OT resurrection of living in a van thread

[45K10]

Originally Posted by JAGI410

Here’s my new baby. A 1984 Chevy G20 van, converted by Winnebago, with 105k miles on it. Couch that folds into a bed? Yup. 4 captains chairs that swivel? Yup. Towing package? Yup. Fits multiple bikes inside without removing wheels?Yup. Under $3k? Yup.

I bought it local, and went on a 500 mile road trip the week after. In fact it’s going on it’s 3rd 500+ mile road trip this weekend. That makes 3 in September. I can park for the night, drink beer in my recliner, then crawl into my comfy bed. Dead nuts reliable, simple to get parts for and work on, and parts are cheap! The hipster/#vanlife trend has made VW and Sprinter van prices go well beyond reasonable. There’s still a lot of other cool vans out there that can do the same damn thing.

Sweet! Now you need to get a Molly Hatchet spare tire cover and a CB whip! Did you find that in Minnesota? I can't believe it isn't rusted. The rocker panels were notorious for rusting out. awesome find

[PeregrineA1]

Pm me. I've got a co-worker that may be looking to sublet a single family home in Ridgecrest for far less than your hotel budget.


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[rockdude]

Good vans are very expensive. When I saw what they were going for, I put mine up for sale the next day and it was sold it in two weeks. I sold my Sportsmobile w/ 200k miles for what I paid for it 18 years ago. Replaced it will a slide in bed camper for my truck.

[JAGI410]

Originally Posted by 45K10

Sweet! Now you need to get a Molly Hatchet spare tire cover and a CB whip! Did you find that in Minnesota? I can't believe it isn't rusted. The rocker panels were notorious for rusting out. awesome find

Found it in Hankinson, ND about an hour south of me. It’s spent it’s whole life in eastern ND. I’m the third owner. Zero rust underneath or anywhere else which is amazing. I looked at newer vans that had terminal rot already! It came with a huge stack of maintenance records. The only thing that didn’t work was cruise control, but I fixed that already with a $23 switch. I also installed a DVD/CD/Bluetooth stereo and backup camera. Gotta have good tunes on the road! CB antenna might happen too. I was thinking Foghat instead of Molly Hatchet though.

[Birddog]

You need this sticker

[jtakeda]

Ridgecrest eh?


I have some friends that live in inyokern on a huge plot of land with probably about 6 trailers on the property.

If I were you I'd recommend doing what they do. Buy a nice little plot of desert land. Buy some leftover Hollywood trailers and build away.

They've outfitted their land with solar so they put electricity into the grid during the day and use what they put in at night.
Pellet burning stove for winters.

If you're committed to living in a car I know they had a freight liner on their land you could buy one of those and outfit then back for a city sized apartment in a car!

[chrismoustache]

I run 2 1980's Toyota Vans. Both 4WD. 1 5 Speed, 1 Auto. Both great.

If I went van shopping again, I'd go a different route. Parts availability is the biggest challenge with these, and there are fewer and fewer out there.

[Bostic]

Do new vans like the pictured one even exist anymore? All I see are these huge Sprinter conversions that are a 100k and up. Something like that Chevy would be perfect for my wife and I to do traveling in.

[jimcav]

I don't really want a commute, and the area you mention is west, but I have yet to get a feel for traffic etc. there is a really nice RV park on the base where I work, so the van idea seemed simple--plug in for AC when it is hot and when not hot I could be anywhere. I'll have to check land prices but assumed anything would be far more than I can spend

Originally Posted by jtakeda

Ridgecrest eh?


I have some friends that live in inyokern on a huge plot of land with probably about 6 trailers on the property.

If I were you I'd recommend doing what they do. Buy a nice little plot of desert land. Buy some leftover Hollywood trailers and build away.

They've outfitted their land with solar so they put electricity into the grid during the day and use what they put in at night.
Pellet burning stove for winters.

If you're committed to living in a car I know they had a freight liner on their land you could buy one of those and outfit then back for a city sized apartment in a car!

[JAGI410]

Warning, this will fill your head with bad ideas. If you decide to ignore my warning, make sure you have a few minutes to fully enjoy it all.

https://mikesee.exposure.co/clifford

[azrider]

Originally Posted by Bostic

Do new vans like the pictured one even exist anymore?

Sure they do. Here is Fords version.




If we were to outgrow our current "weekend truck" and went the van route I'd be all over the new Nissan NV

[BobbyJones]

A couple of thoughts to put in your head:

Don't know what the AirBNB scene is there, but I have some friends who are doing longer term rentals and it seems to work out. It seems to open up rentals that wouldn't normally be on the "open" market due to the backing of the company.

Or if you're really wanting to try the Van / RV scene, maybe look for a smaller used Airstream or Scamp trailer (something trendy that'll hold value) that you can tow behind your truck. It may cost some $$$ up front, but you'll recoup upon selling if you find out the lifestyle isn't for you. And if you need to stash it for an extended period of time, it's easy enough to store smaller trailers in self-serve type storage places relatively cheap.

Whatever route you go, good luck!

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by JAGI410

Warning, this will fill your head with bad ideas. If you decide to ignore my warning, make sure you have a few minutes to fully enjoy it all.

https://mikesee.exposure.co/clifford

Damn. My wife is going to hate you....

[eBAUMANN]

funny to see this pop up...im in the process of converting a sprinter right now, with the ultimate goal of selling off most of my stuff, quitting my job next year and traveling around for a year...or more. so tired of "the grind," van seems like a good way out to me.

[BobbyJones]

We may have a Paceline caravan out there...

Originally Posted by eBAUMANN

funny to see this pop up...im in the process of converting a sprinter right now, with the ultimate goal of selling off most of my stuff, quitting my job next year and traveling around for a year...or more. so tired of "the grind," van seems like a good way out to me.