So it's ten years ago this month that I caught the train from Hove station to Yate to collect Mish from Danbury, it was a few months before I was due to retire from the Met Police after 30 years. Like all of us a huge investment/commitment, it was to be our daily drive as well as holiday vehicle, and has! It's breen driven almost every day for the last ten years, on the school run, shopping, work, holidays the lot. We have had some amazing holidays, and stayed in some bizarre places as well as camp sites, car parks, beaches, forests, central London, Euro Disney car park, at weddings and birthdays. I keep a diary of all the nights we have slept in the van, and they total just shy of a year! I found this forum nine years ago, shortly after getting frustrated with Danbury and thier after sales service. I met Tim shortly after at, I think the first brazibay get together at bus fest. He's been fantastic getting this forum to where it is now, and personally without the support of it, I'm convinced I would have sold Mish long ago. There have been many times when I've got frustrated with an issue and Tim has said, "but what would you swap it for?"
There have been several 'firsts' for Mish, when Tim and I took Max and Mish to Longlife at Swansea to be used as templates for the stainless steel exhausts, meeting Neal from Litesteer at Volksworld show, and Mish then being the first brazibay to have Litesteer fitted. Mish then gained another first when the coolant pipes rotted thru and Neal came to the rescue using him as a template to make stainless ones.
So I love my van, sometimes hate it, tho' usually short lived, I would have sold Mish long ago if it wasn't for the following people and businesses, in no particular order, 'the boss ' Tim Votier and this forum, Neal at Litesteer an incredible engineer and lovely fella, Paul, and now Stuart at Brand Autos who are magicians in my view, they make Mish purr, and Ian and his team at Brazilian Kampers who have come to my rescue on more than one occasion!
So thanks to them all, and here's to the next ten years!!
Thanks for your story. We, along with lots of others here, have gained from some of your developments. Interesting that you keep a diary. Although we return to some quite a lot, over ten years we have slept in 32 different locations. How about you? osg
dazdub
Cabin : Exec 012 Location : wales Posts : 3117 Join date : 2009-10-16
Thanks for your story. We, along with lots of others here, have gained from some of your developments. Interesting that you keep a diary. Although we return to some quite a lot, over ten years we have slept in 32 different locations. How about you? osg
Only beaten you by one! We do tend to return to our favourite spots. In the summer we do three to four weeks in Cornwall, first two always spent at the same site, great surfing for wife and child, and amazing fishing, taking my lobster pots this year so fingers crossed!
Subject: Re: Tenth anniversary for 'Mish'. Fri Jul 13, 2018 10:30 am
Irishman Can see how you have spent a whole year in your camper when you stay away for long periods at a time. We have used ours as a dayvan to entertain our grandchildren through to the end of their junior school days - hope they are now hooked. Also we wanted to visit new parts of the country. After 53, mostly short trips away we have a total of only 109 nights. With a full Danbury service history and parts replaced when worn we hope the camper can keep on for another ten years (at least) osg
