Which would you...[Step Van build-out]

[Kenwrite]

Assume you have <$6,000 to invest in the actual Step Van for an RV build-out (conversion).  Do you think the best course of action is to:
1.  Buy a $5,000 van and have a $1,000 budget for repairs?
      --or--
2.  Buy a $3,500 van and have $2,500 budget for repairs?

I'm admitting that any low-end vehicle is gonna have real problems.  And, yes, I know the best solution is 3. Buy a $50,000 very new one.  But that ain't gonna happen.
Thoughts?

 

[John61CT]

I'd probably try to hustle and save to get at least the price of the van into the maintenance budget.

Don't do diesel!

And follow this strictly to make sure miles driven stays within what I can afford: https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?pid=353330#pid353330

 

[ratfink56]

Being commercial vehicles most step vans get hard use. And they are often owned by the driver who is contract help. Fedex ground and bread trucks come to mind. When the maintenance costs get too high they dump them and buy another. I would say  #2.

 For me a step van would be down near the bottom of the list. But I do love the straight walls and the space they offer.

Have you checked about insurance? Even cargo vans are problematic in that area.

 

[Kenwrite]

Re-titling a commercial vehicle to a motorhome is relatively easy here in North Carolina. I've got the actual statue bookmarked. And somewhere in my notes is a reference to a conversation covering the insurance of a re-titled converted motorhome, wherein the insurance agent on phone gave me a quote for liability. Collision and comprehensive might be the problem.

 

[wmyers4u]

#2 Because #1 could be hiding something and actually selling you a #2 for the price of a #1

 

[John61CT]

Which is why I would never plonk my money down without a trusted mechanic first giving me a good report.

But you still need at least a couple grand in reserve for unexpected repairs, so if you only have $5K to your name, #1 is inherently foolhardy.

 

[wagoneer]

I have owned a few, gear ratio is important 4tb's are very loud especially in a metal box pushing a lot of air is an issue. I had a grumman with a GM 350 nice combo it was multy-purpose hung a propane tank under it all worked very well. I paid 1500 and put zip into it as I remember a bad starter was about it. Plenty of room to wrench on and places to put your coffee/beer.

 

[bullfrog]

Depends on how much you are willing or able to do yourself. A cheap crate motor is maybe $3,000 but you have to put it in and buy fluids, gaskets and etc. You will still need good tires, insurance and money to pay taxes and registration. Most of what I've seen makes me think taking your time and getting a really good base vehicle for $2,000 and you will probably spend $4,000 for new parts that you will install probably within the first year. If you are unable to do the work yourself figure at least another $4,000 for labor so your $6,000 vehicle becomes a $10,000 vehicle you might be able to sell for $7,000 if your are lucky. Be careful and make sure you are buying something that you will want to keep.

 

[John61CT]

getting a really good base vehicle for $2,000 and you will probably spend $4,000 for new parts that you will install probably within the first year. If you are unable to do the work yourself figure at least another $4,000 for labor so your $6,000 vehicle becomes a $10,000 vehicle you might be able to sell for $7,000 if your are lucky. Be careful and make sure you are buying something that you will want to keep.

Getting a vehicle for $2K and expecting to get $7 when you sell it, is IMO completely unrealistic even if you "invest" 10 grand in fixing it up.

Yes there are exceptions to the rule, skilled DIY restorers that get lucky, but not something to count on in regular folk's planning.

But yes, that fact completely reinforces the two main points for those with such limited funds:

take your time to find the vehicle you'll want to keep long term, and

always keep a few grand cash in reserve for contingencies

 

[DannyB1954]

Assume you have <$6,000 to invest in the actual Step Van for an RV build-out (conversion). 
Thoughts?

Before making the purchase be certain that you can get it insured as an RV in your State.
When I wanted to convert a bread truck here in Nevada I gave the VIN number to my insurance. They said NO because it was a commercial vehicle. I called a commercial insurance carrier and they said NO because I was not a business, and they did not do recreational vehicles. If you misrepresent what you are going to use the vehicle for, they will take your policy money but refuse to pay any claim because of fraud. I contacted a RV insurance carrier that did DIY RV's. they said once it was converted and re registered as an RV they would give me liability insurance, but would not give me an idea of what the policy would cost.
I contacted the DMV and they said to have it titled as an RV I would have to get a licensed mechanic to sign off on the work.
For me not worth the major hassle.

 

[John61CT]

So you go to the next state over

 

[Kenwrite]

Re: converting a different type of vehicle to a motorhome in North Carolina.
NC General Statues GS_20-4.01, paragraph 27(k)

k.
Motor home or house car.–
A vehicular unit, designed to provide temporary living quarters, built into as an integral part, or permanently attached to, a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van. The vehicle must provide at least four of the following facilities:
cooking, refrigeration or icebox, self-contained toilet, heating or air conditioning, a portable water supply system including a faucet and sink, separate 110-125 volt electrical power supply, or an LP gas supply.

