Decked-Out (and Affordable!) Car Camper Conversion (Car Camping/Vanlife Tours)

In this video we take a look at Lance's 2003 Pontiac Vibe (which is the same thing as a Toyota Matrix) to see how he took it from regular compact car to an adventuremobile with all the trimmings!

DATE FILMED: January 2020

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#adventuremobile #vanlife #carcamping

[et]

Vibes prior to 2009 had a Toyota engine. We had three of them. They were the best cars. When our 2005 vibe was retired it had over 500, 000 km on it and no rust on the underside even though it was never rust treated and dealt with Canadian road salt. It never required any major work. It was an awesome car for camping trips and traveling. The back went completely flat with no slope. Unfortunately, they no longer make the Pontiac Vibe or the Toyota Matrix :(

[ThatOneDudeNick]

I like seeing these affordable rigs, especially a vehicle you don't see out there as often. Thanks for sharing.

[timfarness]

This car is basically a Toyota Matrix, with a few styling changes.

[scoobygms]

btw im a master mechanic and thats one of the best engines u can have the trans will go 500k the engine will go as long as u want it too for cheap

[georgepaget]

Bravo.
I have a 09 Vibe which I have driven across Canada, rout 66 and many tours of the SW. Next tour will be the Dempster Highway to Tuktaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. I love my Vibe. In 11 years I have spent $900 in maintenance. (It's bullet proof.) People think I'm crazy. It's the price of freedom. George, Vancouver, BC

[TJ-mcuh]

Great information and inspiration for someone who only has a car but wants to get out and travel without spending large amts of money. Thanks

[patreacefressadi]

Thanks! Another great video. Scotty Kilmer says the Vibe is exactly the same as the Toyota Matrix so that would make it an awesome dependable vehicle. Great simple build with solar!

[posteroonie]

I'm impressed how the pallet worked out for aligning the bed, and provides an unexpected amount of storage.

[robincrook]

Love the road shower tubes...makes people ahead of you think you have bazookas on your vehicle, XD.

[susie]

What a sweet guy.

And a pretty sweet set-up (although not really how I'd do it)

I especially liked the spare tire solution - that looks like a real game changer for a small living space

The electronics solutions were great too - some great tips there!

[davidmason]

Thanks for the video. I own a vibe AWD w/208k and a matrix w/232k. Great spacious vehicles, I can see how they make a great solo adventure rig. Lots of great ideas in this video. Thanks!

[tybrady]

Great idea for the spare tire holder, it gives more storage space, plus that spare is a full size tire, not the smaller one supplied.
I have a Toyota Matrix that I want to turn into a camper. I plan to take the rear seat out to give more storage space under the sleeping platform I’ll need to build.

[jackiehiaring]

Wow he certainly makes it work! Looks good. Thanks!

[Nightbird-uz]

That's an efficient and organized set up. I have a 2005 Pontiac Vibe with 150, 000 miles on it. I'm either getting rid of almost everything I own and hitting the road or finding some kind of middle ground where I'm home six months and travel the other six.

[larrymcbryan]

I love seeing the ingenious ways people set up their vans and SUVs. Nancy

[soulmanlittledogadventures]

As someone who always carries a full size spare, I admire his spare tire rig! I'll be leaving S. Florida for Wyoming next week in a Kia Soul "camper".

[dandyman]

He's a young guy he can live like that. When you get up into your fifties you'd rather just have a van at least. But he does have a nice setup I really like it

[crippyandkaatje]

Excellent build Lance! Thanks for all the inspiration. Upcycling pallet from work, awesome. Sunroof is cool, and you did creative, awesome problem-solving Lance.

Btw Pontiac Vibe is the twin car to Toyota Matrix. Same frame, same factory but Pontiacs were cheaper (but just as good as the Matrix!). Just like Hyundai Entourage and Kia Sedona.

After some dedicated YouTubing, trying to forget some personal sorrows, I'd settled on a Promaster City for 1/2 time "vanlife". But today I realized that I own a paid off Ford Escape, a small SUV. And my physical health requires 3 - 5 medical appointments a week, so "#vanlife" is too much, right now.

Since I'm disabled anyway and all I need is a bed (and my manual wheelchair fits in the front passenger seat) I've suddenly realized that this next year I oughtta just SUV camp before making drastic changes to my vehicle. And my life.

So I'm going to keep it simple, do a no-build like Lance, Tristan and Linda, while downsizing the belongings in my 500 sf studio until I can go full time. Now if only I can convince my boyfriend to go camping with me ;-)

[joharmon]

Talk about getting it together and working for him wow.

[ewakraft]

Good ideas, especialy the 12 volt light switch!