My current situation

[dominique21]

[/quote] Oddly enough in your other thread asking for opinions about the van and if you should buy it, many told you to walk away and then you got offended and accused them of being judgemental. https://vanlivingforum.com/post/Is-this-a-good-deal-(updated)-6225504

 

[travlinman and wife]

this van could have ben over loaded. I had 07 chevy express that  I over loaded for 5 years and I could not keep the tires from wearing because I could not keep it allinged due to the bouncing in the frunt .I could not fill it but it was happing.

 

[owl]

Reread your other post and I'm with dom  21 on this. Looks like you didn't listen.

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

hey now people, anytime i ever bought a old used car or van!!, "old" (meaning ten years)or older you are going to have repairs. (ie) expect to spent alot of bucks!!!.right now i'm looking to buy a small class c . i can't affore a newer class c,so i'm looking for a older one that grandpa own,low miles,well taking care of. they are out there,you can't be in a hurry to buy. and if you can try shopping in larger city's (ie) la ph sd sb just come to southern california!! lots to choose from.that being said, my budget is around $12,000. for my new to me class c. i will try to pick one up for around $6,000 or $8,000. the rest of the budget will go for repairs,that i know will come from buying someone junk!!.  (us guys guys) like to call it, restoring an old rv to justify the cost. "wink" "wink " so don't feel bad about buying someone junk!! we all been there and done that. fellow traveler gary

 

[citytravelfotos]

Reread your other post and I'm with dom  21 on this. Looks like you didn't listen.

<br><br>And that's the spirit of this forum! &nbsp;To judge and blame others.<br><br>I never expected that finding a good van would be so hard and given that I lived in a city metro of only 1 million people, and having already spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars traveling to Phoenix and driving around the L.A. area looking for vans (and even being doubtful about who should do the test drive), I felt like I was expecting too much. &nbsp;Maybe if I was willing to get a standard size van which there are more a plenty of (which wouldn't have felt like a good deal given that it didn't feel that much bigger than my Honda CRV), and if I was willing to buy an older vehicle (I can't buy anything pre-95 because of the lack of airbags) then maybe it would be easier to find a van without needing major repairs for $3000. &nbsp;There are a lot less conversion vans or extended vans on the market than standard vans &nbsp;(BTW, I can't imagine using the bathroom in a standard height van, it would be too uncomfortable.)&nbsp;<br><br>My Honda CRV (I'm the original driver) is #1 A Honda and #2 about 6 years old, I've never done a major repair on it. &nbsp;Before that, I didn't own a vehicle. &nbsp;So I'm not used to the cost of repairs. &nbsp;In my mind, most significant repairs would cost around $300 to $500. &nbsp;I didn't expect to pay $700 to $800, and to expect to pay so much money for repairs. &nbsp;To be honest, maybe the potential cost of repairs alone on an older (and less reliable) vehicle should have been deterrent enough for me to stick to my Honda CRV.<br><br>Yeah, I was willing to dump the van but it was basically my questions with the mechanic that made me feel more confident in the vehicle. &nbsp;I wouldn't have bought the van if I didn't talk to the mechanic (and who am I to expect that a down to earth mechanic in his perhaps late 60s would be at the very least incompetent? &nbsp;Ok he didn't actually see it, one of his mechanics did the inspection.)<br><br>To be honest, I think that vandwellers here make it sound easier than it really is. &nbsp;Just because some of you are lucky to find a van in miraculously great condition for a low price (and perhaps in less than a year) doesn't mean that everyone will be.&nbsp; Look at all the factors that had to come together for me to buy a vehicle if I were to try to get the ideal: &nbsp;good engine, good transmission, problem free, no accidents, white van, good paint condition, good MPG, good interior quality, good paint aesthetics, well maintained (with a massive amount of service records!), low mileage, not too old, high top or extended van, and all for less than $4000. &nbsp;To get all these factors in a vehicle is hard, and extremely time consuming and difficult, especially if you still have to set aside a lot of time for work if you still have to make money for a living.<br><br>&nbsp;It seems to me that the more I try to save money, the more in trouble I get and the more I start to truly believe that its better to make more money and buy more expensive rather than trying to be frugal, because trying to save money especially by buying cheaper things often comes to bite you in the butt later and you end up not saving the money you thought you would and often having to end up buying the more expensive things, thus in the end paying more than if you would have gone with the expensive thing in the first place (hence the saying: &nbsp;"the poor man pays twice".) &nbsp;In addition, you often have to spend lots of time and effort just to save money, which could have gone into time making money in the first place (thus, you really don't save much time if you are frugal.)