Note that only FOUR of these seven qualifications need be met to be a motorhome. I've already planned and budgeted to meet all SEVEN---eight, actually, since I'll have both heat (Mr Buddy heaters) and A/C (AeonAir 800watt portable room a/c).
Anecdotal story I've found mentioned a DMV inspector coming out, hearing what the DIY owner put in, sticking his head in the vehicle,and then filling out the form. May they all be that easy.

 

[DKNZ]

That will depend the condition of both cars but I will have a bigger budget for repairs, #2 I guess.

 

[Jim_Rockford]

I never buy a higher priced vehicle because I think its in better shape, often or not it is about the same shape as the lower priced on  the seller is just a little more greedy .  I just picked up a 88 p20 3/4 ton step van for just under 2 k , 6.2 th400  10.5 ft cargo area , its gonna be great.

 

[ISAWHIM]

You are essentially just buying a "frame and a shell", when you buy a step-van... Unless you buy it new, for $23,000 to $58,000

$1,000 will get you new tires... If you are lucky...

$2,000 will get you a new battery, air-filter, oil and filter, transmission-fluid and filter, belts, wipers, spark-plugs and wires, ignition-system and distributor, water pump and hoses... No labor included in that estimate. Also, no tires, which you will surely still need...

That isn't including anything that you may have to do, which could be considered "serious" issues...
- Breaks, often on the last mile
- Transmission, often nearing the end of life, by age or milage
- Engine, often just aged beyond repair/rebuilding (even without a load)
- Shocks/struts/leaf-springs, possibly still the originals and a reason they are selling it, besides the motor issues
- Missing rivets that can't be repaired with exact replacements, as they "popped-out" and need a wider rivet

Then you still have to "build it out", with what you "need", to live, inside.

I just got one for $4,000 and already spent another $6,000 without doing anything for the actual vehicle, except replace one tire that instantly just blew-out while simply doing a slow-speed turn. (Tires are old, but all the tread is there. It just sheared the side-wall and exploded. Cost $400 to have it repaired on the road, because no spare and no jack to lift it, no pump to inflate it to 110-PSI, and no tools to pull the tire off the axle. That was just one of six tires... Also, they didn't have the exact size, so I still need to buy the correct size, or five more of that tire for the other rims.)

I estimate another $4,000 in engine/structure costs for the drive system and body-work. (The engine allegedly only has 70,000 miles on it. {The odometer only goes up to 99,999 miles. I am sure it rolled-over a few times.} But it is from 1981, and looks like every engine I have ever seen in any used step-van.)

 

[ISAWHIM]

Re: converting a different type of vehicle to a motorhome in North Carolina.
NC General Statues GS_20-4.01, paragraph 27(k)...

If it doesn't have four of those, it isn't a motor-home... It works both ways... If you don't want to qualify it as such.

You need to have it qualified as such, if you want to have insurance claims held to statute of being a "motor home". Sometimes that is not always a good thing.

It is like when they say a "home" needs to occupy at-least 700 square feet. They tried to disqualify spaces smaller as being "illegal", for use as a "home". However, the courts simply had a refresher that reminded them that if the spaces are smaller than 700 square feet, that they are simply not a "taxable homestead", and do not qualify for state-aided "homeowners insurance". It didn't make them illegal to live in, which was a crazy thing to tell people. (You can legally live in a tent, or a 701 square foot home, any less than 700 is illegal and without a tent is illegal. Defeats the "pursuit of happiness and liberty". The law was for semantics of taxes, and that is what the states were remind of, by the supreme courts. Because that actually made it illegal to live in "mobile homes", which is how the state itself classifies them, and offers them for "homes" when your actual home is unsuitable to live. Same with insurance companies. If you live within it, it is a home.)

 

[losthighwaydrifter]

wow I started almost exactly that I got a $300 16ft step van as my start just spent $1200 on tires $225 on brake parts And $400 on rear bumper rack/under body tool boxes $125 on an alum ramp to load bikes. I do have a solar set up I got for free that was $3800 2 years ago from a wrecked rv

 

[DannyB1954]

So you go to the next state over

Vehicle registration and insurance is only one consideration in choosing a State to domicile.
There are many others like where are your doctors, will you have to pay State income tax, Cost of registration and insurance, where are your friends and family, do you like where you presently hang out, what are the fire arm laws, do you like to surf in the ocean, and probably many more. Moving to a different State so that I could have a different vehicle would not be at the top of my list for reasons to move. As far as living in one State while claiming to be a resident of another, that is not my cup of tea either. If a person wants big hassles, go the route that will give them to you.