Mitsubishi L300 – Camper on the bridge

100 km/h with tailwind

“How fast can he go?” The question is asked by photographer Maurice, who loves beautiful classic cars and who doesn’t mind a bit of power. Camper owner Marijn Donders has heard the question before and is not surprised. A classic 2.3-liter diesel engine without turbo, good for 65 hp at its best, of course does not pull paving stones out of the ground. Marijn: “We want to reach 100 km/h with a tailwind, but then it is no longer really comfortable. Ellie suffers quite a bit from wind and swell, so we prefer to zip along quietly between the trucks. And we would even rather not get on the highway at all.” For those who now think that Ellie is Marijn’s lovely partner: that is certainly not the case. Ellie is the name of the Mitsubishi L300 that has just been parked in front of the gate of Carrec Technocenter. It is an old-school alcove camper of less than five meters, which, partly thanks to the rather short wheelbase, has an impressive overhang at the rear. It is completely retro-beige and has the correct brown striping. A compact Mitsubishi cabin with the typical flat face and square headlights peeks out from under the top bunk. About forty years ago you saw them everywhere, but now this small Mitsubishi bus is a true rarity, especially in the form of a camper.

Standing still

“About three years ago we started looking for a camper,” says Sanne. “It was still the corona period. A camper had been on our wish list for some time, but we now started actively looking. After a while we tracked down this L300. It was for sale to a car dealer on behalf of an older couple. Those people had bought it new in 1987 and now the time had come to say goodbye. We were immediately charmed by this camper: the old looks, completely from the 80s, and the price was also very good.” Marijn: “We paid €4,000 for it. An excellent price, especially considering the condition of the camper. But of course you don’t have a new one for it. It had stood still for a number of years and that is why we had it completely checked, given a major overhaul and some things replaced. New tires were immediately fitted and fresh brake pads were installed. It may not be going that fast, but sometimes you have to stop in time! Furthermore, a new on-board battery has recently been installed and the V-belt has been replaced.” The Mitsubishi also received some attention visually and hygienically. Sanne: “A good cleaning couldn’t hurt, just like a new layer of paint on the wall. The expiration date for the mattress in the alcove and the pillows also expired years ago.” So a new mattress was installed for the bed, another mattress was expertly cut into pieces by Sanne and reupholstered by her grandmother to replace the pillows. This way the couple could set off for their first trip. Marijn: ‘We made that during the autumn holidays of 2020. There was still a lockdown, so we didn’t leave the Netherlands. That was absolutely fine to test the camper, but you have to get a feel for it first. I already suspected that the driving experience would be quite a distance from that in our Mazda MX-5, and that assumption turned out to be correct. “There is sometimes no other option than staying between the trucks. If you encounter even a slight false flat while overtaking, he will not make it and you will be forced to go back to the back of the truck.” Sanne: “It also wobbles quite a bit in the wind…” Marijn: “Yes, I suspect that judge Tim will think something of that during his test drive…”

To marriage

Back to that first holiday, because it turned out to be memorable on several levels. Marijn: “I asked Sanne to marry me during that holiday, which is of course very romantic on your first camper trip!” The following year, the Mitsubishi is not used as often due to all the wedding preparations and the need to fill the piggy bank, but in 2022 the boundaries are further shifted: Sanne and Marijn set sail for Germany, the Czech Republic and Luxembourg. The highway is used for the longer stretches, but the L300 usually stays on the back roads. Marijn: “It’s great to travel there. Our camper is of course nice and compact, especially compared to all those new, white equipment, so even if it gets a bit narrower, we can continue driving. The hills are no problem either, they sometimes just require some patience from drivers who want to overtake us. If it gets really steep, you have to anticipate. Choosing the right gear in advance is quite important, because shifting is like stirring a pot of soup, where you sometimes just have to hope that you are aiming in the right direction. That almost went wrong once in Germany: on a very narrow road we almost drove into a wall: it suddenly went up to a gradient of 19 percent. That didn’t work out in three of us, but luckily with a bit of luck I managed to get the bucket in time in the second, after which we just reached the top.” Taking the properties of your old camper into account is therefore essential. The weight distribution between front and rear is also not always ideal. Marijn: “The camper is on a short chassis, with a considerable overhang at the rear. In most campers, this is compensated for by the engine being located in the front, but the L300’s engine is located between the front seats. When releasing the brake, the weight shift can cause the front wheels to have little grip. Then it is so understeered that it just goes straight. You have to take this into account on hairpin bends.” So the driving is exciting enough: as far as Sanne is concerned, it is completely fine that Marijn drives the L300. “Just let me enjoy the view. I also enjoy cruising along back roads. We prefer to drive short distances. Two to three hundred kilometers in one day is really more than enough. So the journey is also a holiday.”

