Master plan!! Bwahahahahaaaaa

[mkl654321]

Hello all! For several years now, I've contemplated Permanent Nomadic Vehicular Living (PNVL) as a life choice. One factor or another has prevented/persuaded me from doing so, but now...I pay a king's ransom to live in a little apartment box surrounded by crazy people and have to suppress my homicidal urges on a daily basis. Background: 63 years old. Mostly dead. Deteriorating due to diabetes, heart problems, etc. etc. etc., warranty long expired but still running. I lived in an RV for almost a year about a decade ago, and enjoyed it. I've camped out every summer, often for extended periods of time, ever since I was a kid.

Current situation: No job, and no real prospects due to physical limitations and my disinclination to be supervised by some drooling nimrod who's 40 years younger than I. Collecting a king's ransom from (early) SSI, $457 a month (used to be $452 but we got an increase this year!!!!). I also have $24,000 in savings. There's a reasonable chance I could bump up my income by another $500/mo or so by returning to the loathsome and ill-paid practice of online editing.

So I'd like your recommendations for a car or van that I could use as a full-time mobile residence. I don't want an RV because they're big, heavy, ponderous, expensive, slow, horribly unreliable, hard to maneuver, and crammed to the gills with stuff I don't need, like a kitchen and a fridge. I've searched the threads on this forum and while there are lots of ideas, there doesn't seem to be any real consensus as to what might be best.

As the market for used cars right now is like a flock of vampires during a blood shortage, I want to make the best possible decision. Frankly, it might be better to wait several months before doing this, but a) I might croak (which, admittedly, would solve my dilemma, albeit in a way I don't want just yet), and b) I've found myself doing online research about which shotguns are powerful enough to effectively fire through an apartment ceiling. So, best I do this sooner rather than later.

Also: I have a 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan ("Old Paint") with 194,000 miles on it that runs just peachy; I've done a lot of maintenance on it and I expect to get at least another 50-60 thousand miles out of it. Due to its battle scars and high mileage, it would fetch only about $2,500 used. So building it into a camping car would be another option; I just don't know if it would be big/safe enough.

Any and all suggestions, observations, comments, jokes, communiques from the Deep State, or utterly irrelevant utterances are welcome.

 

[speedhighway46]

I would suggest you look at a low mileage cube van, 12’ to 16’; V8, dualies. You could construct the box any way you wanted to satisfy your needs without all the crap and lack of reliability of a Class C. Buy one out of the Snow belt/salt area of the country. Probably Chevy or Ford; you do the research on best engines, etc.

Just my opinion.

 

[VanFan]

Comment:  Once you get your choice of abode sorted, write a book.  You definitely have at least one in you!

 

[WanderingRose]

“Any and all suggestions, observations, comments, jokes, communiques from the Deep State, or utterly irrelevant utterances are welcome.”

Okay, I’ll do this part.

Your physical limitations and medical issues will continue as you live in something mobile, you know, tho your basic, essential activities of daily living will be more time consuming and difficult at times.

A medical emergency will stop you in your tracks, wherever you are. Been there, with my late husband and then myself.

Do you really want to move full time into a vehicle at this point in your life?

If you must, because it seems a dream within reach, why not do so in the reliable and well maintained vehicle you have rather than sinking money into a new vehicle whose history you may know little of?

Better yet, do some outfitting of said vehicle out of savings, and do some road-tripping.

To deal with the wanderlust in a vehicle you know, while maintaining your apartment as a safety net.

For myself and many I have met out there, we all hope to travel until age and/or medical issues make us stop.

You sound like you have fairly serious medical issues, and may be going the wrong direction with this.

Think carefully. Sometimes taking a leap and building your wings on the way down is good.

Other times, not so much.

IMHO, under “suggestions, observations, comments”.

 

[mpruet]

WonderingRose is correct. With medical issues you have to be much more careful.  Being a diabetic, I’m guessing that you’re on insulin and that means that you have to keep the insulin refrigerated.  That will probably mean that you need to have solar, a good battery bank and a fridge. Also if you are on a good diabetic diet, then you would be keeping your carbs pretty low, which means much of the food you eat would need refrigeration as well.  I’m also diabetic and I know about all of the issues required in keeping that ‘ole A1C level down.  And then there are the regular checkups required with your doctor.  

It’s doable having medical conditions and being a nomad, but it ain’t easy…

 

[Sara in a Prius]

why not do so in the reliable and well maintained vehicle you have rather than sinking money into a new vehicle whose history you may know little of?

Back when I first started thinking of all this, before I ever heard of people outfitting their Prius, I asked my car-guy friend what kind of car I should get if I wanted to travel and live out of my car. He said, "The best used car is the one you already have."

