Right time for a van?

[DigitalDweller]

I've ran into a bit of a road block here. I'm a recently unemployed guy with no credit history and I'm in desperate need of a vehicle. 

With roughly ~$12K in savings I was hoping to bypass the need to finance a van and buy one with cash, and seeing as I can't get any reasonable loans, that's probably how this is going to turn out. Now I can't go and spend all I've got as I need some cash to stay afloat until I find a job and get settled. On top of that I'm likely to get hit for a couple of thousand in repairs seeing as I'm aiming for a $5~7K van and a lot of them seen to be close to the end of their lifecyles and will face expensive repairs.

Seeing as financing isn't very possible as of now and seeing as these savings are all that's going to hold me over until I locate employment should I be considering a van in the first place? I was thinking about finding an older SUV or sedan and using it as home base until I've built enough credit and have enough saved up for a proper, reliable van. 

Regardless, there will always be a chance that whatever car I buy will break down on me a mile down road from the dealership and drain my wallet. 

The question I have is this:
Would I be better off spending less now on a borderline clunker SUV or sedan and holding off until I can finance a more reliable, newer van despite the likelihood that I will most definitely have to repair something or should I spend some more on a van with 200K+ miles and risk the chance that repairs may dissolve my savings and end my journey before it even begins?

 

[OutdoorFT]

this is my opinion and what I would do if I were in your shoes. You may not agree with it, but this is just my opinion and what I would feel comfortable doing.

If I could not find a van with low enough miles for 5 to 6k, I would look at SUVs. Ive camped in my moms 1997 Eddie Bauer edition explorer in the early 2000s. Doesn't have to be a Ford Explorer, but I come from a Ford family.

Depending on your timeline, you may find the right deal on a van. I dont know how tall you are, but if youre a tall guy, even a low top van may be really uncomfortable for longer periods of time. But, like I said...you may not be able to outfit an SUV in same fashion of as a van, you do get extra space that a sedan cant provide. Id do anything for a Ford Excursion without the high miles (what I looked at before my F350)

 

[John61CT]

Budget $5-6000 for a van, make **sure** to not skimp on your trusted inspection mechanic.

Don't spend a penny you don't have to on the vehicle or buildout, only basic survival plus safety and reliability issues. $1 per mile traveled PAYG into a separate kitty for inevitable service and repairs.

Get job(s) going, start saving as much as possible from the proceeds, stabilize things for at least six months, build credit ASAP.

Get your emergency reserves back up to at least $10,000, and only then start thinking about a more comfortable (but still slow and cheap) buildout, as opposed to looking at the option of a vehicle loan you now qualify for.

 

[steamjam1]

This is what I would do if I was in your shoes: (Been there.. sux bro. feel for ya)

Take the money, buy a set of tools from like Harbor Freight, and a cheap-o running van for $1000 or $1500 bux. An AAA card then use the tools to do whatever I needed to the van to keep it rolling. And then "run thin" AKA "Famine-mode"

 

[bullfrog]

Where are you living now? How much are you gonna spend doing what you are doing now? Is there work available near by and is there a spot to park the van if you get one. Urban or boondocking? Lots more information needed to make a good decision, start making lists and writing down your options. Ask lots of questions before you make a move. Seasonal jobs will soon be available at ski resorts but winter jobs in mild climates can be hard to find unless you have skills, do you?

 

[akrvbob]

$5000-$6000 should buy you a van with less than 150,000.

If you open your search up to include minivans, you'll greatly increase the number available. You'll have less room but should get better MPG and have better stealth, which could be very important to you since you'll probably need to work.

I'd encourage you to be open to getting all the help you can either public or private. I'd be trying to get food-stamps and going to food-banks and churches and anyone who would help you.

Keep every penny you possibly can in your pocket.

 

[DigitalDweller]

OutdoorFT: I'm definitely considering starting out in an SUV. I don't like the idea of sidelining it indefinitely when I end up getting a van build together later on, but then again I can trade it in as a down payment on the van when I can move forward with that purchase.

John61CT: I've been looking at this exactly how you're describing. I'm not looking to immediately pull together a monster build. Hell, I may not have standard amenities set in place a year down the road. I'm willing to be as frugal as necessary to keep my head above water. While I can control how much I spend, I find it unsettling that I may be stuck with a repair sinkhole that I can't foresee beyond what a pre-buy inspection happens to reveal.

steamjam1: I don't know why I like the idea of buying a clunker that runs and battling to keep it going. I have no mechanical or electrical experience but I am willing to pick up those skills early on since I planned on doing so eventually. Do you have any recommendations for older vans that are on the cheaper or easier side to maintain and repair?

