Not new to living in a van/ New here to the forum

Newbie's Corner
1

Hello, I’m Jim from Indiana. I was living in a class B campervan for a year and a half about 5 years ago. I absolutely loved the lifestyle and was able to save money because I was working full-time.

I got out of my van because the transmission went out it had some other mechanical issues as well and I was offered a place to rent for very little rent and no utilities to pay.

I have been wanting to get back into vanlife again and now the old man that I rent from is in his late 80’s and his health is starting to get bad. His kids are going to sell the house that I am in so I am going to have to move. It’s not going to happen overnight but I’m not sure when, so I’m looking for another van.

I’m not making that much money right now at the job I am at and my credit isn’t the best, so I’m not sure how I can get another van. I want something reliable that I don’t have to worry about other than routine maintenance.

2

Greetings & Welcome!

Many people seem to believe that newer is better, but that has not been my experience. I want reliable above all else, and for me the sweet spot has been Dodge vans from the 70’s & 80’s with the 318 engine.

I have over 500k trouble free miles on my 1973 Dodge Class B. The camper vans can be hard to find, and also expensive, however the Class C motorhomes from the 70’s can often be found dirt cheap. If money was an issue, I’d grab one of those in a heartbeat, and done so many times when I needed something quickly.

I can’t tell you how many of them I’ve bought for under $2k, then after I washed it up & moved in, somebody would offer me $10k+ and I’d sell it and start all over again.

Cheers!

"The road to success is often littered with failures." ~ Rubber Tramp