YIKES! 1st step complete....I bought a van to live in!

[Eaglesnest3]

Morning all! Well I did it....purchased a 2002 Chevy Astro van to live in. Not going to say I'm not freaking out a bit this morning as I only made the purchase yesterday evening. That decision took a big leap of faith that I was doing the right thing. I've been following Bob Wells and all of the wonderful Cheap RV Living videos for a couple of years now and am convinced that this is what I want to and CAN do. Rents keep going up and I find myself on that proverbial rat wheel of dissatisfaction. I can retire anytime now, but will probably try to postpone that for one more year. I'll be moving into my "new home" when my lease is up in February (burr!) and for the time being will put all of my belongings in storage -just in case I discover being a full time Nomad is not what I thought it might be (commitment phobia?). I can't imagine I wouldn't enjoy the lifestyle as I'm drawn to all the wonderful videos and the idea of adventure and living a life of freedom.

I know nothing about solar & nothing about electricity or voltage or when to use solar or the jackery, etc.,  but I have a talented son who says he can do the solar install for me. That's a big hurdle I can check off my list!
Purchased a journal and am re-watching videos and taking notes on suggestions for all those items I'll need -Jackery, fridge, fans, stove, etc.
I've no clue about any of this, but am sure those to go before me had no clue either and if they can do it then I can do it! Blind faith.....I just have to trust myself that this is the right decision for me.

What do I expect (hope) to gain from this adventure? (These are in no specific order...)
*Living rent free and exploring the outdoors
*Watching awesome sunrises and sunsets
*Healing from all the BS life throws at you!
*Minimalist living, healther/lighter eating (maybe Vegan?), finding my spiritual path
*Meeting new people who have a passion for Nomadic living
* Reading & crafting
*Journaling 
*Teaching myself the art of a bow and arrow
*Riding a bike most days -my father rode a bike every day up until he was 88 yrs old. He logged 1,000 miles every year for as long as I can recall!
His motto is" keep moving or you'll die." LOL
*Inspiring and helping others in need
*Becoming a better person (instead of a bitter person) and finding the meaning for my life.

Soooo, like with many others this is going to be a strange new adventure. One I'm sure that will have many successes and a few failures along the way, but isn't that part of life and how we learn and grow?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings!  Look forward to seeing you one day :heart:

 

[Zmann]

...nice looking ride... how many miles?

 

[Eaglesnest3]

90,000 miles. Had a mechanic look it over. Has 2 oil leaks and just now needs new front brakes. About $1300 worth of work which it's going into the shop tomorrow to get all that worked out.  Paid $3500 for it and it is super clean inside. Outside not bad either -not perfect, but I'd say above average. Drives like a champ and has super cold a/c and power drivers seat.

 

[txmnjim]

sweet ride! welcome to the forum.

 

[PeterPiper]

Nice looking van.

If you can do your own repairs, you're all set. Otherwise, start budgeting now for future repairs / costs (ANY vehicle)
My Dodge Caravan transmission has about 300,000 miles on the original transmission so they can last if properly cared for.

You'll learn everything as you go. A year or so ago I was where you are now.

Looks like a great base for a mobile abode.
Have fun!

 

[Eaglesnest3]

Thanks PeterPiper! Yeah, I'm not mechanically inclined at all. Just a gal hoping to make it out there -I'm not beyond learning some basic things. (I once installed a VW clutch cable on my 18th birthday, so I believe there is some hope for me! LOL) These small oil leaks and the brake job are roughly 9 hrs of mechanic time. Too much for me no matter how quick a study I might be. Wish my pops was well as he'd be my go to guy -or my son who does this kind of thing for a living. He's 8 hrs away, so I'll just pay someone local.

Congratulation on your one year!

 

[OptimistInAVan]

Welcome 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.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[nature lover]

Congratulations on the new Rig and welcome to the forum. You’ll find plenty of advice here your choice is to take it or leave it. I’ll start with some advice on solar “generators“ like jackery. For the same price you can build in a good solar and battery system that has much more capacity than the Jackery. When you build your own system if a component breaks down you probably replace one component. If part of your Jacorey doesn’t work you send the whole thing back to the factory at your expense and they service it. Meanwhile you deal with not having a battery to use until it gets delivered back to you, again at your expense. Components for a custom system can be picked up “everywhere.” That’s only my opinion but I am happy That I chose the custom system I did. Keep looking up see you on the road.

 

[kklowell]

Congrats on your first step/ THose Astros seem to be incredibly tough vehicles... I once worked for a company that had one for a delivery vehicle. it was driven by at least ten different people and still made it to over 450,000 miles!
What part of the country are you in? East, middle, West?

 

[Eaglesnest3]

I've been in lovely Reno, NV for the last 20 years. Love all of the surrounding mountain and outdoor activities -lots of fires in the area lately  . Reno is tooooo heavily populated for a girl like me and we've a lot of out of staters snapping up property and driving prices thru the roof.  I just want to see all the beautiful stars in the sky, enjoy a campfire and see amazing sunrises and sunsets. Not interested in being a part of the rat race or seeing a Walmart on every street corner. The mountains (and desert!) are calling!

