Looking for a van

[JustinAndMykie]

Hi,

My name's Justin. My b/f and I were screwed over by our room mate and can't afford rent by ourselves in this bigger place so now we're talking about getting a conversion van and living in it for a little while. We'll see how we like and decide to move back into an apartment when we save up some money or to trick out the van more and really move forward with van dwelling. I'm really excited about it and really into it!

Problem is, we need to find a van SOON or else we'll end up homeless and I guess getting a tent? We don't have a lot of money and just need to get into something semi reliable as soon as possible.

We're in Naples, Florida. Any advise?

We were looking at this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-E-Seri...9f6767e9d&item=111509143197&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

 

[light trip]

Justin, lots of retirees in Naples,,, tons of them moved down there from from up north with well maintained vehicles and are ready to down-size.

Also plenty of estate sells. Children that need to sell their parents assets after death, or health issues and moving in with their kids.

Marco Island might be a waste of time, because there's lots of money there, but Ft Myers isn't too far to check as well.

No inspection in Florida but I'd still spend the money to have a van checked out if you can afford it.

Good luck!

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums! Sorry I can't give any advice on the van. Hope everything works out for you. Keep posting your finds on here and hopefully people with more experience with older vans will be able to help.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[JustinAndMykie]

This will be really my first time with a van... any specifics I should ask when I go see it?

http://fortmyers.craigslist.org/col/cto/4732787413.html

 

[Almost There]

This will be really my first time with a van... any specifics I should ask when I go see it?

If it's a passenger or cargo van that hasn't had a RV stuff added then you can treat it just like any other vehicle when you're checking it out.

If it's had any conversion features added then treat each of them separately and assess whether they are useful to you, something you're just going to take out or just nice to have and what condition each feature is in. For ex. my recent purchase has a solar panel on the roof where I'll never be able to reach it, wiring running all over the place (most mickey mouse job I've ever seen..sigh) and house batteries that are old and not even deep cell. I didn't include any of it when I was evaluating the price I'd offer on the van. Actually I put some hours for removal in my 'figurin' before I made the offer.

OTOH, it already had the high top roof installed that I knew would cost me a couple of grand to add to a regular van. I took that into consideration on pricing. If the van hadn't had that and the Class 3 hitch already installed it wouldn't have been worth what I paid for it.

 

[sassypickins]

Hi Justin,

Regarding the 2nd vehicle, it looks like the owner took care of it, but it does have a ton of miles on it. What are your plans? If you just need a home and won't be driving, pretty much anything that doesn't leak will do. But that's probably not the case, so attend to mechanical and structural health first. You can outfit an interior cheaply. Will you need stealth? Then maybe a cargo van is a better option.

Once you prioritize your needs, you will know what to look for that for your money will give you the top 2 or 3 requirements on your list.

Take a mechanic and a check list. "He said it ran well" won't get you your money back.

This may help you:
http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/buy-sell/state-regulations.php

Best wishes for a successful hunt for your new home!

 

[user 2252]

Don't want to pop your bubble, ad says tapping noise in engine, indicates to me worn internal engine parts ( prolly camshaft ) selling price? 500 dollars? In my opinion, stay away.