Choose only one to have: house or car

[rruff]

The rare dweller pays no rent and owns no land of any kind, and finds their parking spot for their "car" on areas of BLM land that have no fees, or stealth parking in cities and pays no parking fees or parking tickets.

Is that really rare these days? I did it for 13 years on mostly BLM and NF.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I'm torn because I prefer living in a vehicle and traveling around. However I own a lot of musical equipment and one of my main interests is building things like musical instruments. So I always end up living some place like an artist loft or live work space.
My long term goal is to buy some land or a house in the boonies and do both. Live in one spot and build stuff when the weather is less hospitable for van-ing around.

 

[SLB_SA]

A house. You can always buy a car later on, but the cost of a house will tend to increase over time. Also if you have a house, you can always turn it into a rental property if/when you decide to live out of a car.

If your HOA allows rentals. HOAs seem to be taking over the country and some don't allow owners to rent their properties.

 

[rruff]

My long term goal is to buy some land or a house in the boonies and do both. Live in one spot and build stuff when the weather is less hospitable for van-ing around.

One problem is that the weather is always hospitable for vanning around! May not be at "home" though.

Maybe a bigger rig that can accommodate building instruments?

 

[Calaverasgrande]

One problem is that the weather is always hospitable for vanning around! May not be at "home" though.

Maybe a bigger rig that can accommodate building instruments?

All my tools and instruments take up aobut a 10x10 storage space, absolutely stuffed.
To use the things I need about 800sqft of space. One of my many crazy ideas is to buy some land in the Carolinas or Georgia and put 3 or 4 shipping containers there, along with solar for power and of course a big propane tank.
Then I could have a workshop and a little jamming space. As well as a place to work on the van.
But nothing so comfortable that I stay there when the weather is good.
As far as hospitable weather, I can hang into the 40's in my van no problem. Or down into the 20's on shore power.
Which has me fleeing down to south Georgia, then Florida right now. It's in the teens where I was last week!

 

[rruff]

As far as hospitable weather, I can hang into the 40's in my van no problem. Or down into the 20's on shore power.
Which has me fleeing down to south Georgia, then Florida right now. It's in the teens where I was last week!

Nice weather areas comprise a smaller territory in winter, for sure! The west is by far the best for this life, IMO. If you get bored you can explore Baja or the rest of Mexico. I actually experience colder temps in the summer because I like to camp at 9-10k ft.

I thought about a home base, but I like the simplicity of everything in one place... and on wheels. You could easily have a rig big enough to haul all your stuff, but there are always compromises. I personally I never missed the stuff I left behind... even though I thought I would.

 

[user 29855]

Vehicle over house. Lifetime of bad experience with houses, dreams gone up in smoke, father lost a house he built himself in the mid fifties because he was one day late in paying taxes. One. Day. Maternal uncle worked all his life and died six months into late retirement to finance a 4 bedroom house my cousin almost immediately sold for dope the minute my aunt went into a nursing home. You are either renting from a land lord
who is using you for a cash cow, or renting from the IRS. Lots of people buy land and leave it as is and use it like a pile of gold. The land is worth more than the house. A lot of housing appears to be on hundred year leased land in some places. Who gets the house when the lease runs out, i wonder? Never been bothered to find out. Renting out a house and hitting the road? Unless you've rented to super good people or relatives you can trust, the bills will start and the damage cost the rent. You've also taken on the emotional bs of people falling into debt and begging for one more month to pay the rent, the house bei g seized for criminal activity, etc.
Hubby and I planned from age 18 to hit the road and live the good life when work was done. Back then our dream was a nice RV. Now it's a self converted moving van! When people try to jam us 'into housing' we fight like wildcats.

