When did living in a van down by the river...

[minnesotapaintlady]

become unaffordable?!?

stillmovingforward (and anyone else that has a camper van), what do you like/don't like about yours and any tips for shopping for one?  This is still a ways out for sure, but be-bopping around the country with my mini house, for a few years in retirement sure sounds appealing.

[Lizard Queen]

Yeah, those cost more than the larger ones. Check out craigslist. There's often lots of those available in the West. I've seen plenty of homemade ones, too.

(I've been window shopping for quite a while and, but looking at a class C, not a class B.)

[Opti]

That is major $$$. Probably best for rich alumni going tailgating.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 10, 2022 12:00:15 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Yeah, those cost more than the larger ones.

I was pretty blown away at the cost!  Small would work great for me though because...just me.  It gets about the same gas mileage as the Fridge and if I changed out one of the garage doors would even fit in my garage.  I have 12 foot walls in the garage, but currently only 8 foot tall doors.

[pooks]

We started looking into camper vans this summer, because DH is tired of pulling the travel trailer.  The prices are crazy.  I hope it is just covid, so we are waiting since we don't need it now or really ever.  Covid has really impacted everything camping and vanlife is the trendy thing.  

ETA: Knowing the price, I am also shocked at how many I see driving around.  People have way more money than I think.  

[chiver78]

those are pretty nice, a former hockey teammate of mine had one. we used it as base camp for weekend hockey tournaments. I think she said she paid about $100k for hers, new. I wonder if the higher price now is due to all the supply chain issues w/COVID plus the demand with more people being able to work from anywhere. 

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 10, 2022 12:38:12 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

those are pretty nice, a former hockey teammate of mine had one. we used it as base camp for weekend hockey tournaments. I think she said she paid about $100k for hers, new. I wonder if the higher price now is due to all the supply chain issues w/COVID plus the demand with more people being able to work from anywhere. 

It's gone crazy.

The Revel debuted in 2014 for 85K base price.

2019 - 102K

2020 - 163K

2021 - 175K
2022 - 202K

Seriously? 

[chiver78]

that's insane. 

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 10, 2022 12:50:19 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

that's insane. 

If your friend has a 2019 she could probably sell it for 20-30K more than she paid judging by the ads I'm seeing.

[crazycat]

A friend of ours bought one a few years ago . It’s nice , they use it a lot . The prices are crazy now . 

[chiver78]

Jan 10, 2022 12:53:07 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Jan 10, 2022 12:50:19 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

that's insane. 

If your friend has a 2019 she could probably sell it for 20-30K more than she paid judging by the ads I'm seeing.

hers is older than that, I stopped playing probably 4y ago. and she uses it A LOT. back and forth from TN where she lives now, to MA where she still has family. 

[countrygirl2]

We discussed it briefly till we saw how much the prices have increased, nope. They are pricing people out of the market on a lot of this stuff.

I'm really aggravated I sold my tow car, but the used cars right now are worn out and too high miles to mess with. If I had known I could walk again, would not have happened.

[laterbloomer]

I bought a 1998 Pleasureway for $21,000 Cdn the summer of 2020. I too have dreams of cross continental road trips during retirement. I'm really happy with it. It was top of the line in 1998 and was well taken care of by the previous owner. We camped with it a lot last summer and I did a road trip to NB to see my parents, 1500 km one way.

[thyme4change]

Being homeless is getting gentrufied

[Opti]

Interesting video on its features. Must be nice to be able to afford something like this.

[TheOtherMe]

Jan 10, 2022 13:19:30 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Being homeless is getting gentrufied

And illegal in many places and fewer shelters, etc for the homeless.  Where are the people supposed to go?

My niece and her hubby bought a newer to them camper.  They pull it with a large pick up truck.  I don't know what they paid for it but her hubby's dad sells them and they usually buy used.  This summer they rented a lot at a campground for the season.  While it meant they didn't have to pull it any longer, it meant being at the same place every weekend.  They said they don't think that would have been an option when their kids were small and enjoyed the different pools and kids' playgrounds.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

It is expensive because that version is part Mercedes-Benz and is designed for off-road, dry camping.

[thyme4change]

Jan 10, 2022 15:17:50 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Jan 10, 2022 13:19:30 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Being homeless is getting gentrufied

And illegal in many places and fewer shelters, etc for the homeless.  Where are the people supposed to go?

My niece and her hubby bought a newer to them camper.  They pull it with a large pick up truck.  I don't know what they paid for it but her hubby's dad sells them and they usually buy used.  This summer they rented a lot at a campground for the season.  While it meant they didn't have to pull it any longer, it meant being at the same place every weekend.  They said they don't think that would have been an option when their kids were small and enjoyed the different pools and kids' playgrounds.

Around here, there are a lot of places you can pay to car camp - and they all fit campers. But you have to reserve them early.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 10, 2022 15:28:25 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

It is expensive because that version is part Mercedes-Benz and is designed for off-road, dry camping.

It's still double what the same van cost 3 years ago.

[Opti]

Jan 10, 2022 15:38:22 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Jan 10, 2022 15:28:25 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

It is expensive because that version is part Mercedes-Benz and is designed for off-road, dry camping.

It's still double what the same van cost 3 years ago.

According to the video it is somewhat upgraded. Lithium batteries inside the van, instead of whatever it was externally. Some other gizmos including the solar panels up top. I do think the cost has gone up due to demand much like certain used car prices. Crazy.

