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Van life

Anonymous Sun 18 Jun 2023 04:08:56 No.2599128 View View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>2599132 >>2599156 >>2599618 >>2601557 >>2601561 >>2601565 >>2601616 >>2601671 >>2602049 >>2602226 >>2602543

Can't I just buy a used white cargo van for under 5K and hollow the back out and use that to van life? I have to places I'd use as a home base so it wouldn't be a full time thing but I could go for months at a time as long as I can charge my computer and have service over the week to use my hotspot for work.

Doable?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Jun 2023 04:15:08 No.2599132 Report

Quoted By: >>2601926

>>2599128
yes but my best friends cousin did this and there was a leak, mold grew in the insulation and the mold exposure fucked him up so just make sure you do everything right.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 18 Jun 2023 05:37:48 No.2599156 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
>used van for under $5k
It has to be able to actually run. Try $15k as an absolute floor.
>using cell for work
Depends on job, but for many remote jobs even minor connection issues are a deal breaker. In remote areas signal is hard to come by; in areas with signal finding places to legally camp are hard to come by and expensive.

You still have to build it out inside to be half livable.
Also it sucks living without running water and a fridge even in nice weather.
It never caught on outside Instagram and the newly divorced because its miserable.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Jun 2023 00:09:00 No.2599618 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
5k is really low for a van, i'm looking at vehicles myself right now and I can't even find a decent sedan in my area for that price unless it's got super high miles or some major mechanical issue that needs fixing.
If you know your way around vehicles and can fix shit on your own go for it, otherwise like the anon above says you should up your budget to 10-15k. Another alternative is to get something smaller like an SUV or a minivan and remove the seats.
You should look into startlink for the internet situation, think it's a bit expensive to set up but it might be good enough depending on what your work requires for bandwidth speed.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 19 Jun 2023 00:16:25 No.2599622 Report

Quoted By: >>2601512

BIL did this with an older dodge van exactly like picrel, had a bunch of emissions issues and never exactly ran right, van was not nearly large enough for 2 people once he put the benche/bed/storage/kitchen pieces in. If you're going to do vanlife on a budget just get a truck camper. Most people will sell the truck with the camper so you can easily get a reliable truck with a decent camper for <$20k

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 16:40:43 No.2601512 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599622
I make 60k a year I can't afford that

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 17:48:12 No.2601557 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
Vanlife is a meme. Shitting and cooking is a chore without hook ups. If you park anywhere in public with cell service you'll have to move your van around a lot before people start to notice and target you.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 17:59:31 No.2601561 Report

Quoted By: >>2602219

>>2599128
Vans get beat to shit when by their fleet purchasers and subsequent owners, and then command a high price used thanks to demand from people like (You). 5k is going to get you a complete shitpile, you'd better be a competent mechanic and account for space for tools or you will bankrupt yourself going to mechanics, and be stuck without your lifeline for potentially weeks at a time between waiting to get into a shop and then the thing sitting inside a shop. If you are mechanically inclined, keep in mind accessing anything on or around the engine is a bitch, since the hood is really just a tiny opening and the bulk of the engine and transmission is between the front seats.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 18:11:08 No.2601565 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
>used white cargo van for under 5K
if you find a running one that wasn't fixed somewhere in eastern europe after a "minor"

>I could go for months at a time
not to completely discourage you
but have you ever lived in even a camper for a prolonged time?? (more than 1-2 nights)

maybe start by renting one for 2weeks vacation and try "van life light" with a camper
it's way less fun than instagram or youtube make it seem
you lose a lot comfort, the gains for freedom are marginal and there are a ton of new chores that suddenly pop up around it

finding (save and legal) parking can sometimes be a disaster and take a long long time
a lot of time is spend tiding up the tiny space
it's way less comfortable than you imagine (for most of the time)
everyday things like washing clothes, cooking, showering etc. become tedious, time consuming tasks taking up a significant amount of your waking time and with no easy way to fix them

don't get me wrong, living in a camper / van has many great sides too (i myself traveled around with my grandparents old Van for 8 months)
but i would never recommend this to someone unless they have tried it for a few days beforehand

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 19:47:11 No.2601616 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
I worked remote for the Spring, Summer, and most of Fall of 2021 while camping (in a tent) and it was only just doable because I wasn't doing it alone. We only stopped doing that because we got a travel trailer and bought property that we now live on.
It isn't easy, and it is definitely not at all cheap.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 22 Jun 2023 22:28:19 No.2601671 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
lots of places are cracking down on it. the cops will harass you

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 23 Jun 2023 13:20:55 No.2601926 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599132
So user error, gotcha.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 23 Jun 2023 17:43:42 No.2602049 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
For various reasons even high-mileage used vans are stupid expensive right now. You could look into ambulances as those can be had for under $10k, and are typically maintained better than cargo vans. But for anything in your price range you should be prepared to do major repairs so hopefully you already have the experience and tools to do so.

For remote internet you can get a mobile hotspot like the Verizon jetpack. Much more affordable than Starlink especially if you are frugal with your data consumption. And they work in most populated areas and many unpopulated ones.

The most expensive part of your build will likely be your electric setup, as running a laptop for hours can use quite a bit of power. So you’ll need 100+ ah of lithium batteries plus solar panels and an alternator charger, and probably an inverter.

Certain aspects of living in a vehicle suck but will be mitigated by having a home base like you describe.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 24 Jun 2023 01:11:04 No.2602219 Report

Quoted By:

>>2601561
Any van worth getting made in the 90s or 2000s has a removable doghouse that makes maintenance easier than a pickup.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 24 Jun 2023 01:24:09 No.2602226 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
>Can't I just buy a used white cargo van for under 5K and hollow the back out and use that?
yes, thats literally what everyone does
https://youtu.be/wksm1xI1Ms0
you dont even need to get fancy, like a flat area to prep food on and a simple frame to put a mattress on is more than enough
of course you'll want to insulate depending on your climate

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 24 Jun 2023 18:27:29 No.2602543 Report

Quoted By:

>>2599128
Go for it.
I love reading stories about vanlyfers returning to jewish control because they realized how much freedom sucks.
>https://youtu.be/S-RXXPtzdP4

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