Van Living?

If you were going to live in a van, what type of van is best to buy?
And does anyone know how to convert a regular van into a living space?

 

You are best off buying a van that is already set up for it, and tweaking it yourself. The cost and labor involved to do it to maximize space is pretty high. No clue which van is best, craigslist it????

 

A Chevy conversion van, with a 350 engine.

 

^^No way, a V-8 chevy will eat you out of house and home (literally!)

Think Volkswagon van with a 4-banger.

ZW

 

i think any van will be perfect with the right mindset. i'm spending 6 weeks in my van next summer and it's just a chrysler town and country with nothing special done to it. but i'm thinkin a cooler and a tent and no back seats will be all the mods i'll need

 

check it out lot of info from one's how live it


http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/VanDwellers/


dave

 

sorry [who live it]

 

I have a chevy conversion with a v-6 not as muc power as I would like but gas is alright

 

i would get a small RV

 

Oh no Bedoin Girl, it's Camels and a Yert for you...

OK,OK, how about a motorcycle and a pup-tent?

 

vw vans are da bomb

 

I have found that a Ford Transit van is perfect! Stick a bit of plywood, MDF or whatever as a base (fits nicely on the wheelarches). On top of that put an airbed + duvet. A 4 drawer chest can easily fit by the side of it.

Finishing touches: Lamps and a bit of carpet.

There ya go, home on wheels

 

Astro vans are quite popular for live-in's. They are bigger than the mini's, decent gas mileage, more truck-like, and parts are plentiful. When your wheels are also your home, space and comfort become quite important.
I prefer a full size van (have an old three quarter Dodge)...would rather spend more in gas than be uncomfortable in a mini. Everyone is different in what suits them.
Other things to consider...are you planning to be stealthy? Is standing upright important to you? Do you have construction skills? How much stuff are you wanting to haul around with you? Will you be towing anything?

 

Before I came with an entourage, I was looking at the Astro as well. They're roomy, but affordable, and very very reliable. Now that there are 3 of us, we have a Dodge hi top. The sacrifice of mpg is going to be worth it to us for extra space. Fixing it up to our liking is the fun part. We find that we don't need a lot of the bells and whistles that pre done rigs have, so customizing is our preference. With 3 of us, it's going to be a challenge no matter what, so being able to tweak stuff without an entire remodel is the way to go for us.

Good luck in your venture.

 

I once had a cool old dually bread delivery van with a Dodge slant-6.
Top speed was about 60 and mileage was terrible but fuckin'-a, being able to stand up inside your rig is a wonderful thing, especially when dressing!

ZW

 

The van magazines back in the 70's had a lot of how to's in them for interiors. We used to sit in the school library and pour over them planning our dream rigs...and our escape..

You can find vandwellers over on Utube and also the vandwellers group and get ideas what you want and go from there.

 

There is a dude named Two dogs that has a thread on here that you could gain a lot of info from .He has been living in a van for 23 yrs .

 

Don't let the VW romance thing take you over-I love them,adore them,BUT! They are all ancient now,not reliable at all,expensive parts and difficult to find competent shops to repair them. If you want to be able to move reliably,look at the Astro with the 4.3v6,or an older Ford with the 300 cubic inch (4.9)in line six. Cheap,reliable,parts and mechanics aplenty. Aerostar vans with the 3.0 v6 are also a good choice. I've had at least one of each,the only thing I don't like about the Aerostar is it's a hatchback-and the hatch is fiberglass. I like steel,for bike racks,spare tire racks,etc...currently I have an Astro...

 

Those old toyota chinook pop up vans were pretty fuel efficient. I see them from time to time on craigslist......;-)

 

I've got the 300 cubic inch in '95 E-350 and it's still running strong. Mine is geared to haul so the mileage isn't real great. But I did see an overdrive unit at a junkyard in a E -series with a 300 of similar vintage. I really should go back and pull that out... fleamarketvendor