Can I afford a van to live in on 9000 pounds a year?
Discussion
So when I bought my first car a long time ago it didnt cost that much it already had an MOT and road tax, I handed over 900 odd pounds, then I got the cheapest insurance I could and didnt drive it much so fuel wasnt much.
So from my memory it doesn't cost that much. Am I wrong?
I wont drive it that much.
Can you advise on what the costs will be per year? (make the decisions as if you were in my situation and you were buying a cheap van to LIVE in the back of)
(like a flat but Ill just chuck a mattress in the back)
Loads of van lifers groups on facebook who will give you an answer to this with decent levels of experience.
If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty f
king miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it 
If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty f
king miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it James_N said:
Loads of van lifers groups on facebook who will give you an answer to this with decent levels of experience.
If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty fking miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it
Thanks friend you are very kind If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty f
king miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it Yes im homeless at the moment on disability benefit, which is 9k a year , ive got 1000 saved up 800 coming in each month alot of which is for food, I live in a tent and high powered rifles are being shot around me, so its a bit of an emergency situation, cant get a flat on my own because they prefer workers, I cant share housing because of disability problems. So this is my only option however im not sure I can afford it. Edited by Jim9875768752143253545 on Monday 20th October 11:16
I’ve got a bit of experience of this having used a plain panel van with a bulkhead as my transport / accommodation on race weekends and also for a few weeks away in the height of summer in the U.K. It wasn’t as much fun as I’d hoped, but equally not quite as horrible. However, it was a means to an end with a fixed end date and a nice warm bed at home waiting for me.
My van was uninsulated, with some plywood in the places needed just to stop the loads from denting from the inside when transporting stuff. I used a mattress at first, but soon swapped to a camp bed (cheap) that kept me off the floor of the van. It got cold quickly at night, even in the summer months it needed a good quality sleeping bag to sleep comfortably, ideally with a head covering built in. Whenever possible I plugged a lead into a power socket and ran a blow heater that kicked in to keep the temperature up a bit. Peeing in a bottle and needing other places to go for number 2s was a crucial part of knowing where to park. Showers and personal hygiene were easy as I could park up in tourist spots that had these facilities, I doubt you’ll have that “luxury”. Cooking using a camping stove and keeping a small cool box running was good. You’ll probably live eating tinned foods or stuff that doesn’t go out of date. As for laundry, do launderettes still exist? That would still be quite a chore on a regular basis to keep your clothing clean and wearable.
As for doing it through a British winter. No chance. I didn’t enjoy the spring / autumn rounds, especially the rain bouncing off the roof.
Buying a van that won’t require a lot of maintenance from your £9k will be very tough in Year 1. If you’ve bought well you should manage it financially in Year 2. Emotionally, I think it will destroy you.
My van was uninsulated, with some plywood in the places needed just to stop the loads from denting from the inside when transporting stuff. I used a mattress at first, but soon swapped to a camp bed (cheap) that kept me off the floor of the van. It got cold quickly at night, even in the summer months it needed a good quality sleeping bag to sleep comfortably, ideally with a head covering built in. Whenever possible I plugged a lead into a power socket and ran a blow heater that kicked in to keep the temperature up a bit. Peeing in a bottle and needing other places to go for number 2s was a crucial part of knowing where to park. Showers and personal hygiene were easy as I could park up in tourist spots that had these facilities, I doubt you’ll have that “luxury”. Cooking using a camping stove and keeping a small cool box running was good. You’ll probably live eating tinned foods or stuff that doesn’t go out of date. As for laundry, do launderettes still exist? That would still be quite a chore on a regular basis to keep your clothing clean and wearable.
As for doing it through a British winter. No chance. I didn’t enjoy the spring / autumn rounds, especially the rain bouncing off the roof.
Buying a van that won’t require a lot of maintenance from your £9k will be very tough in Year 1. If you’ve bought well you should manage it financially in Year 2. Emotionally, I think it will destroy you.
steveo3002 said:
how often does it need to last and where are you going to stay if it needs some massive repair ?
fine if you can stay at parents or such , not so good if youre homeless when its the garage for 6 weeks
If it needs a repair then I will live in a tent in the forest which I can do fine if you can stay at parents or such , not so good if youre homeless when its the garage for 6 weeks
Id like it to last but I dont have much money to use at the start ive got 1000 saved up it was for a flat deposit but that doesn't seem like an option now, then obviously I would expect problems with breakdowns and mileage if I go for a cheap van, so i need help from experienced people like yourself on how to solve this problem
Thanks friend!
Jim9875768752143253545 said:
James_N said:
Loads of van lifers groups on facebook who will give you an answer to this with decent levels of experience.
If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty fking miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it
Thanks friend you are very kind If the 9k includes having to buy the van, i'd say it would be tight for the first year, but after that no problem. Check out Wills Wearabouts on youtube, he's just building a camper from a cheap amazon van he purchased (that had loads and loads of issues!).
