Decisions, decisions

[rruff]

Sorry, I just assume people would understand "also any other info you may like to share" to be info about the vehicle. My bad.

Ha! People are just trying to be helpful, and relate whatever experience they have... that sort of kind of seems like it might be related. Don't be bothered if it isn't. The more people respond, the more likely you'll get what you are after, or at least learn something.

You inspired me to do some more vehicle searching! It looks like there are more cheap old Highlanders available than Tacomas... and some have 4wd and low miles... but if you are looking to spend $5k or so, that's tough with Toyota.

 

[maki2]

Indeed! Perhaps you will do better seeking help elsewhere in another forum. It is certainly true that some forum members just like to post to be posting..it is also their way of being welcoming.

You want a specific vehicle, not too large but was designed to be camping and adventure friendly? You do not even have to remove the back seats in it because they fold flat as do both front seats. Or you can flatten the rear seats and fold them up against the sidewalls. Plus there is a rear 12v outlet, and some versions are AWD, have roof racks and a removable sunroof? No carpeting inside, just tough plastic flooring? You can also get a 2005 and earlier models? Then go shopping for a Honda Element. It was designed by a recently graduated from design school team of younger generation people who had dogs and loved the outdoor adventure life. Including mountain bike adventures.

The original options included a very tall roof and rear hatch opening so they could store two mountain bikes inside the rear with a front fork clamps option. Window curtains for all the windows, a dog barrier for the rear, a custom sized rear hatch tent and a few other options as well. There are still aftermarket kits being sold for them for suspension lift kits, beefier rear springs and such so tire size can be increased to make off-road adventures even better. There is also a custom fit roof tent option for it that allows access into the tent from the Element's that have a removable roof tent.
If you want to know more about it then go sign up on the Honda Element forum. They can answer all your questions about it. Honda Elements are very reliable vehicles.

 

[rruff]

Elements are nice! But anything that popular and has a good reliability rep is $$$ relatively. I don't care how good the rep is, if it has >200k miles, the clock is ticking on a major repair. Probably.

If an SUV is the best choice, I'm kinda liking the Highlanders for value. I wouldn't be shy at all about cutting a big hole in the roof and making a high top.

I've been searching for <120k miles, and <$12k. That's easy to find with US brands, but you need to really get into the weeds regarding their specific issues. Some are commonly used up before 120k miles, which is why they are cheap.

 

[maki2]

Elements are nice! But anything that popular and has a good reliability rep is $$$ relatively. I don't care how good the rep is, if it has >200k miles, the clock is ticking on a major repair. Probably.

If an SUV is the best choice, I'm kinda liking the Highlanders for value. I wouldn't be shy at all about cutting a big hole in the roof and making a high top.

I've been searching for <120k miles, and <$12k. That's easy to find with US brands, but you need to really get into the weeds regarding their specific issues. Some are commonly used up before 120k miles, which is why they are cheap.

Honda Elements are reputed to be a 300k vehicle. I do not yet have experience of that. Mine is a 2006, I bought it in January of 2008 with 25k on it. I do longer stays for my nomadic life and mine is still low miles at 85k with no mechanical repairs other than the typical new brakes and tires and battery required. I do need to recharge the AC as it is not blowing quite as cold this year. Full inspection was done in August of 2022 and there were no issues found for anything. Of course the no repairs did not count the rat chewed wire repair as that was not a normal wear and tear situation. The early models of Honda Elements including 2006 did not have soy wiring. It was just that the wire to the transmission solenoid runs across the top of the transmission housing so the were nest building on that surface and trimming their teeth by chewing on the wire. I encased that vulnerable piece of wire in household soffit wire mesh that is made to be a rodent proof barrier.

 

[user 38090]

I have a 1800 cover wagon, 2 horse power model. Been living in it for 2 years now. I chose it because it's well built and should last a long time. Easy to repair myself and parts are easy to find. The suspension sucks and it isn't as fast or comfortable as my 1 hp surrey but does what it was designed for. Didn't have to do a lot of modifying as it was designed as a cargo wagon but I looked at the family design too and that looks like the seats could be used as beds.

That is the kind of information I'm looking for. Thanks.

 

[camperdan]

Well! I asked for simple information, make, model, year of vehicle and why you chose it and what vehicles I'm NOT interested in hearing about. That's ALL the information I asked. I don't care how you present the information, just that the information answers my questions.

