Van buying locations?

[Vagabound]

Hi all,

Although I'm typically quite private, I'm going to turn over a new leaf here and throw out some personal details in hopes of getting some assistance with this question. Bit out of my comfort zone.

I'm pretty new in the forums.  Planning to buy a van soon.  Not sure which yet, but leaning toward an extended Chevy cargo van.  Probably not diesel.  

I need to start with some background.  I'm overseas at present.  Planning on returning to the U.S. soon.  I have the flexibility of choosing my state of residence, and also where I go to buy the van.  If they turn out to be the same, great.  I'm not going anywhere particularly cold.  Though I have spent some time in these places or driven through, I've been scoping out the southwest states online in more detail.  Usual suspects (NV, AZ, NM, etc) for both purposes.  I'll skip the residency questions.  I'm working on that.

However, I'm trying hard to make a short list of best cities to use to buy a van.  My thinking is that I'd like to avoid the coast and high-altitude cities in order to avoid problems with salt, corrosion, etc.  I'd like to avoid LA just because it's LA, and probably CA in general for these purposes.  I'd like to buy in a city with a larger population so that I get a larger selection.  That means that I'm beginning to narrow down the likely sources:  Las Vegas, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and possibly Portland.  Need to keep the van cost down, to conserve resources for the build-out and living expenses until I get more established somewhere.

My plan is to fly in, find a convenient place to sleep, find a van, buy it, and start the build-out immediately and full-time.  Once it is finished enough, move out of my temp lodgings (whatever that is) and into the van.  Switch residency and drivers license, etc.  Continue with the build-out.

Questions:

1.  Do any of those cities above seem to be a better prospect than the others?  Somewhere else?  Any have great sources of past fleet vehicles, etc? Are any of those cities a bad hunting ground?

2.  Any advice on the plan in general?

3.  Other major considerations?

Thanks for your time and suggestions,

Vagabound

 

[cyndi]

When I was in the southwest, living in the Kingman, AZ area I looked at all of AZ and Las Vegas on craiglist.

the vehicles are rust free, and there's little to no flooding and less expensive; especially rural AZ. The biggest problem is the travel time. I went to look at a few, an hour or more away, and they were gone before I got there. I had given the seller my # and let them know I was traveling some distance, hoping they'd call. But, that didn't happen.

I finally purchased my Class C in Bullhead City, which is included in the Mohave County craigslist region

 

[WheelEstate USA]

In Az, long vans are used for all kinds of shuttles all over the place so there are lots of used deals.
As Cyndi said, they go quickly.
Sometimes almost seems like every other van we see is dweller rig.

 

[Almost There]

In Az, long vans are used for all kinds of shuttles all over the place so there are lots of used deals.

If you're buying a van that was used as a shuttle, be careful as to which company was using it.

I watched the clouds of dust several times a day from a shuttle for a spa/retreat that was picking people up from the airport and taking them back.

The road in to the spa was 10 miles of some of the bumpiest desert BLM road I had ever been on. I nursed my van through 6 1/2 miles of it and it took me an hour. Those shuttles were doing the full 10 miles in half that time.

I wouldn't touch one of their vehicles if they paid me...the suspension would be torn to bits!

An in town hotel shuttle is one thing, those puppies were road hard and put away wet...

 

[WheelEstate USA]

No doubt, ya gotta check the van top to bottom, as with anything you'd buy
  Ours was an employee shuttle, fleet mantained and wasn't all beat to death. I think we got a great deal on a van that was serviced, tuned, all new brakes, and a new set of tires.
2 1/2 years in and still more than pleased.
It took some looking and lots of walking away.

 

[mikEXpat]

Hey Vagabond,

I'm going to be doing exactly what you're talking about. I watch Craigslist for vans all the time from Southern California to New Mexico. Lots of Fords available but the Chevy's just don't pop up as often. Gee I wonder why. I'm thinking to buy a cheap car to sleep in in the beginning, buy a van, sell the car. Hopefully I can arrive around RTR time.

Another thing I'm thinking about is buying the van in the state I wish to set up residence, like you mentioned. I'm going to post a new thread that talks more about this. I'm thinking Nevada. I've seen vans up for sale. But like people are saying, the drive to see them would be long. Worth a shot maybe. Good luck.