 

[Morgana]

Another vote for keeping Old Paint rather than trying to buy another car in this crazy market. People seem to be able to turn almost anything into a home on wheels! (Not speaking from experience, alas.) Plus, you could have some fun and cheer yourself up getting creative with it ... whereas buying a car, you're so dependent on the (sales)people you meet; it's pretty hard to turn that into a fun adventure.

Both the housing and car markets are a nightmare right now. I don't think housing is ever coming back (hope I'm wrong!), but I can imagine cars settling down (not an economist, though, so take that with a whole salt shaker of salt). If you can take care of your health (sleep, food, access to doctor) in the Elantra, and hang onto more of your savings, I say go for it. The world could change 10x before Christmas; keep as many options open as possible!
Good luck.

 

[Ken in Anaheim]

.... He said, "The best used car is the one you already have."

Plus a Kodiak Flex-bar tent...............

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums mkl! Your camping experience will be invaluable. Many nomads start out with little or no experience and stumble through the first months or even years. You'll probably need some type of tent or popup shelter to give you more living room. Keep us updated!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[mkl654321]

I appreciate the advice that buying another vehicle is probably a bad idea right now. I'm just not sure how practical Old Paint would be as a living-space car. Also, it's a good general rule that you never want to buy anything in a seller's market. So I might wait until the current feeding frenzy subsides (as it must).

As far as being diabetic and needing to keep my insulin refrigerated--there's a workaround. The insulin pens only need to be refrigerated until you break the seal (first dose). So when I'm going on the road, I take a small partial dose from each pen the first day. Then I don't need to do anything but keep them at room temperature. I finally came up with this fix when I got sick of having to keep ice in my little cooler for that sole purpose.

Health issues--well, yeah, but quite frankly, staying home isn't going to make them any better. And if what I'm contemplating would be difficult now--well, it will probably be impossible later. My physical abilities and skills are deteriorating, even as my mind remains, uh, what's the word...sharp. The quality of my life is largely determined by the breadth of the disparity between those two elements. So this might be a now-or-maybe-never type of thing.

As far as seeing a doctor is concerned: I have to make my appointments several weeks in advance anyway for routine visits, and my insurance would cover it if I had to be wheeled into the ER in Skeleton Flats, Nebraska (go there if you get a chance). So I think I'll be OK in that regard. Also...I have several friends and acquaintances whose choices of where to live have been largely dependent on where they could establish themselves in close orbit around nearby medical facilities. That consideration has caused them to live in places like...ecch...Feenicks. If I ever announce plans to move there, please be a good friend and shoot me.

The pop-up tent idea is a good one and I'll look into that option. Another useful addition would be a shower tent. I'm sure there are more gadgets and thingies out there now than ever before.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

[bullfrog]

I didn't see anybody else mention these so I will. A Toyota Prius if you can live simply and sleep comfortably in one solves power, heating and Air Conditioning problems as well as gets good gas mileage, lots of people carry a shower tent and do well in all seasons. Vans are way high priced but Suburbans are cheap and a simple cheap tent gives you more room. Lots of videos to watch and figure what will work for you. Plenty of cheap BLM land to visit. Best wishes in finding what works for you.

 

[Matlock]

For starters, I like cheese.

I'm also fond of used uhaul trucks, the 10' box version that allows you to stand up inside. The GMC model has single rear tires which I prefer over duals and it's still a 1 ton truck. Some have a passway from cab to box or in my case easily cut out. Same thing goes for a window.

Look. inspect and drive a few before purchase. Penske and Uhaul sell their inventory off around 100K and you buy as is. Get a mechanic to to do a through check, it's the smart thing to do.

my ol 2¢

 

[Anon]

Bruh, I agree with Mr. M who's banned now for some reason! RVs just seem bulky, fugly, and all-around hard to drive and maintain to me! XD

If you're still around, I wish you the best of luck, funny man, just be safe!

 

[mattvei]

if you can open your mind get this from a local library "How not to die" by Michael Greger MD or his website nutritionfacts.org - It's where I'm headed after stroke, colon cancer, type II diabetes, morbid obesity, etc. The transition is challenging, but doable PS Greger was Oprah's medical resource in defending herself against the Texas cattle people lawsuit

 

[Steeve]

Hello all! For several years now, I've contemplated Permanent Nomadic Vehicular Living (PNVL) as a life choice. One factor or another has prevented/persuaded me from doing so, but now...I pay a king's ransom to live in a little apartment box surrounded by crazy people and have to suppress my homicidal urges on a daily basis. Background: 63 years old. Mostly dead. Deteriorating due to diabetes, heart problems, etc. etc. etc., warranty long expired but still running. I lived in an RV for almost a year about a decade ago, and enjoyed it. I've camped out every summer, often for extended periods of time, ever since I was a kid.

