4GNomad
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2015
- Messages
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Hey there,
Well, it appears my patience paid off and am proud to say I am now officially a van owner. The dwelling part will come in the next few months. I have been watching a van in California at a dealer for the past month and they dropped the price on it to something I really couldn't ignore. Here are the specs...
2009 GMC Savanna 2500 Cargo Van
64,000 miles
4.8L V8 / 279hp
Tire Pressure Monitor
Well-Maintained
Bubble Top
I was on the fence about taking on another car payment again, but plugged the numbers and figured I would save more money in the long run by getting at least the bare minimum established for living in it so the payment would become a non-issue. Originally, the van listed for 16,800 and I picked it up for 14,000. They kept dropping the price the past couple of weeks, and with the holiday weekend I didn't want it to disappear as it is a weekend where people usually buy autos more often then normal.
After getting advice from some of you on here and from Bob Wells, I woke up early Saturday morning and drove to California (4 hours) so I could get to the dealer when they opened. I traded in my 2006 Saturn Vue AWD toward the van (I will miss 'Jade', she was a great small SUV). I love the new van and am excited about the blank slate in the back so I can construct something that will be completely built to my liking.
The Bubble Top gives the van about a 6' 8" ceiling which works well with my 6' 2" height. Although the 2500 is shorter then the 3500s I have been looking at, as Bob Wells said, "I'd rather trade the extra 20 inches in length to gain that in height. The dealer originally told me it was just 6' feet, but my dad can stand in it with his 6' 5" height and still run his hand over his head.
I drove "Sierra" home on Monday after visiting my folks and she averaged 16 MPG over Donner Pass by taking Highway 20 and Interstate 80 back to the Reno/Sparks area. The fuel tank is nearly double then what was on the Vue and it appears I can get 500 miles on the tank before refueling. The only thing I miss is not having cruise control, but I might look into adding it later once I start traveling longer distances.
Anyways, here are some initial pics of Sierra...
The plan right now is to get a bed and desk set up so I have a place to work and sleep by the time my sister moves in Mid-July to August. I plan on continuing the build by staying locally until early October using my sisters new home a resource base for work, electricity, etc. until I get solar, insulation, and batteries in place to become self-sufficient with the laptop.
I have never taken on a project like this one before and I am both scared and excited at the same time. One guy on my YT channel last week said "Sometimes you just need to take a leap" and I took those words to heart and made the decision to go ahead and start the next chapter of my life...
Well, it appears my patience paid off and am proud to say I am now officially a van owner. The dwelling part will come in the next few months. I have been watching a van in California at a dealer for the past month and they dropped the price on it to something I really couldn't ignore. Here are the specs...
2009 GMC Savanna 2500 Cargo Van
64,000 miles
4.8L V8 / 279hp
Tire Pressure Monitor
Well-Maintained
Bubble Top
I was on the fence about taking on another car payment again, but plugged the numbers and figured I would save more money in the long run by getting at least the bare minimum established for living in it so the payment would become a non-issue. Originally, the van listed for 16,800 and I picked it up for 14,000. They kept dropping the price the past couple of weeks, and with the holiday weekend I didn't want it to disappear as it is a weekend where people usually buy autos more often then normal.
After getting advice from some of you on here and from Bob Wells, I woke up early Saturday morning and drove to California (4 hours) so I could get to the dealer when they opened. I traded in my 2006 Saturn Vue AWD toward the van (I will miss 'Jade', she was a great small SUV). I love the new van and am excited about the blank slate in the back so I can construct something that will be completely built to my liking.
The Bubble Top gives the van about a 6' 8" ceiling which works well with my 6' 2" height. Although the 2500 is shorter then the 3500s I have been looking at, as Bob Wells said, "I'd rather trade the extra 20 inches in length to gain that in height. The dealer originally told me it was just 6' feet, but my dad can stand in it with his 6' 5" height and still run his hand over his head.
I drove "Sierra" home on Monday after visiting my folks and she averaged 16 MPG over Donner Pass by taking Highway 20 and Interstate 80 back to the Reno/Sparks area. The fuel tank is nearly double then what was on the Vue and it appears I can get 500 miles on the tank before refueling. The only thing I miss is not having cruise control, but I might look into adding it later once I start traveling longer distances.
Anyways, here are some initial pics of Sierra...
The plan right now is to get a bed and desk set up so I have a place to work and sleep by the time my sister moves in Mid-July to August. I plan on continuing the build by staying locally until early October using my sisters new home a resource base for work, electricity, etc. until I get solar, insulation, and batteries in place to become self-sufficient with the laptop.
I have never taken on a project like this one before and I am both scared and excited at the same time. One guy on my YT channel last week said "Sometimes you just need to take a leap" and I took those words to heart and made the decision to go ahead and start the next chapter of my life...
~ Live Simple & Enjoy Life ~
