Purchase advice for ascii_man

[Campor99]

Howdy, I would write down how I want to live, what type of travel, to include overnight, boondocking, Living in parks, etc
that will help in narrowing down rv's
Then think about how much space you need to feel comfortable. do you need to be on your feet alot or do you want to
lead a more sedate life.
Check all the rv sales sites in AZ  i.e Southwest US for the rv of your choice., tons of vehicles available that snowbirds want to
sell after settling in those areas The NO Rust Belt of vehicles.

GoSmallGoFar, Best Frank

 

[ascii_man]

Howdy, I would write down how I want to live, what type of travel, to include overnight, boondocking, Living in parks, etc
that will help in narrowing down rv's
Then think about how much space you need to feel comfortable. do you need to be on your feet alot or do you want to
lead a more sedate life.
Check all the rv sales sites in AZ  i.e Southwest US for the rv of your choice., tons of vehicles available that snowbirds want to
sell after settling in those areas The NO Rust Belt of vehicles.

GoSmallGoFar, Best Frank

Thanks Frank.

My next step is to rent a Class B soon because I don't know whether I need a van, or a Class B, and I don't know whether to get regular length or long length. And I don't know whether I will be able to stealth park in some of the towns I want to visit. I have done a lot of research and thinking over the past year (probably far too much); I can't move forward without direct experience.

Specifically, the cheapest short Class B's that I've seen (at a very quick glance) are selling for $30k. I'm definitely going to need some direct experience before making that kind of commitment.


Arizona is an interesting idea, but Florida is a lot closer to me. I guess I could do either for the right deal.

 

[Campor99]

Thanks Frank.

My next step is to rent a Class B soon because I don't know whether I need a van, or a Class B, and I don't know whether to get regular length or long length.  And I don't know whether I will be able to stealth park in some of the towns I want to visit.  I have done a lot of research and thinking over the past year (probably far too much); I can't move forward without direct experience.

Specifically, the cheapest short Class B's that I've seen (at a very quick glance) are selling for $30k.  I'm definitely going to need some direct experience before making that kind of commitment.


Arizona is an interesting idea, but Florida is a lot closer to me.  I guess I could do either for the right deal.

 
To help you with your decision I would recommend the following.  Go to YouTube and search Living in a van, There are many people on there
sharing their lives and how they live in their vans. Many like myself have lived the lifestyle for years, You will find people living in regular vans that
they build themselves all the way up to Class A. My current van is a Astro Van that I purchased for 2200 $ and put a 90.00 bunk in and some
of camping gear and other thing that I have acquired over the years. CraigsList has tons of all types of vans camper vans  A B and C for a lot lsess
than 30k, I would never buy from a dealer as they will have a huge mark up as compared to a owner, and they will not give you a meaningful
guarantee.

If you want to live in van and work see Will Burson UTube, just travel see Living Free (self build van} and Nomadic Fanatic who did a self build and Is
currently in class c. Enigmatic Nomadics in Astro's and Express Van's

I believe a true traveler will go smalll and be a minimalist as Mystery 13 on Utube

Good luck Frank

 

[ascii_man]

Thanks; some of those youtubes were familiar and some were not.

I took measurements and I found Astros a little too small for me; maybe I'm just spoiled.

I agree that $30k is an awful lot of money. Do you have serious allergies to cats and dogs? If not, it's hard to understand. I need to be able to sleep in whatever I buy without having a headache all the next day and being unable to do my job. But maybe I'll have to keep looking at conversions.

I have considered Will Burson's route of buying a rental cargo van. But that's still around $12k, and it's low-roof with no windows. OffGrid 24/7 here would say that I will get hassled all the time.

Thanks for those YouTubes; some in that list were new to me.

My commute home took a really long time today. I'm really trying to not think about vans and RV's, but then I'm in traffic thinking how stupid it is that I'm sitting there for hours just to get to a bed and then turn right around tomorrow and do the same thing...maybe if I had some sort of a mobile dwelling where I could sleep nearer the office....

 

[ascii_man]

I'm sorry if this thought doesn't help as I haven't been following your posts but it seems to me that the best option for you is to get a van and start from scratch. That way, everything could be sanitized. I have watched RV ads for years. I see so many that claim that they had no pets BUT having been in RVing for over 30 years, I very rarely saw anyone that wasn't traveling with a pet. Same with smokers, especially among older individuals. One that has had no pets or smokers sells quicker and honesty is hard to come by all too often. Also, we were in a unit once that seemed clean and appeared to have no odors. The salesman said they used, I think, ozone generator. BUT, when I got my nose closer, the bad smell was there. You would just have to be SO careful in buying used with the amenities.

