Fearnoevil
Well-known member
So there's this idea that's been floating around in the back of my mind for a while now. It ties together several threads of interest ranging from tiny homes to permaculture, from living a carefree existence, off the grid (and no more working for the man) to my concerns about global climate change and the necessity of finding a place to hunker down to weather out the coming apocalypse, lol.
As one option, I had considered the gypsy way of life, once or twice in the past, yet there was always a certain connotation, in my own mind, equating such a lifestyle with somehow having failed at whatever it is I thought I was supposed to do in life. I suppose that's not uncommon, although I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it's ingrained in our culture, the American dream complete with the McMansion, 2.5 kids (or was it 3.5, I don't remember ;?), a timeshare in Hawaii maybe and retired by 65 (and often dead by 70, eek).:dodgy:
But then my life has been so far removed from that reality that I just never got close to it, and while I pursued a dozen other paths and dreams, that original idea often returned to nag and haunt me, often leaving me feeling guilty as if I was neglecting some duty or personal responsibility. Hell I still sometimes wonder what my life would've been like if I'd only "applied" myself, and stuck with one career, been a better father, a better husband, a better fill-in-the-blank, lol. It's certainly true that there is nothing worse in life than regrets ("I coulda been a contender" ;?), so it goes. But I digress, lol, sorry about the ramble.:blush:
Most recently these ideas have coalesced, sort of condensed into a sharp, clear image that's now beginning to make sense, especially because it coincides with a point in my life where I've made some important decisions about what I want to do with the rest of my life (and it only took fifty-some years to get there, lol). Funny thing is, I can see that this is where I probably should have been a long time ago <sigh> just couldn't kick that old recording (yeah, it's still playing, just more faintly and receding into the distance with time).
Anywho, to cut to the chase, that's what brings me here. I've decided that the first leg of my new life journey will be to build myself a sanctuary on wheels, an RV, but one with more emphasis on residential than recreational. Truthfully, up until a month ago I was planning on building a tiny house, I'm sure you're all familiar with that term. I've read all the books, got plans and everything, but when I really examined what it is I actually NEEDED to get going, it struck me that an RV is what I really need right now.
First I knew that I wanted to build it myself and after a lot of research (think I logged close to 60 hrs online in 2 weeks :-/) I knew that some kind of bus was the way to go. Then, as often happens in my life, things moved rather quickly from there - I REALLY had planned to take a LOT of time looking for just the right vehicle because I needed to find a great deal to fit in with my planned budget. But on the 2nd day of searching Craigslist I spotted this transit bus that sounded too good to be true. A 2004 Ford E450 V-10 city transit bus , in great condition the ad said, for just $3000. Downside, it was in Des Moines, about 125 miles away, but it happened to be a Sunday so I figured I had better go check it out before someone else scarfed it up.
For that price I wasn't expecting much, but to my surprise it was just as advertised, at least to my rather untrained eye. The mechanics seem solid - the engine starts and runs very smooth, automatic transmission shifts nicely, even has a bit of pep, and everything works (with the exception of the rear AC unit and needing a new battery for the wheel chair lift). No leaks, no smoke at all, and the chasis is in really good shape although there's a bit of rust. The body is in good shape for the most part, just a couple of small cracks in the rear and side, but there does appear to be quite a bit of delaminating going on as the sides are kinda ripply looking. But all in all I figure nothing that can't be fixed (I hope, lol), so I gave him $100 bucks to hold it till I could come get it the next weekend (and con some poor soul into coming with, heh).
Then to my great surprise, the guy calls Tuesday and says he's willing to BRING THE BUS TO ME!!! He needs the cash and he has to get it off the street due to complaints from some finicky neighbors (well he did have like 5 other cars in his drive and street :angel. So that was like icing on the cake, lol, and sure enough it arrived the following day having made the trip without a hitch, SWEET!!! And although he didn't ask I even gave him $80 for the gas and his time, I was so psyched ;?D And so now she's sitting at the back of my property, kind of a blank slate just waiting for me to give her a makeover. Can't wait
Oh, I suppose after all this, you are expecting pictures?
