system pipes and lines.
* Replace the taillight covers.
* The hood does not close properly. The driver’s side does not close completely.
* The driver’s side lower mirror is missing.
* Install a proper passenger seat belt, as it is currently secured with a carabiner.
* Repair the driver’s seat belt buckle.
* Repair the glove box latch.
* The driver’s seat is in poor condition and needs repair.
* Remove the bolt protruding from the bottom of the rear differential and replace it with the correct drain plug.
* Replace the rubber shift lever boot to prevent dirt from entering the transmission.
We wrote a nice message to the owners, stating all this and offering them a price that would account for fixing the major problems. To give you an idea of the numbers, the asking price for this van was $30,000 and the mechanical fixes would cost about $15,000. That’s without taking the crappy camper build or other adaptations into account. Or paperwork fees and such.
They refused our offer and when asked for their lowest price, they were only willing to drop it by $3,000. And that was the end of a dream. Or so we thought.
There were still a couple of 4WD “passenger bus” Varios floating around in Chile that we knew of, namely a grey one in the Santiago area and a red one over 1,000km to the north. Antofagasta, even further north in Chile, contained a converted 4×4 Vario, but the list price was way too high for us and it was not built out according to our standards.
Ironically — and happily — that day, we also did a video tour of our own camper that is for sale. We were straightforward, transparent, and fair — as opposed to the Vario owners in Pichilemu — which led to an accepted offer for Bella.
After the first disappointment of the badly converted Vario melted away a bit and we got confirmation from “our” camper builder that they could fix a bus door, we checked out the grey Vario. We were committed to exhausting the Vario market in Chile. Again, we were told it was in perfect shape. Again, it wasn’t.
Due to communication and scheduling issues, we had a quick look and drive with the grey one on a Monday and did a more thorough inspection the following day in the yard. They were cleaning the van inside and out, which truly hindered our movements to check out the van. At some point, when Mark was lying underneath, he got drenched. We weren’t impressed with the condition of the van and its issues, but at least this owner seemed honest with us.
There was only one more Vario to pursue: the red one “out of reach.” Our questions were answered over WhatsApp, we did a video tour with the saleswoman, we researched options and issues, checked plane and bus tickets, had another video call when the van was being driven, calculated the price of known problems, contacted professionals to help with the paperwork, ignored the fact that the odometer didn’t work and we had no clue about the mileage (although documents and research revealed the total being under 40,000 which is low), and mentally found ways around other red flags and roadblocks. This idea was crazy, yet we pursued it.
We made an offer and a plan for Mark to take a 12-hour bus ride there and back to check out the van. This would take a substantial amount of money, time, and discomfort. To our surprise, the offer was accepted and reality dawned on us. The procedures and logistics to make this van our own and change it from a passenger van in the mines to a camper to live in and ship to Europe were mind-boggling. We crunched the numbers again.
Were we ready for this gigantic hassle? The huge time and money sink? Doing some of the work in Chile, taking the seats out to fit an air mattress, and driving it back to Paraguay where we’d live in the heat of summer for at least four months? Returning to Chile after the build is done to reregister it as a motorhome. All the hassles of finding parts and the delays that might occur? And the fact we couldn’t sell it outside of Chile except after owning it for twelve years at which point we could import it into the US as a 25-year-old vehicle?
The two of us got cold feet. Many back and forth discussions followed, before we made up our mind about passing on this Vario and any other one on the continent. The red flags screamed at us. Spanish is not one of our native languages and as foreigners, we’d have no rights if anything were to go wrong. After many months of daily research, messages, and talks about our “forever Vario,” we felt empty and exhausted. We truly exhausted our options. Or had we?
At this river spot, we decided to give up on the entire Vario idea, which we had been creating and improving for four months!
Next up: Big news!
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs? Check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
Discover more from Roaming About
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
November 27, 2025 at 15:23
Don’t leave us hanging! I thought you were going to have a rig at the end of this! I’m glad you trusted your gut and thought everything through.
So you’ve sold Thirsty Bella. We need more details!!!