 

[caseyc]

How old are you?&nbsp; <br><br>As you get older, you will realize that repair costs get quite expensive on an annual basis, especially if your vehicle gets older past 10 years.&nbsp; Even my primary vehicle, a BMW 325ci convertible which is quite reliable still requires minor fixes that costs thousands of dollars every year.&nbsp; I don't expect any different from my Ford van versus my Bimmer. My friend's Porsche Boxster also requires thousands annually for minor maintenance repairs.&nbsp; So even German precision engineering&nbsp;is still&nbsp;rather expensive for regular upkeep.&nbsp; Even recently my GF's 2000 Honda Civic sedan&nbsp;started showing numerous signs of&nbsp;minor breakdowns that will costs thousands for repairs (ie: new catalytic converter, engine stuff, etc)&nbsp; This is a fact of vehicle ownership whether it's a Ford, BMW, Porsche, or a Honda.&nbsp;You will need to start&nbsp;a separate savings account&nbsp;just for annual maintenance for your vehicle(s).&nbsp; Just&nbsp;friendly&nbsp;advice.&nbsp; I learned the hard way myself.&nbsp; BTW: I don't have good vehicle karma myself, unfortunately.&nbsp;&nbsp;:-(<br><br>&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

When I was on my Van hunt in '01, I did not have a huge area to choose from. &nbsp;I was just looking in local paper. &nbsp;When mine came up, I went and looked at it. &nbsp;The hood was rusty, the paint flaking badly everywhere.<br><br>On the test drive I flogged it. &nbsp;Gunned it from every redlight, braked hard at the last second, and took it up to 90 on the freeway. &nbsp;I saw no drips under the vehicle, the oil didn't stink of gas, and I figured I could deal with any problems as they arose. I talked the price down 800$, and the family was teary eyed in the bank when we transferred ownership, told me to take care of her.<br><br>I made some minor interior modifications, treated the worst hood rust, drove it to California, and within 2 months was being given a 5 fingered prostate exam by a transmission shop in Santa Barbara that cost nearly as much as the van.<br><br>Shite happens. &nbsp;You wanted the perfect vehicle and expected a bargain. &nbsp;You depended on a mechanics word. &nbsp;Are mechanics some paragon of virtue?<br><br>Ball joints and tires......These are normal wear items. <br>&nbsp;You got off lucky.<br><br><br>

 

[RAILROADGREEN]

hey citytravelfoto, i.m.o. bob should of call this form (cheaper rv living)instead of (cheap rv living). because i&nbsp; don't see anything cheap about rv living, again j.m.o.!!!&nbsp; &nbsp;for example , your rig should be payed for, you own it. lets say you pay $5,000&nbsp; for your rig. and&nbsp;you should have a least $5,000 in a bank acount for emergency.now you need to outfit your rig, you know like solar, genset,batterys ,the list&nbsp;goes on,let say aother $3,000 easy i.m.o . you have now spent&nbsp; $13,000 for about the cheapness rv living&nbsp;i can think of just to get you started. and a minimum of a $1,000 a month to live on.and now you can live in the drit by the side of the road !!! &nbsp;in some beater you pick up for&nbsp;$5,000. wow!!!&nbsp; gary&nbsp;&nbsp;

 

[caseyc]

Maybe there&nbsp;should be a qualifier/disclaimer that reads: "initial start up cost&nbsp;striving&nbsp;for cheap&nbsp;RV living may be steep, but thereafter is do-able"&nbsp; )

 

[cyndi]

