Van or Car

[Journeytothewild]

Hey everyone,

I will be leaving my home on April 20th to start my travels. I’m having a dilemma and the more I think on it the more confused I get. 

I currently own a 2000 BMW 740 iL. It has 186,000 miles on it and is a small car. I recently came across a 1989 Ford Econoline 250 camper edition for only $2100. It’s in the process of conversion (insulation, subfloor, etc.). It has 60,000 miles but has a salvage title. The people who are selling it trusted the van enough for travel, saying that it starts and runs smoothly. It needs new battery and is leaking oil from a valve cover but that doesn’t affect my decision much. 

My current car gets 22 miles to the gallon and the van would get 11-13. I also have a bunny. I’d find someone to watch him if I go in my car but I’d be able to take him with me in the van. I’ll be checking the van out in person on Sunday. 

From what you know about the two vehicles, what best advice do you have as to what I should do?

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Journeytothewild to the CRVL forums! 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.

I moved your thread to the "Newcomers corner." I would pass on both of those and keep looking.

highdesertranger

 

[AMGS3]

I had a cousin who bought a car but hadn't realized it was a salvaged vehicle (due to inexperience and not asking the right questions) until the title she got in the mail was a salvaged title. Not only did it have mechanical issues but insuring it was a PITA. In fact, the many insurance companies she checked with kept telling her that it was uninsurable until it passed a Dept of Transportation inspection. This took a lot of money and almost 6 months to finally get it all legal. It was definitely a money pit of a deal for her.

There will be other opportunities. You don't have to take the first one.

BTW, welcome to the forum.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Journeytothewild]

Thank you both for your replies. I will keep looking are you able to suggest what type of vehicle I should look for?

 

[AMGS3]

As far as type of vehicle, that is a very personal thing specific to your needs and preferences.

If I were just starting out I would probably first read thru the different vehicle types forums (cars, vans, tt, etc) just to get a feel for the reasons that people choose those specific vehicle types. Why do those vehicles work (or not work, as the case may be) for those people?

I'd also be asking myself what my expectations are going in to this. Do I need stealth camping abilities? Some vehicles are easier to stealth camp in than others. Am I mostly going to be in towns or mostly boondocking or some of each? Do I need 4WD? Am I going to be traveling with the weather, or will I have to plan for extremes of heat and cold? What kind of budget do I have? Do I have a rainy day fund for when something disasterous happens?

I'd also be making a list of my daily/weekly needs and trying to figure out how to fit the things I need daily into the prospective vehicle I'm considering. This includes things like
-a bed/cot, (my thoughts are go with something comfortable and supportive enough that you're not going to hate it)
-space for water storage, (drinking, cooking, and hygiene)
-food storage,
-a plan for hygiene, (some people go with an nationwide gym membership for showers, or a portable shower tent setup, or just sponge baths with a basin of water, depends on your needs)
-a plan for taking care of toileting, (maybe just using public restrooms will work for you, but I'd suggest having something for an emergency toileting situation in case you are ever in one)
- a plan for addressing the requirements of earning a paycheck on the road (if you need access to WiFi, a charger for your laptop, etc... How are you going to do that? Many people turn to solar for their elect needs. Others just charge their devices at the library, etc)
-and a plan to address any medical needs you may have (be good to you, if you have medical needs - address them and plan for them. They won't disappear on the road.)

Cold food storage and a camping/backpacking stove of some kind are not strictly necessary, but they are nice if you have the room.

So, it really depends a lot on where you are planning to be and what your specific needs and preferences are. Some people can't live without a "real" shower, so they stay close enough to town to accommodate that need for themselves. Others can't live without crisp night air, a starry sky, and a soundtrack of little night critter songs to fall asleep to, so they follow their needs accordingly.

Good luck with your search.

~angie

Sent from my VS501 using Tapatalk

 

[Journeytothewild]

Thank you so much! I’ll be taking everything into consideration and do some research.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

A 740IL is a small car?
BMW's largest flagship?
Huh?

BTW, that valve cover that doesn't bother you...better look again at the job it is to fix it.
Remove that dog house and carefully peek @ the nightmare on top of that engine.
Then ask a shop for "book time" on doing the valve cover gaskets on that thing.

It's not a bad engine (302 or 351) but it will not get very good MPG. Everytime you have to fix it, you deal with spaghetti mess.
One of the most cumbersome situations to fix, especially in a van.
Hope you know how to repair your own well.

 

[StarliteRambler]

Maybe look at minivans?

 

[jacqueg]

From what you know about the two vehicles, what best advice do you have as to what I should do?

Neither of these vehicles sound like a good bet for lengthy nomadism to me. The van in particular is "too cheap" - sounds like a problem on wheels to me.

Watch videos. Lots of videos. Van dwellers, car dwellers, small RV dwellers, humongous RV dwellers, skoolie dwellers, Uhaul truck dwellers, ambulance dwellers, trailer dwellers - they're all out there, and they are all making videos. And they all have reasons for the choices they made. 

Also, if you have the cash, try renting for week-long trips. There is no such thing as the perfect vehicle, there's just the vehicle you prefer.