I am looking to buy an empty van to begin full time vanlife.
From current research I have seen people generally recommend no less than 10k for a base van that will be reliable but that still seems a lot to me?
I was thinking more in the 5k range. Why must it be so much?
Is 10k the absolute minimum one would expect to pay for a reliable motor? Surely I want to save money but I also don't want to break down at inopportune times.
10k just feels like a lot to invest for the first tryout of vanlife.
I don't want to be driving around all the time travelling here and there. I am more interested in being semi settled on perhaps existing sites (my friends are very much embedded in the alternative living culture and told me there are many potential options for existing communes they might know) or my mother knows some farmers who she says she feels confident we will be able to make some arrangement with.
So my main goal is not to constantly be on the road but rather just have a house with a motor that is easier to move from site to site. Conversely I do not want to lose the freedom of the motor by having a caravan for instance since I do want that flexibility that a van would offer.
Just mentioning that since it will probably mean I want to actually be driving less than most vanlifers who like to be off on adventures, sleeping in a different place every few days.
So does this mean I could go for a van that costs less, since I plan to drive it less? I do plan on doing short trips, perhaps to the local national park or commercial campsites, locally to test things out and get used to staying in a van. Once I were comfortable I would then be ready to move out and probably head to my mum's.
I also plan to just have the bare essentials, like just mattress or camping equipment to start and built up from there. People say insulation will be essential but it seems I will be ok for spring and summer now in that regard? I am thinking to use my mum's as a base and live out the van and convert it at my own pace there and I have until autumn to get it ready for the colder seasons while I can make do with less during the more temperate seasons.