131–140 of 351 posts
If you want to have a gap year and drive around the country then do that and it's clearly what he wanted. If you want to cut down on expenses there are far better ways of doing it without buying a van. It makes as much sense as saying the only way to cross a river is to build a giant sling (fun - yes, but mundane options are available).
I love this idea in theory, but my wife would never go for it. Ah well... Maybe get an RV for longer camping trips...
Something in the Coachmen Prism range is not that much more expensive and has a shower. You can find some interesting deals on them because people tended to buy and realize RVs aren't for them. I guess you could also buy an RV chassis as one heck of a do-it-yourself project.
Which is highly likely this this case too. I'd suggest renting for a month and living in it the whole time before buying. It can be a great life but it can have its hardships too.
First, cut all the 0 AWG wire. Why 0 AWG? Because I had a 1500 watt inverter, which meant I could be pulling 150 amps (1500 watts output / 120 volts output × 12 volts input = 150 amps input).
That's nearly the right answer, but "watts / volts × volts" is not going to end in "amps" as an answer. I'd suggest: 1500 watts / 12 volts = 125 amps.
I also whole heartedly agree with him with statements like "By far the most beautiful place I've driven through has been the drive from Butte, MT to Idaho Falls, ID.". I drive mostly across the country twice a year. I avoid interstate highways. The evening routine is to look at satellite imagery for interesting terrain, look at something like Panoramio to see where people take pictures and of what, then piece together some travel for the next day. Pull over and take a mini-hike if anything looks interesting.
His "Can I live without my precious possessions?" answer is the most engineering LOL thing I've read all day: "Pile up my crap. Anytime I need something in the pile, take it out of the pile and save it for later. Monitor usage." Thank you for posting this.
This but slightly more organized is pretty much the standard answer for anti-hoarding: put all your stuff away, keep track of what you actually use over the next week/month/year, and get rid of anything that hasn't been touched.
I send my son emails with links to different interesting projects. He is ten. Too bad I can't send this one out. Why do people use foul language everywhere and in between? It's like a disease.
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If everyone followed this logic, who would you borrow from?
The guy in town running the (presumably) lucrative home tool rental store? Do these things exist in urban areas? Seems useful for apartment dwellers who don't have the space for anything more than a tiny toolkit anyhow
A while back I rented a nice hammer drill for $30 instead of buying a shit one from the same store for $50. For a more niche tool like that, it works out great not to have a bunch of money invested in nicer tools or a bunch of crap lying around.
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Meh, the quality of Roadtreks hasn't impressed me much; but I get your point. The Promaster looks to be the sweet spot between size and expense. But holy cow, Sportsmobile wants $9K for the pop-top option, on top of an $80K build. I guess I have to admit that there's a bit of sentiment attached to that "VW" badge, too. Ignore the fact that VW vans haven't been the quirky little beasts we fondly remember in over 20 ye…
Sure, $9K on top of $80K is pretty steep, but that $80K build is orders of magnitude more comfortable than what an old VW could provide, and at reasonable speeds too. By the time you upgrade a classic VW to similar standards (Subaru engine swap, A/C that isn't terrible, etc), the cost would be close to $80K. OTOH, if you want something more Spartan and more classic VW-like, $60K should be good enough to get you there…
You're right, I'm just being a cranky old man who thinks candy bars are still a quarter of a U. S. dollar. A/C? PNW, don't need it. But it's going to be $4K (installed) for the rest of the country. Power? 70bhp in that 4000 lb. tank. Now myself, when confronted with a mountain pass I'm content to put on some Grateful Dead to complete the experience, put 'er in 3rd gear, turn on the blinkers and get in the right lane with the trucks. But I can see that getting old quick for most folks. $10K for that Subaru engine. Add $20K for a turn-key VW, and we're at $35K for an old van that will keep you cool and get out of its own way, but still has inadequate brakes and a suspension that could use a refresh, along with a refrigerator that is so reliable that many remove it to put aftermarket in (though ours is rock-solid on electric and propane). But despite all that, I still love ours. :-) But we look at it as a metal tent-on-wheels rather than living quarters.
And my pound sterling->USD converter says a T6 is going to cost you exactly $60K, before the 25% "chicken tax".
This is a heart-warming story but he is definitely conflating 2 separate issues. If you want to have a gap year and drive around the country then do that and it's clearly what he wanted. If you want to cut down on expenses there are far better ways of doing it without buying a van. It makes as much sense as saying the only way to cross a river is to build a giant sling (fun - yes, but mundane options are available).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
If everyone followed this logic, who would you borrow from?
The guy in town running the (presumably) lucrative home tool rental store? Do these things exist in urban areas? Seems useful for apartment dwellers who don't have the space for anything more than a tiny toolkit anyhow