Cargo Van Conversion

I have seen many youtube videos about people stealth camping in cargo vans. The idea is that unlike a camper van, the cargo van blends in and can be parked anywhere. This allows people to travel the country freely with minimal expenses.

I think this is an interesting lifestyle and I would like to buy a van and live in it. The money I would save on rent ($850 a month) could easily pay for the van in less than a year. I don't know much about cars, so picking out a van will be difficult. I probably want to spend $4000 - $6000 with a total budget for the project of $10,000

Any thoughts?

Don't cheap out and buy some clapped out van or you'll be broken down, stranded, begging for money like most "vanlyfe" people on Youtube.

Here is a van I came across the other day that I am tempted to purchase.
> 2003 Ford E150
> 180,000km = 110,000 miles
> $1000 CAD = 820 USD

I have read that these vans can easily withstand 300kkm - 400kkm. I am really tempted, but buying this van would probably be a stupid idea. A van this old and at such a low price probably has a ton of expensive issues. I would invest a bunch of money in the conversion, have to do a bunch of expensive repairs, and then end up with something that doesn't have much resale value. Really tempting price tag though.

We had a namefag, Vandweller who lived in a van but he graduated to being a truck driver. Maybe you should just skip straight to that.

Yeah, you probably shouldn't plan to cheap out on this. Your initial budget in your OP is probably a better idea if you want to really get a lot out of the experience but realize that you will never ever recoup the money that you put into the camper conversion. Maybe half of it if you do a really really good job but more likely 0-10% of it. Also realize that you can probably buy a small fixer upper of a house for $10,000 that may not be nice but will probably be nicer than a van.

Here is another van near me.
> 2010 Ford Transit Van
> 171,000 km
> $5500 CAD = $4500 USD

I love the high ceiling that you can stand in. Little bit worried about milage and noticeable rust. Parts for these might be harder to acquire.

Econolines are very good candidates for this. It's an ancient platform that's reliable as fuck. Fleet vans can be good, but many won't have service histories.

>you can probably buy a small fixer upper of a house for $10,000
Not in the US. Maybe you could buy a small spit of land, but not also with a functional structure standing on it.

Its definitely doable at that pricerange

Try to get a dodge or ford van from the 90s or early 2000s. Low miles preferable (obviously) and have a mechanic check through
Conversion isnt that expensive, laminated wood is easy to come by. You basically just want to make sure you insulate it properly and dont fuck up. If you do a shit job you will have mold problems. The key to van living is having a gym membership at a 24 hr place so you can shit and shower. Usually you can park there too
Keep in mind that vans take huge amounts of gas though

>living out of a vehicle
Gross

Get a job

>dodge van from 90s-2000s
yeah, if you enjoy your transmission killing itself and it being even harder to work on than other snub nosed vans
>ford van of same vintage
until a cat goes out (not uncommon) and the computer makes you drop to 3mpg until you fix it

I have a full time job. I make about $20 an hour. It will probably end in about a year though. I am thinking I will take a break and then go back to school. A van could easily be nicer than a dorm room.

I have never felt like I needed much "stuff" in my life. Right now I have a big empty apartment with no furniture that I have lived in alone for a year. I would like to start living my life out in the world, rather than behind a screen at home. I would rather work a minimal amount of hours and have a huge amount of time to do whatever I want. And like said, I will get a gym membership for showers.

I live in youngstown, ohio.

Houses around here seriously go for $20k and under.

10k is a bit low, but 20k isn't exactly bigbux for a house.

Outskirts of Pittsburgh, there's a nice little market where one spot of town is going for 350k for a plot, and the next block down is a shithole going for 15k. However the Gentrification keeps spreading, pushing all the black people out of the neighborhoods rapidly developing. Three years ago, all those 15k spots are now the 350k spots.

Good place to buy and rent, until that price flux spreads.

I bought a plot of land 4 years ago, I sold it last year (No house or anything on it) for 12 times what I paid for it.

so I should take a 17.5k loan for as long as possible, buy a plot, then sell it in 3 years?
might be a good way for me to get out of mom's house.

If you want to get out of the house, here's what you should do if you can get that loan.

Get a jump with any sort of repair, restoration, or construction crew. Buy a small two bedroom fixer upper for about 12k. Keep another 5k in bank for tools and materials.

As you work your job, you'll acquire skills needed to fix up and improve your shit shack. Also, if it's a big enough place they won't notice a missing hammer hear, a sheet of drywall there, and bonus points if you get to drive the company truck and use it for "errands" during your lunch break.

After three years, that place will be up to code, and better kept than most properties. You've paid off your loan with your job. And you have a place you can live, sell, or rent.

Plus if you flip it for a high enough value, you might be able to handle a 3bed 2bath next.

Definitely something to consider, I can probably save enough to get going in a few months

$850 rent is nothing, it's when rent is up to $2000+ that the van life becomes viable option

>bed is sideways in the van

What kind of fucking manlet sleeps here?

But if rent is nothing you don't have to work nearly as much which makes it worth it. You can just get an odd job here and there and travel around and just pay for food, gas, and internet. Seems like a comfy way to live in isolation to me.

That's a Transit Connect, which is much smaller than a regular Transit. I doubt you'd be able to stand in there unless you're a serious manlet.

Ah yes, I was a bit suspicious. I guess I will probably have to wait a little while until the right van comes along. Everything else listed right now is out of my price range. It is kinda good though, as it will give me time to think about it.

Get a VW T4 or a T5, there's loads of kits available to convert them.