I would also make sure that you read through a report about the vehicle to see how many times it has changed hands in the past since "one owner" can make a unit sell much quicker. Yeah, I'm old and not that trusting. Good luck.

Yeah, that is definitely a concern; I CARFAX every vehicle I look at. It's another reason why I usually avoid dealers: they may honestly not know. But they do know tricks for concealment. Unfortunately, they control the vast majority of the market. And they do, unlike some private "sellers", respond to inquiries.

And you're right: traveling with pets is a huge part of the appeal of an RV or conversion van.

The problem with new is that I want a high-top, which is an additional cost, and the depreciation, insurance, and interest mean that it will be anything but "cheap" RV living.

I'll probably just have to automate my search for private sellers. And even before actually renting, I will probably visit a Class B dealer to get a better idea of whether to go that route or build it myself.

 

[BradKW]

A local taxi company sells it's hi top vans...that might be a good source for you. No guarantee there weren't pets in it, but certainly not living in there...

 

[ascii_man]

Due to time constraints, I'm thinking about getting a "starter van" locally and use the time saved by not commuting to plan my next step. This is a low-top rust-belt vehicle from a lower-tier upfitter, but it's advertised as full records and pet and smoke free

How hard would it be to repair a rusty chrome bumper like this:

It's not that it bothers me aesthetically; I'm just trying to follow Bob's advice on stealth. I figure anything that looks old, worn, or in disrepair is a target.

 

[Almost There]

Due to time constraints, I'm thinking about getting a low-top "starter van" and use the time saved by commuting to plan my next move.

How hard would it be to repair a rusty chrome bumper like this:


It's not that it bothers me aesthetically; I'm just trying to follow Bob's advice on stealth.  I figure anything that looks old, worn, or in disrepair is a target.

It would be far easier to replace it than to repair it. Find a shiny one at the parts yard. The only problem might be getting the old one off, you might have to use heat on the bolts if muscle and rust breaker don't work!

 

[ascii_man]

It would be far easier to replace it than to repair it. Find a shiny one at the parts yard. The only problem might be getting the old one off, you might have to use heat on the bolts if muscle and rust breaker don't work!

Thanks. In this climate, I can guarantee that the rust will be fierce.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

On the other hand, if you're in the rust belt and those kind of rusty bumpers are common, leaving it may just help you to blend in as just another normal vehicle.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other . . .

Regards
John

 

[ascii_man]

Since your allergies are severe, I'd seriously suggest that you look at empty cargo/passenger vans that are bare metal inside. Rip out the rubber floormats because of the 'insulation' mat underneath, replace the header in the drivers' compartment and the seats, sanitize the interior metal and plastic and start from scratch.

That way you know what materials are in there and you can breathe easily.

Yes, you'll likely have to pay someone to rip out the mats and header but better that than suffer.

If you're buying anything with an existing interior in it, you are taking a huge chance that somewhere, hidden in the interior is something that you'll react to.

Doing it this way would actually open up more possibilities for you than trying to find a van with a finished interior that you can live with and in.

This is good advice, and was my initial plan a year ago. I could very likely even keep the headliner.

The "by owner" cargo vans are usually extremely used-up: body damage, rust, etc. I assume that most business users of cargo vans trade in to a dealer to focus on their core business. But that was also possibly due to my price range at the time. But the ones I saw at a dealer had pretty strong grease / chemical smells in back, and the lack of windows & ventilation were concerns. I got kind of geeked out about doing a full scratch build, but that's also not something that fits into my schedule now, especially without a little successful van camping: my first attempt, I slept poorly and got sick.

The other thing is that cargo vans are often low-roof and low-content. I don't care about a lot of infotainment, but I wonder about my sanity for paying $27k for a vehicle without cruise control or heated mirrors. Granted, I could get a high-top installed, but that's another time commitment.

That said, I looked at used Enterprise vans. They probably had a fairly low percent pet exposure, and they're so new that it probably won't be a problem....I'm not "bubble boy"; it's OK if a dog spent an hour in the van (or even a week); the problem is looking at 20-year old conversion vans.

We'll see what happens with the one above. It's from Craigslist, has been around and listed only an email; they probably will not even reply.

 

[ascii_man]

<delete>

 

[ascii_man]

When I return to this project, I'll need to reconsider whether I ultimately want a truck camper, used Class B, used van, or new van.

