So I looked at a van today - YIKES!

[Queen]

My beloved wife, who has multiple advanced degrees and is scary smart, cannot put air in a bike tire. I tried for the first 20 years we were together to help her learn... once I realized she simply does not see the world through that lens, I let her be and I take care of things like that.

 

[B and C]

Guess you have to have an interest then. I dunno, he just doesn't get it.

 

[RoamerRV428]

people also do what they want and enjoy. mechanics hold 0 interest to me. I could care less and KNOW there is someone out there in this world that can handle it for me while I do my things

 

[sub2rainEN]

Congratulations on taking this step! It seemed to take me forever to see my first van, all the rigs I could afford in decent shape sold by the time I saw ads. I only ended up looking at 2. In the first, someone showed up with cash (I was waiting for a manual check from a virtual account to show up). It was a Falcon, similar to the one I bought. The second was on my short list of preferred rigs and I was surprised to find it under $15k, since I’m in CA and had only seen two under $10k and most over $20k. I paid $6500 for a 1990 Airstream B190.

(Although now this thread has me concerned about driving an older van, with no mechanical knowledge/experience).

Not sure if you’ve been looking long, but you’ll get to know the going rates in your area after a while...what you can get for how much. It’s great that you have time to research before buying. Wishing you the best of luck in your search!



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[eDJ_]

Back in my School Days I worked as a driver transporting repossessed vehicles from one point to another.  I learned something back then.

If you just sit back and wait.....you will see all kinds of GOOD deals come along.  But if you get into a hurry you'll 
likely make a bad purchasing decision.    The seller may realize you have a sense of urgency and take advantage of you.

Here in the Southern Ohio area there is an RV dealership run  by this circus barker of a woman who is always yelling in her TV commercials......"the kids are going to grow up and the price is going to go up". (thinking she is creating a "sellers market" for herself by provoking people to be sucked into her Big Giant Weekly Blowout RV Sales)  $8000 for a small popup tent camper sound like a deal ?  Not to me.

You may want to use your own social network at work or Church etc and ask if anyone has a vehicle like you are wanting to purchase.  Someone may say that they have one that they haven't used much lately and haven't really considered selling it,  but would show it to you and see if you could come to terms on it.   These are usually vehicles that are getting some use and would be in good shape. 

I purchased my present 90 Ford E 350 extended high top that was in occasional use at the time I got it.  I got it for 1/3 of the book price in 99.  I'm always being asked if I would consider selling it as those asking see me driving it occasionally 
and taking care of it.  Whomever would offer enough to make me consider selling it would for sure get a decent Van. But I have no interest right now in selling it.

 

[maki2]

Can clean the dirt off the rough inside surface of fiberglass be cleaned was a question asked by the OP.

Yes it can but it is difficult because as you scrub the loose fibers will make it an unpleasant chore as they will snag, drag, break off, etc. I doubt it could be gotten 100% clean without using a pressure washer or rinsing it with a hose with lots of running water. Both of those wash and rinse methods are fairly impractical to do inside of a van. You would need to remove the high top to do them. Or else do some type of a total waterproof tarping situtation where the water would only be directed out the doors of the van and onto the ground. It would of course be possible to do that but it will require careful taping of the tarp or plastic sheeting to make it work. Seems like a very poor choice to due to the risk of water damage in a conversion van that already has a finished interior.

Using a brush to scrub and an old towel that you can later toss in the trash to blot off the liquid will work best. You would still want to protect the walls and floor with plastic sheeting. You could rinse the towel out in a bucket but do not ever put it in a washing machine with a load of items you plan to wear or reuse as it will be the proverbial, itchy, torture, "hair shirt" forever after. Same reason you want to protect the finished surfaces inside the van with plastic sheeting to keep the glass fibers out of them. Getting all of those tiny loose fibers out of a washing machine or dryer is not going to be easy, so just stick to using a pile of old rags and then put them into the trash. Those blue shop towels also make good blotting fabric but that could get expensive on a big job.

I myself would opt to do a good vacuum cleaning of the surface and then apply a good quality sealing paint primer that works on "most" surfaces as well as sealing in stains and mildew. The products such as Kilz have some versions with those qualities in their product line. After that you can put a finish coat of paint on top.

Or you can just vacuum, apply an appropriate adhesive and cover it with some type of headliner material.

I have a vintage fiberglass trailer I am renovating. I have gone through the process of removing all the original indoor outdoor type of carpeting that was on the walls as it was full of mildew and mold. Then I had to remove the old adhesive from the ceiling area. That was done by hand sanding with very coarse sandpaper. But of course I had completely gutted the interior finishes so I could vacuum everything out. I did have to suit up and wear a respirator for this work. It was a real drag of a jog but that is simply what it takes when all you can afford is a fixer. Such things are never fun to do, it takes real fortitude and will power to get through them always keeping the goal of having a nice place to dwell in when the nightmare jobs are finished. DIY fixers are definitely not going to be easy or all fun to tackle.

 

[KroFlite]

also if you are not mechanically inclined you probably should stay away from older vehicles.  highdesertranger

This is so true.  It should be in big red letters at the heading of this forum.

 

[Kaylee]

I'm not ready for full time, and I have to test the waters before investing in something.

We need a Badge to give to every Newcomer who says things like that!
Yes, Yes, YES!!!
Test the waters first, before poring money into the lifestyle!


Back on topic:
If you've read some of my story, I bought a lovingly converted, very old van, which had two major engine problems (including a complete engine replacement) over my first two months.
During that period, I and others talked to over a dozen shops, trying to sort out the engine replacement, and within that area most refused to even quote the job.
A total of three shops have worked on it, and the first two made major blunders. Only the third/last shop had their stuff together.

So, yeah, it is high risk buying an older vehicle.

As others have said, take your time.
Do some fun, low stress, trial runs in your existing vehicle, and focus on learning the basics.
You'll enjoy it more, get a much more accurate feel for what you need/want, and have a lot less stress.