Van/Wagon recommendations for an oddly specific purpose.

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 11/12/2013 at 01:52 • Filed to: None

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At least for a month or so, and possibly more if it's surprisingly fun and reasonable enough, I plan on living in a car on an indefinite roadtrip around the US. Here's the thing, though... The real purpose is that the entire trip will be a sort of "treasure hunt," if you will. I'll bring my metal detector, but I'll also be hitting every single flea market and/or antique shop I come across. Because I love those things, regardless what you think of them. Anyway, the plan is that if I find something ridiculously underpriced, I buy it. Once the car starts getting a bit weighed down, I buy a booth/table at the next flea market or toy show or whatever is applicable and sell those things at a profit. The goal isn't to try to make money overall, but just to keep the cost of the trip as low as possible. And if I do happen to find a collection of autographed Babe Ruth cards or something, that's just a huge bonus. But don't think I'm expecting to strike it rich. It's the thrill of the search that's fun.

Anyway, yeah. I'll need a car that's big enough to sleep in. Showers can be had at truck stops or friends' houses depending on where I am. (Hell, I could even take a bottle of shampoo to a beach and use their free public showers if I'm crazy enough, which I am.) and obviously toilets aren't a problem, so it doesn't have to be a legit RV. Just something that someone 5'11" can comfortably sleep in, so virtually any wagon with all but the driver's seat removed would work. But then it also needs to have a fair amount of space left over, some for clothes and other essentials (think of whatever you'd bring on a 10-day+ vacation) and then more for the things I'll pick up along the way. It doesn't need to be spacious, but it can't be too cramped.
Then, it needs to be reliable. I can't sleep in it if it's in the shop, so if it has any serious/costly problems, that pretty much ends the trip right then and there. And finally, the better it is on gas, the better it is overall. I'm not looking for anything fast or pretty. Just something that works and works well.
Price isn't too big of a deal at the moment, but the cheaper the better. Preferably under $5,000, but a bit over is fine if it makes all the difference.

So yes. Jalopnik is a very diverse place, and apparently one of us wants to live in a van and buy old junk for a few weeks.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 01:57

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personally, I've thought about this and, minus the gas mileage, this is the ride i'd take
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…
But if it absolutely, positively, has to be a wagon, make it a good one:
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Rainbow > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/12/2013 at 02:01

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Both very good options!
I was already considering a Subaru wagon of some sort, actually, just because Subaru.

The Real Dacia Sandero > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:01

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A first-gen Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix could be a good option. The rear seats and passenger seat fold flat, so sleeping would be easy. They get about 30mpg. My dad had a Vibe for a while, and there's hardly anything that won't fit inside. We've had an entire kitchen table with chairs when we moved and he had 3 full size mountain bikes in it at one time. They even made a few with proper transmissions.

Rainbow > The Real Dacia Sandero 11/12/2013 at 02:03

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Ohhh, that actually sounds pretty perfect!
I could even take the seats out completely and rig some hidden compartments in their place for my valuables, too, so that sort of foldy compartment set-up thing is a pretty big plus.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:07

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they are good, but the reliability is kind of a myth, to be honest.
personally, I like the ford better, since any hillbilly in the middle of nowhere knows how to fix it, and it has the size advantage over the subie.
have to ask, though... did you get any inspiration for this from the Top Gear UK "build a motorhome" challenge?

Rainbow > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 11/12/2013 at 02:17

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Nope (I've actually wanted to do something along these lines since I was 10 or something), but some of my design ideas are definitely inspired by the Africa Special.

The Real Dacia Sandero > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:26

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Even if you don't do anything to the seats, there's still compartments in the rear that offer a bit of storage.

Singhjr96 > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:27

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You could get a dodge grand caravan. NOW HOLD UP, take me seriously and let me explain myself. My dad owns one and it's what I learned to drive in. Being 6' I never had trouble with not having enough space in that van. Once during football season we decided to see how many people we could fit in there(not moving of course ). we got about 12 comfortably on the floor(the back seat is out which can be done in minutes, so can the middle seat) then we went on to fit the whole team in there. about 40 at the time with some room to spare. I've seen my dad haul a bunch of stuff in the thing too! We once helped a friend move and fit a whole entertainment center, and about another 20 boxes in there without having too much affect on the drivability of the car. 220,000 miles, and it still runs fine. You can also buy them for under $2000 if it's a 2000 or older which is what we have.

