Ford Transit Stealth?

[carreola765]

Hey im thinking of getting a 2013 Ford Transit Connect as a stealth van. Do u guys think this will be big enough? I like it because of high mpg and its cheap enough I can afford it. I live in San Diego (southern California). Im worried It might be hard to get away with stealth camping here. I have a ford ranger but don't think I could stealth camp in a truck. Let me know what you guys think, I wouldnt carry much besides my clothes and laptop. and a kitchen.

 

[Canine]

If it's the little one then it wouldn't draw that much attention, I mean it's as small or smaller than most minivans. Of course you have to take the normal precautions for windows or seeing from front to back, then there's ventilation since anyone except a midget can see your roofline. Won't be any solar on that puppy either. Not for stealth anyway.

Mileage is great, so you could stay farther out or have a greater radius of area that has motel or apartments to park in. If you think you can live that small and crunched up, then ok. That's my first impressions. I wonder if you will grow out of it though. For the money of a 2013' couldn't you find an older van cheaper?

 

[masterplumber]

I had a guy working for me that had been a Ford mechanic for several years. He was suspect of the longevity of the Transit Connect engines and transmissions, but he was seeing fleet work vehicles mainly. I think for one person who travelled light it would be doable, just don't overload it or work it hard. Will you be stealth camping in San Diego proper? I grew up east of there, (Japatul Valley) and then went to high school in San Marcos. I think in San Diego proper you can get away with a night or 2, but you better have several places spread out or you'll be ousted pretty quickly. If you can go further out, I think things get a little easier, especially east on 8. I'd also avoid east on 94 as there is a lot of border patrol activity and they will stop just to check for illegals, which will ruin your sleep. I do know everywhere in So California seems to be a lot more locked down than it was in the '70s and early '80s when I was there, that's why I live in Colorado and just go visit my relatives once or twice a year.

 

[Canine]

Master plumber knows the area, I don't. A quick check of prices in S California showed the 2013's in panel wagon style were between 15 and 20K. I'd still go for a mid 2000's half ton full size if I were you. Cheaper, bigger, more robust, gives more options for growth...

 

[carreola765]

I live about 15 min east of Downtown San Diego. I am aware of the Whole San diego area As I grew up here. I have been looking carefully about some good spots I could get away with. I don't know I guess I was just thinking I could get away with a transit because im a small guy ( 5 ' 1 ) and my parents do live here in san diego. but I am a little iffy about the 4 cylinders of the ford transit connect lol. I guess I could just get a chevy express or ford econoline E150. My whole living situation is also a bit complicated.

Hows stealth camping in Colorado? I actually have thought of moving there. Maybe Boulder or CO springs?

 

[carreola765]

Master plumber knows the area, I don't.  A quick check of prices in S California showed the 2013's in panel wagon style were between 15 and 20K.  I'd still go for a mid 2000's half ton full size if I were you.  Cheaper, bigger, more robust, gives more options for growth...

Yea it'd be cheaper. I just conisiderd a Ford Transit cause I saw a good deal on a salvage 2013 Ford Transit for 7k, And I would consider it after taking a close look at it.

 

[Canine]

Salvage is a whole nother' world. You really have to look carefully at those. A 2013 that's been totaled out means substantial damage unless it was hailed on... Are you sure you want to roll that dice? Salvage titles always carry issues for reselling...

Even 7K buys you a decent clean title full sized van... But then you can tell my prejudice. Even if you aren't real big, a full size gives you extra room for living in. Just saying...

 

[carreola765]

nah i agree with you dusty, salvage is risky. I could probably get a used 2010 for about 8k. But like you say I could get a decent full size van for 7k or even cheaper. Im just intrigued because of the mpg would save me a lot of money in the long run. I just wish it was a little bigger. The new 2015 models are taller and bigger with an upgraded engine. So maybe down the road when they get cheaper. It would be a lot safer to get a e150. Cheaper too. I just got excited I guess

 

[ZoNiE]

Guys, remember, there are two transits now. Transit connect is a 4 Cyl Front drive model made in Turkey (yes you read that right) and are basically a big honkin' ford focus. The other Transit is the "full size" van that replaced the Enconoline. It has been Europe's full size van for decades. They are rear drive and have more stout power trains. The Ecoboost V6 models run like a bat outta hell.

 

[GotSmart]

You can pay someone to park this next to you, and become invisible.

 

[mconlonx]

I'm saving pennies toward an early Fall van purchase and a 1st gen Ford Transit Connect will be on the list of possibilities. Also needs to double as a commuter vehicle, does not need to handle much storage or utilities...

 

[Phreedom]

Future van dweller here, still in the dreaming stages. I can't speak for the city of San Diego specifically, but I can speak for the north county coastal areas (Cardiff, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Leucadia, Carlsbad, (maybe Oceanside but it's a little dicey there). I've been thinking and planning this for over a year and trust me, if you take time to research areas, there are TONS of places you can stealth without any problem. I suspect this is the case anywhere, you just have to look closely.

Hell, I see a handful of people in RV's parking lot hopping all the time. Had I not been thinking in terms of van dwelling, I likely would have never noticed them.

