A COUPLE have told how their family bought a camper van for £695 and took it on an epic 19,000-mile road trip, only to discover it is worth £20,000.
Phil and Lorraine Hughes, from Gwynedd, Wales, inherited the well-loved 1962 Bedford Dormobile Romany after it went on its amazing journey.
The van was bought new by Phil’s great uncle Bert 60 years ago and named Doris after his sister.
Bert picked it up for £695, which is the equivalent of around £12,300 in today’s money.
He then took it on a mega road trip, driving the 1,900 miles from the UK to Algeria via France, Spain and Morocco.
Inside, Doris features a Formica table, gas grill and seats which convert into a double bed.
Phil and Lorraine told The Telegraph: “Phil remembers childhood holidays in the van and now it’s his to drive – and maintain.
“It’s wonderful to drive; so light, responsive and comfortable. Sleeping is a different matter, though.
“In terms of weaknesses, she’s a little slow on motorways and only has a three-speed gearbox with column change.”
Sadly, Doris fell into disrepair after 1993, when finding parts became tricky and Uncle Bert stopped using it for weekend trips.
But Phil restored the beloved motor to its former glory in 2014 and good old Doris is now worth over £20,000.
The couple added: “Wherever we go, Doris attracts attention because people of a certain age have memories of Bedfords being used as delivery vans.”
It comes after a driver shared how their car had only broken down once despite travelling over a million miles.
Meanwhile, we gave readers a look inside Ryan Reynolds’ amazing £94,000 motorcycle collection.