Current situation: No job, and no real prospects due to physical limitations and my disinclination to be supervised by some drooling nimrod who's 40 years younger than I. Collecting a king's ransom from (early) SSI, $457 a month (used to be $452 but we got an increase this year!!!!). I also have $24,000 in savings. There's a reasonable chance I could bump up my income by another $500/mo or so by returning to the loathsome and ill-paid practice of online editing.

So I'd like your recommendations for a car or van that I could use as a full-time mobile residence. I don't want an RV because they're big, heavy, ponderous, expensive, slow, horribly unreliable, hard to maneuver, and crammed to the gills with stuff I don't need, like a kitchen and a fridge. I've searched the threads on this forum and while there are lots of ideas, there doesn't seem to be any real consensus as to what might be best.

As the market for used cars right now is like a flock of vampires during a blood shortage, I want to make the best possible decision. Frankly, it might be better to wait several months before doing this, but a) I might croak (which, admittedly, would solve my dilemma, albeit in a way I don't want just yet), and b) I've found myself doing online research about which shotguns are powerful enough to effectively fire through an apartment ceiling. So, best I do this sooner rather than later.

Also: I have a 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan ("Old Paint") with 194,000 miles on it that runs just peachy; I've done a lot of maintenance on it and I expect to get at least another 50-60 thousand miles out of it. Due to its battle scars and high mileage, it would fetch only about $2,500 used. So building it into a camping car would be another option; I just don't know if it would be big/safe enough.

Any and all suggestions, observations, comments, jokes, communiques from the Deep State, or utterly irrelevant utterances are welcome.

Hello .well..
I suggest a full size van.once daily living items are loaded You won't have much space in anything smaller.i have a super stretch one ton van.after a few months in it ...it's very small.in bad weather I've gone almost nuts in the van..even working full time me and my little dog are cramped in it.i can not imagine living in something smallermy very best wishes of happiness and health to You

 

[eDJ_]

I'm sure you'll get a different answer from everyone you ask. I'll offer one I haven't seen mentioned yet. Since you have the Elantra and it's in solid good shape you could consider converting it to what is called a "Bug-out- Car". Since it's just you all you'll need is your driers seat....right ? IF....you decide to undertake this your car will not be able to haul passengers if you have been doing that. In this conversion you will be able to travel, sleep in it, carry some gear, and enjoy some solitude. You may want to keep your apartment thru the duration of the winter and purchase a set of noise cancelling headphones that could bluetooth to your computer's music app's. Then come spring begin to work on your rig and plot your escape for when the rig is finished.

Once the car is converted into a rig, you could take mini outings when apartment life becomes too much. If you are sure becoming a Nomad is what you truly want to do you can begin liquidating your apartment contents and make a smooth transition. I would strongly suggest you get a membership to a nationally syndicated Gym like Planet Fitness and look into short term rentals of sticks & bricks (should you need) on Air B&B or others like it. Thus if your health needs it you could have a sticks & bricks option where ever you are.

A Bug-Out-Car.

 

[CopperK]

Hello all! For several years now, I've contemplated Permanent Nomadic Vehicular Living (PNVL) as a life choice. One factor or another has prevented/persuaded me from doing so, but now...I pay a king's ransom to live in a little apartment box surrounded by crazy people and have to suppress my homicidal urges on a daily basis. Background: 63 years old. Mostly dead. Deteriorating due to diabetes, heart problems, etc. etc. etc., warranty long expired but still running. I lived in an RV for almost a year about a decade ago, and enjoyed it. I've camped out every summer, often for extended periods of time, ever since I was a kid.

Current situation: No job, and no real prospects due to physical limitations and my disinclination to be supervised by some drooling nimrod who's 40 years younger than I. Collecting a king's ransom from (early) SSI, $457 a month (used to be $452 but we got an increase this year!!!!). I also have $24,000 in savings. There's a reasonable chance I could bump up my income by another $500/mo or so by returning to the loathsome and ill-paid practice of online editing.

So I'd like your recommendations for a car or van that I could use as a full-time mobile residence. I don't want an RV because they're big, heavy, ponderous, expensive, slow, horribly unreliable, hard to maneuver, and crammed to the gills with stuff I don't need, like a kitchen and a fridge. I've searched the threads on this forum and while there are lots of ideas, there doesn't seem to be any real consensus as to what might be best.

