Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by bronco21016 on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:15AM
(#21723105)
Keep in mind that $25k for the van is for a home and transport. Where else can you get a home/transportation combo for that price? Sure there can be fees for places to park but the overall total cost to live has to be significantly lower than all of us in the rat race paying city rent or McMansion mortgages.
A lot of places? There is a pretty significant portion of the country where you can get a downpayment on a house for $10k and pick up a nice enough used car for a couple thousand. There are more options then living in an expensive city, a mcmansion, and a van.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by esotericn on Saturday December 07, 2019 @06:52AM
(#21729789)
You've missed the entire point.
Fuck your 'downpayment'. That's exactly what people are rejecting - the idea that they should simply become a serf to some previous landowner for multiple decades because they happened to be born later.
A van may have maintenance, but it's not rent-seeking behaviour.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by mikepurvis on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:27AM
(#21723263)
It's true, but as we see in another discussion today [1], those options typically don't come with a very good internet connection. :)
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by bronco21016 on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:41AM
(#21723430)
How is a down payment a fair comparison to all up ownership? If we’re going that route what’s to say he didn’t put down $5k on a $25k loan?
I can’t imagine there are many places in the US where you can purchase a home and car for less than $25k. Total purchase price, not down payment.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by sokoloff on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:44AM
(#21723471)
Is a downpayment on a house the same as buying outright an RV?
RVs need gas, maintenance, and a place to be all of which generally cost money. Especially if you want access to sewer, water, and electricity.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by sokoloff on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:55AM
(#21723606)
Do those things generally cost more than a mortgage, insurance, property tax, and utilities on a house that you made a $25K downpayment on?
I don't own an RV, but I've owned two houses and I'm guessing the RV monthly expenses will be quite a bit lower.
I'm not trying to argue whether or not an RV or a cheap house is going to be less expensive, a question I am not interested in. It's in disputing the assertion that you can't afford a home and transportation for less than $25k and the idea that your only choice is an expensive inner city apartment, a mcmansion, or a van.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by sokoloff on Friday December 06, 2019 @12:24PM
(#21723934)
My mistake. I thought you were answering bronco21016's question of "Where else can you get a home/transportation combo for that price?"
You can buy a mobile home for $25k (not in San Francisco, of course). They are not perfect, but neither are RV's.
> probably why you tend to see a lot of CS/tech types with individual salaries 2-3x the median household income doing it).
and no kids.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by mikepurvis on Friday December 06, 2019 @11:26AM
(#21723251)
Social dancing too. Most major cities have at least some scene for each of swing, salsa, ballroom, and tango. And typically you can actually hear people over the music, so it is actually possible to go and socialize, and it's perfectly acceptable to show up alone, without a big posse.
That said, if you do this, please do not be creepy— at least in the swing dance scenes I was involved in in (Toronto, Seattle, New York), the overwhelming majority of people were there to have fun dancing, not to hook up or be hit on.
Re:Two Years of Vanlife: A Retrospective
by traveler1234 on Friday December 06, 2019 @09:19PM
(#21728022)
It's not a luxury to live in a van. Lots of very poor people do it in California. It is a luxury to live in a van AND be able to travel.
That's quite expensive to a large percentage of the country. 19% of the country grosses less than that annually [1].
Van life, living in a THOW (tiny house on wheels) etc is very much a luxury in the vast majority of cases (probably why you tend to see a lot of CS/tech types with individual salaries 2-3x the median household income doing it).
> it is impossible to meet people or build communities.
That really just depends on what you choose to do with your free time. If you are at all religious, regularly attending religious services where you live is all but certain to give you the opportunity (unless you go to a 'mega' church).
There are things like Freemasonry, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, CrossFit/barbell clubs/strongman facilities, organized bowling leagues, Toastmasters, LUGs (Lego User Groups - adult lego groups), vintage computer clubs, game stores that have regular tabletop and trading card game playing times, the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism - period accurate medieval reenactment), other living history groups, adult softball/basketball leagues, supper clubs, etc.
[1] https://wallethacks.com/average-median-income-in-america/#Me...