 

[TrainChaser]

"I'm thinking to buy a cheap car to sleep in in the beginning, buy a van, sell the car."

That's a better idea.  As long as you have some wheels, you will be less desperate to find something quickly and make a bad decision.

Big cities offer more vehicles, but there is also more competition (with more money in hand) for them.  A medium city might offer more in the way of real deals if you can take your time.  

Eleven states* issue salvage titles for previously stolen and recovered vehicles.  If I understand correctly, in some states, ins. cos. have to pay the owner within a set period of time for stolen vehicles (I think OR is 2 wks).  If the vehicle is recovered after the insurance company has paid the owner, the ins. co is the new owner, slap a 'salvage' title on it (even when some kids stole it for a joyride and there is no damage).  Most people see the word 'salvage' and think 'damaged' when, sometimes, they're not (or the damage is superficial).  If you can find out if a vehicle was designated as salvage due to theft, it would be VERY useful information!

* Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma and Oregon. Stolen vehicles are often considered a low risk purchase.   https://www.autoauctionmall.com/learning-center/what-are-the-most-salvage-car-friendly-states/

Info on handling of damaged vehicles in Oregon:
Damaged vehicles in Oregon:  https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/pages/vehicle/damage.aspx

Arizona salvage vehicles:  https://azdot.gov/mvd/faq/vehicle-services/vehicle-inspections-and-salvage-vehicles

New Mexico stolen vehicles are a little different - Go down to 'Salvage-titled stolen vehicles later recovered':  http://mvd.newmexico.gov/vehicle-procedures-manual.aspx?1f7fcb5548ee4e17a47ff4e27e571a01blogPostId=b067ae1065144e93b9e7245574dcb075#/8r

And remember the Rule of Three:
* Get it checked by a good mechanic,
* Get it checked by a good mechanic, and
* Get it checked by a good mechanic.

 

[Vagabound]

Hey Vagabond, 
...

I'm thinking to buy a cheap car to sleep in in the beginning, buy a van, sell the car. 

Hey Mike,

Interesting to see that you're thinking along similar lines.  Thanks for the idea about the cheap car first.  I agree that might be better.  Need to give that more thought.  Don't want to sink money into something that I can't sell easily later.  

VagaboUnd 
[there's already someone else here with the name "Vagabond"]

 

[Vagabound]

"I'm thinking to buy a cheap car to sleep in in the beginning, buy a van, sell the car."

That's a better idea.  As long as you have some wheels, you will be less desperate to find something quickly and make a bad decision.

...

A medium city might offer more in the way of real deals if you can take your time.  
...

Stolen vehicles are often considered a low risk purchase.   

TC,

All excellent points, especially desperation/bad van decision.  Thanks.

Cheap car:  I wonder what the current equivalent of the 60s-70s fake-wood, panel-sided station wagon is?  Probably the mini-van.  Not a high demand item, so price often low, but spacey enough for temp use and pretty easy to flip at a low price.  Hmmm.

Salvage:
* Do vehicles once given a salvage title always keep that type of title or is there some process for repairing any damage and then getting it redone with a normal title?  Not sure if this is even something to worry about, but it dawns on me that a normal title might help to resell.

* Does a salvage title really affect anything, such as eligibility for insurance, etc?

Vagabound

 

[drysailor]

Hi all,

Although I'm typically quite private, I'm going to turn over a new leaf here and throw out some personal details in hopes of getting some assistance with this question.  Bit out of my comfort zone.

I'm pretty new in the forums.  Planning to buy a van soon.  Not sure which yet, but leaning toward an extended Chevy cargo van.  Probably not diesel.  


My plan is to fly in, find a convenient place to sleep, find a van, buy it, and start the build-out immediately and full-time.  Once it is finished enough, move out of my temp lodgings (whatever that is) and into the van.  Switch residency and drivers license, etc.  Continue with the build-out.

