Another newbie, here, clogging up the works. Could be totally pie in the sky, but am thinking of taking off with my eighty-two year old husband who has some sort of gawdawful Parkinsonian thing, is in a good deal of pain, much of the time, and can be of little to no help on our journey. This has been the case for several years, and after a long conversation last night, he decided that he loves to see the country, and could be as (un)comfortable in a van as anywhere else. I don't know if this will even be possible or affordable. Anyway, I've been yearning to do this for a while, and have been haunting face book pages and Bob's (and others') youtube videos. Maybe something will come of it. If you, or someone you know, is doing this sort of thing on a low budget, speak up? Looking forward to reading and dreaming, if nothing else, although we're feeling pretty serious about this. Looking forward to possible discussions.
Options narrowing. Or expanding.
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Wabbit
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Hi Heron and welcome. Not sure what your definition of low budget is, but if you can find a class B or class C vehicle, all the work is pretty much done except adding solar if needed. Then work out the cost of camp grounds or boondocking. With camp grounds, plan your traveling around national parks CG's out west or Corp of Engineers CG's in midwest(haven't done east coast so not sure about that). If boondocking, restroom needs and water are good things to plan on having to deal with. Best of luck to you both.
Welcome to the CRVL forums heron! There are so many different options and choices and so many things to consider so please ask questions. We'll all try to answer them as best as we can. 
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.
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.
Wabbit said:
Thank you, Wabbit. When I was thinking of this for myself, at some faraway point, I was thinking pretty simple, but if we're both going, I think we're looking at, perhaps a Class B. There's a late eighties Chevy Travelcraft nearby, 87000 miles on it. It has dual wheels, and I suspect the mileage will be awful, but from the pictures, it looks like something Ed can get around in and be comfortable. We're going to look further at it. Rather larger than I'd like, but if it's best for him, it's all good. Lots of looking to do! And low budget is pretty low, I'm afraid. Maybe 15K for something just right. I know that's awfully low. Might not happen, but worth a shot!
heron said:
You can look here and you can set the filters, prices, and location to whatever suits you...
https://www.rvtrader.com/
To get you started, here is a search result that will give you a few to look at:
https://www.rvtrader.com/search-res...=8000:20000&sort=featured:asc&modelkeyword=1&
This one looks nice:
https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Wy.../listing/2001-Coach-House-PLATINUM-5000201084
tx2sturgis said:
Wow! My head's spinning! Any thoughts on how one would figure out if things are as advertised? Because I'd have to fly out and pick it up, and can't afford much of that! My thinking is to get the best, most reliable vehicle for what we have, and live cheaply after that. Thank you for that great start. So kind of you.
Well...first, just do some browsing..and on craigslist too. Look locally first, and that means probably within 250 miles or so...then expand your search if nothing looks good locally.
If you narrow down your search, to say 5 different possible vans, you can sign up for a VIN search service. That's so you can run a Carfax type report to see if there are any reports of accidents, salvage title, etc.
These days, you can always request a seller to do a short, private video walk-around, start it up, maybe drive it, run the generator, stuff like that. Then post it on youtube, facebook, skype, somewhere like that where you can watch it.
A phone call always helps...ask LOTS of questions! And decline to ANSWER any questions of a personal nature, unless they are relevant to the deal.....you are the one spending the money, not being interviewed. It's a business transaction.
If something sounds too good to be true, or you don't like the answers, keep looking!
If you narrow down your search, to say 5 different possible vans, you can sign up for a VIN search service. That's so you can run a Carfax type report to see if there are any reports of accidents, salvage title, etc.
These days, you can always request a seller to do a short, private video walk-around, start it up, maybe drive it, run the generator, stuff like that. Then post it on youtube, facebook, skype, somewhere like that where you can watch it.
A phone call always helps...ask LOTS of questions! And decline to ANSWER any questions of a personal nature, unless they are relevant to the deal.....you are the one spending the money, not being interviewed. It's a business transaction.
If something sounds too good to be true, or you don't like the answers, keep looking!
Thanks so much. I had limited my Craigslist search to 200 miles, with little luck, but from the looks of things, I have three to look at, all under 70K miles, all near one another, but 250+ miles away. Two dodges and a Rialta. One Dodge is an '88, one owner, always garaged, looks mint. No generator or AC, but that's OK. The other is a '97 with all the goodies, but don't know the details, yet. Same with the '95 Rialta. The Rialta scares me a bit, because of what I've read about their transmissions, but I do like not burning up all the gas on the planet with a v-8. So excited to go look at them all, and if I see the Rialta, I get to take the ferry across Lake Champlain from VT to NY! Again, I thank you for your input and for being a sounding board!
shadowmoss
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If you see something you like in another geographical area, you can ask on here if someone local to it can do an eye-on for you. I have offered that service on here a couple of times for the Phoenix/Mesa area. I don't make decisions, just give answers to any questions. No one has taken me up on it yet. I have bought 2 RV's, a Class C from craigslist that I had friends look over for me and watched what they looked for, and a Class A that kinda fell into my lap for a good deal so I sold the Class C for a little less than I paid for it after living in it 6 months.
I have bought 2 RV's, a Class C from craigslist that I had friends look over for me and watched what they looked for, and a Class A that kinda fell into my lap for a good deal so I sold the Class C for a little less than I paid for it after living in it 6 months.Heading for Vermont in the morning. Hope to be back with good news tomorrow night! I think my auld fella is feeling better already, just at the thought. We've spent too long feeling awful, waiting for the worst, hiding ourselves away from everything and everyone. Thank you all, for your helpful and encouraging input.
Maggie Flinn
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heron said:
Please be careful on Craigslist. I looked at a few that were really too good to be true RVs. They said they would have it delivered via eBay and to pay with some prepaid cards. If you can't actually meet with a person or it is such a good deal chances are it is too good to be true. Usually they will say they are forced to sell it because of a death or illness or divorce. Playing the sympathy card. Please be careful.
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duckwonder
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heron said:
Welcome Heron. I'm new too and got a Class B in May. I've been working on repairs since June. I love the van, but wish I would have found and visited the "Choosing the Right Vehicle" section of the Forums beforehand. In my experience, it's not quite the same as just buying a vehicle to drive around in as there are many considerations for the "coach" part of the vehicle as well. My suggestion would be to please take a little time to comb through some of those posts and reach out with your questions. Best to you and your husband.
Not having been part of a forum before, I somehow missed messages from duck wonder and Maggie Flinn. Sorry! I did drive over and look/listen/drive the vehicle. I wouldn't dare do otherwise. Motor sounds great, it drives very comfortably (200+ miles home), and so far, everything functions. Left to my own devices, I'd go considerably simpler, but Ed needs things to be at the right height, not a pain to get at, etc. Even so, it's going to be a challenge. I'm really pleased that I was able to get it cheaply enough that I have some wiggle room in the event something lets go, but so far, so good. Eds super master mechanic son will be going over it, as well. Making a few modifications, now. Thank you for good advice! Hope to be on the road by the end of October.
duckwonder
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heron said:
Sounds like your in good hands Heron, glad to hear. Hope you have an awesome time on the road!
