Testing 'a month in the life' - need a rental van site!

CarCampire · Aug 27, 2016

Salutations!

I've been stalking forums for a while now and decided to dip my toes into this lifestyle but I need a bit of information and advise...

In the month of October, my lease rus out.

My goal is to rent a cargo van (chevy astro, Chevy 2500, ford 250-350; I'm looking for these vehicles in this order from most wanted to least desired for this experement) or similar for the month of October to test living In while I look for a new place.

I have a storage unit procured for my big items but I need something I can stealth boondock in and use to travel to and from work 9-5pm that doesn't scream "I'm living in a van".

Can anyone suggest a class B (I think that's what you call what I'm looking for) RENTAL website I can use to search for my desired test vehicles above?

I have a tight budget of $500 to rent a vehicle for the entire month of October so I'm looking to rent the vehicle by milage used rather than by night.

I will be traveling under 260miles that month (that's my calculation from work, to my local gym, laundry mat, grocery store, and some leverage for looking for apartments).

Sggestions appreciated! Thanks!

TMG51 · Aug 27, 2016

CarCampire said:
I have a tight budget of $500 to rent a vehicle for the entire month of October so I'm looking to rent the vehicle by milage used rather than by night.

I think you're gonna be out of luck with that budget. Especially if you want a class b and not just a cargo van to rent. Maybe try Craigslist and find someone with a class b sitting in their backyard, see if they wanna rent it for a month. Otherwise.... Try car camping in any car you have available, it will be a good experience.

CarCampire · Aug 27, 2016

Sorry - meant a regular van.
Like, no bed, used to transfer things back and forth, storage - cargo van. What are the class letters that mean it was a cargo van but then converted? That would be helpful for the future but I'm really looking for a regular cargo van. My mistake on wording.

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BradKW · Aug 27, 2016

Uhaul rents vans and box vans for $20/day and $0.80 - $1.10 per mile and I doubt you'll find a cheaper deal than that. So for $500 that gives you about 3 weeks of rental incl. mileage, but not insurance.

But consider that if all you have is $500, renting a van is a very short term answer that may leave you high and dry after a few weeks. And while van living can be a way to save money, if you're not set up with the basics it could actually cost you more that you'd normally spend on food and such...

https://www.uhaul.com/reservations/RatesTrucks.aspx

cyndi · Aug 28, 2016

CarCampire, welcome to the CRVL forums! I used to rent an enterprise van for $19/day. with no mileage and that was for *in-town* rentals only. That's still going to exceed your $500 budget. Are there rent a wrecks in your area? I don't know if they will have a van, but it maybe worth a try.

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.

eDJ_ · Aug 28, 2016

Welcome to the CRVL Forum

We've discussed this renting a $20 dollar a day Cargo Van from Uhaul here before.

My site below details the very basic Conversion of a Van for week end and vacation type
of get away camping or travel.

If you are going to use it to move your stuff into storage it would serve you well and then if
you wanted to set up a cot in it with a foam mattress you could do some travel camping, overnight
stays and even STEALTH camping.

All the best with what ever you decide to do.