Vagabound

One consideration should be tax & licensing. In Cal, you'll pay 10% of the purchase price for T & L. Most of the bigger metro areas, (ie Vegas, Phoenix, SFBay, etc) seem to have dealers that specialize in smaller commercial vehicles - vans, stepvans, sometimes busses. Cal also has a more onerous smog check program than most other places.
You might start watching Craigslist, cars.com,  & some of the big auto-related sites; you'll often find the same dealers posting quite a lot of vans, and can then concentrate on those dealers' individual sites.

 

[highdesertranger]

in California once it's a salvage title it's always a salvage title. some insurance companies will not insure a salvage titled vehicle. highdesertranger

 

[Vagabound]

One consideration should be tax & licensing. In Cal, you'll pay 10% of the purchase price for T & L. Most of the bigger metro areas, (ie Vegas, Phoenix, SFBay, etc) seem to have dealers that specialize in smaller commercial vehicles - vans, stepvans, sometimes busses. Cal also has a more onerous smog check program than most other places.
You might start watching Craigslist, cars.com,  & some of the big auto-related sites; you'll often find the same dealers posting quite a lot of vans, and can then concentrate on those dealers' individual sites.

After a couple of initial posts, this thread was only visited by crickets and me for a while, but now, some good posts.  Things are looking up!

drysailor:  Thanks for highlighting the T&L issue.  It was in the back of my mind.  So far, I had "solved" it by considering buying the van in a big populated area, and then fleeing to go register it somewhere in the boonies without smog checks (with residency in same said boonies).  Taking advantage of county-to-county differences, etc.

Build-out spots:  Generally speaking, what's the best plan for those lacking a home base from which to start?  Just go to some free place during the day to work on the build-out (Home Depot parking lot), or find a mini-storage place and rent something small that allows access and maybe other benefits, or ???

Phoenix:  I'm not sold on it, but I am focusing on / investigating Phoenix online at the moment.  If anyone with Phoenix experience wants to jump in here, I'd be happy to hear some pros and cons.  Not for residence, but as a temp base to get a van, maybe easy temp/short term work possibilities, good places to work on a van during build-out, areas to avoid, etc.  

Thanks,

Vagabound

 

[TrainChaser]

Vagabound, you should call or visit a vehicle licensing office and ask those questions. The answers may vary by state.

 

[Awntehloose]

Sales tax on cars in Alabama is 3.75% iirc. It is minivan and SUV heaven if you want to grab a flip car while you hunt for another. No emissions either. Also, Tennessee and the surrounding Huntsville, AL areas are where I am finding all the best vans on Craig's list in the south right now. Many conversion vans slipped though my fingers and just remember churches here in the Bible Belt sell aging vans and there is no shortage of churches here. Food for thought.

 

[Vagabound]

Sales tax on cars in Alabama is 3.75% iirc. It is minivan and SUV heaven if you want to grab a flip car while you hunt for another. No emissions either. Also, Tennessee and the surrounding Huntsville, AL areas are where I am finding all the best vans on Craig's list in the south right now. Many conversion vans slipped though my fingers and just remember churches here in the Bible Belt sell aging vans and there is no shortage of churches here. Food for thought.

Although I'm leaning towards the SW, I'm still waffling between that and FL.  So your info is very useful.  Thanks.

Among the other 1,682 things floating around in my head about vandwelling, there is the desire to avoid buying a flood damaged vehicle (openly identified or not).  Recently, the bad weather surely must have created a lot more of those in the SE ... Louisiana and likely Florida, too.

Vagabound

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Ohio, Kentucky, and I think Tennessee, have all had recent flooding too with photos of cars in the water.

 

[becida]

Buy a van, title & such gets you every time you buy something.
www.searchtempest.com is a good way to search an entire area

 

[akrvbob]

I've got a series of videos on choosing a state, getting an address and DL and other things. Find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgEeVq3D93RuUtQfe4TZcTbvwBWtL7R90

Bob

 

[TrainChaser]

Google 'how to identify a flood-damaged vehicle' -- there's quite a bit of info out there.

 

[Vagabound]

(bump)

No one out there with good knowledge about Phoenix?

Right part of town for decent, but less expensive hotel? Parts of town that tend to show up on the police blotter a lot? Good local sources of vehicles (other than Craigslist)? Name of a good mechanic I could trust to look over a new vehicle before I buy it?

Vagabound