Gonna take a life trip!

Duende666 · Dec 26, 2013

When I was 27 ( now 42 ) I took a jeep wagoneer around America for a year. I wished I had taken a van. I've been working like a dog for a couple years and am looking at relocating from Portland oregon to Nola sometime this summer. I wanna buy a cargo van and take a couple months and see the Midwest rubber tramping my way south, after I take in Montana .
I've never owned a van and everyone I talk to tells me chevy is the way to go.. I seek advice. Here are some suppositions for my trip:
- This beast only has to get me there , I plan on selling it after the journey. I own a pick up now and am tired of being everyone's moving buddy.
- Looks are unimportant.. Prolly will be doing some stealth camping.
- Will def be sleeping in it a lot, so tips on organization are very welcome.
- How much should I be paying and any red flags for prospective vans?
- Anyone local suggest a place to look besides Craig's or car trader?

Thanks in advance!

PastTense · Dec 26, 2013

A couple sites:
http://claz.org/classifieds/vehicles
http://www.ebay.com/motors

Since you have a pickup, you might consider a travel trailer or truck camper; although the van is much better if you need stealth.

Johnny Utah · Dec 26, 2013

If you're only travelling for a couple months going cross country, have you considered just getting a canopy for your pickup and sleeping in the bed on mattress? Or do you need the van's extra room to move all your stuff?

VanGanesha · Dec 26, 2013

Welcome!

a buddy of mine has a pickup and canopy with a really cool pass-through from the cab to the canopy. He took the window out of the truck and the canopy has some sort of rubber gasket to keep a tight connection. Pretty nifty, and he has a sweet setup in the bed of the truck.

With all that said, I love my Chevy Van.... and it's all right with me!

Duende666 · Dec 26, 2013

I want to be rid of my pick up. Great running 04 dakota under a hundred thousand miles. Never be worth more than right now. Get a van for a few months and sell it in new orkeans and buy a buick

..

AltTransBikes · Dec 26, 2013

Hey. Something that comes to my mind if one is thinking about short term use and resale, and your budget allows it, is to plan ahead and research the market where you'll end up. That might mean you treat yourself to a vehicle with bells and whistles because it'll be more marketable, something with a higher trim level. I guess the idea is you're just renting the van for a while.

BTW, your handle caught my eye and I'm curious. The concept of duende is something I've studied as well as the works of Lorca and actually recently been pondering posting about it here. What does that word mean to you?