New and Excited! Renovating camper.

mimaef · Jul 13, 2018

Hi there! My name's Michele, I'm 29, and a Mortuary Science student.

I've been planning mobile living for a little over a year now, but had a hard time saving until just recently when the kindness of some strangers gifted me a used vintage camper. Here she is, pre-renovating!

She has a lot of work that needs to be done (exterior walls need to be replaced, new door, a window, interior needs to be done and new insulation put in), but I'm super excited to get to work on her. I have no idea what she is, all of her paperwork is gone and no identifying marks are left. But she's sturdy and she's mine!

I'm looking to start officially living in the camper by the summer and utilizing it to save money while I go to the expensive university. I'm really hoping these forums can help with the solar setup too, saving some money on that so i can go totally off-grid sooner rather than later. Saw some really great videos on CheapRVLiving and got the wheels turning in my head. Also looking to network, particularly in the Michigan area, since that's where I'll have to be in the fall/winter months for university (the opposite of what most people do I know, haha.)

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Moxadox · Jul 13, 2018

Congratulations on your new-to-you camper! Did the previous owners provide you with a clean title, signed over to you, so you can register it? I ask because someone once gifted me an old horse trailer, but they had got it from someone else, who got it from someone ELSE, and nobody had the title. Ended up rotting in my pasture because the state refused to accept an affidavit of lost title. So reading your story, I kind of flashed on that, and thought I'd ask.

The Dire Wolfess

mimaef · Jul 13, 2018

Moxadox said:
Ended up rotting in my pasture because the state refused to accept an affidavit of lost title.

Thank you! No they didn't because the camper has been passed around a few times between hands and got lost, but luckily in Michigan there is a way around that. It's called an Assembled Vehicle registration. Once I'm finished remodeling, I just need to take the camper to a weigh station to get a weight slip, then have it inspected by a police officer to make sure I have the break and visibility lights in the right places etc, then bring the form they fill out, slip and bill of sale to the Secretary of State. They issue a new VIN number once everything is in order.

Since I'm going to be remodeling so much of it utilizing used and reclaimed materials, it falls under the description in the law to a T!

Thank you for the worry, though. I initially had missed out on a few craigslist purchases in my price range for trailers because I didn't know about it in my state. I'm glad I did, though. Now I have more budget for solar, haha.

Cammalu · Jul 13, 2018

Michelle before you start tearing things out get some good pics of the interior. Join a vintage camper group on line and post pics. Someone will be able to help you identify your camper. The paint job makes it a little tougher to ID.

Tin Can Tourists comes to mind. You’ll also be able to get plenty of advice on the renovation.

Most of all - have fun!

highdesertranger · Jul 13, 2018

Welcome Michelle 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

mimaef · Jul 13, 2018

Cammalu said:
Tin Can Tourists

Thank you, I'll give it a try! It's already gutted partially by previous owners, but I think the cushions and a few other things inside are still original, so maybe there's some hope. I'll check them out and see if they can solve the mystery.