Van over car or house! Sure, my van requires upkeep and repairs, but they're a heck of a lot cheaper than a new roof! I bring my home with me wherever I go. BTW, I received an email from a friend yesterday asking me if I knew of anyone looking for a nice apartment in San Francisco. Nice view, 900 square feet, $3900 a month. I can buy a bunch of maintenance and repairs for $3900. In fact, that's more than I paid for my 1993 Chevy G20 van with a extended roof. Read Walden by Thoreau. Many, if not most of us on this forum are looking to minimize our expenses and possessions, not maximize them. George Carlin famously said "A house is just a place to store your (Stuff).

 

[scaredycat72]

Life ain't permanent neither... by its very nature.

Agreed. Not sure what that has to do with anything - you still need to stay somewhere while you're alive - but you're 100% right. Eventually you're dead and none of it matters.

 

[rruff]

Agreed. Not sure what that has to do with anything - you still need to stay somewhere while you're alive - but you're 100% right. Eventually you're dead and none of it matters.

Just responding to the comment that "vanlife isn't permanent". Many people certainly can do it for the rest of their life. It isn't necessarily tougher than living in a house. And many people get too old and frail or disabled, but they are often unable to live alone in their house then, too.

 

[metaglypto]

Just responding to the comment that "vanlife isn't permanent". Many people certainly can do it for the rest of their life. It isn't necessarily tougher than living in a house. And many people get too old and frail or disabled, but they are often unable to live alone in their house then, too.

I am 68, 100% disabled as far as VA is concerned, but still fairly mobile. Long story, but I have two fused ankles that have required six surgeries so far, and complications from recovery have led to other issues. The point I am making is, the realization of the fact that one day I won't be able to travel and camp like this. Why the hell am I sitting on my butt watching others doing what I dream about doing? My motto for this kind of lifestyle is, "Everything Will Kill You, Choose Something Fun"

 

[Livesimplecolorado]

If you had a choice of only one, which would it be: a house, or a car ?

Using 3 criterias: 1) affordability, 2) sleepable, 3) drivable, a house meets only the sleepable criteria, but the car meets all 3 criterias since it is affordable, sleepable, and drivable. So I would choose a car over a house. What do all of you think? Look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on this subject.

For me, that would be a house. However, a tiny or small home, something under 600sf.

 

[scaredycat72]

Just responding to the comment that "vanlife isn't permanent". Many people certainly can do it for the rest of their life. It isn't necessarily tougher than living in a house. And many people get too old and frail or disabled, but they are often unable to live alone in their house then, too

Just responding to the comment that "vanlife isn't permanent". Many people certainly can do it for the rest of their life. It isn't necessarily tougher than living in a house. And many people get too old and frail or disabled, but they are often unable to live alone in their house then, too. Unless someone dies without debilitating health problems, they can not car dwell for the rest of their life. I've volunteered in nursing homes and taken care of elderly family members. Once someone hits a certain stage is life, car dwelling is not possible. They can't drive. They have limited range of movements. Most of them can barely walk let alone haul water or hop in the backseat of anybody's vehicle. And in my experience, car/SUV living is way harder than living in a house. Everything takes more effort and it takes longer. In a house, I walk to the bathroom, use it, flush, and that's it. I put dishes in the dishwasher or run water in the sink to was them. I walk over to the stove, turn it on, and cook. I can do all of that in my SUV, but it all requires more time and more effort. Even in an RV, that stuff requires more time and effort and if you're traveling, that's no family around to help you. If I can't take care of myself in my house, I either have someone move in with me or I sell my house and move into a nursing home. If I can't take care of myself in my car, I still my car and move in with family or move into a nursing home.

Just responding to the comment that "vanlife isn't permanent". Many people certainly can do it for the rest of their life. It isn't necessarily tougher than living in a house. And many people get too old and frail or disabled, but they are often unable to live alone in their house then, too.

