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hi
Jun 20, 2015 18:27:49 GMT
Firefox likes this
Post by doddy555 on Jun 20, 2015 18:27:49 GMT
hi my name is tracey 50 years young, i am sick of my life at min, i am thinking o selling up and buying camper van to live in full time,would need to still work 4 days, i have a hobby scroll sawing, i would like your thoughts and advice. its just me an my dog kim , thanks in advance
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hi
Jun 21, 2015 1:34:42 GMT
Post by Firefox on Jun 21, 2015 1:34:42 GMT
Hi Tracey. Welcome to the forums! Lots of things to consider... you may be better of renting the house out which would give you a permanent address and an income. Also if you did live full time, would you use sites or wild camping. Most full timers use the occasional site at least say once a week to do laundry and fill/empty tanks. A lot depends on if you have a good shower in the van or if you prefer full blown bricks and mortar washing facilities - all down to personal tastes. A van around 6m long would probably be OK for 1 and a dog, unless you like a lot of personal possessions You could get an older one second hand for 2 to 3 thousand which you may be able to do out of savings or a loan without selling the house. Then you could pay off the loan from the rental money quite quick and even get a better van later as you rake in the rental cash, depending on personal finances etc. Retaining the house will provide you with 1. An address to tax and insure the van and get post (otherwise you need friends or family) 2. An income 3. A capital investment - if you sink all the money into a posh van, that will depreciate 4. A fallback if your personal circumstances change eg health - you may need to go back to house living. So yes, loads of considerations. I haven't even scratched the surface of van full-timing either
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hi
Jun 21, 2015 8:24:26 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jun 21, 2015 8:24:26 GMT
thanks for the reply, i will do more research with the help from this site, just reading through, your advice is good thankyou, its something i really want to do
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hi
Jun 21, 2015 11:14:01 GMT
Post by robmac on Jun 21, 2015 11:14:01 GMT
Welcome to the site.
I would advise to buy a cheaper van to start with and keep the house, just to see if you really take to the lifestyle. If you do go ahead, you may wish to consider a different choice of job, maybe something in arts/crafts if you are that way inclined, which you can do from your van whilst on your travels.
Best of luck with it, hope it goes well.
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hi
Jun 21, 2015 20:40:42 GMT
Post by Rubbertramp on Jun 21, 2015 20:40:42 GMT
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hi
Jun 24, 2015 6:20:18 GMT
Post by Etienne Le Croq on Jun 24, 2015 6:20:18 GMT
Hello Tracey and welcome!
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hi
Jun 25, 2015 19:49:34 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jun 25, 2015 19:49:34 GMT
hi Rubbertramp thanks for the links, i am so going to do my drean in the next 2 years, i just cant make my mind up weather to just ditch my house an get fab motor home, are get small house an small motor home , i know i will love doing it , just need lots of advice ,
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hi
Jun 25, 2015 21:22:18 GMT
Post by stonedaddy on Jun 25, 2015 21:22:18 GMT
Whatever you do Tracey welcome to the site. Get a van and attend one of the many wild camping meets. Get to know people and look at there vans. There are quiet a few members who do live full time in there vans. Good luck. .... Tom ....
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hi
Jun 26, 2015 18:21:01 GMT
Firefox likes this
Post by doddy555 on Jun 26, 2015 18:21:01 GMT
HI tom thanks, i so need to just sell up ad do it, would be fab if a full timer got in touch
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hi
Jun 26, 2015 22:20:58 GMT
Post by stonedaddy on Jun 26, 2015 22:20:58 GMT
HI tom thanks, i so need to just sell up ad do it, would be fab if a full timer got in touch Vernon (Firefox) and WVW (Jess) pretty much full time I am sure if you PM them they will give you good advice. .... Tom ....
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Post by Firefox on Jun 27, 2015 0:53:42 GMT
We do both full time ie Sleep and cook in vans 365, but in our own ways, we still have our houses in the background. Rubber tramp and X are fulltiming without houses at the moment.
If you give up your house, you lose address, income, investment, permanent base, and place to fall back on, should you ever need it.
Lots of things to think about there!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2015 11:53:20 GMT
I've been living in my van for about a year and before that, the previous couple of years, I spent more time in my van than in my house, largely due to finances. Unfortunately I'm in negative equity with my mortgage so I'm stuck with my house for next few years, if I can keep staving off repossession, and am hoping to be able to do it up into a rentable state and get in a lodger to help cover mortgage and bills. Lodger would have the place to themselves for 90% of the time and I would still have access to house at any time - if it was rented out, I wouldn't have access to it.
If I didn't have my house, I would need to rent storage for a few valuables and things like winter clothes, various tools, equipment, craft supplies, etc. Plus I'd need to rent some sort of craft workshop.
The house means that I have a postal address for everything related to van, bank, other paperwork etc but there are alternatives such as the Boatmail service.
Retaining the house also saves a lot of money in terms of laundry, its the extra things like bedlinen, dogs bedding, dog towels, rugs, mats, van soft furnishings etc which add a lot of extra cost. It also means that I can hoover and clean out the van regularly. You could do all this on a campsite, but if money is a factor, you need to work out the costs of campsite, electric hook up, washing machine etc.
Plus regular access to water, and shower.
Ironically I get better TV and mobile signal in my van outside the house than I do inside.
I did go back to my house as a base for a couple of months from mid November to January but still spent a lot of time in the van during that time, just wilding locally, as my house is very isolated and about 20 miles from the nearest big town, so easier and cheaper to stay close to town if got lots of appointments etc in town. But until January, I didn't have much heating in van which was difficult, but then I picked up a second hand small calor gas heater which made all the difference.
