notabear13
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- Joined
- Dec 31, 2014
- Messages
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So, kinda new here, so bear with me.
I just got a job in a new city - the first one that actually pays me real money. It is a white collar job with lots of room for growth, friendly coworkers, and pretty good benefits. Needless to say, I can't wait to get out of it, so I'm committing to [ERE](http://earlyretirementextreme.com/). To that end, I'm looking at moving into a van in order to save some money while I work, and then to have a place to live in when I'm done working. So, in the spirit of saving money, I'm trying to put everything together - cost of the van + repairs, registration and such, and the full conversion, for less than what I am currently paying in yearly rent, $7200.
I've listed out everything I think I'll need for conversion out to be about $2000, popped up to $2200 to account for unknowns, and to make the next number rounder. So I have $5000 to spend on the van and any repairs it needs.
My job is located in an office park. An office building surrounded by other office buildings surrounded by parking lots. Literally, probably 70% of the land here is asphalt. Within a few miles are strip malls, chain restaurants, and, finally, suburbia as far as the eye can see. I would feel completely safe from criminals here - after all, what kind of troublemaker is going to drive 30 minutes outside the city to a suburban office park in order to hassle some guy in a van? I don't see police being much of an issue, either - they stick to the main roads to look out for speeders and drunk drivers - if you aren't in a moving vehicle, you won't really get noticed around here. Because there is so much parking, it wouldn't be hard to be ignored most of the time as long as I kept a low profile - everyone will think the van is someone else's, and as long as I move every 2 days or so, no one will notice the van that is "always there". I'll be keeping my small sedan around, at least for the first bit, in order to be able to run into the city if I need something, want to meet up with friends, want to make a long trip without burning up gas, etc - so the van will be almost exclusively for living in - I might put 15 miles on it per week. Because of this, I'm not too concerned about it having a very strong engine.
So, here are my thoughts on options:
Classic van - something like an E350.
Pros: most stealthy, best gas mileage, very common, cheap to buy, cheap to repair.
Cons: smallest choice, can't stand up, could get old fast.
Box Truck
Pros: larger, might be able to stand all the way up (I'm 6'3"), cheap to buy, cheap to repair, stealthier solar panels since they will be harder to see on a higher roof.
Cons: Less stealthy, worse gas, harder to park, the entry to my homespace would be a roll up door - not very stealthy or convenient.
Step Van
Pros: larger, might be able to stand up, stealthier solar panels, more convenient entry than the box truck.
Cons: More expensive, worse gas, harder to park, less stealthy
Sprinter Van
Pros: larger, might be able to stand up, stealthier solar, convenient entry, stealthier than a box truck or step van
Cons: More expensive, expensive to repair (assuming here), not as stealthy as a regular van.
Anyone have words of wisdom to share with me on van choice or stealth dwelling in general?
I just got a job in a new city - the first one that actually pays me real money. It is a white collar job with lots of room for growth, friendly coworkers, and pretty good benefits. Needless to say, I can't wait to get out of it, so I'm committing to [ERE](http://earlyretirementextreme.com/). To that end, I'm looking at moving into a van in order to save some money while I work, and then to have a place to live in when I'm done working. So, in the spirit of saving money, I'm trying to put everything together - cost of the van + repairs, registration and such, and the full conversion, for less than what I am currently paying in yearly rent, $7200.
I've listed out everything I think I'll need for conversion out to be about $2000, popped up to $2200 to account for unknowns, and to make the next number rounder. So I have $5000 to spend on the van and any repairs it needs.
My job is located in an office park. An office building surrounded by other office buildings surrounded by parking lots. Literally, probably 70% of the land here is asphalt. Within a few miles are strip malls, chain restaurants, and, finally, suburbia as far as the eye can see. I would feel completely safe from criminals here - after all, what kind of troublemaker is going to drive 30 minutes outside the city to a suburban office park in order to hassle some guy in a van? I don't see police being much of an issue, either - they stick to the main roads to look out for speeders and drunk drivers - if you aren't in a moving vehicle, you won't really get noticed around here. Because there is so much parking, it wouldn't be hard to be ignored most of the time as long as I kept a low profile - everyone will think the van is someone else's, and as long as I move every 2 days or so, no one will notice the van that is "always there". I'll be keeping my small sedan around, at least for the first bit, in order to be able to run into the city if I need something, want to meet up with friends, want to make a long trip without burning up gas, etc - so the van will be almost exclusively for living in - I might put 15 miles on it per week. Because of this, I'm not too concerned about it having a very strong engine.
So, here are my thoughts on options:
Classic van - something like an E350.
Pros: most stealthy, best gas mileage, very common, cheap to buy, cheap to repair.
Cons: smallest choice, can't stand up, could get old fast.
Box Truck
Pros: larger, might be able to stand all the way up (I'm 6'3"), cheap to buy, cheap to repair, stealthier solar panels since they will be harder to see on a higher roof.
Cons: Less stealthy, worse gas, harder to park, the entry to my homespace would be a roll up door - not very stealthy or convenient.
Step Van
Pros: larger, might be able to stand up, stealthier solar panels, more convenient entry than the box truck.
Cons: More expensive, worse gas, harder to park, less stealthy
Sprinter Van
Pros: larger, might be able to stand up, stealthier solar, convenient entry, stealthier than a box truck or step van
Cons: More expensive, expensive to repair (assuming here), not as stealthy as a regular van.
Anyone have words of wisdom to share with me on van choice or stealth dwelling in general?