HerzeleidMeister
Well-known member
We just got our van about 2 weeks ago. Its a 1995 Chevy G30 1 Ton Extended SportVan! We got it for $1300! It runs pretty good but as you can imagine there are a few things that will need to be fixed.
A bit about our story, this is going to be long...sorry guys & gals. I really have not shared too much on here as of yet about our story, our reasons for choosing to live in a van etc., I had been waiting for us to purchase our van and be well on our way before I shared any of this.
In 2003 I became disabled and started to get SSDI. Since then, my sister, who has lived with me since June 1999 had 3 strokes total. Two in August of 2006 & one in 2016. She is now also on SSDI because of it. We have both always been wandering types as adults. We have always had an interest in living as easily as possible and doing the RV life. We've planned to have an RV pretty from the moment we became roommates, but the two times we tried we failed and were disappointed. The first instance the dealership told us they would do an even trade for an RV on their lot and we told them the condition of the vehicles we had to trade. When we got there with the vehicles the deal was off. The second instance we actually purchased a 28 foot PaceArrow off craigslist for $4000. It seemed to run fine, the guy said he needed to change the brakes before we took it. He did...badly, and we took it and it only survived for a 3 hour trip before it was toast and we had to scrap it. Looking back I really don't think we could have afforded to do this with an RV anyways.
Fast forward...the main reason we choose vanlife is because since we are both on disability we do not get much money a month to live off of. We sat down and added together how much money we would need to buy an actual brick & mortar house here in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although houses here are actually pretty cheap compared to other places, we still would not be able to afford to buy one and maintain it at the same time. We have done the "rent to own" thing in the past with 2 mobile homes. The first one we paid off, it was ours free and clear. Then one night around 9PM a drunk driver hit our little house with his huge Dodge Hemi & knocked it off the foundation. He revved his engine and hit the house 3 TIMES! He backed up and just kept on hitting our house until it was knocked off.
(( We were in the house when this happened. When the fire department & police got there the fire marshal declared that the house was not inhabitable and we were instantly homeless right there & then. That is not the only time we've both been homeless, but that is a different story all together. On the second house, the guy had a super amount for us to pay a month and we were supposed to own the house after 3 years and it simply did not happen. We choose vanlife to never be homeless again. We choose it so we could travel and get out and live a little.
We are currently living in Little Rock, Arkansas in an apartment. Its not the greatest neighborhood, but its what we can afford. Our lease will be up in April 2019 and that is when we plan on leaving & living in the van. At that time we plan on going back to Charleston, SC to be with family while we tweak our build and what have you. We want the van to be able to make it to Charleston & beyond.
I have some mechanical skill. My father taught me some stuff when I was a teenager, but we never really got along very well. What we need is someone who is willing to help with mechanical work on the van. I do not have a lot of money so I would not be able to pay the standard mechanic's prices. I have no problem in offering a little something for someone to help me fix stuff, but I cannot afford very much. I get $783 a month and my sister gets $860, so we do not have a lot after lights, rent, food etc. I will buy any and all parts that we would need. I also have no problem in helping you with the work. I want to learn how to work on my van as much as possible and would like a mentor as it were. I have bought a Chilton for the van as well.
What We Need:
1. Our van needs the windshield wipers fixed. They just do not work at all. I have changed ALL the fuses in the van and that did not make them start working, so I can only assume that its the windshield wiper motor or pump that is the issue. I will also need to install new windshield wipers, but I think I can handle that one on my own.
2. The van needs a new windshield. Its got some pretty sizable cracks that I doubt a repair would work. With the windshield it will need a new window gasket as the one that is in it leaks and some of it has torn off or is brittle.
3. It needs new U-Joints. Not sure if its the front or rear or both, but it needs them. It jumps and clicks loudly when I put it into gear.
4. It needs shocks and struts.
5. Not sure why but when I go to start it, its slow to start. I'm not sure if this is a fuel pump/filter, starter, carburetor, or battery issue.
6. Speaking of the battery...it needs new battery cables the ones that are on it look very sad and frayed LOL. This maybe the problem with number 5 above, I just do not know.
7. It needs the back doors fixed to where we can actually open them LOL. The mechanism has come undone or something. The button and handle are there but somehow its not connected to allow it to open.
8. It needs 4 new tires as the ones that are on it are really quite worn.
9. It needs any and all leaks assessed and fixed. I'm not sure if the leaks are strictly the front windshield or not. I suspect that the door jams also will need to have the molding glued back in again. I think that is part of the problem with leaks.
10. The drivers seat needs to be fixed where it will freely move. Currently it does not. Not sure why. Of course, like many people we would love a passenger seat that you can swivel, but that is not a priority on the list.
11. The AC needs to be charged/serviced.
12. The rear AC needs to be removed. Its this big, huge, honking thing in the way of doing a proper build on the drivers side LOL. Incidentally this van has 2 AC'S. We only want to fix the cab one and eliminate the rear one.
13. It needs the bulbs in the dash to be replaced.
14. Strange but it needs the 12 volt put back in. I think a previous owner ripped it out with the ashtray. Don't need the ashtray, but the lighter would be nice to have the 12 volt option in the cab.
15. The van also need the shifter needle to be seen. For some reason its missing and to go from park to drive etc, I have to count and go slowly (Neutral, Reverse, Overdrive etc)
16. It may need a new speed sensor. I lost function in the speed odometer at one point, but it works again now. So this would need to be checked. It happened when I accidentally put it into Overdrive to drive. Apparently the van REALLY dislikes overdrive LOL. While in overdrive it would not go into passing gear. From the research I've done online many people had the same thing happen and it was the speed censor.
We also need the van looked over by a mechanic to make sure there are no other issues that we just do not know about. Since I live in an apartment the work could not be done here. I can drive and meet you somewhere to work on the van or even assess it.
