21 Years in a 1973 Dodge Van

Hey bro!

I live in Arizona as well. A little hot for a van and two dogs you would think!

Good on ya for living the dream and not living the life people lay out for you.

 

I've been looking at parcels of land around Seligman, AZ. for years. You can still get 40 acres in the rolling hills with a lot of junipers for less than $20,000. No zoning either. I could just park the van or build a cabin. I've had the money a couple of times but have balked at being tied to the grid in even that small of a fashion. For right now it's...

"Watch the Taxman and the Police miss me 'cause...

I'm mo-bile...

Mo-bile, mo-bile, mo-bile, mo-bile." _The Who

 

Make it here to my neck of the woods and we'll do just that.

 

Hey right back atcha, fellow Arizonan!!!

I'm never below 3800 ft. elevation, and usually higher so it's a tad cooler than where you're at there in Gilbert. Are you familiar with The Verde Valley area?

 

Nah I haven't left the big city area before man.

 

If you decide to broaden your horizons let me know.

 

More pics from my latest spot. Again, it's where I was parked in the earlier Google Earth shots. Yes...snow on Woodchute Mountain on May 14th in AZ.

 

That was my birthday, I spent it working in a dusty metal works factory coughing my lungs up because i have a chest infection. One day I will be free from that place and from paying money to bastard landlords.

TwoDogs, what do you think about them VW campers? You get those over in the states?

I love those things, they are so compact and bijou. I'm a long way off affording one of them though, and they are a bit on the small side really. I bought a magazine the other with lots of nice pictures of them. Everyday, on the way to work, I cycle past a really nice red one and everyday I check to see if there is a for sale sign on the window.

There is one for sale on the internet at the moment, which I can nearly afford, but it would leave me with no money if I bought it.

 

Happy Birthday!!!

I think they're cool. They're much better on gas mileage than your normal fullsize vans. They're just not able to carry as much weight as I need. I carry at 3/4 of a ton at all times.

 

A handy feature in today's world of rocketing oil prices.

 

Hey TwoDogs, hope you don't mind if I ask you a question. It may have been asked already, I'm sorry but I can't remember all the details of the thread.

How did you originally come to 'settle' in this particular place? Did you always want to live in AZ or did you just come across it and then stay there?

 

I first came across this area in 1979. I was hitchhiking from Denver, CO. to Las Cruces NM. and took a detour with some people that picked me up. We stopped in Sedona and I immediately loved the area. Sedona has become too commercial since then so I moved over to the Cottonwood/Clarkdale area.

 

Hey, one thing you should consider is that VW campers will cost more than an equivalent van of the same size e.t.c. because its an iconic vehicle.
If your hard up on money you might be better off getting something similar but without the 'Designer Name' if you know what I mean.

They are bloody lovely vans though, I know I'd love one even if it is a bit small.

 

Great thread here!
2 dogs has it down pat it seems


I own my own place in the east but have been considering buying some land out west
Prices are right for the land if it is off-grid, but it costs a fortune to drill a well and
set up solar....even if I parked an RV there for winters

BTW--take it from an old wrenchturner and maint mechanic
VW's are nice but cost a fortune in parts and upkeep
and take specialized tools to work on the newer models (newer than bugs, etc)

 

Yeah they are a bit on the small side, but to be honest I would feel more comfortable driving them for that reason. Thanks for you comments.

What do you think of this I found on ebay, pretty decent price but will require some work?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1979-Voltswag...ryZ14256QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

TwoDogs, sorry I don't mean to hijack your thread with this. I wont post anymore stuff like this. Upon your request I will remove/edit this post and in future I intend to create another thread maybe anyway.

 

Hey dude, don't sweat it. That's what this thread is supposed to be about...info.

 

Thanks dude.

 

That's cool. I like that philosophy. An on topic thread is a stagnant pond.

I'm not going to buy that van, although I am tempted. Without a tow truck, a small plot of land and few welding tools I'm pretty much screwed.

I was rather taken by the way the roof transforms into tent.

I am still concerned about the inflation and impending scarcity of oil resources. I found this seemingly well researched article on it and it looks a lot like we have reached the so called "peak" of oil production, and that our greed and impatience for developing the world is about to make a worsening impact on the situation.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/apr/21/oilandpetrol.news

Maybe a horse and cart would be a better investment.

 

There are a couple of different groups of folks around here that travel in a wagon with mules and one group even has a goat.