I don't need suggestions like going to Canada to buy a 3/4 ton van or how to cook/shower/shit in what I do buy. I posted in another forum here about another matter and some of the replies were way out in left field, like they didn't even read my post. I don't think I'm asking for much.

Chad, The basic problem is that you are asking for too LITTLE, not "too much". What you left out is the "why I want this info is ______"
Since this forum is about living in a vehicle, it is natural to think that is the unspoken part of your request. You are expecting
everyone to read your mind and now you spread enmity because YOU are the one who is not clear. Tell people WHY you want
this specific info. It can't be about living in a vehicle because you already know it....it would have gone a long way toward
being clear had you included this bit at the get go. This is apparently the wrong forum for you. Maybe try a forum on "buying an older
vehicle __________" . You label everyone stupid for not reading your mind. You are the problem, not them.
NO RESPONSE IS NECESSARY.

 

[rruff]

Chad, The basic problem is that you are asking for too LITTLE, not "too much".

Yes, the basic question is what sort of vehicle is best for a) how he wants to live, and b) within his budget. Neither of these has been stated.

 

[abnorm]

Well! I asked for simple information, make, model, year of vehicle and why you chose it and what vehicles I'm NOT interested in hearing about

It pays to know your audience...........Of the 20 Past/present forum members coming to the Potluck dinner tonight
.......only ONE is in a MiniVan.......MARKW........and He'll tell you it's better than a tent BUT...........

My Wife started out in a car.......a Dodge NEON (what a POS)........She was interviewed by Bob at the RTR.........
ONE week In.....of course she was "happy" !


We were already hitched when that one got posted a year later....................

We see dozens of Car and MiniVan dwellers.......We often hang-out with the caravans or HOWA in general

Car dwellers are all "grateful" to have-what-they-have....BUT most would trade-up in a heartbeat

 

[user 38090]

Subject is closed. Thanks to all that replied.

 

[user 22017]

My Wife started out in a car.......a Dodge NEON (what a POS)........She was interviewed by Bob at the RTR.........
ONE week In.....of course she was "happy" !

Finally see Paulette She seems like a sweetie.

 

[LargeMarge]

... I'm at the point to buy a new vehicle to live in...just muddy roads.... minivan... what you have (year, make, model), about how long you been living in it and why... other info you may like to share....

.
a)
We lived out of a FourWheelCamper for about a year on a 1982(?) Toyota 4x4 mini-truck.
We acquired it from the factory as a shell ('minimum shelter')... zero cabinets or appliances.
.
Why?
For the fun of it.
.
Sadly, that vehicle was used before we acquired it, so none of our decades of experience fit your requirements.
.
b)
We lived out of a 1984(?) Chevrolet Astro cargo mini-van.
We traveled from Oregon to Central America several times for SCUBA and surfing, living out of it for about a half-year each trip.
.
Our only change was mud-n-snow tires on the drive (rear) axle -- plus spare -- for those occasional muddy roads.
.
We tossed in some car-camping gear, but zero other changes.
.
Why?
The fun of it.
.
Tragically, we acquired it -- used -- from a plumbing contractor, so none of our decades of experiences are usable for your requirements.
.
.
Off Topic... and easily ignored:
c)
On skoolie and other home-built forums, we suggest avoiding believing 'this rig is my forever rig'.
As each of us grows, our vehicle needs evolve.

 

[maki2]

The forum has an actual owner and there are volunteers who moderate it. You never have owned the thread you decided to begin with a question and cannot personally close a thread or discussion just by saying it is closed. But you can of course choose to quit looking at it and participating in it if you wish to do so.

 

[Happy Camper]

I hereby claim this thread as my own!

 

[rruff]

I hereby claim this thread as my own!

Please endeavor to take it in interesting directions...

 

[Happy Camper]

A little gift from my ex wife when she came down to see a play our daughter was in a few weeks ago. Saw it and thought of me. It's a sticker.
View attachment IMG_20231121_145849_5.jpg

 

[Morgana]

Always nice when people read a post before they respond to it but that's not always gonna happen lol. Probably most of us have been on the receiving /and/ dishing-out ends of that occasionally.

It's the Interwebs, you can control it about as much as jello or cats. or jello and cats. the more you try the squoozier it gets -- or at least it might if, hypothetically, there were anyone of a contrarian nature anywhere on this forum hmmm. besides, some of that info might be valuable to someone else down the line. I'd just roll with it.

 

[rvwandering]

I'm closing this thread, Sorry if your post was deleted if you weren't involved in the bickering.