living in short bus/Ambulance in the city

[skateparkdirtbag]

[font=Arial, sans-serif]for years i have been considering moving into a bus to live long term. something the size of a small bedroom. bed, small counter, composting toilet.
i would like to leave it parked in the city, preferably behind a closed gate and have access to a house/bathroom/kitchen, near public transportation. I havent found anything like that sooo[/font]

1. how does one secure a large vehicle in the city? i know people secure music tour buses and workvans that are full of expensive equipment. do i partition cab and living space? gate off windows? generally i have parked my small van in nice neighborhoods and rode my bike to the location, but i know parking will be much more limited in a larger vehicle
   
2. i hear there are lots of issues parking a large vehicle in the city/suburbs and lots of unexpected tickets due to vehicle size. unexpected tows? any other common city incovniences with large vehicles, that i may be completely oblivious too?
   
3. lots of free campsites, hotsprings, weird points of interest are off the main roads. scope out a road and pick my battles? …turn around on most of them?

[font=Arial, sans-serif]from what i understand: [/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif]school buses and ambulances can be had in good condition for about $3000-5000 and up at auction, and are easy to repair, ~10mpg
00’s vans like the ford econoline are about $3000-7000  and beat to hell, ?easy to repair? and get about ~15mpg, hightop can be added for $3000
modern sprinter/ram/transit are 10’s of thousands of dollars, ~20mpg and are expensive to repair
…does this sound right?[/font]

[font=Arial, sans-serif]thoughts?[/font]

 

[WanderingRose]

You don’t say what city you want to live in, and that may be helpful to any here who can advise you on their specific experiences.

There is a ton of information here about stealth camping in cities, where and in what kind of vehicle that works and how it can be done, and it would be good for you to do some reading.

In short, though, living in a large city in a large vehicle is going to be difficult.

Good luck to you as you explore your options.

 

[John in Montreal]

I don't stealth. I've been in the same place for over a year. I'm quiet, polite and keep my site clean. People know me and will call 911 if they see a stranger messing around with my truck.

 

[user 423]

[font=Arial, sans-serif]from what i understand: [/font][font=Arial, sans-serif]school buses and ambulances can be had in good condition for about $3000-5000 and up at auction, and are easy to repair...[/font]

Easy to repair compared to what?   Some repairs on older vans and other heavy vehicles are anything but easy.

 

[Frood]

You have to watch it... Many cities even have regulations prohibiting living in vehicles/RV's, even if they are parked on private property and have the owner's permission (or if the owner of the property also owns the RV).

 

[skateparkdirtbag]

Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, smaller cities between: medford,fresno,santacruz,etc. who knows, maybe even take it on tour to another city halfway across the country.
id like to have a small van/wagon/truck to travel in if i planned on touring the country.

"Some repairs on older vans and other heavy vehicles are anything but easy."
I was under the impression that the older the vehicle, the simpler the parts were. generally something 15-25 years old supposedly is old enough to have simple motors while being new enough to have reliable electronics. i also believe with there are certain engine models you would want to limit your search too when buying van/bus

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Most vehicles are made to be efficiently assembled as fast and cheap as possible. This does not translate to to simple and convenient maintenance and repair. Anything engine or brake related on Ford Ecoline vans are a nightmare. Some vehicles as LLV's, like step vans and full size front engine school buses are made for many years of service. Parts on those vehicles are expected to wear out during the vehicle service life and they are designed to be easy to work on. Step vans are made of aluminum. School buses are made of steel. Those Isuzu box trucks are pretty simple too, but to get into the rear compartment you need a ladder. Lot's of options for an attempt at stealth while still being easy to work on. Difficult to fully be stealth, good luck. Ambulances are an electrical nightmare, even before people have started cutting and moving things around. Older diesels last twice as long as their petrol counterparts with better fuel economy. Diesel don't like cold. Petrol is dangerous. New diesels cost 10x more to maintain and replace componants. Yes parts on these older vehicle are cheap, but the vehicles are old, so expect things to just break. Some modern mechanics don't want to work on things they can't plug their fancy computers into to get all the diagnosing answers they need. If you're handy, an older vehicle might be a good deal for you, especially if you enjoy the challenges and good time feeling you get by fixing things. Usually most new vehicles can go 5-10 years without things randomly breaking, unless it's like a Dodge Promaster or something. Any year Toyota will run forever, even after the frames rust away.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I was under the impression that the older the vehicle, the simpler the parts were. generally something 15-25 years old supposedly is old enough to have simple motors while being new enough to have reliable electronics. i also believe with there are certain engine models you would want to limit your search too when buying van/bus

You are going to have to go back more than 25 years to find simpler vehicles.  By then most engine functions were controlled by the ECU and had lots of sensors spread all over the vehicle.  Other components haven't changed much (steering, drive train, rolling, brakes, . . . ).  Computers for some older vehicles are getting hard to find.

