Young Woman Looking to Buy a Camper Van

This lifesyle might not be for you, which is okay! But it is for me!

That’s a great point, you never know until you try!

Thank you for your honesty, thats all I wanted! :joy:

My nephew bought a 30 year old Ford van and did this. The engine ran long enough to get to an empty warehouse. He pulled in to get out of the weather, but it didn’t last long. He eventually got it running and found a place to live with the van parked (permanently) outside. He eventually sold the van and I don’t think he’ll ever do that again. FWIW, he lived in Western Virginia. You may live in a warmer place, but you still have to put up with extreme heat.

Note that a mail carrier died a few days ago due to heat stress. Her mail delivery truck had no insulation, and the local temperature near LA was 117F the day she died. I’m sure the temperature inside the truck was much, much higher without AC. You won’t have AC at night without running the van, nor will you have heat if you need it unless you run the engine. I think a tent and a fire would be better for your health, or better yet, an apartment or room in a house in an area you can afford.

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I assume the OP is in a large city with expensive apartment and housing prices. Most cities will have some limit on how long you can park in one place, most city parks have curfew, finding a different Wal-Mart lot to use every so often will be annoying and how will your employer feel about the lived in van .

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My employer won’t care! I have a post office box, and I get direct deposit. So…

THAT will make you a target for certain bad people out there

I urge you to do whatever it takes to get into a real place of your own, or move back in with your folks, if you need to

There is no shame in doing so . . . I had to do it at one point in my life, until I got my act together

Lol I’m not chosing to live in a van because it’s a last resort, it’s something that I WANT to do! :joy:

Me moving into a van is me wanting, and attempting to get my life back together. I wouldn’t have to pay rent which i would be able to save for later.

I suspect you will pay just as much for the camper, when you include initial cost, maintenance, repairs, and parking rental. And insurance, it is a vehicle and most states require insurance. Plus cost to take a shower…

OP says her boss does not mind if she parks and stays on the premises . Might be so but I think the insurance carrier for the business does not want that .

You might try looking for a pickup truck with a camper.

Here’s a 72 VW Westfalia camper-bus, $3500 asking price. Looks like it has a lot of potential, but will need some work to get it into the reliable ride category. There’s a bunch of others vw camper-busses to look at, just surf over to Craigslist cars/trucks for sale, search “vw camper bus”. The advantage of VW busses is that parts are still widely available. And they are fairly simple for a diy’er to maintain and repair. The disadvantage is that the reason parts are widely available is b/c replacement parts are often needed to keep these old busses running. But they are a pretty cool ride, if you can swing it. Don’t be scared off by the 72 model year. My Ford truck is a 73, and it’s quite reliable.

A high tech Silicon Valley co-worker friend of mine lived in his camper for 3 years, either in the company parking lot, or at a nearby state park, didn’t seem to phase him at all. It was a pickup truck with a camper aloft arrangement as I recall. He used the money he saved to later buy some mountain property to park it, and build a small house for himself and his wife. As you might expect, anytime I visited I was greeted with Grateful Dead music … lol .

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d/72-vw-westfalia-camper-bus/6646126029.html

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Your standards might be different than those of others given your transmission and carburetor problems in the recent past and the need to drive the truck each week to keep things in operating condition. How far from home has this truck traveled in the last 5 years?

Potential ?? Yes, after spending thousands of dollars and still not having something usable on a daily basis.

Also, why do you think you need to tell about your vehicles so much.

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Will you be living in a vehicle during cold weather? The RV industry builds vehicles for fair weather use. If you use an old RV, the plumbing will be subject to freezing, and the heating system was low powered when new. If you plan on living in a plain van, it is very similar to living in a lawn shed.

I knew a young lady who attempted to live through the winter in a new 5th wheel camper in an RV park in central Ohio. She wanted heat and plumbing, and spent a lot of money on RV antifreeze and propane/electricity. She still had problems. The fesh water system will want to freeze and split pipes etc. If you forgo plumbing, you are back to the lawn shed.YMMV.

How far is it from San Jose Calif to Baker Oregon?

That’s just common sense when dealing w/older vehicles.

No argument about that. Everybody has different views on things. Sharing those views is a forum’s purpose.

must be friday do you know the way to san jose?

I know that "LA is a great big freeway. Put a $100 down and buy a car. "

George, it’s common sense to somebody who’s experienced with old vehicles. We have no idea about the mechanical aptitude of the OP, I very much doubt it’s anywhere near yours.

The OP must be interested in learning how, otherwise why post here? I expect the OP is on the verge of a most excellent adventure.

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