Especially coming up to winter, you can't put a price on comfort. Chucking a mattress in the back of an old van will be pretty f
king miserable. You can still do it on a budget (hand me downs, charity shops, ebay) but make sure you are comfortable and warm first and foremost, then it can be an ongoing project until you have the van as you want it Yes im homeless at the moment on disability benefit, which is 9k a year , ive got 1000 saved up 800 coming in each month alot of which is for food, I live in a tent and high powered rifles are being shot around me, so its a bit of an emergency situation, cant get a flat on my own because they prefer workers, I cant share housing because of disability problems. So this is my only option however im not sure I can afford it. Edited by Jim9875768752143253545 on Monday 20th October 11:16
Will a van be warm and comfortable to sleep in ? No
Is it better in the winter than a tent? Yes
Will you get a usable one with an MOT for £1000? No chance
If you are already living in a tent, then you'll be aware of the issues with hygiene/keeping warm/cooking, so these won't be really any different with a van.
Parking it somewhere quiet and out of the way will be more difficult as people generally don't like van's parked outside their houses, and get suspicious if they see them in laybys/country lanes etc parked up.
Is it better in the winter than a tent? Yes
Will you get a usable one with an MOT for £1000? No chance
If you are already living in a tent, then you'll be aware of the issues with hygiene/keeping warm/cooking, so these won't be really any different with a van.
Parking it somewhere quiet and out of the way will be more difficult as people generally don't like van's parked outside their houses, and get suspicious if they see them in laybys/country lanes etc parked up.
Opapayer said:
I ve got a bit of experience of this having used a plain panel van with a bulkhead as my transport / accommodation on race weekends and also for a few weeks away in the height of summer in the U.K. It wasn t as much fun as I d hoped, but equally not quite as horrible. However, it was a means to an end with a fixed end date and a nice warm bed at home waiting for me.
My van was uninsulated, with some plywood in the places needed just to stop the loads from denting from the inside when transporting stuff. I used a mattress at first, but soon swapped to a camp bed (cheap) that kept me off the floor of the van. It got cold quickly at night, even in the summer months it needed a good quality sleeping bag to sleep comfortably, ideally with a head covering built in. Whenever possible I plugged a lead into a power socket and ran a blow heater that kicked in to keep the temperature up a bit. Peeing in a bottle and needing other places to go for number 2s was a crucial part of knowing where to park. Showers and personal hygiene were easy as I could park up in tourist spots that had these facilities, I doubt you ll have that luxury . Cooking using a camping stove and keeping a small cool box running was good. You ll probably live eating tinned foods or stuff that doesn t go out of date. As for laundry, do launderettes still exist? That would still be quite a chore on a regular basis to keep your clothing clean and wearable.
As for doing it through a British winter. No chance. I didn t enjoy the spring / autumn rounds, especially the rain bouncing off the roof.
Buying a van that won t require a lot of maintenance from your £9k will be very tough in Year 1. If you ve bought well you should manage it financially in Year 2. Emotionally, I think it will destroy you.
Thanks friend I can handle all the pee bottle gas stove stuff without any issue at all.. My van was uninsulated, with some plywood in the places needed just to stop the loads from denting from the inside when transporting stuff. I used a mattress at first, but soon swapped to a camp bed (cheap) that kept me off the floor of the van. It got cold quickly at night, even in the summer months it needed a good quality sleeping bag to sleep comfortably, ideally with a head covering built in. Whenever possible I plugged a lead into a power socket and ran a blow heater that kicked in to keep the temperature up a bit. Peeing in a bottle and needing other places to go for number 2s was a crucial part of knowing where to park. Showers and personal hygiene were easy as I could park up in tourist spots that had these facilities, I doubt you ll have that luxury . Cooking using a camping stove and keeping a small cool box running was good. You ll probably live eating tinned foods or stuff that doesn t go out of date. As for laundry, do launderettes still exist? That would still be quite a chore on a regular basis to keep your clothing clean and wearable.
As for doing it through a British winter. No chance. I didn t enjoy the spring / autumn rounds, especially the rain bouncing off the roof.
Buying a van that won t require a lot of maintenance from your £9k will be very tough in Year 1. If you ve bought well you should manage it financially in Year 2. Emotionally, I think it will destroy you.
What I really need help with is knowing how to buy an inexpensive van that wont break down, and id like to know the approximate costs of it all initial payments then payments over a year, I dont even know how much the van will be the insurance, road tax mot Im not a driver so its all new to me
Having had vans and campervans....
...would a caravan not be possible for you? Certainly you'd be able to pick something up that is much more akin to a house/home for £2-3k and you get WAY more value for your money even vs a panel van. With diesel or gas heater, winters also much more pleasant than a van!
A car with a towbar (without being picky about the car) could easily be picked up for £1k or so if the caravan can't be permanently parked somewhere. I know a few people with industrial estates/storage units who allow (granted, someone they know) to stay in a caravan on site long term as it helps keep the site secure, and gives them a permanent pitch.
...would a caravan not be possible for you? Certainly you'd be able to pick something up that is much more akin to a house/home for £2-3k and you get WAY more value for your money even vs a panel van. With diesel or gas heater, winters also much more pleasant than a van!
