Hey everyone, just picked up my first Transit Connect. It's a 2013 XLT that had 28,000 original miles. It has only been on the road for about 3 years of it's life as it had a tree fall on the hood and windshield with only 1900 miles on it. After sitting in insurance limbo for 5 years, they totaled it due to the cost of repairs. A company that specializes in repairing salvaged vehicles purchased it, repaired it, and rebuilt the title. Shortly after, an electrician bought it and used it for about 26,000 miles before they realized it was too small for their needs. I picked it up about two weeks ago and it's been great. Other than a few scratches where someone keyed it while sitting in the insurance lot, and the bend in the hood, there is very little body damage.
I have plans to build it out as a tiny home/camper that can still be used for hauling a few things and used in trade type work if needed. The interior will eventually be quite a bit different than most camper builds as I plan on using aluminum for most of the build - I want very little lumber to be used. It came with an awesome roof rack that rotates down so you don't have to climb up to reach the stuff on top. I plan on mounting solar panels on one side where I can service them standing next to it. Since it has had so little road time, almost no winter driving, and was washed daily by the company who used it as a fleet vehicle, it's rust free underneath (a big deal in Michigan considering cars start to rust the first winter). I plan on coating the underside and interior floor with PPG Ameracoat 240 epoxy to protect it from rusting. It's a marine grade product the salt trucks in Michigan are coated with to prevent rusting.
So yeah, overall, it's already turning out great. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions and eventually will document the build a little as I can. Thanks for having me here.
Mike