 

[gallahadion]

Yeah, the vehicle is a white high-top; otherwise I wouldn't consider it.

The problem with "just look at it" is that it's too far away for me to check it out on a weeknight, and it will probably be sold by the weekend unless I do something now.  I was thinking of skipping the inspection until the CARFAX came back with (potential) discrepancies,   But I do care whether it's going to need a new engine, transmission, and front suspension immediately.

I understand your anxiousness, but the "do something now" train of thought, is not one I would follow. In my opinion, if its the right
van for you, it will still be available when you can get to it. Also, many sellers say they have 3 other people waiting to buy it. Sometime thats
true and a lot of times its not.

 

[ascii_man]

I understand your anxiousness, but the "do something now" train of thought, is not one I would follow. In my opinion, if its the right
van for you, it will still be available when you can get to it. Also, many sellers say they have 3 other people waiting to buy it. Sometime thats
true and a lot of times its not.

Thanks for the reply; that was almost two months ago. It might be best to read this saga from back to front: the bottom line is that I am off the market until about June, and according to my last post, I'm reevaluating what type of vehicle to get.

But when I do get back on the market, I need to be prepared to move very fast if a fair deal comes along (many listings stay up for months because the "sellers" are delusional): it's a competitive market.

 

[gallahadion]

Thanks for the reply; that was almost two months ago.  It might be best to read this saga from back to front: the bottom line is that I am off the market until about June, and according to my last post, I'm reevaluating what type of vehicle to get.

But when I do get back on the market,  I need to be prepared to move very fast if a fair deal comes along (many listings stay up for months because the "sellers" are delusional): it's a competitive market.

Yes I know, I was just trying to be helpful. I have read the whole thread.

 

[ascii_man]

Yes I know, I was just trying to be helpful. I have read the whole thread.

Thanks again for your comment

 

[ascii_man]

My efforts to shelve this have failed miserably.

Actually, I only contacted one "seller": the local van with the rusty bumper has been re-listed, twice, so I contacted them through both ads, and they ignored me completely.

Instead, I've been rethinking the big picture.

I'm leaning pretty strongly away from truck campers: my area is not very RV friendly in general, and I think truck campers are just too obvious. Also, I don't think I've seen a single truck camper in my area in months, and I drive a lot. As a secondary concern, Super Duty pickups get pretty bad mileage even without a ton (literally) of added weight in the bed. So they're in kind of the "dream garage" for now. I also remembered a highly unusual type of camper: they weren't sold in the US, so it's not a practical solution for now. But maybe once I get settled into my first rig.

Now pulling in the direction away from stealth, I also kind of want something which will allow me to have company sometimes. And while I am aware of about five YouTube couples who live in low-top conversion vans, usually that was a joint decision by a long-term couple. Meeting someone new, I think there are a lot more girls willing to visit a well-equipped Class B than a rustic and spartan van.

Tying it all together, I just ran across this tour on YouTube.


A few things I noticed:
1) Young people in Austin now sound like they're from the Midwest (I noticed this a couple of weeks ago briefly hearing NPR interview the band "Wild Child")

2) A regular-duty van (E-150) appears overloaded even with a lightweight build (lithium batteries, only 6 gallons of water, no plumbing). But high gross weight conversion vans basically don't exist.

3) They spent about 500 hours on a fairly minimal build. That's a lot of opportunity cost for me, and it is nonrecoverable, unlike the extra cost of a commercial RV


So I seem to be leaning toward a commercial Class B: even though they are not designed for tall people, full-timing, or four-season operation, it will probably still be easier and more reversible for me to start with something that almost works and modify the systems as needed.

I also learned that the IRS mortgage interest deduction can be applied to two dwellings, and an RV with cooking, sleeping, and toilet facilities qualifies.

So I guess that narrows things down a little. I still need to tour one and figure out which length to get.

 

[RVTravel]

If you go the IRS deduction route, you should be real confident of their definition of RV to avoid triggering an audit.

 

[ascii_man]

@RVTravel: yes, of course



Though I still think a Class B is a good solution eventually, I'm not going to jump straight into a Class B, without more confidence / experience about where to park it. Having more savings would also help.

So my next step is to buy an affordable minivan and do a minimal conversion into a "stealth sleeping pod". It won't be for living in, it won't be for living out of, but just to upgrade my existing practice of napping in the passenger sheet with an eye mask.

One step at a time.