If you always wanted a camper, but all you have is a car with significant front-end damage, this could serve as inspiration. Apparently, however, the seller sought this out and bought thise Civic in pre-wrecked condition.
This space is usually reserved for information on a vehicle’s condition, mileage, etc. None of that is really relevant for this non-driving vehicle, as long as you trust that the seller attached the tow rig in a sufficiently robust manner as to prevent catastrophic detachment at highway speeds.
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San Antonio, TX, USA
$1,799 with ZERO bids and one day to go
Did you expect this to look different?
Profile is as expected.
Interior has a flat floor for mattress support, and the windscreen has been blocked out (with what?).
Seat backs are there, so we assume there’s still room in the hatch, too.
You put your weed in there.
Here’s the donor car, before surgery.
Ad text:
What you are looking at is a 1997 Honda Civic two door hatchback that has been converted into a tiny camper trailer.
Built in 2017, the Civic micro camper started life as a conventional Honda Civic (of course), and was a daily driver for various owners for 20 years until it was wrecked late one night in 2016 (don’t worry the driver was uninjured) unfortunately that driver had no insurance – so the wrecked Civic was impounded by the police.
That’s where I became part of the story – I buy cars from various local auctions – for projects, and to flip for a quick profit (to fund my afformentioned projects). I was at the weekly San Antonio police impound auction in pursuit of another vehicle, when the Honda was put on the block as a last minute addition…
Since it fit my criteria, I snapped it up. I had wanted to do this project for years, but had put it off because I saw it as a capriciously whimsical distraction from my more “serious” projects – but when opportunity knocks, you should answer the door…
After cutting all the damaged bits away, removing all of the mechanical stuff, and most of the interior, I installed a custom built trailer tongue, and built an interior platform big enough to accommodate a full size air mattress while still providing many cubic feet of storage capability.
The rear lights have been rewired to function in unison with the tow vehicle. The parking brake retains it original functionality, with the handle having been moved to the trailer tongue for ease of accessability.
The camper has a fused, 12 volt electrical system with a battery and keyed master switch as well as a house current (shore power) system featuring an automatic battery charger, 12 volt converter, and 15 amp breaker. I connected the original stereo speakers in the car to a Bluetooth receiver – so it plays music from your phone!
As of now, the Civic micro camper is still recognized by the state of Texas as a motor vehicle, with a clear, lien-free blue title in my name. I attempted to have the camper retitled as a trailer, but the state has no clear legal procedure for that… When bureaucrats are faced with uncertainty, you can safely bet that their answer will be “no”…
The good news is that it is perfectly legal to tow one “car” with another, provided it is done in a safe manner – so whether it is legally classified as a car or a trailer matters only from a “tax and fee” standpoint…
Since the VIN and title have been retained, the sale will proceed like any other car – if you live in Texas, I will provide all necessary paperwork – if you are an out of state buyer please provide any paperwork from your state which I might need to sign.
Please also do your research into the legality of car/trailer hybrids in your state. some states DO have a clear legal procedure for retitling a vehicle into a trailer (lucky you) whilst others may actually have specific laws against this sort of thing – I will not be held responsible if you fail to do your homework…
Due to the admittedly unusual nature of the Civic micro camper, I STRONGLY encourage any potential buyers to examine the camper in person prior to committing to a bid – I will be more than happy to arrange viewings at any convenient time. Please also do not be shy about asking questions! I will post all answers publicly.
The Civic micro camper is also for sale locally, so I retain the right to end this auction at any time.
Additional information about the Civic micro camper can be found here;
civicmicrocamper.wordpress.com
http://www.instructables.com/id/Honda-Civic-Micro-Camperutility-Trailer/
(The camper has been “featured” on Instructables, and its very popular! having received almost 30,000 views since January!)
Thanks for looking, and happy bidding!