 

[john*thomas]

The one really good thing about a van like this is most any shop can work on it and easily get parts.

 

[Shsmith]

Morning all! Well I did it....purchased a 2002 Chevy Astro van to live in. Not going to say I'm not freaking out a bit this morning as I only made the purchase yesterday evening. That decision took a big leap of faith that I was doing the right thing. I've been following Bob Wells and all of the wonderful Cheap RV Living videos for a couple of years now and am convinced that this is what I want to and CAN do. Rents keep going up and I find myself on that proverbial rat wheel of dissatisfaction. I can retire anytime now, but will probably try to postpone that for one more year. I'll be moving into my "new home" when my lease is up in February (burr!) and for the time being will put all of my belongings in storage -just in case I discover being a full time Nomad is not what I thought it might be (commitment phobia?). I can't imagine I wouldn't enjoy the lifestyle as I'm drawn to all the wonderful videos and the idea of adventure and living a life of freedom.

I know nothing about solar & nothing about electricity or voltage or when to use solar or the jackery, etc., but I have a talented son who says he can do the solar install for me. That's a big hurdle I can check off my list!
Purchased a journal and am re-watching videos and taking notes on suggestions for all those items I'll need -Jackery, fridge, fans, stove, etc.
I've no clue about any of this, but am sure those to go before me had no clue either and if they can do it then I can do it! Blind faith.....I just have to trust myself that this is the right decision for me.

What do I expect (hope) to gain from this adventure? (These are in no specific order...)
*Living rent free and exploring the outdoors
*Watching awesome sunrises and sunsets
*Healing from all the BS life throws at you!
*Minimalist living, healther/lighter eating (maybe Vegan?), finding my spiritual path
*Meeting new people who have a passion for Nomadic living
* Reading & crafting
*Journaling
*Teaching myself the art of a bow and arrow
*Riding a bike most days -my father rode a bike every day up until he was 88 yrs old. He logged 1,000 miles every year for as long as I can recall!
His motto is" keep moving or you'll die." LOL
*Inspiring and helping others in need
*Becoming a better person (instead of a bitter person) and finding the meaning for my life.

Soooo, like with many others this is going to be a strange new adventure. One I'm sure that will have many successes and a few failures along the way, but isn't that part of life and how we learn and grow?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! Look forward to seeing you one day

Congrats on your Van purchase. I am walking down the same road as you right now. Recently bought a 2003 Ford Econoline E-150 with 100,000 miles. I just got it out of the shop for a tune-up and water pump replacement. She runs great. The 1st Big Adventure will be starting to build her out. Electric and Solar wiring has me the Most concern - your are very Lucky that your son can help you with that. I'm hoping to be done with the conversion (doing it myself) by Oct this year. I want to be at the WRTR and Bob Well's RTR meeting in Jan 2023. Your Expectations for Van Life are almost mirror to mine. Maybe we will see each other somewhere in our travels. Best of Luck to you and your conversion build.

 

[eDJ_]

Congratulations on your new to you Van !

I was just looking at Rock Auto (Auto Parts Online) and brake pads for that rig are less than $20 (Raybestos - good ones) and Valve Cover Gaskets (Fel-Pro - good quality) the same. This for a 4.3L V6. (slightl less for the 4 cylinder engine) And at 90k miles they are probably ready to be replaced. Basic tools and basic skills could replace these and oil leaks would most likely be coming from leaking valve cover gaskets. If you could find someone with tools and basic skills both of these task could be completed in less than a day.. Then you'd have $ to build out interior.

I would suggest checking PCV valve and replacing the hose it is connected to to see if air is passing thru it properly. Plugged PCV valves & hose can lead to oil leaks. (depending on how plugged) These aren't expensive at all.

I don't know if you have a 4 cylinder engine or a V6 but the PCV is known for giving problems on that engine. Annual replacement can prevent oil leaks and seal failures.

Ask your son if he has any buddies who work on cars. You may get this done for less than $200 bucks.

 

[VanFan]

Just wanted to add that I have had good experiences with Rock Auto over the years.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

Ditto on RockAuto.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I like your list. Many of those things would be on my list too. I'm not full time, but when I am traveling it's such a wonderful thing.

 

[Ballenxj]

I like Chevy Astro and GMC Safari vans. If you get good one they will serve you well. Had an 89 GMC Safari with AWD. Wish I still had it.

 

[afblangley]

You've got a van, that's the hardest part. You don't have to wait until retirement or until your lease is up. You don't have to buy a bunch of stuff or build anything. You don't have to watch a bunch of YouTube videos. Just hit the road! If you work during the week, go on the weekend. If you work 7 days a week, instead of going home for the night, get in your van and drive somewhere. The adventure starts now. Go!

 

[tx2sturgis]

The OP posted a few times in August last year and it looks like she has no forum activity lately. I hope it all worked out well for her.