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Hello!! Complete novice here!

Started by Lucillucifer, October 14, 2018, 03:29:06 PM

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Lucillucifer

Hey there!

I am Lucille, 20 years fresh, based in Europe. I am right now saving up to start my van life, but I need some help getting past the first hurdle of actually finding the suitable van & where. I want to start from scratch, since I am a carpenter by trade, and willing to learn the electric & plumbing side of things, which I also have contacts for.

First question; I am from the Netherlands, but living in Portugal right now, and I am wondering where it is best to look for a van. I heard that Netherlands & Germany are best in terms of price and also reliability, is this true? And maybe some websites you can recommend to look on for 2nd hand vans?

Second question: What type of van? I've looked into Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato, all of them quite expensive but on the kind of type I am looking for; I prefer to be standing height for my small 177cm Dutch length, and also preferably a fixed bed, and needs to be inconspicuous (want to park it in cities for example). Although I don't particularly want a shower or fixed toilet, but do want to cook inside because I will live in colder (wetter) countries.
What other vans are good for this, can be older but reliable?

Third question: What kind of specs do I need to look for on these websites? Kind of overwhelmed by the many types & models, the mileage I need to be looking for, fuel efficiency, price range that is typical, what years are good, kind of fuel, horsepower, etc. As you can tell I have never in my life bought a car.

Any other tips & tricks are more than welcome, and thank you for admitting me to the community!!

Lots of love, Lucille

Camper_Dan

Greetings and Welcome!

Older and pre-computerized here in the USA are much more reliable than newer computerized ones.

Window vans with lots of opening windows make the best campers, are the cheapest to convert, and are the stealthiest.

If you google free classifieds followed by the area, it should give you some good options, or maybe auto classifieds or even RV classifieds.

Contrary to much of what you see online, not modifying the van in any way, and keeping your interior modular, and portable (but secured) is a much better way to go.  That way you can rearrange your floor plan as needed, or quickly transfer everything to a different van if needed.  Vehicles are disposable, but comfortable interiors are keepable if their portable.  Portable can save you a lot of time and money down the road.

Since my setup is portable, I can use my kitchen, bathroom, basically everything, outside if I want to, without duplication.  Even my entire power system is portable.  If I'm boondocking, or the van needs to go in for repairs, I can set up a tent at a campsite, and move everything into it to be totally comfortable, even for a prolonged stay.  I'll have my own bed, easy chair, table/desk, kitchen, bathroom w/shower, heating, cooling,  and power.  Totally self sufficient in a campsite with no amenities.

Avoid solar panels and roof vents, they kill stealth, and neither are the best choices.  Opening windows and an under $20 fan beat roof vents hands down.  Use an isolator/relay/solenoid to charge your house battery(s) while driving, and have a backup inverter generator to charge them on the rare occasion that driving isn't enough.

Keep everything below the window line to keep your center of gravity low, and balance things for the best weight distribution.  Keep the bulk of the weight between the front and rear axles.  Too much weight behind the rear axle can adversely effect your drivability, just like weight up high is a bad choice.

Cheers!

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