What to do?

[Auto_guy]

Hey all. I need some help in making a decision. We have a 78 dodge sportsman class c. I bought it to trailer our jeep an not be in a tent at the offroad parks.  We will mainly hook up for shore power an that's it. We won't be using any water nor cooking in it. As the offroad parks have showers an heck we can cook over a camp fire. There have been times while camping in the tent, storms have come thru an with 2 kids they freak out with the wind an being in cramped tent. Now here is what I'm thinking....the dirty water tank is cracked in numerous places. The furnace doesn't work. The the propane lines are leaking. Does anyone really use the sink or bathroom? Or even the furnace? I am really thinking about removing all this stuff an making more room for sleeping quarters. So I will be taking out the kitchen area, but keeping the fridge. An removing all water tanks an bathroom. Do you guys think this would be a wise idea? Let's here the comments.

[JessEm]

I say go for it if you want to. You obviously have a 'system', and if you don't need them, you don't need them. The time and money to fix everything probably isn't worth it anyway.

[Mytdawg]

I like the option of having a bathroom onboard.  But you can do it with a porta-potty and no plumbing.  My dad had one in his VW Sportsmobile but you were a little short on privacy...    My basic reasoning for buying mine was a van with a bathroom.  Personal preference.  But I can live without the rest as well.  Water jug, cooler and camp stove are more than sufficient under most circumstances.  If you don't need it then it's not necessary...

[legomybago]

Before you ripp everything out, you may want to try it out..the propane line leaks, furnace etc are easy fixes....If you have never RV camped, which it sounds like you havent, you may find you really enjoy the ease of not having to cook over a fire, use public restrooms and showers..etc..Being self contained is what RV camping is about for most people. Its a lot less work than tent camping, and you can do it year round comfortably. Or, ripp it up! Your rig maybe only good as a rolling tent? Depends on what shape, and how much work you want to put into it? 

[brians1969]

This may not matter to you, but you will have a harder time selling the rig with all those things ripped out.
brian

[Lefty]

I have to agree with the others. It's your rig, so you should customize it to best suit your unique needs.
That's not to say doing so is not without consequences. The more "personalized" a rig is, the harder it becomes to sell at a later date. Especially if the personalizations include removal of the very systems needed to be a self-contained camper.

As a 1978 model, it's probably gone so far down in value (compared to a new camper of equivalent size and features), that what it's worth or could be sold for , doesn't really matter too much anyways. The main thing is to make it suit your specific needs so you actually WANT to use it more.