The biggest problems are mainly due to having 2 dogs and a cat - their stuff (cages, food, toys, towels, spare bedding etc) takes up considerable space, I need a lot more water, its hard to keep van clean, wet weather makes it difficult due to wet dogs, wet jacket, wet boots, wet dog towels etc, lots of condensation and difficult to dry out.
A solar panel is essential especially if you need to be online a lot for business etc. Everyday I need to recharge laptop, mobile and mifi, plus rechargeable AA batteries for torches etc, and I'd struggle to do that without driving a lot.
The hardest thing I'm finding at the moment whilst I'm not very well, is the constant moving on every night or two, and often being anxious about police visits, as I've recently had quite a few police visits, mostly OK, but one unpleasant incident. It might be because my van isn't registered as a motorhome nor looks like one - a scruffy white transit with just one window in door, so I think people in rural areas report it as a suspicious vehicle if parked up overnight. Also I do get pestered quite a lot by other people's dogs which disturb mine, or get into my van etc, and their owners either don't realise or don't care, but it happens enough to really bug me now.
Moving on daily or every 2days means I can rarely relax, and some days are really busy, having to do supermarket for loo, shopping, disposing of rubbish and recycling, top up water etc. And now getting difficult as so many supermarkets now have parking companies running their car parks, so am always in a rush to get things everything done in 2hours to avoid parking ticket.
I also have a nagging worry about repairs and breakdowns - ideally you need a garage where you can stay in the van overnight whilst repairs are being done otherwise you need to have an emergency overnight bolthole.
And I just don't allow myself to think about what I would do if the van was written off in an accident...
But all that aside, I spend so much more time outdoors, I go to sleep and wake up in some lovely places, and I get a lot more human contact than I would stuck in my isolated house, and I've made some good friends through this and other forums. And being at a "transitionary" point in life (mid life crisis?), my van is hopefully going to give me a way to start a craft business, selling at small festivals and events.
Whereabouts are you located? Perhaps you could come to a meet or spend a day with someone to see the realities which may affect your decision on what to buy, it would help you decide what facilities you need or could do without.
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hi
Jun 27, 2015 17:12:26 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jun 27, 2015 17:12:26 GMT
hi thanks for replys, i buzzing, VWV i will private message you if ok, thanks so much guys i am really thinking of the best way to do this, i not sure how much a good van would cost to buy, are in fact which to buy ,
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hi
Jun 27, 2015 17:14:17 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jun 27, 2015 17:14:17 GMT
wvw so sorry just got all excited
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hi
Jun 27, 2015 19:27:09 GMT
Post by Rubbertramp on Jun 27, 2015 19:27:09 GMT
Good speech Jess! You've just about nailed it. Except generally there is nothing to worry about if you get a visit from the police. Usually (they've told me)they have got a call from some busybody and they have to respond by checking you out. 9 times out of ten doddy555, they don't even speak to you, just run your number plate to make sure you are legal.
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hi
Jun 27, 2015 19:56:22 GMT
Post by n brown on Jun 27, 2015 19:56:22 GMT
we full timed for years in Europe,with kids a lot of the time, never owned and lived in a house, renting one in england now to be near family. i wouldn't spend too much on a van in case the life doesn't suit you- it's a whole lot of new chores to get used to and new ropes to learn. winter's can be daunting if you don't have the right outlook,and it's not a life for wimps ! on the plus side,you'll spend loads more time in the outside world and develop a new relationship with nature. tv and news become irrelevant and you'll make some good friends i could go on a lot more !
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hi
Jun 27, 2015 21:57:58 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jun 27, 2015 21:57:58 GMT
hi please go on, i need to know it all, good are bad., thanks everyone. hey need to know what to buy budget of £20,00 to £30.000 thanks in advance
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hi
Jun 28, 2015 20:10:22 GMT
Post by Rubbertramp on Jun 28, 2015 20:10:22 GMT
I would be very reluctant to buy from a dealer and definitely not new. They overprice and any warranty usually doesn't last long or doesn't cover enough. If I had your budget and was starting out and didn't want to do a self build I'd buy privately, second hand for under seven thousand. You can get hold of some good quality low mileage older vans for that price (take a look on ebay). That way you have 13-17 grand to easily cover any mechanical faults should they arise.
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hi
Jun 28, 2015 20:46:18 GMT
Post by n brown on Jun 28, 2015 20:46:18 GMT
buy private and pay a god mechanic to look it over
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hi
Jun 28, 2015 22:34:56 GMT
Post by Firefox on Jun 28, 2015 22:34:56 GMT
Yes, buy private and second hand. Dealer mark ups are heavy and the guarantees poorly honoured in many cases.
I wouldn't dream to recommend any layout inside - it's a very personal thing. Best thing is to go along to a big show like the NEC show. Go in all the vans and open all the cupboards. Sit on the seats, inspect the nooks and crannies. See what might suit you and your dog. Be critical of the kitchen layout and sleeping accommodation. All vans are compromises. One may have a nice fixed bed but a smaller kitchen to compensate. Or another may have a nice shower, but very little wardrobe space. A coachbuilt offers extra space inside, but if you don't mind living in smaller spaces, a panel van will be more practical on the road, for parking, and as an only vehicle.
People from this forum often go to shows, so you may be able to meet up at a show with some people from here and they can point out a few things to look for as you go round the vans.
Another way to gain experience without committing too much, is hire a van for a few days. Off season in November or Jan/Feb this can be much cheaper than in summer. And you will be living at the coldest time so be able to judge what it is like then. Try both wild camping and site camping. Even park up on your drive for a night. It's all experience to try layouts, operate motorhome systems, or see what some of the different problems are, and how to solve them to suit you.
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hi
Jul 1, 2015 19:45:04 GMT
Post by doddy555 on Jul 1, 2015 19:45:04 GMT
thanks so much for all your advice, i need to start looking at motor homes soon
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