Unless someone dies without debilitating health problems, they can not car dwell for the rest of their life. I've volunteered in nursing homes and taken care of elderly family members. Once someone hits a certain stage in life - and that's definitely going to vary by person - car dwelling is not possible. They can't drive. They have limited range of movements. Most of them can barely walk let alone haul water or hop in the backseat of anybody's vehicle. It's not safe for them to try and manage cooking on a regular stove let alone an open flame. In my experience, car/SUV living is way harder than living in a house. Everything requires more time, more effort, more planning, and more shopping. Even in an RV, stuff requires additional time and effort, like going to a dump station and refilling their water. I agree about getting older and not being able to take care of yourself in a house. If I can't take care of myself in my house, I either have someone move in with me or I sell my house and use the money to hopefully move into a nice nursing home (or I give my kids my home and move into a VA care facility which I'm extremely thankful I have that option). If someone can't take care of themselves in their car, they sell the car and move in with family or move into a state run nursing home if they don't have money saved or special insurance for a private one. Of course that level of dependence happens for different people at different stages of their life. There are tons of relatively healthy older people on the road in minivans, SUVS, and probably cars even though I don't know anyone in a car. My friend Trisha is 68 and already showing signs of needing care. My friend Jake is 82, crazy as a loon, and lives in a nice van, primarily parked in a restaurant's RV parking area. He had a hoarded out van but it was wrecked so the town came together and bought him another one. He's slipping mentally but he still drives and takes care of himself just fine. Eventually he'll need to be put into a state facility but that's not stopping him from living his life today. I definitely try to prepare for the future, assuming I'm lucky enough to get elderly, but I have a lot of older people pushing the boundaries on what constitutes a great life as my role models.

 

[mpruet]

I’d say a house, or even better still a condo. I have a house and a condo. The condo is about 650 sq ft. - one bed, one bath, and living space. I’m very comfortable with that size. I don’t want to have to deal with yard upkeep any more or other maintainence issues. I’m a part-time RVer and enjoy being on the road, but also enjoy the comforts of being in my house/condo.

 

[DannyB1954]

I retired and bought a house in a semi rural area. I paid less for the house than many now pay for a vehicle, ($52k). My mortgage with taxes and insurance was under $400 a month.
So if you are comparing housing in New York City to a car, the car looks good. If you are comparing housing in Pahrump Nv. The housing looks better. I have been here over 10 years now, so prices are way up on housing, but my costs were locked in, (with the mortgage contract), and did not go up. In a few years I will own it outright and just pay insurance and taxes, (maybe $200 a month). There will be maintenance costs, but there are with vehicles as well. I can turn the utilities off if I want to carry water, and shiver in the winter like I was living in a car.
When I do travel, (have several RV's), it costs me more than to stay home. If I did decide to travel full time, I can rent the house out for income.
So in 5 years will a vehicle be worth more? Will the expenses stay the same? What will your replacement cost for a replacement vehicle be? Vehicles that sold new fo $5k are now selling used for much higher. Not that they are worth more, money is worth a lot less.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

If you had a choice of only one, which would it be: a house, or a car ?
Using 3 criterias: 1) affordability, 2) sleepable, 3) drivable . . .

The criteria chosen give a car a huge advantage, BUT there are a lot of dependancies:
1) affordability
- generally a house will cost ~ 10X a car and may have higher maintenance costs. But that depends on construction and location. Houses in Detroit were selling for $1 for a while.
- most houses are an appreciating asset. My house has doubled in value (inflation adjusted) in 28 years.
- a car is a depreciating asset, eventually only worth scrap value.

2) sleepable:
- a house should be able to sleep comfortably as many people as are in your 'family'. Even those with special needs.
- most cars can be modified to sleep one adult with no special needs comfortably. Two maybe, more than two - they better be small. A car cannot handle special needs.

3) drivable:
- depends on your definition of 'house'. Class A,B,C, houseboat, pickup camper, et.al are drivable. A house on a foundation is not.

IMO, a car for shelter is a last resort. I need a shelter that I can stretch out sleeping, sit up in bed, stand up in, prepare food in, with storage for necessary stuff without constantly moving things about or storing outside. House it is.