upgrading from subaru outback to ???

Please don't take out student loans to buy a vehicle, especially an old van. That's a very slippery slope for reasons others have pretty much covered very well.

You already have a vehicle that is in supposedly good mechanical condition. Rear shocks are easy and cheap to DIY; most auto parts stores will rent tools needed to do it for free. Keep rocking it to get through school and a little beyond. Once you've got a steady job, then jump feet first into building your campmobile since you'll have a steady income to support what it'll take to do it right without going into debt.

Also, this man speaks the truth. Head the wisdom:

Morgan Patterson wrote:Learn how to invest the 10k...stay in your room where you will still be able to get laid because you're in COLLEGE!

while i would still like to stay away from renting a room and would like to upgrade to something more spacious, I'm definitely reconsidering my options after the compelling arguments against debt and even more so after reading about how expensive and frequent the repairs on a sprinter can be. I'll be looking into some more affordable options (small fiberglass trailer behind the subaru, or an econoline seem to be the best options so far). thanks for all the feedback. I'll update with whatever i decide

Christian C wrote:while i would still like to stay away from renting a room and would like to upgrade to something more spacious, I'm definitely reconsidering my options after the compelling arguments against debt and even more so after reading about how expensive and frequent the repairs on a sprinter can be. I'll be looking into some more affordable options (small fiberglass trailer behind the subaru, or an econoline seem to be the best options so far). thanks for all the feedback. I'll update with whatever i decide

So you're really not planning on any sex the next several years?

Marc801 wrote: So you're really not planning on any sex the next several years?

Don't worry about the sex until you don't want to have sex with yourself.

Marc801 wrote: So you're really not planning on any sex the next several years?

He'll just have to use a different line than "come here often?" Or " are your legs tried?"

Maybe "hey little girl! Want a piece of candy?"

Bill Kirby wrote: He'll just have to use a different line than "come here often?" Or " are your legs tried?" Maybe "hey little girl! Want a piece of candy?"

Nice, I was going to recommend putting a "Free Candy" sticker on the slider.

Mike Brady wrote: Nice, I was going to recommend putting a "Free Candy" sticker on the slider.

Well one can always go solo in van life. Thinking of writing a book along those lines. "Kama Sutra Uno"

Fix the Subaru up. Concentrate on school. save all the money you can for traveling after school. Go abroad. You could easily live for 6-12 months on $10,000 in central or South America or Southeast Asia. Or save up and do a sweet dirtbag climbing trip in the U.S. Life experience will always be better than buying stuff. Especially at your age.

Don't waste your school loan on a car. You are essentially giving up a comfy room to save money, but buying one anyways.

Have you looked into Conex box housing? <10K - check, dry and durable - check, feel like a home - check. Probably still have to find someone with land to lease in the boondocks and utilities you can pay to use but you can stop paying rent! Full disclosure: I have only seen them, never lived in one, just throwing out another option to play with.

Christian C wrote:...(small fiberglass trailer behind the subaru, or an econoline seem to be the best options so far).

Yeah, fine if you're on an extended climbing trip, but while in school?
Live like this for several years? Invite someone over to.....this?



versus....

erik wellborn wrote: Well one can always go solo in van life. Thinking of writing a book along those lines. "Kama Sutra Uno"

Chapter 1: Communicating with your palm

Marc, come on man... you picked out pretty extreme examples. Not all van dwellers live in filth

Mike Brady wrote:Marc, come on man... you picked out pretty extreme examples. Not all van dwellers live in filth

True, but the small space basically means you are forever, constantly organizing stuff if you don't want it to look like a shithole.

Disclaimer: I've done a few stints of living out of a pick-up and van on extended climbing road trips. I'd never consider it for long-term living.

One huge (well, it becomes huge) annoyance of living in your vehicle - whenever you drive somewhere, even a short trip to the store, means you have to stow a bunch of stuff.

Marc801 wrote: True, but the small space basically means you are forever, constantly organizing stuff if you don't want it to look like a shithole. Disclaimer: I've done a few stints of living out of a pick-up and van on extended climbing road trips. I'd never consider it for long-term living. One huge (well, it becomes huge) annoyance of living in your vehicle - whenever you drive somewhere, even a short trip to the store, means you have to stow a bunch of stuff.

The irony is that I have ended up needed to clean less. I have my van pretty well organized and it is way less cluttered or messy than my last apartment. As far as needing to stow things to go to the store, all that is necessary to circumnavigate this is to not be a slob in the first place.

Tim Lutz wrote: both have wood floors.. I don't see the problem. I was living in a van when I met my wife. That was 15 years ago.

My van has cork floors and I live in it with my wife. Our sink is stainless and we have one of those boxes that keeps things cold. I even fold my laundry.

Tim Lutz wrote: I don't see the problem. I was living in a van when I met my wife. That was 15 years ago.

Though not the woman I ended up marrying, I also had no trouble with the ladies while living out of a van.

Question for you though, were you in school at first then working your first professional job while living in that van or were you on an extended vacation?

They're not the same. Living in a van on a road trip, even if it's a year or two is cheap, easy, and fun. Living in a van while going to school and working with no place to call home, well that sounds awful. I think that's the distinction many of us are trying to make to the OP.

For example, after my roadtrip (about a year) in my early 30's, I still ended up back at my parents house for a couple months and at a friends house for a couple more while I put my life back together. I ended up working a high school type job (lifeguard) while I put the pieces in place to rejoin the world. It took years to finally say that the roadtrip was worth it. Probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Yes I climbed my hardest then, if anything though, it showed me how little climbing hard means.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:Question for you though, were you in school at first then working your first professional job while living in that van or were you on an extended vacation? They're not the same. Living in a van on a road trip, even if it's a year or two is cheap, easy, and fun. Living in a van while going to school and working with no place to call home, well that sounds awful. I think that's the distinction many of us are trying to make to the OP.

+1
Precisely.

My wife is a full-time pre-med student and I work a full-time job in a professional environment. I don't see how not being on a climbing trip has any effect on the quality of life issue.

Why not just share a ROOM with another person? Or get a 1 bedroom apartment with another person and one of you gets the bedroom and the other one gets the living room. That can save you a lot of money. In many places, that would be about $200/month (what you're looking at spending to park at a friends' house.

Tim Lutz wrote: Actually, I was working a 9-5 job and living in the van. Saved a lot of money on rent... then used that money to travel. Showered at the climbing gym. The only real thing I missed was a couch and a big TV for down time. but I get your overall point.

OK, cool. Sorry to be so antagonistic. My experience was just really different.

The only job I ever worked that would have been OK out of a van was construction. I wanted to live in my vehicle doing that and collect a large per diem but the company rented a condo and only gave me a food per diem so there was no reason to sleep in the van.

Everything else I've done, teaching and medical, you really need to show up both early and looking professional. I mentioned upthread that I worked as a lifeguard. That'd be a great job for van living.

Some situations work better than others. My experience is that it's best to have a real place. It's not the same for everyone.