Sorry for the super long post everyone. Let me know if you can help.
A bit about our story, this is going to be long...sorry guys & gals. I really have not shared too much on here as of yet about our story, our reasons for choosing to live in a van etc., I had been waiting for us to purchase our van and be well on our way before I shared any of this.
In 2003 I became disabled and started to get SSDI. Since then, my sister, who has lived with me since June 1999 had 3 strokes total. Two in August of 2006 & one in 2016. She is now also on SSDI because of it. We have both always been wandering types as adults. We have always had an interest in living as easily as possible and doing the RV life. We've planned to have an RV pretty from the moment we became roommates, but the two times we tried we failed and were disappointed. The first instance the dealership told us they would do an even trade for an RV on their lot and we told them the condition of the vehicles we had to trade. When we got there with the vehicles the deal was off. The second instance we actually purchased a 28 foot PaceArrow off craigslist for $4000. It seemed to run fine, the guy said he needed to change the brakes before we took it. He did...badly, and we took it and it only survived for a 3 hour trip before it was toast and we had to scrap it. Looking back I really don't think we could have afforded to do this with an RV anyways.
Fast forward...the main reason we choose vanlife is because since we are both on disability we do not get much money a month to live off of. We sat down and added together how much money we would need to buy an actual brick & mortar house here in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although houses here are actually pretty cheap compared to other places, we still would not be able to afford to buy one and maintain it at the same time. We have done the "rent to own" thing in the past with 2 mobile homes. The first one we paid off, it was ours free and clear. Then one night around 9PM a drunk driver hit our little house with his huge Dodge Hemi & knocked it off the foundation. He revved his engine and hit the house 3 TIMES! He backed up and just kept on hitting our house until it was knocked off.
(( We were in the house when this happened. When the fire department & police got there the fire marshal declared that the house was not inhabitable and we were instantly homeless right there & then. That is not the only time we've both been homeless, but that is a different story all together. On the second house, the guy had a super amount for us to pay a month and we were supposed to own the house after 3 years and it simply did not happen. We choose vanlife to never be homeless again. We choose it so we could travel and get out and live a little. We are currently living in Little Rock, Arkansas in an apartment. Its not the greatest neighborhood, but its what we can afford. Our lease will be up in April 2019 and that is when we plan on leaving & living in the van. At that time we plan on going back to Charleston, SC to be with family while we tweak our build and what have you. We want the van to be able to make it to Charleston & beyond.
I have some mechanical skill. My father taught me some stuff when I was a teenager, but we never really got along very well. What we need is someone who is willing to help with mechanical work on the van. I do not have a lot of money so I would not be able to pay the standard mechanic's prices. I have no problem in offering a little something for someone to help me fix stuff, but I cannot afford very much. I get $783 a month and my sister gets $860, so we do not have a lot after lights, rent, food etc. I will buy any and all parts that we would need. I also have no problem in helping you with the work. I want to learn how to work on my van as much as possible and would like a mentor as it were. I have bought a Chilton for the van as well.
What We Need:
1. Our van needs the windshield wipers fixed. They just do not work at all. I have changed ALL the fuses in the van and that did not make them start working, so I can only assume that its the windshield wiper motor or pump that is the issue. I will also need to install new windshield wipers, but I think I can handle that one on my own.
2. The van needs a new windshield. Its got some pretty sizable cracks that I doubt a repair would work. With the windshield it will need a new window gasket as the one that is in it leaks and some of it has torn off or is brittle.
3. It needs new U-Joints. Not sure if its the front or rear or both, but it needs them. It jumps and clicks loudly when I put it into gear.
4. It needs shocks and struts.
5. Not sure why but when I go to start it, its slow to start. I'm not sure if this is a fuel pump/filter, starter, carburetor, or battery issue.
6. Speaking of the battery...it needs new battery cables the ones that are on it look very sad and frayed LOL. This maybe the problem with number 5 above, I just do not know.
7. It needs the back doors fixed to where we can actually open them LOL. The mechanism has come undone or something. The button and handle are there but somehow its not connected to allow it to open.
8. It needs 4 new tires as the ones that are on it are really quite worn.
9. It needs any and all leaks assessed and fixed. I'm not sure if the leaks are strictly the front windshield or not. I suspect that the door jams also will need to have the molding glued back in again. I think that is part of the problem with leaks.
10. The drivers seat needs to be fixed where it will freely move. Currently it does not. Not sure why. Of course, like many people we would love a passenger seat that you can swivel, but that is not a priority on the list.
11. The AC needs to be charged/serviced.
12. The rear AC needs to be removed. Its this big, huge, honking thing in the way of doing a proper build on the drivers side LOL. Incidentally this van has 2 AC'S. We only want to fix the cab one and eliminate the rear one.
13. It needs the bulbs in the dash to be replaced.
14. Strange but it needs the 12 volt put back in. I think a previous owner ripped it out with the ashtray. Don't need the ashtray, but the lighter would be nice to have the 12 volt option in the cab.
15. The van also need the shifter needle to be seen. For some reason its missing and to go from park to drive etc, I have to count and go slowly (Neutral, Reverse, Overdrive etc)
16. It may need a new speed sensor. I lost function in the speed odometer at one point, but it works again now. So this would need to be checked. It happened when I accidentally put it into Overdrive to drive. Apparently the van REALLY dislikes overdrive LOL. While in overdrive it would not go into passing gear. From the research I've done online many people had the same thing happen and it was the speed censor.
We also need the van looked over by a mechanic to make sure there are no other issues that we just do not know about. Since I live in an apartment the work could not be done here. I can drive and meet you somewhere to work on the van or even assess it.
Sorry for the super long post everyone. Let me know if you can help.