CTF, I am sorry about the problems you've had with the van. Also about some of the completely unsupportive posts, here.<br><br>I looked for a long time... at least 7 years for my rig. Thought I got a good deal, and actually I did. I paid $4200 for the rig. That included 6 brand new tires ($1500) a brand new awning ($900) 2 new batteries ($140) a brand new flat screen TV ($300) and a brand new DVD player ($100). The rig's hoses, belts and everything else had just been changed out.&nbsp;I figured I was going to put $4000 into it, including solar. I&nbsp;had&nbsp;the mods done,&nbsp;had a mechanic/RV tech&nbsp;go through&nbsp;the whole rig, mechanical systems, plumbing, electric, generator...&nbsp;EVERTHING&nbsp;&nbsp;and had the generator tuned up. Left my home with what I thought was enough money to handle any emergencies. Not 100 miles from home I had transmission problems, electrical problems, engine problems that ate most of my savings. And I underbudgeted on my solar. Alos discovered a couple of big leaks in the roof that up until that time had been fine.<br><br>Turns out I had been scammed left and right.<br><br>I had awesome help at the RTR (forever grateful to those who saved me! xoxoxoxo)<br><br>Instead of 4 grand it cost me 7 to get her road worthy.with a little, ok a ton of help, from my friends, I just keep moving forward.<br><br>We can never have enough money in the bank, vehicles break down.<br><br>It's the nature of the beast.<br><br>Just keep moving forward. You'll get there. It won't always beeasy. It won't always be fun. But, itwill be worth all the aggravation.<br><br>

 

[idn88]

<a style="color: #000000; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" href="/profile/1976737" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">citytravelfotos</a>, I think your taking this whole experience the wrong way. &nbsp;Look at the positives. &nbsp;You have your van that presumably you like, you know the ball joints and tires are good, and it cost a whole lot less than the 35K a new one would cost, and you learned a bunch along the way. &nbsp;It probably looks really crappy now. &nbsp;A couple years from now - you'll look back, laugh, and wonder why you were so stressed out.<br><br>Yes, old vehicles cost a lot to maintain. &nbsp;New ones cost a lot to buy. &nbsp;Vehicles cost a lot. &nbsp;The price of freedom and well worth it to most on this board.

 

[Ballenxj]

^^ I agree with idn88. ^^ <br>CityTravelFotos, I hope you're not too discouraged at this point. Sure, You had a large outlay of cash in the beginning, but now that you have this behind you, things should become much easier. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="emoticon bbc_img"> <br>-Bruce

 

[Stargazer]

CityTF,

I hear ya, friend. I, too, read where everybody EXCEPT me, paid next to nothing for a huge perfect van that gets fantastic mpg. I certainly wasn't able to find anything near what I read about. So I paid w-a-y more for my van, and have since replaced so many things, I forget most of them. Sometimes I think the truth is...somewhere else. Can't decide if I was stupid to buy this van or to believe everything I read on the Internet. Maybe both. But it's what I have and I do like it.

I think people try to present this lifestyle in the most positive light, which is admirable. But I also know, from years of camping, that it isn't always roses and lilacs. It gets too cold, too hot, too windy. Your back/knees hurt sometimes from crawling around or climbing in and out. Your hair gets greasy and stringy and it's a lot of work to heat water (assuming you can spare that much) and wash. Same with dishes. Food storage can be tricky. Your eating patterns will be different.

In a sticks/bricks, you may have all the amenities you desire(easy, unlimited electricity, hot water, a microwave with real power, entertainment out the wazoo), yet you still have the maintenance of all of that. And neighbors. And all the S/B headaches.

But...if you're willing to face all that, it's sooo worth it for some. I think people come here and read about all the great things that mobile living has to offer, they want that perfect escape from the hassles of daily living. Who can blame them? It's just that mobile dwelling has it's own headaches that we don't often mention because we are happy with the trade offs. Others may not, once they give this a try. We make it sound so easy, huh?

As I write this (from my phone), I'm looking across the nearly empty state park, the weather is perfect, the lake sparkles in the sun. The wildflowers are just blooming. My little dog and I went for a lovely walk and she waded in the lake. I will cook a simple supper, and go to bed at dark thirty. Maybe read a little. And in the morning, it'll be chilly and I'll have to wait for my coffee since there is no auto feature on a propane stove. And no warm bathroom with instant hot water to wash. It's okay. Because look how that lake sparkles in the sunlight!