November 28, 2025 at 14:32
Hi Duwan,
We thought we’d have a rig at the end of this ordeal as well and then, we could mentally support each other building out our vans in two different continents. But is was not meant to be. We are still kind of pursuing two possibility, but the chances are very low that anything works out. Point is, we haven’t totally given up yet but we will do so by the end of the year.
I’m not making anything official yet regarding the second part of your comment, until it’s a done deal. Yet, I slipped a little hint in this blog post to see who read the entire thing. You did! 🙂
November 27, 2025 at 17:27
Oh man, the suspense is killing me! 🙂
November 28, 2025 at 14:33
Haha. We are approaching another transition time, where it’s anyone’s guess what will be next for us. 🙂
November 27, 2025 at 21:45
Well, congrats on the sale of your camper … I think!
November 28, 2025 at 14:34
We think too, Lexie. But it isn’t over until it’s over. And when it is, there will be an announcement! 🙂
November 27, 2025 at 22:25
What a tremendous letdown you must have had when you discovered that the Vario van you wanted had been misrepresented. I can’t wait to find out what you decided to do in the end. Hope you’ll tell us soon.
November 28, 2025 at 14:41
Hi Annie,
It’s always an issue – especially in our life – to have expectations. And we really set ourselves up for this disappointment by going down that track of buying and building out a Vario for multiple months. In the beginning, it was all just a hobby and it kept us busy during a time of indecision of where to drive next. Then, we got more and more involved. Then, we counted on it working out.
We have to be more flexible with things like these, though, and only pursue ideas when they are feasible or appear to be meant to be. Not a hassle and with a road block every step of the way. It’s all a learning process.
At the moment, we have no clue yet what’s next for us. I’ll keep my readers posted!
November 28, 2025 at 00:34
You definetely did youre due diligence. Its so hard when you’ve set youre mind on something and it doesn’t work out, even if it was not for trying every way you can. I love the varios, they are crazily expensive in europe and parts are getting harder to source.
If youre thinking of going to europe just get a normal motorhome or a converted panel van. The only down side would be the panel vans are not as square as the varios.
Good luck and looking forward to hearing what you end up with.
November 28, 2025 at 14:44
Hi Pat,
Thanks for your insights about the Vario! I had no idea so many people knew of them or have even owned them or love them. I did know they are very popular and sought after in Europe. Yes, if everything falls through on this continent, which has been a major ordeal as it is, we will hunt for something in Europe. As long as it’s 4WD and spacious enough for us and our dog.
November 28, 2025 at 08:46
What an odyssey that ultimately led to nothing. Wouldn’t shipping Bella to Europe be an option? Let us know if we can help you in any way.
Michael & Sabine
November 28, 2025 at 14:53
Hi Michael!
Thanks for leaving a comment and weighing in on this! And thank you for your help so far already. Maybe you can sell us your Vario? Just kidding!
We made the decision a long time ago that we don’t want our current camper in Europe. For multiple reasons. Plus, it’s too late now. 🙂 And, as you know, we have had our mind set on our own Vario conversion and it’s hard to compromise on that. But we might have to! We will let you know if we want more help communicating with people on the German for sale forums.
November 28, 2025 at 11:31
I’ve read your extended odyssey and the comments. Gosh, You don’t take the easy path.
You gave me many pauses here, including “This idea was crazy, yet we pursued it.”
Like others, the suspense is killing me, so let us know your next steps. Maybe a hint with your expense report. Inquiring minds want to know, Liesbet. 😀
November 28, 2025 at 14:56
Do we ever take the easy path, Marian? 🙂
The expense report is usually the most up-to-date blog post as I always seem to be behind with my other stories and life events. If we have definite answers by the time I write my next post, I’ll be sure to give them. But, as you can imagine, everything takes ages here! And solutions and answers don’t come easy. At the moment, nothing about our next chapter is planned or figured out yet!
November 28, 2025 at 17:43
Yikes (once again), Liesbet! I’m so sorry that you had to experience so many disappointments (especially since the mechanic you hired didn’t do his job very well). It also sounds like you dodged a few bullets along the way.
Reading through the comments, I can see your search is still on and your plans are in flux. I hope everything works out eventually.
