121–130 of 351 posts
I hope it works out for him. The main thing I would miss would be having a companion and pets. Not sure I could do without those right now. He's in an excellent time and place for this.
Always find it interesting when people say this to me. I mean you can see the awe in their eyes, the longing to "just do it" - and then, reality settles back in and the resign to living the same life over and over until the end of time.
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#vanlife was on the fringe about 5 years ago, but it's starting to gain wider acceptance in the US. I would hope that within five years Volkswagen will finally bring the California T6 to the States. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_California
Sprinters, Ducatos, Transits, and NVs (not to mention old school Expresses/Savannas) are already available here, so I'm not sure what a VW California T6 would offer that the others wouldn't.
- the T6 is smaller than the Sprinter.
- OEM. You'd need to go aftermarker for a pop-top. And as as awesome as it is to DIY, not everyone has the time/skills for a conversion.
- Volkswagen cult appeal. You can't deny there's a demand for older T2/T3s and Westies. They released the Beetle for nostalgia, they can do the same for the T6.
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> Jokes aside, are there really places you can rent a screwdriver for a day? There's places where you can buy them and return them a day later for a full refund.
That doesn't sound all that ethical, and you've now spent two 30-60 minute round trips to a store for want of a $5 tiny tool you used to own.
Autozone is one example, offering this service for things like bearing presses and radiator pressurizers and so forth. They don't make any money on the tool in this case; the play is, if you have access to you'll do the work yourself and buy parts & consumables from them.
BUT, you're totally right about the time & gas, and there's also the issue where you always discover you need tool X right after removing the engine.
I'd rather live on a hippie commune than this.
What about getting laid?
>, I have a pee bottle and a 5 gallon jug. Line the jug with two trash bags, and cover the poop with kitty litter. Then toss it in a dumpster. 1.is this legal to dump trash in somone else's dumpster without owners permission? 2. Is it ok in the US to dump poop in dumpsters? I know nursing homes incinerate poop but not sure if there is a law specifically against dumping human waste.
There are lots of sewers for human waste at truck stops, some gas stations, and parks that he could dump it down, I would rather do that than throw it in a dumpster.
For those people, there are actual sewage dump stations at a lot of those places. Look for a sign with a vehicle with an arrow or pipe out the bottom next time you're near a truck stop or state park.
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At the time I thought it made sense... of course hindsight is great. If I wanted a Toyota diesel, I would have just bought a Toyota, but I didn't want that. The reason for the merc is that the engine I chose (the OM606) is the most sophisticated non-computer controlled diesel possible - actually it came from the factory with a computer, but by using the injection pump from the earlier OM603 it can be made fully mecha…
What about an OM617? That has to be one of the simplest, reliable, and over-engineered motors MB ever made. I spent 5 years running mine on vegetable oil! I figure that would have been a good Africa motor. How's getting gas been so far?
1) the non-turbo versions are absolute dogs 2) manual valve clearance adjustments are annoying 3) vibrate more