 

[DigitalDweller]

bullfrog: As far as plans go, I'm considering landing a cheap rental and driving on down south for the winter, likely Nevada, Arizona, or Texas. I'd look for work down there and I've got little preference for what I'd be doing. I'm sad to say tha beggars can't be choosers.

Bob: Minivan dwelling has definitely captured my interest due to the availability and prices of the vehicles. As far as extra help goes, I have yet to research the kinds of free resources that are available and used by nomads. If there is a specific blog post of yours or a website that you could recommend for this kind of information I would be really grateful!

 

[breeze]

You might want to get quotes for used vehicles from Enterprise Car Rental for all types of vehicles. They will be pretty safe buys and excellent values from more popular models that I looked at. I don't know about van pricing, but minivans are as popular as cars. Risk is something you don't want now: or at any time really.

 

[John61CT]

John61CT: I've been looking at this exactly how you're describing. I'm not looking to immediately pull together a monster build. Hell, I may not have standard amenities set in place a year down the road. I'm willing to be as frugal as necessary to keep my head above water. While I can control how much I spend, I find it unsettling that I may be stuck with a repair sinkhole that I can't foresee beyond what a pre-buy inspection happens to reveal.

That's why keep $10K in a repairs/replace Emergency Fund. Current scarcity means let it drop for a while, to me $5-6K is worth it to minimize early headaches.

But then focus on rebuilding the Fund ASAP, keeping it untouchable.

I doubt a good SUV is actually much cheaper than the van, the van's what you want, if you get lucky the ER gets rebuilt within 6 months or a year without disaster, then you can invest in improvements and the buildout with a solid base.

Starting off with a wildcard van a year later, hassling with trade in, doubling search efforts, makes no sense to me.

 

[Gideon33w]

For that van budget you could buy mine already built. Higher miles but runs and drives well plus you dont have to spend more on a buildout. Will be reposting it soon if you are interested.

 

[vfourmax]

In many parts of the country you can find and buy mid '90's full size conversion vans in pretty decent shape fairly cheap for $3000.00 or less. Try to scour Craigslist and look for private owner sales with a lot of pictures and good description.
I would look for something that is new enough to for the A/C system to be designed from the factory to use a 134 coolant and would look for a Ford or Chevrolet and avoid Dodge as dodges were known for computer problems which is a part that can be hard to find for them today and also transmission failure which also are common on a Dodge and expensive to repair or replace.
One thing to remember the older conversion vans as far as everyday grocery getters are not as popular as they once were and if you find a decent van you will not usually have a lot of competition trying to purchase the vehicle.
In the right area of the country it is very possible to buy a decent van for reasonable money. Just takes some legwork and possibly looking at quite a few lemons before you find the peach.

 

[breeze]

To find any good vehicle on craigslist is 8 hours per day every few days (Friday's are a good time). I admit it's all there really is on the used market, but with all the reseller marketeers, bargains are gone within an hour tops when it hits the market in LA (lower CA): the largest market in the US I imagine. Smaller markets must be cruel to buyers if you don't have adequate research time. And if you don't have money in the hand, and trying to make a slick bargain, good luck.

Saved queries don't help, because all the marketeers have that automated, and they are professionals with programmer assistance. You have to look at 100% of the ads, because often people don't know how to set their ads up correctly. But that gives the small timers like me a chance to get a good deal. I sweat bullets getting the money in the last couple of months, and start looking. Then you see 3 vehicles that are a good deal, often are not there more than a day or less. It's painful, but if you are the first one to call, be polite, are ready, and have the cash: bingo! The Sellers don't want to screw around with all the riff-raff calling either: a win-win situation.

LA can offer a few deals to those who work consistently hard, but they have many more bombs that people are trying to get rich off of with lies, 20 year old photos, and leave ads posted for up to years. You can't half-A it and get anything above a 'bomb'. When you get a chance every few days to a couple of weeks, even before you get the money, it's good to practice or simulate the 8 hour 'routine' so when you get the money you will be ready to rock, imo anyway. ymmv. You are just looking for One vehicle!

 

[closeanuf]

I didn't see in your post where you live, but I look at the Boise Craigslist quite often and there are a lot of vans and minivans there.