what can i get for 10k?

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

1990's hightop chevy van?
sprinter?
12mpg schoolbus with solar panels?
ideally id like to spend 7.5k and have 2.5k left for repairs and additional expenses

any idea where to find secure parking for one of these in an urban area? so i could park it somewhere and then ride a bicycle to work when i get a job some day??? or maybe park it somewhere in the stix and rent a room when i have a job? ive been pretty good at keeping expenses down and not working most of my life

ive spent years traveling out of a ford ranger + shell but i cant comfortably live out of it. i need to be able to stand up and cook in there! pooping in there would be nice too.

 

[bullfrog]

Make a two piece topper you can raise up to standing height when parked. tnttt.com can give you some ideas how to do it or get a pop up two room shower tent and screen room, save your money to keep your truck running and buy a bike rack. Follow the good weather and get a seasonal job with housing when you can't.

 

[youngbuckwithapickuptruck]

i forgot to mention i like to spend most of my time living in cities :0
pop up tent stuff wont really work for me.
also the bed of my ranger fits a small bed and piles of clothes and food stacked on the side. i can travel comfortably in it, but i cannot live comfortably with that little space

 

[bullfrog]

The need to stand up really limits your choices. We usually out west are able to make it work as there is usually public parks or land just outside of urban areas and we are used to driving distances for services. When I lived back east a regular van worked fine for me but I couldn't stand up and usually took advantage of Subway or Arby's cheap meals and deals so I kept a cooler but didn't cook inside the van. With a gym membership and a library card I had it made. I don't care for tall vans because of handling and maintenance so if it were me I would probably do an old box truck or panel van. Once you are in anything bigger than a van there is little chance of not being noticed and even those you are better off staying where it is legal and you are welcomed. I've only had one instance of "getting the knock" and even then I was legally parked. It is easier to visit friends or stay in some subdivisions with HOAs with smaller vehicles without being noticed but anything large enough to stand up in will get you noticed. Just "Keep on Trucking" till you find a situation that works for you. I have lived in a motor home in the middle of an urban area by getting permission from my employer to live in their private parking lot. They even left the break room open for me so I could have bathroom facilities, watch TV and use the microwave! Stayed there three months till the job was done plus a couple weeks which was really nice of them. I wouldn't worry about parking any vehicle under 20' in an urban area, there are always 24 hour stores, restaurants, gyms and truck stops to over night at with public park day use areas to visit during the day. An electric bike lets you travel 20 miles easily in a couple hours if you can keep it charged.

 

[maki2]

Prices vary by location. This last year vans both new and used became an overpriced and scarce item in the vehicle market. That was due to a lot of out of work people snapping them up to do contact delivery work for Amazon as well as grocery stores. So that makes it difficult to answer your question of what can you buy for $7,500. Most likely not something you were hoping to get for that price.

The best way to find out where is a good place to park a van is to go out very early in the morning and see where people are parking in vans that might look as if there is someone living in it. Also to check on the city website for the local parking ordinances. Then pay attention to street signs regarding parking restrictions. A wide vehicle such as a school bus will not be easy to find parking for in a residential neighborhood as they typically do not have wide streets. That will considerably restrict your options. Residential streets have to be kept clear for fire truck acess. Sometimes there is a width limit of less than 80" wide for nightime hours. This is one of the reasons RVs manyntimes are also not allowed to park in residential neighborhoods overnight.

 

[john*thomas]

The cool thing about a van using it in the way you want to it's a bit more inconspicuous parked on a street. You can easily find decent good running Class C's for this kind of money also. If you aren't going to be driving a lot the hit with fuel mileage isn't as bad. You can find a Toyota in this price range.

If I was traveling alone I would make a camper out of Nissan NV200. It hides easily, it falls into this price range, gets good mpg's and is reliable.

 

[VanForNow]

I don't believe purchase price should be the sole criteria. The experiences of many nomads have shown that after a vehicle is bought, an emergency fund is needed to pay for the breakdowns which inevitably occur down the road, even for the most reliable vehicles. Traveling without a good emergency fund is "cruisin' for a bruisin.' "

 

[BelgianPup]

It can depend on what part of the country you're in, as Maki2 pointed out. Some places have high-priced garbage, others have pretty good deals

 

[desert_sailing]

every "part" of the country has high priced garbage or good deals.
No part of the country is better or worse. Those are all subjective terms and are born out of personal bias.

Finding locales that have a large supply will provide a larger variety of price and condition.
When I was looking around for sailboats I found that areas with older people had more supply. I imagine it's similar for RVs. Few of them last long enough to fully enjoy either a boat or RV.

Places with a younger, more active demographic( Colorado, Wa., Or., Ca etc etc) are going to hang onto their rigs much longer and they will likely cost more.

Hold a want to buy sign outside a nursing home and you will find gems every week and certainly heavily discounted.

 

[wanderinglaurence]

I'm relaying a cool strategy. Curtain off back of truck. Hang reflective vests off the front seats. Put a couple hard hats on the dash. The guy also put a road work manual on the dash. Then put orange cones outside the truck. And never got knocked! (I thought it was so simple and cool).

 

[wayne49]

"Hold a want to buy sign outside a nursing home and you will find gems every week and certainly heavily discounted. "

Vulture. Just kidding, I don't care what you do. It makes sense, as their grown up kids probably don't want to deal with stuff, and it would be a beneficial service. A win-win!