EDIT: In my opinion, the coastal areas are probably a better bet for stealthing because you have a higher concentration of people in a small area. Although I'm not aware of any place you can park on PCH overnight, there are many side streets with many cars parked on the street. In some areas, 60+% are vacation rentals so there's a constant turnover of different cars thus making stealthing even less suspicious.

 

[akrvbob]

To specifically answer your questions, yes, it is is big enough IF you are a true minimalist. That's a big IF! I know people who live full tie in cars and love it. I'm camped now with a wonderful person who spends many months at a time in a Prius and makes it looks EASY PEASY. 


Make no doubt about it, you can do it fairly well in the small, original to the USA Transit!

I don't know anything about their reliability but I do know they can get an honest 28 MPG on the highway and that sounds pretty darn good to me!

I'd guess they are as stealthy as any vehicle could possibly be!

If you really are a minimalist, I'd give it a shot!

Here is a post I did on a friends:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/update-ford-transit-connect-ftc/
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/converting-a-ford-transit-connect/

Here is a shot from his conversion. Not too bad at all!

 

[BigT]

I went with a 2010 Transit Connect because I knew I wasn't gong to be living in it right away, just camping, so I knew I'd have time to figure out if it was the right van for me to full-time in.  I was also going to use it as a daily driver, so I wanted the 26.6mpg I'm getting on the highway (20mpg around town).  

As for room inside, I'm 6'4" and I find it quite comfy.  The cargo area is just 6' long, but I installed a folding leaf onto the bunk to extend the bed to 6' 10", though I rarely ever use it.  I really like that set-up Bob posted, and considered installing it, but I wanted something lighter weight and that I could easily transfer from one vehicle to another were I to upgrade.  Nothing I installed is bolted down, and I can empty the van in just a few minutes if I need to switch to cargo-duties or fix/add something.  

Mine is still a work in progress (I've only completed the bunk, folding table, rear kitchen counter, awning, curtains, floor, water, toilet and roof rack).  I still need to install a solar panel, house-battery, lights, and maybe a 12V fridge.  The headroom is fantastic!  I can sit on the bed and not hit my head on the ceiling.  

 

[Canine]

Hey GotSmart, that must be yours. It's a maxiiiiiiiiivan.

OP, nobody is trying to get you to not purchase what you want. We just think a little farther out maybe. Course, you said d you were around 5'. I'm not much taller but am about 5' across, so the transit connect is tooooo small. Springs probably wouldn't hold up either.

Purchase what you want after getting it checked. Don't know if it's easy to repair a unibody however if it took a frame hit, whatever unibody's have for a frame, then it could give you problems... If it was all sheet metal, after figuring out how they could total a 20$K vehicle and have only 7$K in salvage or less, that's like 13-14K$ in damages. I know my math is wrong but either way that's a lot of damage. And that's if they aren't making much,..

 

[GotSmart]

Hey GotSmart, that must be yours.  It's a maxiiiiiiiiivan.

I have a Dodge Shorty, that is a Ford... Still trying to figure out how the back is not sagging on that one~~~

Also why do that???? :huh:

 

[masterplumber]

I don't know about stealth parking up in Boulder, as I'm rarely in that area. It is a college town however so I imagine as long as you moved around and didn't stick out you could do it for a while. I live north of Colorado Springs and do most of my work there. You could get away with it, but you still need to be careful, especially on the West side as they are cracking down on the homeless/vagrant issues. Not necessarily in a way that helps anything, but I digress, it's just that on occasion it could cause you issues. That said, because I'm probably more aware of them, I do see many people living in vehicles in the milder months here. The best part is you can be in dispersed camping in the forest in about 20 minutes from downtown. I wouldn't want to full time in a vehicle in the winter here, unless splurging for an RV space with hookups to run a heater. While we have plenty of sunshine, the temps at night, and most of the days, stay below freezing for about 4 months. Sometimes not even reaching above single digits for a week or more even during the day.
I live in a sticks and bricks house, but the cold is why I plan to winter on the road more and more in the south west, and maybe even Mexico. Too many old injuries that the cold really aggravates. It sure is beautiful in the summer and early fall though. If you could earn enough going back and forth, spending 6 months in each place would give you the best of both worlds.

 

[mconlonx]

Wow. Those two pictured Transit Connect setups really inspire me to want one. Locally, I see 2010 models in the $8-10k range. Better keep saving...

 

[carreola765]

wow this forum is awesome.. . Yea i decided not to get the salvage the guy was way to sketchy on the phone. Plus its missing airbag which will cost at least 500....and I don't have that kind cash on me. I did see 2010 models for like 8k-10k from dealers. ....I still think I want one. I am a very minimal person. All I really need space for is clothes ,bed...some cooking. Tho it will still be tight. But with the new 2015 tall models I may wait a few years...But I am itching to much to get out of this rental!

I have a ford ranger 2002, Is it possible to stealth camp in a pickup truck? I mean i can crawl through the small window if I get sliding windows installed lol

 

[akrvbob]

If you can climb through, stealth is very good with a small pickup.
Bob