Rainbow > Singhjr96 11/12/2013 at 02:40

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Not a bad idea, actually. Definitely going to look into those, and minivans in general, once I'm actually able to make time to do this.

911e46z06 > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:40

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You're insane! I love it!

You could try an e39 wagon. You simply cannot beat an e39 for road trips. I've been coast-to-coast 7 times in an e39. The 528 will get you 30 mpg if you're gentle. Problem is you have to make sure it's a good one, because they ain't cheap to fix. You could also go e34, but e39s are so cheap now there's no reason to downgrade.

If I were you, I would probably go with a diesel Suburban. You can fit a full-size air mattress in the back (trust me, I've done it), and the diesel will get you better mileage than gas, but it's not a Prius by any means.

But you'll probably just buy a Volvo, and I'm OK with that.

Rainbow > 911e46z06 11/12/2013 at 02:46

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Very sexy cars, those. Hell, the Suburban is one I kind of want even if I wasn't planning anything like this. All things considered, it's actually pretty high on my list now even though I would never have thought of a beefy SUV.

Squid > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 02:59

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Mid nineties Plymouth Voyager. Solid vehicle if it was maintained. Cheap vehicle if you can find one that isn't too rusty from bad paint. Just make sure the head gaskets and spark plugs are good to go and have fun in a van that can get in the mid 20's in fuel economy and it has plenty of space for you to put a bunch of shit in and still have space to sleep. When I had mine, the seats were never in the back and I always had tones of pillows and blankets in the back. The one thing I do recommend would be to find a way to insulate the windows or block the heat transfer of them at night as vans like to get pretty damn chilly at night. Oh and a bonus they did offer AWD versions of the Voyager.

911e46z06 > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 03:32

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Yeah, if it was me, I would bite the bullet on gas and go for the extra room. The wagon sounds good in theory, but sleeping cramped sucks really bad even for one night, much less 2 weeks. And if you're hauling around knick-knacks and 2 weeks worth of gear, you just won't be comfortable in a wagon.

I actually have an old Suburban of the vintage pictured above. It's great. Ridiculously spacious. Only problem with mine is that its a 454 and gets about 5 mpg. Never breaks though. The diesel version you can run on Coors Light with 5 dead cylinders, and it'll still get you where you're going.

desertdog5051 > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 03:39

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Make some real money along the trip:

Your boy, BJR > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 07:08

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How much are Honda Elements going for these days?

hedbutter > desertdog5051 11/12/2013 at 07:44

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On a similar note:

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4161491061…

dinobot666 > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 09:05

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Would a first gen Scion xB work? You can get 'em with a 4 speed auto or a 5 speed manual. Pretty fun little toaster to drive actually.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Rainbow 11/12/2013 at 09:13

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I know a while back you were hoping to get an old COE wagon like a Falcon/Econoline to travel cross-country, but that of course might be tricky from a perspective of buy-in - other things out there that are cheaper and wouldn't need the same level of mechanical overhaul to make safe for the journey. Maybe. Still might be possible, depending on available prep time and budget.

The diesel suburban suggestion isn't a bad one, but if it's one that has been sitting a while, the fuel system may go to pieces on you. Mostly that means having to buy braided fuel line and replace bleed-back hoses (under the intake manifold, some, and other the exhaust, the rest), though the filters also give up. The transmissions also tend to go in advanced miles as well (700R4s are pants), but you'd be unlikely to hit whatever the magic death number was unless flogging it up and down hills. Also, the side-post batteries, glow plug system, and starter should all be strong before trying to do anything in the winter with it. That being said, if those are all in order and (if six-lug wheels are present/C10 4wd) the front brakes are in good shape, you will be set.

(Ramblin's mom may or may not DD on of these)

That being said, anything to break on an old Ford would be likely easy to fix, and I for one would get more fun out of it.

Rainbow > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/12/2013 at 12:03

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Pretty great points, thanks! Of course, at the absolute earliest I'm not even going to start looking until January-ish, and that's only if I happen to shit all over this semester and leave college altogether, which is quite the unlikely possibility. So, more likely, I won't need to worry about it until the summer or later, so hopefully by then things will be sorted out.

Singhjr96 > Rainbow 11/16/2013 at 17:35

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Have you decided yet? update us man.

Rainbow > Singhjr96 11/16/2013 at 17:48

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I won't be able to do it for at least several months, so no, not yet.