$5000 van going fast

There are not many enclosed trailers for less than $5000, let alone a camper, but if you’re quick you can get your hands on the last remaining MWRV Mini Campers.

Like many entry-level teardrop campers, the MWRV doesn’t exactly come with all the luxuries.

The Mini Caravan has a 240v light and two 240v outlets, a locking access door, two screened windows, a rear drop-down stabiliser leg and an interior lined with carpet and fitted with a shelf — and that’s it.

Local company MW Toolbox Center, better known for its aluminium toolboxes and aluminium ute canopies, imported two batches of the Mini Caravan fro the US 18 months ago.

MW Toolbox Center general manager, Alan Huang, said that the Mini Caravan didn’t sell as well as expected, and with the dollar worth 30 per cent less against the greenback, he is uncertain whether he should import more.

“We sold-out the second shipment with the galvanised chassis and A-frame, but the first shipment has been a lot slower to sell. People said they thought it was maybe a bit too narrow also,” he said.

The Mini Caravan is known as the Runaway Camper in the US.

The Runaway Camper Company started building the campers in 2011, claiming to be the cheapest camper in the US at US$2499 for the entry-level model.

Keen owners have created three Facebook Owners’s groups and an internet forum.

The 8ft x4ft MWRV Mini Caravan is based on the entry-level Runaway Camper, but has 13in wheels instead of 12in on the US model.

The coupling is changed and tail lights replaced to meet Australian Design Rules, and a 240v RCD circuit-breaker switch, two-pole 240v outlets and a 240v interior light are also fitted locally.