I know. I’ve been quiet for a long time. I had nothing to say. I became stagnant. This site is all about being on the road in my tiny RV. I’d written about all I could write about the search for a van, what I want, where I want to go, how it might look. And still no van. I didn’t give up, but I gave up writing about it. And then Covid-19 took over my life (and I suppose most everyone else’s life). I thought there was nothing to do but sit back and wait it out.
Well, it is six months later, and I became tired of waiting it out. I thought there MUST be a way to do this without selling my building first. With the encouragement of friends, I went back to shopping for a van, and decided that I COULD do this if:
- I bought an older RV
- I “live the van life” only part-time
- I get REAL FLEXIBLE
So I started shopping for older vans. And then even older ones. I searched dealerships for older vans. Brand new Class B RV’s are now well over $100,000. Even when I sell my building, the profit from the sale won’t equal that. I looked at some really old ones. They seemed pretty beat up, and most had pretty high mileage. Do I really want to start my adventure in something that is not reliable and may not make it to the next destination?
Persistence is everything. After several months, I realized that private buyers have vans for sale for tens of thousands of dollars less than dealerships. So I got on the internet every day and I searched. I came across several groups that guided me in the right direction.
I really don’t want to go back in debt. I don’t want a van payment when I finally get on the road. My Social Security check is small, but enough to live on if I’m very frugal. Having a monthly van payment wouldn’t be very frugal. So with the guidance of a friend who works in finance, I’ve decided to take a loan from my IRA. I have a little bit of savings and with the loan from the IRA I have the money I need to get an older van. Now the serious shopping begins. I don’t have one yet, but I’m in negotiations with two sellers. One is the Class B of my dreams. It has everything I want. But in the searching process I came across a Class C. I’ve nixed those from the beginning. Most are too big, and look to be a pain in the ass to drive and park. But I came across one that is only 21 feet long. It is a foot wider than the van I am looking at, but inside it seems palatial. I won’t bore you with the details here, but I should know this week if either the van of my dreams or the Class C is available. If one is and the other isn’t, I’ve decided that the Universe will have made the decision for me! If both are available, I really don’t know which I’d choose. Both have benefits. The van is what I have been dreaming of for a year and a half. It has everything I could want, to live in and be quite happy. The Class C has everything also, and some extras! It has a full bathroom, (not a wet bath or aisle shower), with linen closet, toilet, sink with storage underneath and a walk in shower! It has a dinette booth that would function well for meals, games with friends, and a great office space for my laptop. Wow! And, if neither works out, I’ve at least found forums online for buying used Class B’s. I only looked for 2 hours before I found these two. They cannot be the last two on the planet. I’m sue others will show up, especially with the end of summer and many people being done with travel and not wanting to store or winterize.
My plan is to work my butt off for three weeks out of each month, and then take a week to travel. I may just go to a campground a few miles away, or venture as far as I can drive for a day, settle in and get some practice at living the nomad life before heading back to work some more. This way I can ease into the life I want, not go into debt, and when my building finally sells, I will have all the pieces in place to get on the road full time.