three year plan

[elementaal]

My husband and I love the idea of this life.  We presently own a home and have jobs,  but are both going to retire in three years.   We are researching vehicles and home bases to make the best fit.  We had been exploring  the idea of tiny houses, but a van outfited as a tiny mobile house works too.

 

[cyndi]

Welcome to the CRVL forums, elementaal! Lucky you! You have plenty of time to plan and decide what will work, for you. The members here will be happy to advise and enable.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Wabbit]

Hi Elementaal&Co and welcome! Best of luck to you both.

 

[ckelly78z]

Welcome to the forums and hope your plans come true.

A tiny home is cute, but impractical, expensive, and not really meant to be towed everywhere. A van/transit conversion is a true home on wheels...lots of info here.

 

[Gr8ful]

The just sold an ambulance on ebay no rust, looked mint, 38,000 actual miles with an IDI diesel Best diesel Ford ever used according to this
https://autowise.com/ford-diesel-engine-history/ No computer to fail, dependable, easy & cheap to repair. Low milage are hard to find, but you have time. Get one from a fire dept not an ambulace service. Watch Bobs video
Mines a '93 & I couldn't be happier. This is a $250,000 build with more storage than I can use so I'll take some out. Maintain by law & fireman take care of their equipment. Mine is no rust will never leak, best build on the road, has legal seating for 6 & I paid $2000 with 80,000 actual miles. Let me know if I can help but I've never talked to any ambulance owner that wasn't as exited as I am about them. Good Luck!

D. Later is Better: If you have a choice, select the newest-model Ford IDI you can find, with the ’93 to ’94 years being best. You’ll get a better glow plug controller (D), serpentine belt system, and the turbo engine comes with stronger connecting rods. The 7.3L is desired more than the 6.9L because it has larger, ½-inch head bolts instead of 7⁄16-inch versions.

 

[samiam2714]

Love the tiny house movement. I dont think its as mobile as a van. Welcome...

 

[MrNoodly]

You might spend the next three years occasionally renting various vehicular homes and going on trips. Annual vacations, long weekends, etc. That way you could get a better idea what would work for you. I say this because two people in a van can be tough on day-to-day living and on the relationship. As I've said before, of the couples I've known who were in vans or class B RVs, they've all either moved to something larger or they're no longer a couple.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Another thing to consider is a trailer towed by a van.
Gives you a more spacious area with the ability to detach and "van" it when so inclined.

Hope you enjoy the planning and learning portion of the journey as much as the physical journey.