The Albino Rhino

When we returned home from our first European adventure with the Blue Gnu, we hoped Cotty’s truck could become our Vancouver Island travelling home. Unfortunately, the truck had other plans, involving mechanical problems well beyond our abilities and budget. We sold it to a lovely couple down the road who had both the skills and the funds to sort it out. We still see it driving around regularly, which always makes us smile.

Enter the Albino Rhino! I spotted it on Facebook Marketplace, and since we’re definitely not mechanics, we figured buying something that seemed mostly sorted was a good idea. It even seemed rather fancy to us! We took it to our trusty mechanics at Fred’s Automotive, who gave it a sweet suspension upgrade using Tiguan components. Unlike the Gnu, the Rhino can now tackle bumps without bottoming out — something that has already saved us more than a few times.

You'd think a longer car would mean more room, but somehow the Rhino comes with more constraints. We still prefer the Gnu for our big adventures because its setup is just so perfectly suited to us. But we've made the Rhino work pretty darn well too.

Here's how we turn it into our little home on wheels!