As the market for used cars right now is like a flock of vampires during a blood shortage, I want to make the best possible decision. Frankly, it might be better to wait several months before doing this, but a) I might croak (which, admittedly, would solve my dilemma, albeit in a way I don't want just yet), and b) I've found myself doing online research about which shotguns are powerful enough to effectively fire through an apartment ceiling. So, best I do this sooner rather than later.

Also: I have a 2010 Hyundai Elantra sedan ("Old Paint") with 194,000 miles on it that runs just peachy; I've done a lot of maintenance on it and I expect to get at least another 50-60 thousand miles out of it. Due to its battle scars and high mileage, it would fetch only about $2,500 used. So building it into a camping car would be another option; I just don't know if it would be big/safe enough.

Any and all suggestions, observations, comments, jokes, communiques from the Deep State, or utterly irrelevant utterances are welcome.

Since living in my vintage Airstream and doing a lot of camping throughout the years I've learned about my own preferences. I bought one of those tents that fits over the side or back end of a vehicle - I have a Subaru Outback. I don't like sleeping in a tent by myself in my area - there are nosy black bears that look for food, shy bobcats but most worrisome and life threatening are the wild boars that seem to run in packs and can do a lot of damage. So, the tent is the daytime area and the back of my Outback is my sleeping area - if I hear something, I can just shut the door and I'm off the ground. But the tent provides ample room to sit, room to cook and a place to offload equipment from the car until it's time to pack up again. I'm thinking this is a good way to do some light travel and get down to brass tacks about what I really need and what I don't.

 

[CopperK]

I appreciate the advice that buying another vehicle is probably a bad idea right now. I'm just not sure how practical Old Paint would be as a living-space car. Also, it's a good general rule that you never want to buy anything in a seller's market. So I might wait until the current feeding frenzy subsides (as it must).

As far as being diabetic and needing to keep my insulin refrigerated--there's a workaround. The insulin pens only need to be refrigerated until you break the seal (first dose). So when I'm going on the road, I take a small partial dose from each pen the first day. Then I don't need to do anything but keep them at room temperature. I finally came up with this fix when I got sick of having to keep ice in my little cooler for that sole purpose.

Health issues--well, yeah, but quite frankly, staying home isn't going to make them any better. And if what I'm contemplating would be difficult now--well, it will probably be impossible later. My physical abilities and skills are deteriorating, even as my mind remains, uh, what's the word...sharp. The quality of my life is largely determined by the breadth of the disparity between those two elements. So this might be a now-or-maybe-never type of thing.

As far as seeing a doctor is concerned: I have to make my appointments several weeks in advance anyway for routine visits, and my insurance would cover it if I had to be wheeled into the ER in Skeleton Flats, Nebraska (go there if you get a chance). So I think I'll be OK in that regard. Also...I have several friends and acquaintances whose choices of where to live have been largely dependent on where they could establish themselves in close orbit around nearby medical facilities. That consideration has caused them to live in places like...ecch...Feenicks. If I ever announce plans to move there, please be a good friend and shoot me.

The pop-up tent idea is a good one and I'll look into that option. Another useful addition would be a shower tent. I'm sure there are more gadgets and thingies out there now than ever before.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Yes, a pop-up shower tent is one thing I considered. But, living my studio (uh, did I mention I don't have a bathroom here?) Yes, there's one across the hall, but it's just a toilet and sink. I use a portable toilet because I'm not always dressed appropriately for the neighbors. I have established a routine that I'm quite happy with now and a pop up tent is enough space for it. Having been in the health food industry, I pretty much stay away from a lot of commercial products with objectionable ingredients and I've found that it saves me a lot of money too. I have a fantastic recipe for a natural spray deodorant that works great and it's a fraction of the cost of the real expensive version that I used to buy and I end up with a pint of it at a time. ALL of my cleaning is managed through Dr. Bronner's Soap (it's condensed and is great for hair, clothing, teeth, the dog, dishes, and you can just dump it into the environment and it won't hurt a thing!) plus 50/50 water-vinegar in a spray bottle. It only takes 1 gallon to wash my hair and do a quick sponge bath with a loofah, including soaking my feet for a nice pedicure. If I've been doing something like hiking, I may indulge with a two gallon bath and any of the extra can go to the plants. I use a collapsible bucket for the clean water and a collapsible tub for washing. I have a collapsible dish tub for washing veggies and various sizes of collapsible bowls. I have two sets of dishes in storage and a lot of pottery too, but I can't imagine going back to using those again. I've been living this way for 4 years now. When I'm craving a hot shower, which is not as often as it used to be, I go to the YWCA and spend $10 since they don't require an expensive membership or I visit the local hot springs.

 

[CopperK]

Comment: Once you get your choice of abode sorted, write a book. You definitely have at least one in you!

I totally agree. lol