[tskeeter]

Jan 10, 2022 11:56:57 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

become unaffordable?!?

stillmovingforward (and anyone else that has a camper van), what do you like/don't like about yours and any tips for shopping for one?  This is still a ways out for sure, but be-bopping around the country with my mini house, for a few years in retirement sure sounds appealing.

The folks that I know who have had motor homes found them to be very, very maintenance and repair intensive, making them expensive to own.  Use for the weekend, repair shop on Monday kind to repair intensive.  If the RV was old, I could understand.  But a pristine one year old unit?  Really?

Wonder if it would be better to rent/lease than own?  At least that would make major issues someone else’s problem.

[cronewitch]

No microwave, clothing closet, linen closet and counter space. It would be hard to travel in. I would not cook in that kitchen and no place to even store a coffee pot. The gear garage would be my clothing and dirty clothing storage. Dining space is only big enough for one person. Bathroom you need to remove the stuff above the toilet to use it and everything to use the shower.

[bookkeeper]

DH and I have had two class C motorhomes.  We really thought we wanted a van this time, be a minimalist traveler and all that.  Then we got inside one.  DH is 6'2".  He doesn't fit.  Bathroom facilities in the vans are not great.  

We have a friend who bought one new at the beginning of the pandemic.  He flies and does consulting for a living.  He decided he was driving and not staying in hotels.  It was over $100,000 in 2020 before campers became a hot commodity.  He is self employed and could deduct the van over a few years.  

We ended up buying a 24 foot class C motorhome.  It drives like a crate, but it is short enough to get in a regular parking spot.  If you are interested in visiting national parks, be aware of length restrictions for vehicles in each particular park.  

In the end, I am glad we went bigger.  More headroom makes the space feel much bigger. The engine is a Ford 250, so we can pull our boat or any other trailer with ease.

We call it the mobile motel room.

We bought the camper in 2019 for $30,000.  It is a 2013 Thor with a Ford chassis.  I think we did ok, longer models were less money.  Small is expensive.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Jan 10, 2022 21:30:28 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

No microwave, clothing closet, linen closet and counter space. It would be hard to travel in. I would not cook in that kitchen and no place to even store a coffee pot. The gear garage would be my clothing and dirty clothing storage. Dining space is only big enough for one person. Bathroom you need to remove the stuff above the toilet to use it and everything to use the shower.

It's not really meant to be a luxury hotel on wheels (like my parent's RV with the fireplace and 50 inch TV).  It's more for minimalist outdoorsy people that want more than a tent, but don't want the limitations of a larger rig so they can get away from the crowded RV parks and do stuff like this.




Cooking is often outside when you're traveling like this.  Kind of like a pop up camper.  Put the awning out and have the stove outside. 

[tallguy]

Jan 10, 2022 13:04:56 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

I bought a 1998 Pleasureway for $21,000 Cdn the summer of 2020. I too have dreams of cross continental road trips during retirement. I'm really happy with it. It was top of the line in 1998 and was well taken care of by the previous owner. We camped with it a lot last summer and I did a road trip to NB to see my parents, 1500 km one way.

I was considering a Pleasure-Way a few years ago to do some solo travelling in retirement.  With an interior height of 6'2" though I was going to have some serious issues, and I could not keep a larger RV at my house.  I then met my GF which would have made travelling even more cramped.  She ended up buying a large SUV (big enough for me to lie down or sleep in) for us to travel that could also tow her boat if she wanted.  We figured that the extra costs of an RV could cover a lot of hotel nights, and there are a lot fewer potential issues to deal with, so it works.  I may end up buying the SUV from her so we can continue to use it for travel, but the RV idea is pretty much out the window now.  Glad you like yours though.

Oh, and we never slept in it nor towed the boat.  Did take a couple of really nice road trips so far though.  

[stillmovingforward]

Things to think about: I bought a well cared for used 23' rv. It has the expensive Mercedes-Benz diesel engine. I get about 20 miles to the gallon and rarely does anything go wrong. It didn't have a lot of extras so I am able to customize it the way I want it (made my own curtains, new mattress, off-grid 'downgrades', etc.)
I figured out how many nights per month I have to use it to break even. Easy for me to do.
I bought a classic 'how to repair your rv' book and read it. Between that, a Facebook group for my type of rv, and YouTube, I've never had to take it to a shop for non engine related repairs.
I LOVE IT! I wish I had bought one sooner when the kids were younger/at home. I leave it packed and ready to go AT ALL TIMES. I've figured out the food situation. 2 dogs and I can be out the door in 10 minutes of deciding to leave with one grocery bag of fresh food grabbed out of my fridge.
I'm leaving for a 3 week trip of northern Arizona this spring. I'm set up for boondocking so if I can't find a site, who cares? I've been all over the western states, western Canada, and into Alaska. Best mental health skill ever. 👌

[stillmovingforward]

Oh, and it's narrow enough that I can fit in a standard parking spot. I take up about the same space as an F350 king cab. I can pull with it but have never needed to bother.

[TheOtherMe]

Niece's husband is skilled enough that he does 99% of the repairs on the one they have.

Even with a kitchen, they do their cooking outside.  They go with a group of family and friends and that's when they are all together.  There is tarp over that area, so it's not bad even in rain.

[formerroomate99]

There’s a whole cottage industry around converting old vans and minivans to RV’s. Lots of how to videos on YouTube.