A car with a towbar (without being picky about the car) could easily be picked up for £1k or so if the caravan can't be permanently parked somewhere. I know a few people with industrial estates/storage units who allow (granted, someone they know) to stay in a caravan on site long term as it helps keep the site secure, and gives them a permanent pitch.
Jim9875768752143253545 said:
Thanks friend I can handle all the pee bottle gas stove stuff without any issue at all..
What I really need help with is knowing how to buy an inexpensive van that wont break down, and id like to know the approximate costs of it all initial payments then payments over a year, I dont even know how much the van will be the insurance, road tax mot Im not a driver so its all new to me
You’re dreaming if you want a reliable van for pennies. Vans are workhorses that get used and abused and sold on when each user feels they’re too tatty / expensive to keep. It’s a complete lottery, although I’d say that for every 100 vans you look at you might get lucky with one. What I really need help with is knowing how to buy an inexpensive van that wont break down, and id like to know the approximate costs of it all initial payments then payments over a year, I dont even know how much the van will be the insurance, road tax mot Im not a driver so its all new to me
Surely the council can help you with accommodation. Even a bedsit in a crappy area will be better than living wild through a U.K. winter. Councils have a legal duty to house the homeless. I’m sure it won’t be a luxury penthouse, but if the choice is freezing to death or living in a s
tty bedsit I know which one I’d be taking. https://www.gov.uk/if-youre-homeless-at-risk-of-ho...
POIDH said:
There's more onus on councils in Scotland to home every homeless person. It might be worth heading north.
Cold as fk though.OP, make sure you answer the council's questions carefully when you go to them for help - make sure they cannot possibly interpret you as making yourself 'intentionally homeless'. Less detail is better. They will get you into a hostel / B&B. It will be s
t and the other residents will be .... variable, but better than outdoors.Check reddit for details too.
EDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/HomelessUK/comments/1elim...
That whole subreddit will have lots of info. Give Shelter a buzz too.
Surprised by the number of vans (clearly sleeping overnight - curtains drawn etc, usually multiple times weekly) locally, as we’re nearly in the sticks. And the nearby countryside has them also.
Obviously no facilities, simply avoiding overnight charges. It can’t be pretty. Doesn’t look too bad (compared to traveller types) though, can still be messy.
Talking about summer months, zero vehicles when snowing. Wind is chilly enough (next to M62).
Obviously no facilities, simply avoiding overnight charges. It can’t be pretty. Doesn’t look too bad (compared to traveller types) though, can still be messy.
Talking about summer months, zero vehicles when snowing. Wind is chilly enough (next to M62).
I would genuinely say the risk of it breaking would be too high. Cars (or any vehicle) are not cheap to run even if they stand still most the year.
I have an old van (VW T25) which we have owned for 14 years and probably only do 1000 miles per year in it.
It does 20mpg, so about £6 per 20 miles. It did cost about £260 to tax a year, but now free because it is over 40 years old. Insurance is cheap at about £150 per annum. A consideration is no MOT requirement after 40 years too, but needs to be safe and roadworthy.
This is more to give you a guide of some potential costs, as there are many vans ready for the scrap heap at £1000.
So, we were quite lucky with ours until the gearbox gave up. This cost £1500 (all in) to put right and getting people to work on old vans and getting reliable used parts is an absolute gamble each time. Took three months to get sorted.
Clutch slave cylinder went this year (£380 which did include replacing corroded pipe work too). Last year distributor went (I think that was £180 all in).
Tyre valves started leaking this year too, so £75 for those to be replaced ( they perished through lack of use.....)
It all mounts up and I honestly think if you want a working panel van it would not be worth doing.
An old estate car or similar would probably be a better solution in terms of purchase price versus reliability/ longevity.
So here is my suggestion
https://ebay.us/m/hRjeEO
I have an old van (VW T25) which we have owned for 14 years and probably only do 1000 miles per year in it.
It does 20mpg, so about £6 per 20 miles. It did cost about £260 to tax a year, but now free because it is over 40 years old. Insurance is cheap at about £150 per annum. A consideration is no MOT requirement after 40 years too, but needs to be safe and roadworthy.
This is more to give you a guide of some potential costs, as there are many vans ready for the scrap heap at £1000.
So, we were quite lucky with ours until the gearbox gave up. This cost £1500 (all in) to put right and getting people to work on old vans and getting reliable used parts is an absolute gamble each time. Took three months to get sorted.
Clutch slave cylinder went this year (£380 which did include replacing corroded pipe work too). Last year distributor went (I think that was £180 all in).
Tyre valves started leaking this year too, so £75 for those to be replaced ( they perished through lack of use.....)
It all mounts up and I honestly think if you want a working panel van it would not be worth doing.
An old estate car or similar would probably be a better solution in terms of purchase price versus reliability/ longevity.
So here is my suggestion
https://ebay.us/m/hRjeEO
Edited by mike9009 on Monday 20th October 21:46
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