GIRL'S ROOM: hello and vehicle wanted

[newBkate]

Hello, women! I am just starting out on my van-dwelling quest. Presently in Niagara region of Canada (near Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY. Have saved some cash and ready to buy my first vehicle. Have been using CL and eBay to look at vans, but am thinking I might prefer to buy from a dweller if possible. I'd love to know your recommendations about the vehicle search. Thank you in advance. I hope your day is a good one.

 

[Cammalu]

Hi Kate! Can't help on a van (I'm in a Class C) but I wanted to welcome you and hear your plans.


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[newBkate]

Thank you for the welcome. I will have to find out what Class C means! I'm thinking a high-top van will be the ticket, but who knows what I will end up buying. I hope I will find vehicles for sale on this site. If people can recommend other places to search for a rig, I would love to know about those.
Take care.

 

[VanDwellerMod]

Welcome to the CRVL forums newBkate!  We've got lots of helpful, knowledgeable folks here; so, when you figure out what you want to know specifically, find the matching forum and ask away!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started.   

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Cammalu]

Newbkate. A Class C is an RV that has the truck look in front. Here's a pic of mine. It's only 22 ft so I can still go almost anywhere.

I love it

 

[Ms Linda]

Hi newBkate, it all depends on what your needs and wants are. There are other discussions on this site that talk about vehicles/RVs. Also, youtube has a TON of videos about what type of vehicles/RVs people live in/out of. My suggestion: If you can, take your time and do extensive research. Also, you may get a vehicle/RV you like, but then get something else later down the road. I'm starting out in my minivan, but may go with a van that allows me to stand up. But for now, my minivan works out great. Good luck!

 

[TrainChaser]

Before you find a van, you need to find a reliable mechanic who can check it out for you when you find one. Also keep an eye on local used car lots. If churches in your area have a van for church purposes, watch for one with a For Sale sign on it -- people say those can be some of the best deals because they usually don't drive like NASCAR wannabes.

Good luck, and welcome to the boards!

 

[CautionToTheWind]

How much money to spend? That will determine what to suggest. What are your "visions" for a van; needs and wants?

 

[ColdBrook]

Be very careful of both Craig's List and Ebay sales, I found a lot of scammers on those.  NEVER send a deposit to anyone selling on those sites. Also don't believe them if they claim Amazon or some other big name company is the holding keys to their vehicle, and it will be delivered to you at sellers expense, and you have 5-10 days to change your mind and seller will pay for it's return, yada yada yada....Also a lot of scammers will claim spouse died and they must sell, often they had to move out of state to live with relative after the spouse's death, or they are in the military and being sent overseas...
You can find vehicles on those sites but just use common sense.  Spend the money to have a good mechanic go over any vehicle you wish to buy BEFORE  you buy it.   Good Luck I hope you find something soon.

 

[bkrunaway]

Hello Kate, from another relatively newbie Kate. 

I had luck with craigslist. I got an app for my phone called CPlus that allows you to search as many craigslist regions as you would like. You can save searches with certain keywords and filter your search results. I filtered my search based on 1) price (add a few $100 to account for bargaining when you visit and not miss out on any goodies); 2) Posted by "owner" (to avoid dealer spam ads). I had three saved searches 1) "van" in the Rv section; 2) "van" in the auto section; and 3)"high top van" in the auto section. 

When I started out, or if I had been away for a few days, I would look at all the results that came back and mark my "favorites". Otherwise I would look daily in the late evening filtering for only those that were "posted today". The favorites feature is really great because you can swoon over vans until they "expire" from craigslist and continue to return to the ad easily as you consider what features you want or wait for the sellers to get back to you. I'd suggest setting the locations to only those places you would actually go to check out and pick up a van, so you have less to review. 

As for sellers, I didn't have any bad experiences. I stayed away from ads that didn't give me a good feel, and tried to lean toward ads that were honest about a vehicles shortcomings. 

My plan was to visit a van, get it checked out by a mechanic, and drive it home same day if necessary. Once I had my plan of attack down, everything started moving much quicker because I didn't have to think much before contacting a seller and making a plan to see the van. 

There are a few things to consider in the "viewing" process:

• How are you going to get there? I took the train/bus so I could drive back if everything worked out. You can rent a car locally from train or bus. Local cabs to get form the bus station to other locations in the destination city. 
• Do you want to drive home with the van same day? If so, you may need to figure out how to get temporary plates for the ride home. In the US, some states will grant temporary plates for vehicles in transit, and others will not. Not sure how Canada handles this. 
• Do you want a mechanic to check it out first? This can cost a bit of $$$ and take up both you and the seller's time. I would suggest going through some of the other newbie threads on what to look for and what questions to ask so you can be very sure by the time you get to the mechanic stage. I used Yelp reviews of mechanics in the area surrounding the location of the van and made appts on the days I would visit the van. Before I got that far I would post threads here and get feedback from other members on the vans I was considering. Their guidance was phenomenal!
• If you want to give them a deposit or purchase the van how will you carry your money? I went alone and didn't want to have close to 3k on my person on foot in a new place, so I built a bank trip into the day so I would be prepared if I wanted to buy the van just to be safe.   
  

When I finally got my van, I took the train to Rhode Island (a 4 hour drive from where I live) and found out on the way that RI would not issue temporary plates. Ended up leaving the seller with a deposit and going home to my home state to get plates before returning to finally take the vehicle home. I felt so pressured by other people they had coming to see the van, that I didn't get the van checked out first. It was sold to me by a reputable mechanic from his shop and I took a chance. My local mechanic said the van looks good so no regrets. 

Best of luck to you on your search. Looking forward to seeing what you find!

 

[XFILE36]

Welcome and there's a buying/selling section under the subjects.