Well happy to oblige, lol, here you go, and any and all thoughts and opinions are welcome btw ;?D
Hmmm, seems I can only post 5 pics per post?
Well here's the rest ;?D
As one option, I had considered the gypsy way of life, once or twice in the past, yet there was always a certain connotation, in my own mind, equating such a lifestyle with somehow having failed at whatever it is I thought I was supposed to do in life. I suppose that's not uncommon, although I can't speak for anyone else, but I think it's ingrained in our culture, the American dream complete with the McMansion, 2.5 kids (or was it 3.5, I don't remember ;?), a timeshare in Hawaii maybe and retired by 65 (and often dead by 70, eek).:dodgy:
But then my life has been so far removed from that reality that I just never got close to it, and while I pursued a dozen other paths and dreams, that original idea often returned to nag and haunt me, often leaving me feeling guilty as if I was neglecting some duty or personal responsibility. Hell I still sometimes wonder what my life would've been like if I'd only "applied" myself, and stuck with one career, been a better father, a better husband, a better fill-in-the-blank, lol. It's certainly true that there is nothing worse in life than regrets ("I coulda been a contender" ;?), so it goes. But I digress, lol, sorry about the ramble.:blush:
Most recently these ideas have coalesced, sort of condensed into a sharp, clear image that's now beginning to make sense, especially because it coincides with a point in my life where I've made some important decisions about what I want to do with the rest of my life (and it only took fifty-some years to get there, lol). Funny thing is, I can see that this is where I probably should have been a long time ago <sigh> just couldn't kick that old recording (yeah, it's still playing, just more faintly and receding into the distance with time).
Anywho, to cut to the chase, that's what brings me here. I've decided that the first leg of my new life journey will be to build myself a sanctuary on wheels, an RV, but one with more emphasis on residential than recreational. Truthfully, up until a month ago I was planning on building a tiny house, I'm sure you're all familiar with that term. I've read all the books, got plans and everything, but when I really examined what it is I actually NEEDED to get going, it struck me that an RV is what I really need right now.
First I knew that I wanted to build it myself and after a lot of research (think I logged close to 60 hrs online in 2 weeks :-/) I knew that some kind of bus was the way to go. Then, as often happens in my life, things moved rather quickly from there - I REALLY had planned to take a LOT of time looking for just the right vehicle because I needed to find a great deal to fit in with my planned budget. But on the 2nd day of searching Craigslist I spotted this transit bus that sounded too good to be true. A 2004 Ford E450 V-10 city transit bus , in great condition the ad said, for just $3000. Downside, it was in Des Moines, about 125 miles away, but it happened to be a Sunday so I figured I had better go check it out before someone else scarfed it up.
For that price I wasn't expecting much, but to my surprise it was just as advertised, at least to my rather untrained eye. The mechanics seem solid - the engine starts and runs very smooth, automatic transmission shifts nicely, even has a bit of pep, and everything works (with the exception of the rear AC unit and needing a new battery for the wheel chair lift). No leaks, no smoke at all, and the chasis is in really good shape although there's a bit of rust. The body is in good shape for the most part, just a couple of small cracks in the rear and side, but there does appear to be quite a bit of delaminating going on as the sides are kinda ripply looking. But all in all I figure nothing that can't be fixed (I hope, lol), so I gave him $100 bucks to hold it till I could come get it the next weekend (and con some poor soul into coming with, heh).
Then to my great surprise, the guy calls Tuesday and says he's willing to BRING THE BUS TO ME!!! He needs the cash and he has to get it off the street due to complaints from some finicky neighbors (well he did have like 5 other cars in his drive and street :angel
. So that was like icing on the cake, lol, and sure enough it arrived the following day having made the trip without a hitch, SWEET!!! And although he didn't ask I even gave him $80 for the gas and his time, I was so psyched ;?D And so now she's sitting at the back of my property, kind of a blank slate just waiting for me to give her a makeover. Can't wait Oh, I suppose after all this, you are expecting pictures?
Well happy to oblige, lol, here you go, and any and all thoughts and opinions are welcome btw ;?D
Hmmm, seems I can only post 5 pics per post?
Well here's the rest ;?D
