Converting a Van or Bus in Beirut

[Caliqo]

Hello all. My friend and I are considering buying a van or bus together and converting it into a camper to live in for the next few years at least. Our situations are very similar and we get along really well, so we think it will be beneficial for both of us and will help us both save a lot of money in the long run.
 
A little background on Beirut:
Lebanon is similar to the US in many ways. Most things cost around the same price, but some things are cheaper and some more expensive. Vehicles are about the same, I believe. Rent is more pricey and the situation is unfavorable to renters because we have little to no legal protections. Rent is paid in cash with no receipts, and landlords often find reasons to not return deposits. In addition, many landlords find ways to extort more money from their renters. Others don't necessarily do that, but due to different expectations (little regard for privacy, for example), they can make life very stressful for renters. Renting a single room will cost roughly $400-$600 per month, usually not including utilities. Some landlords require a deposit of two months rent (or more) up front, which the renter will often not get back no matter what.
 
Here's our background:
We are both American students attending university in Beirut, Lebanon. We both have at least two more years of university left in Beirut. We both enjoy living overseas and have no current plans of going back to the US to live there. We love our country, but we just enjoy living overseas and all the experiences it brings. We are both learning Arabic and hope to stay either in Beirut or somewhere else in the region. Essentially, we are both looking to possibly put down roots in the region, and would consider buying apartments or homes if we were financially able to do so. However, Beirut is particularly expensive for apartments. See this fun article '6 Things You Can Do With The Cost Of An Apartment In Beirut' (http://www.beirut.com/l/37203)
 
I have experimented with sleeping in my car for a few weeks since living here in Beirut, and I found it is quite doable and thrifty, mainly because of one major factor: the university. I was able to use the university's wi-fi, electricity, bathrooms, showers, library, lockers, etc. to take care of most of what I needed. So factor that in to what we will need in our camper-van, but also consider we will want to eventually get it to the point where we can be more independent (for once we graduate or when we want to go on long trips).
 
Hopefully this all explains the main reason we are considering becoming van-dwellers. We have a lot of questions to answer first, though, before we decide if we can do this for sure. Any information you can offer will be greatly appreciated.
 
 
Power
 
Our main concern is power. We expect to need electricity for cooking, heating, charging laptops, and maybe a few other small things. We have done a bit of looking at solar power and it looks very pricey. That doesn't necessarily put it out of reach, but 1) we need more information and 2) we will most likely have to start out with another power source and considering switching to solar later, possibly a few years down the road.
 

• With that said, what is our best, most cost-effective option for power?
• Is a generator our only option? Yes, we already considered a hamster-wheel powered by kittens. It's just too hard to get the kittens to stay focused...

 
 
Type of Vehicle
 
We are attracted to the idea of a bus (something less than schoolbus-sized) because of the space, but a large van would be easier to drive and park. However, we plan to do minimal driving in this vehicle anyway. It would stayed parked in the same spot in the neighborhood near where we go to school almost all the time. So right now we aren't ruling out either van or bus. Here is what we have come up with so far for features we want:
 

• Tall enough to walk around in (no hunching)
• Fairly universal in brand and parts
• No computer or digital parts
• Insulation (preferred already installed)
• Flat roof or roof rack firmly attached for rooftop-lounging and storage
• Fairly easy to remove the seats or have them already removed
• Enough room for beds, kitchen, shower and toilet, dining space / common area

 
 
We would love to be able to buy an RV or camper ready-made for this purpose, but it doesn't seem to be much of a thing here in Lebanon. If anyone knows otherwise and knows where we can get one, please point us in the right direction.
 
 
Features we want to add later
 

• Beds
• Kitchen with electric or propane stove, small oven ( maybe convection oven)
• Shower + toilet (simple kinds, not requiring plumbing. Most likely a camp shower over a plastic tub and a composting toilet)
• Sink (no plumbing. A jug with spout over a bowl with a drain into a jug)
• Tinted windows
• Curtains
• Small Refrigerator
• Heater (not particular about what kind)
• (Maybe eventually) solar panels and energy storage

 
 
Questions:
 

• What type of vehicle do you recommend for our situation? (Van, bus, the Great Sea Snail, etc.?)
• How much (in the US; we don't expect most people to know what it will cost in Lebanon, but prices are often similar) would you expect it would cost to turn a van or bus into a suitable livingspace for two people?
• A rough list of costs we have looked at so far include: initial cost of the vehicle, registration fees, making/installing furnishings, ktichen, bathroom, generator, fuel for generator, possibly paint. What other large costs am I missing that we should factor in?

 
 
 
Questions for anyone who happens to be familiar with Lebanon:
 

• Where is the best place to buy a used RV, van, or bus?
• Any  tips on haggling, buying, etc.?
• When someone buys a used vehicle, who takes care of the vehicle registration? The buyer or the seller? How much will it cost to get that done?
• How many vehicles can be legally registered to one person in Lebanon?

 
 
This is what we have so far. Mostly we are looking for help with the questions of what to buy, where to get it, and what is the best way to get electricity. Other than that, I just wanted to put this out there in case you guys can provide any thoughts or ideas we haven't thought of yet. Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[blars]

Cooking and heating can probably be done cheaper with propane or another fuel rather than electric.

 

[ArtW]

Unfortunately, most of the questions you're asking are going to have area specific answers, as most of us in the west don't know a lot about Beirut and the vehicles available there

 

[Lafnbug]

Not knowing the social conditions in Beirut, I would first want to know how this will be received there. It would be a shame to invest all the time, money and effort into this if it means you'll be constantly having to move, or being harassed by the locals or landlords. This is an interesting and doable lifestyle, but it is very much maligned even here in the States, with many laws prohibiting it. Even if the laws there are lax or nonexistent, I would recommend staying very low key, as those that dominate the renting and house markets do not want people to be presented with options. My $.02.

Cooking and heating with solar power is basically impossible. I would say cooking is feasible, but sourcing enough solar panels, charge controllers, batteries, etc, will likely make this cost prohibitive. My system, that allows me to cook, run a microwave, power tools, and even a small air conditioning unit is still not enough to provide any reasonable electric heating. I have over $4k in my electrical system.

However, with a more reasonable system, you could still use an electric blanket or heated seat elements for your bed. The Mr Buddy propane heater comes in several sizes and BTU outputs, is affordable, and works great. The Camco Wave catalytic heaters are also fantastic if they are available to you. They are both very efficient and put out good heat.

Have you thought about importing an RV from the States? This may be doable, or impossible. It may be worth looking into, as it could save you a lot of work.

The first thing you need to do is get up to speed with owning a vehicle in Beirut. Do you need to be a permanent citizen? What are the costs? Insurance issues? Is there a neighboring country that would be better for ownership/registration purposes? Is it possible to import your own vehicle that is registered in the US? There are tons of questions you need to answer.

Sourcing a local vehicle is likely your best bet, as parts availability will become important sooner or later. Also, for reasons mentioned above, you may want it to blend in with the surrounding vehicles. Look for box trucks, box vans, school busses, or other delivery vehicles that have stand-up height. My van is 10' long, 6' wide, and 6' tall. I find it about perfect, and it COULD sleep 2 people with modification, but it would be cramped. I would suggest looking at something like a 16' long box truck, which would allow you to put two beds on one side, and a kitchen, bath, desk, and storage on the other. Registration, taxes, and legalities will probably be the deciding factor in your eventual choice.