Depending on your state (California?) check on what is necessary to get a bus or ambulance reclassified as an RV and the cost of license and insurance.

The bigger it is the less places you have to park.

 

[Freelander]

Older doesn't mean easier to work, and the parts will be harder to find. Just try to find a good set of ignition points today, and somebody that know how to install them. True points without back in the 70's, but you get the idea.

But most older V8 motors would be a good choice, and far as Diesels anything before 2008 wouldn't have all the smog stuff the newer ones have. If I looking for a Diesel I would go with Cummins, or a Duramax, Cat is ok, but they can be expensive to work on. My experience with the Ford Diesels is that that have a LOT of issues.

Also the Ford 10V is one to stay away from, and a few other Ford motors, the 5.4 V3, the Ford 6.0l Diesel, and I am sure there are others.

I looked an an older RV with an 8.2 L Detroit Diesel V8 in it from the 80's, that is one motor you don't walk away from you RUN away from. The motor isn't rebuildable and there are very few parts or shops that will even look at them.

As you can tell I'm not big on Ford motors.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

On newer vans, like my Transit and the Sprinters, every single thing is a computer. This is supposed to be more reliable. But if you price out what an electromechanical relay costs and what a chip costs I think it's more of a profit margin decision.
As far as older vehicles go, I've owned a series of Econolines. I didn't find them any harder to work on than my Datsun, Subaru or Honda were.
True for some things having the engine 'doghoused' into the passenger compartment is a giant PITA. But oil filter, brakes etc are all easy to access.
If anything, I've driven Econolines that are leaking almost all the time, and have multiple issues, but they keep moving forward. Albeit in a cloud of blue-black smoke.

Modern vehicles seem to be using more common parts across the entire brand. The engine in my transit is also in the Ford Mustang and quite a few other cars. Even a Mazda model.
So I don't think I'll ever have trouble getting engine parts.
Where you get stuck is on model specific stuff like the dashboard fascia to mount a NAV display like the passenger wagon version has. Or suspension upgrades.

The ambulance thing I looked into a lot.
Two things I noticed after a while. The external storage is really cool, but it eats into the interior volume a bit, and like a utility body truck, you have to lock it all up when in any area people might steal stuff.
Also, I have yet to see a 2nd hand ambulance with less than 200k miles. Many over 300k.
A diesel engine might be fine with that. But you still want to take a look at the suspension, brakes, etc.
Personally I wanted to get a Sprinter. I like the body style and the height/volume of them. Plus they have been on the market a while now, so there are a lot of aftermarket things for them. And mechanics are familiar. The Transit seems to have problems with both of those.

As far as stealth camping. Keep the visible parts of the van clean. Whatever you do leave visible, give the impression you are in the trades or something.
I leave a roll of brown construction paper up front. The stuff they put on the walls and floor when you are moving or getting some remodeling done. I use it to test fit and template stuff like the walls and floors of the van, carpet etc. Takes the guesswork out of measuring a curved wall.

There is also kind of an art to parking in neighborhoods. Don't want to park in a place with uptight NIMBY types that notice any unfamiliar vehicle right away. Being in a white box van is so generic, they should assume it's a delivery or a contractor. But what contractor pulls up at dusk?
I've parked in industrial areas before, which is pretty anonymous. Though one time I had a guy pull up and give my bumper a couple taps early in the morning. There was plenty of space for him to park his little SUV. He was just letting me know I wasn't welcome.
By the time I got my pants and shoes on he was nowhere to be seen.
Since then I sleep with pants on. I was gonna give that guy a mouthful! (I do not like being woken, lifetime insomnia).
I usually look for blue collar neighborhoods with street parking, that isn't so well lit that people can see everything going on at all times. But not so dark that my interior lights are obvious.
The kind of area where work vans are a common sight. And guys are wary of anyone messing with someones van.

 

[user 423]

[font=Arial, sans-serif]from what i understand: [/font]
[font=Arial, sans-serif]school buses and ambulances can be had in good condition for about $3000-5000 and up at auction[/font]

At most auctions it's difficult to fully evaluate what they have for sale. All you have to go on is the basic condition report they post. I've been to a few and you are not allowed to drive the vehicles, let alone take one out to have a mechanic look at it. Finding one in good condition for $3k-5k is possible but you'd probably spend a lot of time and effort tracking one down. Before I would consider buying one at auction, I'd make sure I had an emergency repair fund that was at least twice the purchase price.

 

[bullfrog]

If you want to get the best deals go make friends with the local school bus mechanics and let them know what you are looking for. Many times small local boards do their own auctions.

 

[maki2]

parking a wide vehicle overnight on narrow residential streets is likely to get a cop knocking on your door. That is because it makes it pretty much impossible for emergency services to get down the street with something such as fire trucks.

So do not do that if your vehicle is over 80 inches wide. It is not about you and your lifestyle. It is simply a logistics issue for the local emergency services. Do not take it personally.