my booming population

[Giulia]

Hey fellow solo mature women travelers. The fastest growing segment of the homeless (although I prefer the term houseless) population are middle to older aged solo women. For a time, when I lived in a house, I collected funds for our local homeless shelter so I know the statistics. And now I, myself, because of a grave illness and inability to work and subsequent poverty forced me into van dwelling, became a proud member of this population segment. I must have Gypsy blood, because now I wouldn't change it for the world, and I'm so fortunate to be computer literate and hooked up to the internet to have access to my family, other van dwellers and numerous informative videos and blogs. I would love to become part of your community too! So many questions... Let's keep in touch. My name is pronounced Julia and the i comes before the u, just like in the alphabet! Ciao, Giulia!

 

[user 13531]

Good Morning Giulia and Welcome to the CRVL forums....

Safe travels...

 

[Riverman]

Welcome... it's so good to have you join us.

 

[Giulia]

Thanks DB! GREAT to be here. I feel less... Alone. Couple of pics of inside and out.

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[Giulia]

Thanks Riverman... It always feels good to be part of a group, I don't care WHAT people say m

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[No Roots]

Welcome to the Newbie Corner.   I have to say I am one of your booming population. My situation changed suddenly, and I had to make a decision, did I want to waste my money paying rent, somewhere I know I would not be happy. OR take charge of my life and get an RV. So I bought the rv and made plans to travel and live amongst like minded people. AND BE HAPPY.
So safe travels to you, maybe we'll come across each other on the road...

 

[AMGS3]

Welcome to the forum Giulia! I too am a newbie. You'll find many people here who generously give of their time and ideas to help other nomads. It's a safety net of friends, really.

Peace,
Angie

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[highdesertranger]

Welcome Giulia to the CRVL forums! 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. highdesertranger

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Thumbs up to the Ford with the original "twin pipe" exhaust!

 

[Giulia]

Do you know anything about my particular vehicle? I love my Tan Van but she's a major gas guzzler and I'm wondering if there is some way to improve that..

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[Riverman]

Get a Chevy... smile

 

[Almost There]

Do you know anything about my particular vehicle? I love my Tan Van but she's a major gas guzzler and I'm wondering if there is some way to improve that..

We'll need some more information than the picture.

Year, model and engine size all factor in to gas mileage for starters.

Also to be considered is the type of driving you do (all highway at 70 gives maybe 20% less mileage than all highway at 55-60%. If it's all city driving then you'll get considerable lower mileage.

How one drives also has a direct impact on gas mileage. Anticipating traffic conditions (slowing for stop lights rather than running up on them and braking hard, merging nicely etc. etc. ) and keeping tires properly inflated can all increase gas mileage substantially.

And what do you consider to be a gas guzzler. What gas mileage are you getting and over how many miles is that calculated. If you're used to a car that got 30 mpg then yes, the van will be a gas guzzler.

I have a 2002 GMC Savana 2500 with a 5.7 L engine and get 16 on the highway, less when doing miles that resemble city traffic.

 

[Giulia]

I'm a super smooth driver and never go over 60 mph. I'm thinking it gets like 2 miles a gallon.

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[Giulia]

I think I'm going to learn how to do a tune up.

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[B and C]

I'm thinking it gets like 2 miles a gallon.

So you have to fill up every 50 miles or less?  It sounds like you really don't know how many MPG you get.

It is easy to figure.  Next time you fill up, write down the mileage from your odometer.  Drive as normal.  On the next fill up, write down mileage from odometer and how many gallons you put in the tank.  Subtract the first milage reading from the second one.  This is how many miles you traveled.  Last step is to divide the milage driven by the number of gallons used.

Ex.  Starting odometer 96500 first fill up
       Ending odometer 96700 next fill up
       Subtract 96500 from 96700 = 200 miles driven
       When you filled the tank this last time, you put 13.3 gallons in.
       Divide 200 miles by 13.3 gallons = 15 MPG

We need something to measure by.  A SWAG (super wild a$$ guess) means nothing.

 

[user 423]

^
Sure it's probably more than 2mpg but an older 1-ton extended van that may have a 460 isn't going to do so well.

When is the last time you had a tuneup?

Welcome to the forum!

 

[AMGS3]

I would add to B and C's above comment that checking to see if the odometer is accurate would be a good idea too. When driving between two locations of a known distance ( say- two wayside rest stops 247 miles apart, for example) check your odometer before departing Rest Area A and then again upon arrival at Rest Area B. If the mileage your odometer 'thinks' your vehicle travelled is close to the 247 miles in this example (it doesn't have to be spot on, just close), then proceed with the figuring out your MPG calculation B and C gives above. If your odometer is not accurate and you use it to figure out MPG, then your MPG calculations will be inaccurate as well.
Looking up the exact distance between any two addresses is easier to do nowdays with cellphones and MapQuest and Google maps and whatnot.
My truck's odometer is off by about 10%. For every 55 miles I go, it thinks it only went 50. Figuring out the MPG takes a few more calculations, but it's a good thing to keep track of every so often to get an idea of how your vehicle is holding up.

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[Giulia]

Ha ah H ha ah! Thank you! That is the simplest explanation for measuring MPG that I have ever seen. I will definitely do it. I was joking about my SWAG... just to say it's absolutely terrible. To go from SF to LA takes about 3 tanks.

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[Giulia]

I've NEVER had a tune up in 5 years.

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[VJG1977]

Ha ah H ha ah! Thank you! That is the simplest explanation for measuring MPG that I have ever seen. I will definitely do it. I was joking about my SWAG... just to say it's absolutely terrible. To go from SF to LA takes about 3 tanks.

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Depending on your route, that could be 600 mile.  If you filled up three times at 20 gallons, that's 60 gallons or 10 MPG. Three fill ups at 25 gallons that's 75 gallons or 8 MPG.