Howdy from south central Texas! I’ve been super interested in van life for 4 years. Now I have the perfect excuse amid a huge life change and nothing tying me down. I want to take advantage of this time to take to the road before settling down eventually. During a hellish time of bad relationship & chronic illness, my credit took a tumble; it’s on the way back up, but RV financing looks like a reach right now. I’ll be starting a business and moving out of a rental as soon as I can (1-2 months); eventually I’ll structure the LLC to lease “office” space and product delivery via the van from myself/vice versa. Creative financing and business structuring strategy will be important. It’ll be an integrated living and solo business vehicle. I’ll live and work full-time, plenty off-grid; between travel destinations, I’ll post up and work horses and cattle, etc. and oversee ranch operations in rural & remote areas of Texas. I’ll clean up for taking to fancy places in the city here and there. I want my van to feel like my own sanctuary, luxury (for a van) but durable for the outdoors, and safe for me and my 7-pound pup. I can rough it (on owned rural land) and build parts out for short periods, but I’m looking to feel totally comfortable and safe in my home + daily driver. The grill guard, light kits and strong suspension that look absurd for city dwellers are actually useful (likely necessary) for my purposes. Now is time to determine what I want & need right away vs. what to build out myself vs. leveraging to resell as custom conversion in 1-2 years at break-even or for profit. Looking forward to learning from all you experienced van lifers!
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