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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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.

Gusman · 61-69, M

@StygianKohlrabi The one real drawback is the extreme summer temperatures here in Western Australia.
The van would need a really efficient air con set-up.
But that would mean running the van nonstop during the really hot times of the day.
Lately temperatures here have been close to 100 degrees at 10 am and increasing throughout the day.
This might see me abandon my plan for van life.

StygianKohlrabi · 46-50, M

@Gusman well... can't you live in the South during the summer? air conditioners are very bulky and power hogs.

Gusman · 61-69, M

@StygianKohlrabi I live in Southern Australia.
Australia is extremely hot all over in the summertime. No escaping the extreme heat.

KiwiBird · 36-40, F

@Gusman Go back home....Tasmania. There are some coastal places in South Australia where it is often 10-12 degrees cooler compared to say Adelaide. So instead of 40 it's 28-30.

Gusman · 61-69, M

@KiwiBird Truely, returning to Tasmania, the thought has not crossed my mind.
Rents would still be high; Campervan might be more viable in Tasmania.

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.