hola everyone

[gabby]

hi my name is gabby schulz &amp; recently, moving back into a mobile residence has seemed mighty appealing to me.<br><br>i used to live in an isuzu NPR box truck, the box of which had been converted by a previous owner into something extremely livable. me and a friend converted it to run on veggie oil, and i lived in the thing for a couple of years, traveling up the west coast and then across to vermont to take a fellowship at a cartoon school. <br><br>i sold the truck right before my second vermont winter, because i hated to see the rig slowly dying in the northern cold. i spent the next few years back in normal, central-heating, AC power, refrigerator &amp; shower Real Rent world, and moved to brooklyn when a friend offered me real, real cheap rent.<br><br>now that friend and her husband are divorcing &amp; they're both leaving the apartment, meaning i gotta go too. and since the idea of living in some bedbug-infested tenement room for $700 is not at all appealing to me, the siren call of the housetruck life is calling to me again. (also i need someplace to store my stuff.)<br><br>this time i'm looking for something a little more modest than the NPR -- the high ceilings were real nice, but the mpg wasn't, and i only have a couple thousand to spend now anyway. so, toward that end, i've been checking out the site for conversion ideas to get reacquainted with fitting out a car for living. i think i've got my eye on some kind of cargo van, since they're cheap and durable and stealthy (stealth was a major consideration for me last time, since i was urban camping and not on national parks).<br><br>so, hello! if anyone's got any advice for me, specifically any leads on a used cargo van (diesel especially) for sale between $1k-$3k, i'd love to hear about it! i'm even thinking about moving somewhere west to buy one (somehow), since cars are cheaper &amp; less rusty, and insurance s so much lower there than in new york. has anyone else here dealt with these issues? do you think it's possible to buy a van on the east coast &amp; drive it west before insuring it? or is that totally insane? my future's pretty, ah, open-ended, like it is for so many americans in this economy, so i'd be open to just about any appealing option.<br><br>anyhow, hello again!<br>-gabby<br>www.gabbysplayhouse.com<br><br><br><br>

 

[sl1966]

Greetings &amp; Welcome Gabby.<div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[Seraphim]

Welcome to the group..

I'd never recommend driving without insurance. One accident and it begins a nightmare of paperwork; losing your license, lawsuit, reinstatement fees, etc. cam become a vicious cycle difficult to get out of. You can always change insurance companies later for a lower rate, if yours won't modify the premium.

Look at surrounding area for what you want. You never know.

 

[She]

Hi gabby welcome. I have to say I love your blog. Very creative.

 

[cyndi]

<P>Hi Gabby! </P>

 

[4x4tour]

Hi Gabby,&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>Are you sure you want diesel? &nbsp;Oil is heading back to 70/80 bucks a barrel, so expect gas to get cheaper. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>AJ</div>

 

[gabby]

thanks for the welcome everyone<br><br>seraphim: you're probably right, i'm just in the awkward position of needing to move into a van in winter in the northeast - otherwise i'd just move up to vermont (have some friends there) and insure a car there! <br><br>4x4: the main reason i want to get diesel is so i have the option to convert it to run on veggie oil. there's been a lot of new developments in the SVO world since i converted my own back in 2004, and i sure like the price of waste oil. especially since i'm planning on driving back to the west coast sometime soon - at $4/gallon, that's about a $1000 trip even if i get a van with decent mpg. might as well fly &amp; ship all my crap for that much!<br><br>but, i'm sure not finding a lot of diesels for sale, especially in my price range. oh, for a few more thousand dollars....<br><br>if anyone's seen any good deals on craigslist lately, i'd love to see them!<br><br>

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

<b>Welcome Gabby. Another artist in a land limited disposable income.&nbsp; I like your blog, loved the video The Middle Aged Man you posted.&nbsp; I looked to see if they did one for middle aged women like me but they haven't.</b><br><FONT color=#00ffff size=4><b>Dragonfly</b></FONT><br>

 

[Seraphim]

When you buy a used vehicle you never know what you're getting. To take it immediately on a long trip out west may find you sitting on the roadside halfway between. If you know someone out west who could provide a place for a month, it might be best to fly out, if you have the money. As you said, driving out would cost a few bucks in fuel. How much of your stuff do you need, or could you sell much of it?

Once in your target area, you could find something and work on it.

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Welcome, Gabby!</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Seraphim,</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">That's sage advice. Besides, West coast vans are plentiful and usually rust free.</p>

 

[romani10]

Welcome, gabby!<div><br></div><div>x2 on the diesel. x2 on the drive to west coast. Get out there and buy, if possible. Good luck!</div>

 

[jstarr06]

Hi welcome to the forums! Blog looks great going to keep following <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/wave.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br>