Luisafernandes
Well-known member
I have written a post but haven't introduced myself properly, so let me do that. My name is Luis Fernandes, I'm 45 years old, I'm in the final months of a two year divorce, and I live in the northeast; mainly PA and Jersey.
I've been married since 1999 and ever since then I been dealing with my wife's schizophrenia. On four different times she has decided to throw me out of the house. The third time I waited three and a half years for her to come to her senses. Then after getting back together, a year or so later, I bought a $260K house on 5 acres in PA. For three years everything was fine, then, out of the blue, I find myself homeless again, save for my parents, who graciously took me back into their home.
I work with heavy equipment, so I make pretty good money, but after paying spousel and child support half my check is gone. On top of that we owed state and federal taxes that fell upon me to pay. The good thing is that by the end of the year they should be paid in full.
As of December 2013 she abandon our house and rented a place of her own. Through the courts I was able to take back possession of the house, and should be able to stay there until the foreclosure is final. That could be one year, four, or a month. The only certainty is uncertainty at this point.
But I have another problem with the house; if she had told me she was moving out, and the house needed fuel, I would've been able to either put some fuel in the tank, or drain the pipes so they wouldn't freeze. Well they froze. I was able to get water running to some parts of the house, but I'm uncertain regarding the copper pipes connecting the baseboards. I really don't want to invest money into a sinking ship. If I have to, I can heat one room with no problem.
If I didn't have to file for bankruptcy and my credit wasn't shut, my first choice would be a small house or cabin, but in this world we live in I'm able to get a car loan but not a mortgage in the same amount. Go figure.
Back in late 2008 I was working in upstate New York on the pipeline, a little more than an hour and a half from home. The cheapest place I could find to stay in was a bread and breakfast run by an older lady who lived alone. That cost me $50 per night. So I started thinking. How can I work up here without having to drive back and forth after twelve hours of work, and costs nothing? Then an idea came to mind. I would take my wife's Honda minivan, take the back seats out, cut some room darkening fabric and velcro it to the windows. And that's what I did. For the next three months I slept comfortably on an air mattress, sometimes in minus 15F weather. One night in the parking lot of some nice hotel, another night in the parking lot of a smaller motel. For three months I basically lived out of that van going home once every three weeks to take a shower and see the family. In the end I saved $350 per week, and $4200 total.
I did this before I knew people actually lived in vans. So when the time comes, even though it won't be easy, I think I can do it.
I just don't know what I should do. Should I stay at the house for free until I lose it? If I do I'll have to travel at least 150 miles per day and spend $400 to $500 on gas per month, plus the electricity bill. If I buy a new vehicle it could cost me about $500 a month, but I won't have to travel. If I travel, my car has just over 140,000 miles on it, is ten years old and don't know how long it will last. If I trade in now I might be able to get some good money for it since it's a diesel and is in excellent shape, outside and inside.
Why would I buy a new van and not a used one? If I buy used I risk having problems with it that I don't really want to deal with. I haven't had to make any car payments for a few years now, the thought of starting again doesn't sit well with me. I like not having to dish out my hard earned money at the end of the month. On the other hand, renting closer to where I work would cost me anywhere from $500 for a single room plus utilities, to $700 or $800 for a small apartment plus utilities, and I would still have to buy fuel for the car. In the end even if I have to pay $500 per month on a new van plus insurance it'll most likely be much cheaper than renting.
Hopefully I can get some ideas on this.
Here are my cargo van possibilities: GM savana 2500 extended, gas.
Nissan NV 2500 HD high top.
Ford ecoline 250.
Should I buy with some windows or none? Should I buy diesel or save the money and buy gas? Should I buy passenger or cargo? Should I buy any other type of van?
Any input will be very appreciated.
Thank you all.
I've been married since 1999 and ever since then I been dealing with my wife's schizophrenia. On four different times she has decided to throw me out of the house. The third time I waited three and a half years for her to come to her senses. Then after getting back together, a year or so later, I bought a $260K house on 5 acres in PA. For three years everything was fine, then, out of the blue, I find myself homeless again, save for my parents, who graciously took me back into their home.
I work with heavy equipment, so I make pretty good money, but after paying spousel and child support half my check is gone. On top of that we owed state and federal taxes that fell upon me to pay. The good thing is that by the end of the year they should be paid in full.
As of December 2013 she abandon our house and rented a place of her own. Through the courts I was able to take back possession of the house, and should be able to stay there until the foreclosure is final. That could be one year, four, or a month. The only certainty is uncertainty at this point.
But I have another problem with the house; if she had told me she was moving out, and the house needed fuel, I would've been able to either put some fuel in the tank, or drain the pipes so they wouldn't freeze. Well they froze. I was able to get water running to some parts of the house, but I'm uncertain regarding the copper pipes connecting the baseboards. I really don't want to invest money into a sinking ship. If I have to, I can heat one room with no problem.
If I didn't have to file for bankruptcy and my credit wasn't shut, my first choice would be a small house or cabin, but in this world we live in I'm able to get a car loan but not a mortgage in the same amount. Go figure.
Back in late 2008 I was working in upstate New York on the pipeline, a little more than an hour and a half from home. The cheapest place I could find to stay in was a bread and breakfast run by an older lady who lived alone. That cost me $50 per night. So I started thinking. How can I work up here without having to drive back and forth after twelve hours of work, and costs nothing? Then an idea came to mind. I would take my wife's Honda minivan, take the back seats out, cut some room darkening fabric and velcro it to the windows. And that's what I did. For the next three months I slept comfortably on an air mattress, sometimes in minus 15F weather. One night in the parking lot of some nice hotel, another night in the parking lot of a smaller motel. For three months I basically lived out of that van going home once every three weeks to take a shower and see the family. In the end I saved $350 per week, and $4200 total.
I did this before I knew people actually lived in vans. So when the time comes, even though it won't be easy, I think I can do it.
I just don't know what I should do. Should I stay at the house for free until I lose it? If I do I'll have to travel at least 150 miles per day and spend $400 to $500 on gas per month, plus the electricity bill. If I buy a new vehicle it could cost me about $500 a month, but I won't have to travel. If I travel, my car has just over 140,000 miles on it, is ten years old and don't know how long it will last. If I trade in now I might be able to get some good money for it since it's a diesel and is in excellent shape, outside and inside.
Why would I buy a new van and not a used one? If I buy used I risk having problems with it that I don't really want to deal with. I haven't had to make any car payments for a few years now, the thought of starting again doesn't sit well with me. I like not having to dish out my hard earned money at the end of the month. On the other hand, renting closer to where I work would cost me anywhere from $500 for a single room plus utilities, to $700 or $800 for a small apartment plus utilities, and I would still have to buy fuel for the car. In the end even if I have to pay $500 per month on a new van plus insurance it'll most likely be much cheaper than renting.
Hopefully I can get some ideas on this.
Here are my cargo van possibilities: GM savana 2500 extended, gas.
Nissan NV 2500 HD high top.
Ford ecoline 250.
Should I buy with some windows or none? Should I buy diesel or save the money and buy gas? Should I buy passenger or cargo? Should I buy any other type of van?
Any input will be very appreciated.
Thank you all.
