Seriously thinking about buying a campervan and giving up my rental home

I can buy a half decent one for $20,000.
Currently I am paying $20,000 a year for rent, power and water.
This will rise to $23,000 from May.
I need to do plenty of research regarding the pros and cons of van life.
Cost of maintenance, hygiene re showering etc, legal parking, must have air conditioning for extreme heat.

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whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

I looked at the cost of a powered site to place a camper or caravan and that put me off. The only way it works for me is if I can site the van on someone elses property and hook into their power. Useful if you have family you can prevail upon for less than market rates. Or maybe find a share house or unit to split the rent. Although maybe not ideal for a person who is set in their ways..😷

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Gusman · 61-69, M

@whowasthatmaskedman KiwiBird has mentioned I could go back to Tasmania.
Temperature rarely reaches 100 degrees and most certainly does not have a run of days of extreme temperatures like here in Perth.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

@Gusman True. But you do have the Tassie winters to put up with and while Launceston isnt bad. I dont know the housing or site rentals there. But I totally agree on the A/C situation, wherever you are. And a camper shower and toilet leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe you need to go back there to see how things are now before committing.. Or, maybe we should talk....😷

Gusman · 61-69, M

@whowasthatmaskedman It is easier to warm up than it is to cool down.
Thermal underwear and woolen jumpers would suffice.
The east coast would be the better place to be. West Coast, 2.5 meters of rain annually, plus snow and frequent below zero temperatures. Hobart gets those icy Antarctic winds very often.
I doubt I would even be able to get a rental place, what with the current market. I cannot see the market improving ever.
I had a look just now, only 31 properties for rent on the east coast.
1 bedroom unit, $250/week.
Next is $330, then $340, $350, $400

DeWayfarer · 61-69, M

I wouldn't recommend a Van. I lived three years in one and nearly died, because of lack of air conditioning.

BTW you would need over the head air conditioning to do it right. Not the cab forward type air conditioning.

Heating wasn't a problem here. It rarely gets below freezing. Yet heating could be as well a problem, depending on where.

Now motorhomes are a totally different ballgame. They do have generators in them. My half brother took me on a few trips, when I was a teen, in a Itasca motorhome.

You might want to consider a camper/truck type arrangement. Yet again only with a generator.

Generators are too big for a Van really. And forget about Solar panels. Not enough electricity. The inverters they use with solar panels are cool idea, no batteries. Yet you would still need massive amounts of solar panels.

StygianKohlrabi · 46-50, M

Sounds like you're looking at used ones. Good plan. You can park anywhere on streets but you may be hassled on occasion. it's part of the deal. a lot of people don't shower in the van. they may have a cartridge toilet you can empty out anywhere, or a black water tank. you can get propane powered showers. air conditioning takes a lot of power, so you'd need shore power. with a couple of good roof fans you could just use solar power. one option is just living in it during the milder times of year.

I'm building one if you have any more questions I may know something.

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KiwiBird · 36-40, F

@Gusman I was thinking of Van life and the weather....so maybe summer in Tasmania and Winter on the mainland up North.

Gusman · 61-69, M

@KiwiBird That is an idea as well. Plenty to think about. Thank you.

KiwiBird · 36-40, F

@Gusman Cost cutting on the road...

Ideally you need a Van set-up that enables free-camping for say at least five days...then into a park for say one to two nights and make use of the power. You will need a solar set-up. Wouldn't work if you needed air-conditioning.

ScreamingFox · 41-45, F

Having done that life, I can tell you that it's awesome, but you will need to find a place to park for sleep. The rest you figure out.

Monalisasmith86 · 36-40, F

Are you aware that power and water come every 3 months especially power

Gusman · 61-69, M

@Monalisasmith86 Every 2 months here. Total power and water cost for 12 months is around $420. Really cheap.

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