December 2, 2025 at 18:46
Hi Janis,
This last week, we have really come to understand that this continent will be keeping us on our toes until we leave. We have had challenging times and lifestyles in the past, but it does feel like we don’t get a break in this one. We try to plan everything as carefully as possible, taking delays and challenges into account, and still, there are twists and road blocks at every corner. Sigh. Anyway, our search for a Vario is about finished and we are wrapping up our time in South America.
November 28, 2025 at 17:52
What a crazy ride…I hope you find something soon and congrats on the sale!
December 2, 2025 at 18:47
Thanks, it isn’t over until it’s over but we should be close to a conclusion and therefore another transition. I hope to post an update soon!
December 1, 2025 at 12:55
Yikes, what a headache! Keeping my fingers crossed for you…
December 2, 2025 at 18:47
Thanks, Diane. Your fingers must be quite painful by now, just for and by us!!! 🙂
December 2, 2025 at 19:02
LOL! Maybe that explains why I’ve been having trouble typing accurately lately… 😉
December 2, 2025 at 19:26
😀😀😀
December 3, 2025 at 10:13
One of my best friends has a van like that — her husband bought their first one, then sold it at a great gain, then decided he wanted a project…so started from scratch. It’s insane if you ask me, but what fun!
December 6, 2025 at 12:54
That’s interesting, Crystal. Yes, these Varios supposedly hold their value, which is rare for a vehicle. And it’s why they’re so expensive in the western world, which is why we were pursuing the 4×4 version in South America. But it’s proving to be too much of a logistical and legal hassle to keep pursuing it.
Building out a van doesn’t sound fun too me! That’s why we had planned to hire a company in Paraguay to help us with it.
December 4, 2025 at 11:12
What a rollercoaster of a ride. But glad you used your heads rather than your hearts. So many people rush in and then regret their decision when things go wrong, but you guys did all the checks. Yes, lots of hard work, time, and money, but it’ll pay off and is far better than owning a vehicle you have no rights to if anything goes wrong, and which could have become your worst nightmare. Things happen for a reason.
However, you got me on the edge of my seat with what’s going on now. It’s like reading a chapter with a big cliffhanger, Liesbet.
December 6, 2025 at 13:00
Hi Hugh,
These vehicles caused so many red flags that we are wondering ourselves why we pursued them for this long. But we had time to do so. The thing is that if we want to build out our own Vario van, it would have to happen in South America as we couldn’t afford to do this in Europe or the US. Unless we did all the work ourselves, which I’m not up for. We are exhausted as it stands!
Haha, I’m glad you think I ended that chapter with a cliffhanger as this is how my entire life looks like. From when we lived and sailed on a boat for eight years (which is documented in Plunge) in 2007 to every day in the three years here in South America. It’s been one challenge after another, one excitement after another, one interesting site after another, and changing our plans every day! 🙂
December 22, 2025 at 15:50
Given the road conditions there — especially off road(!) and the tendency of f-a-r too many drivers to go as fast as humanly possible in bad conditions, you can bet that every pivot point on front and rear suspensions will be loose if not trashed completely. 🙁 Changing from dual to single rear wheels won’t be cheap either as that would seem to require swapping out the rear end . . . worth it?
Coming of age on a cattle farm, we had a saying for vehicles (and horses) which seems appropriate for those first two vans: “Looks like that poor girl has been rode HARD and put away wet!” 🙂 As kids in San Pedro, CA we would rent horses for one hour (all we could afford in those days) and just run ’em and race ’em over and over as fast as they would go the entire time! We never got in trouble for riding them so hard but we did have to walk them round and round in their corral for a full hour afterwards! 🙂
December 22, 2025 at 18:41
You are so right, Jim. Not only did every Chilean van owner claim their Vario was “perfect”, they did get a lot of abuse on the mine roads, where they served to transport employees. Changing from double rear wheels to singles is not too big of a deal, as the axle stays the same. You just need new rims and bigger tires. This costs less in SA than in the US, but we still budgeted around $2,000 for it, including the work, the rims, and the wheels.
Your farm expression is valid for the Vario vans we looked at! 🙂 Poor horses!