Dear Mr. Vantasy
Member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2015
- Messages
- 11
- Reaction score
- 0
Hey There Fellow Wanderers -
I’m back, and this time with a van!
Back in April I finally took the plunge and sold my most loyal SUV and bought a 1996 Ford E150 Turtle Top Weekender Class B with 110K.
I’ve named her Shelly. (Turtle Top..Shell…hehe)
She was quite a steal for the price, has a strong engine and trans, almost no rust,
and best of all she came with so many things that I had planned on outfitting a van with!
Rooftop AC
Kitchenette, hot plate, sink and water setup, microwave, 120/12v fridge
Shore power/House battery
Chemical toilet
Living/dining area with bench seats that fold into a bed
TV and VCR
The vent fan didn’t work but at least the hole was already there and made replacing it easier.
There is some type of heater that I haven’t really explored yet.
Didn’t even have to buy a Carbon Monoxide Detector, there’s one hard wired in.
She did need some attention to be road “worthi-er”: new front end, front brakes, pin hole in radiator patched, new light truck tires and spare, and a fuel filler neck tube.
I’ve customized her a bit. Removed some things I won’t use in favor of space. Pulled up her carpet and laid vinyl plank flooring. Livened up the kitchen with some paint and curtains. Installed some rain guards for the front windows and bought some mosquito netting.
She’s thrown a check engine light a couple of times, but it’s always resolved itself so far.
I tell ya it’s been quite a transition for my nerves to go from a low maintenance foreign SUV to a 19 year old van. At first I dreaded any light or gauge going off. My whole body would tense up and I was sure I had made a huge mistake buying this van. And then one day the Zen set in, and I became at peace with whatever might happen. This oversized, old, imperfect van was my vehicle now, and it was okay. And my whole being sighed in relief. I had been trying to control so hard for so long. I was finally being released from the death grip of the fear mongering consumerism driven society I so desperately wanted to distance myself from.
I took her on her maiden voyage to the UP of Michigan, slept right on the shores of Lake Superior.
So thank you to all of the car/van dwelling, RV’ing, Facebooking, YouTubing, documentary making, blogging, commenting, road warriors for all of the info I have gleaned over the last two years. Thank you for keeping the dream alive. I may have to dwell closer to home for the time being, but I’m so looking forward to being a part of this community!
Happy trails,
Christine
(DMV)
I’m back, and this time with a van!
Back in April I finally took the plunge and sold my most loyal SUV and bought a 1996 Ford E150 Turtle Top Weekender Class B with 110K.
I’ve named her Shelly. (Turtle Top..Shell…hehe)
She was quite a steal for the price, has a strong engine and trans, almost no rust,
and best of all she came with so many things that I had planned on outfitting a van with!
Rooftop AC
Kitchenette, hot plate, sink and water setup, microwave, 120/12v fridge
Shore power/House battery
Chemical toilet
Living/dining area with bench seats that fold into a bed
TV and VCR
The vent fan didn’t work but at least the hole was already there and made replacing it easier.
There is some type of heater that I haven’t really explored yet.
Didn’t even have to buy a Carbon Monoxide Detector, there’s one hard wired in.
She did need some attention to be road “worthi-er”: new front end, front brakes, pin hole in radiator patched, new light truck tires and spare, and a fuel filler neck tube.
I’ve customized her a bit. Removed some things I won’t use in favor of space. Pulled up her carpet and laid vinyl plank flooring. Livened up the kitchen with some paint and curtains. Installed some rain guards for the front windows and bought some mosquito netting.
She’s thrown a check engine light a couple of times, but it’s always resolved itself so far.
I tell ya it’s been quite a transition for my nerves to go from a low maintenance foreign SUV to a 19 year old van. At first I dreaded any light or gauge going off. My whole body would tense up and I was sure I had made a huge mistake buying this van. And then one day the Zen set in, and I became at peace with whatever might happen. This oversized, old, imperfect van was my vehicle now, and it was okay. And my whole being sighed in relief. I had been trying to control so hard for so long. I was finally being released from the death grip of the fear mongering consumerism driven society I so desperately wanted to distance myself from.
I took her on her maiden voyage to the UP of Michigan, slept right on the shores of Lake Superior.
So thank you to all of the car/van dwelling, RV’ing, Facebooking, YouTubing, documentary making, blogging, commenting, road warriors for all of the info I have gleaned over the last two years. Thank you for keeping the dream alive. I may have to dwell closer to home for the time being, but I’m so looking forward to being a part of this community!
Happy trails,
Christine
(DMV)