Autonomous

And those holidays are not over yet: the couple still has some wishes ahead. Sanne: “We really want to drive to Scotland, the North Coast 500. That is a really beautiful route, and it is also nice that you can camp freely there. The Mitsubishi is equipped with an excellent bathroom, so in principle we can be completely autonomous.” Marijn: “Only the boiler is not working, we may have to work on that again before we go. A hot shower is nice. Partly because of free camping, Scandinavia is also still on the list.” For the time being, there are still plenty of travel plans with this camper. “We are very happy with Ellie, but there is a chance that we will have to say goodbye to her eventually. We want to have children and you cannot actually transport children safely in this camper. A classic camper with a bench and belts is a better option. But try to find one again for a nice price…” Sanne: “We drive a Mazda 5, a super spacious car. Maybe we can make room for a mattress and a roof tent, that would be nice too. Then we can keep Ellie with us for short camping adventures in the Netherlands! It would be difficult for me to say goodbye.”

Well taken care of

First it’s time for another short adventure: Tim de Leeuw from Carrec is preparing for his test drive and the question is whether he, with his length of over 1.90, will fit in the compact cabin of the L300. Yes, it’s okay, although he is not so sure that your knees are the main crumple zone given the flat nose of the Mitsubishi: “Buses have become a lot safer over the years, this would no longer be an approval these days.” to get.” Safety issues or not: Tim disappears into the horizon while dieseling, only to reappear 20 minutes later. With a grin on his face, but also with a nice list of notes in his book. Because how do you like that, a 36 year old camper? Tim: “I agree with you that you have little business on the highway. This is not only due to the limited power, but mainly to the enormous sensitivity to wind. Compared to modern campers, the weight is quite limited and the shock absorbers hardly do their job. When a truck hits you, the camper swings in all directions! The gearbox also requires the necessary attention: when you let off the gas, it sometimes jumps out of gear. That is not very safe, especially because you cannot easily find the right gear again. So there is work to be done if you want to be a little safer on the road with this.” Then it is time to put the L300 on the bridge, after which it turns out that the engine is still bone dry and that rust is hardly found. “You can see that this camper has been well taken care of,” Tim explains. “New tires and brake pads, even a new air filter and hardly any rust. That’s impressive for such an old Mitsubishi.” Could it have something to do with Japan’s reputation? Anyway, Sanne and Marijn can continue on their way again, with a nice list to take home. “We will work on that. We will soon replace the shock absorbers,” the couple said. And then: on to Scotland!

Carrec Technocenter’s opinion:

This is a really nice, compact camper with the weight of a modern passenger car. You might therefore expect it to drive better than a large, heavy camper, but unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth. The chassis is far too weak and the camper is extremely sensitive to wind and air pressure from overtaking trucks. And these are inevitable with so little engine power. That made this one of the most exciting rides I have ever taken! Changing gears with the defective gearbox requires full attention: I had to keep pressing the first and third gears myself to prevent the lever from falling out of gear. There is also positive news: for a camper of this age, so little rust is very special, just like a leak-free engine.

This is what is wrong with the Mitsubishi L300:

• Shifting to the first, third and fifth gears is not pleasant. The gear lever must also be pressed manually when driving away in 1 or constantly driving in 3
• The camper is very sensitive to crosswinds, leans enormously when changing direction and launches itself over speed bumps
• Mirrors vibrate and flutter so violently that rearward visibility is very limited
• A knock is heard at the front left (appears to be a stone in the tyre).
• The battery is from 2007 and may be replaced
• V-belt is too large and very loose, which can cause the pulleys to slip easily and the belt could even come off
• Various bushings of the switching system have play
• Rear gearbox mounts are torn
• Gearbox is leaking oil from the rear sensor
• The front reaction arm rubbers of the front suspension are extensively dried out and cracking
• A few small rust spots on the body.
• Front left wheel bearing has play.
• Wooden floor is sagging a bit.