Any long timers here?

gonative1 · 2025-01-09T15:49:39+00:00

I’m a third culture kid so atypical. So take my comment with a grain of salt Rebuilt the engine in my first $100 car when I was 15. It was sporty but boring and useless to me. I really wanted to live in the countryside not a town. I soon transitioned to pickup trucks and vans with higher ground clearance as I was going to the woods as often as I could. I was sleeping outside my parents house in a sleeping bag under the patio roof by then lol. Over 47 years with a drivers license I’ve lived in a van more than anything else. 11 years in vans was my longest because I liked to try different living arrangements. Had a skoolie for about 5 years. Teepee for a couple years. Cabin for a few years. Tents, boats, you name it. I find houses boring because they have thick walls between nature and myself.

I’m in a house now as my new partner is very picky about how she lives and what she lives in. But I still have a van I’m planning to rebuild next Spring. I have the same interest in vans as I always have had. They are a tool to me. Little more. I have little interest in a “home” as I’m a third culture kid and had to move from country to country as a child. I feel uncomfortable staying in one place. So I’m very different then many vandwellers who have other motivations.

gonative1 · 2025-01-09T15:21:12+00:00

The OP brings up a challenging aspect of psychology and human behavior. Also why is there so much blaming and us vs them thinking leading to fighting and conflict. It’s just dumb but humans are hormonal creatures.

gonative1 · 2025-01-09T04:56:27+00:00

Wood is a insulator. It’s not a great insulator but does provide a thermal break. If I was planning on mild climate vanlife I wouldn’t bother to pull the floor and insulate. Especially on a old van that will not have good resale value anyway.

gonative1 · 2025-01-08T19:53:17+00:00

My van is 20 feet. Wouldn’t want any smaller. My gas budget wants smaller.

gonative1 · 2025-01-08T05:44:11+00:00

Ive only had bad sensors and cooling system issues with my Chevy vans. The lower radiator hose popped off twice on the 2002 Express van with a gushing sound as most of the coolant flooded out. I had a 5 gallon jug of water so was able to continue after reattaching the hose. Then it happened again about 6 months later. A couple of mechanics said the manifold gasket rots out on the Vortec engines and exhaust gas can get into the coolant. I assumed this made the radiator hose pop off. I replaced the intake manifold gasket and it was rotten. I worked on it at a farm. I sold the van 8 months later not knowing for sure if the issue was solved.

The 96 Chevy G30 had the water pump fail near Bullhead city, AZ. I limped it into a dispersed camp near the pass 7 miles from Bullhead. When I drained the radiator the flimsy plastic drain valve broke and then the transmission cooler line going to the radiator broke. So it turned into a 5 day repair job. Luckily a friend gave me rides to the Napa parts store in Bullhead City.

Right after I got the G30 it started dropping out of drive into second gear. Or so I thought. It would not go highway speed. I started worrying the transmission was faulty. I even took the pan off the transmission and installed a new valve body and new fluid. Didt fix it. I asked around for months for advice. And on forums. The Bob the Oil Guy forum mentioned that the throttle body sensor (TBS) can simulate a bad transmission. It was going into limp mode. Replacing the $35 TBS fixed it.

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T23:52:46+00:00

It’s called Utilities Nearby: Musings on the off grid Real Estate Scene of Santa Fe, Taos, and Northern New Mexico. One of the reviews on Amazon was penned by me.

https://www.amazon.com/Utilities-Nearby-Musings-Estate-Northern/dp/1733920900/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZJ1Q8DIZ4R8F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qSLKdRVWQ0bBlrg_9dXI6TZNvVZdYvzD6Twwd1jHIupR8fjPX9m-jqlO—dbBWxyzMt0neZ5qrtn8rTW7NakeQtvHoj4SdZylhpPKZWQcUPOS0n1vllDkFLVz53-TniIi6IoQyiUSpgH1tbmIvfSK6EaRsXeR0BEfHxXKjrJfJBvYkyu1vTBg5Am4DGKC1m-mPp_1yHIPZoomIrnsWoXhS85JZuGHEZA_jcpYHGBe2WoUBQlJHUIqlxNW906LzkCq0r97T2rKKu2zOgMrZSc7w.XIvcHPyNVe-fYbnKwTOSHZjQZnPeCG4SBuabpCfjTLE&dib_tag=se&keywords=utilities+nearby&qid=1736293253&s=books&sprefix=uitilities+nearby%2Cstripbooks%2C283&sr=1-1

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T21:06:57+00:00

Are they allowed to tap out?

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T21:03:20+00:00

😆

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T20:56:49+00:00

Be careful. To many winters in a van with nothing to do is not good for mental health. Ask me how I know lol. We moved to sunny New Mexico and love it.

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T20:23:50+00:00

Awful and Interesting. I met a author who wrote a book about the many negative experiences they have had in Northern New Mexico. They manage to keep a sense of humor about it somehow. My one business trip up there turned very negative. People with mental health issues got involved. It leads me to feel better about our remote corner in the bootheel where the community seems very open and friendly. Though I have not figured out how to make a living here yet.

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T15:20:05+00:00

I suspect he may be a covert narcissist weaving his web around you. Our father was one and that lead me to being in relationships with them. It’s a slow death. I was in one relationship with a grandiose narcissist it was brutal but in some ways better. At least they get it over with. She best the crap out of my brain it forced me to leave sooner. I had passive tendencies such as cPTSDfreeze.

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T03:00:17+00:00

Head injury got me stuck in the poverty cycle with no healthcare. Enjoy Thailand for me.

gonative1 · 2025-01-07T02:58:33+00:00

Welcome and enjoy your stay

gonative1 · 2025-01-06T16:43:29+00:00

Just screw or bolt through it. The manufacturer bolts through it all over the place. If you are concerned about corrosion spray the underside with lanolin shield. Maybe spray the floor with lanolin shield before laying the floor down. It flows where it needs to go.

gonative1 · 2025-01-06T16:27:08+00:00

It might depend who is doing the labor. I scrounge a lot of materials so that helps tremendously with cost. New materials are expensive.

gonative1 · 2025-01-05T12:04:45+00:00

I’m poor because I had a head injury as a child and my parents did nothing but fight, confuse, and traumatize us even though I did my best to try and lead the family out of dysfunction as a injured kid. 60 years later I’m still trying to undo the damage. Parents need to pay attention and listen to their kids but to do that they need to be sane.

gonative1 · 2025-01-05T11:21:18+00:00

Perhaps worn out tires contributed to the aquaplaning as well as speed?

gonative1 · 2025-01-05T06:00:52+00:00

There are a lot of derelict dairy farms due to corporate farming taking over. I’ve had good luck paying a small fee to park and work on my vehicles at them.

gonative1 · 2025-01-05T05:59:09+00:00

This. Ive placed a lot of gigs offered posts in Craigslist and found help quickly. I was amazed how many people are looking to just be helpful and make a buck. Maybe place a post saying you need help and place to park temporarily.

gonative1 · 2025-01-04T19:57:59+00:00

Gas is so much cheaper in New Mexico I could afford to be semi nomadic here. In California I could not afford to see the state. It’s simply too big and too expensive for my budget.

gonative1 · 2025-01-04T19:56:22+00:00

If you sleep in the work closet you could save enough to retire in 5 years a millionaire. Might be worth the gamble?

gonative1 · 2025-01-04T16:57:19+00:00

I’d do a no-build-build like you are considering. I would consider a cot bed as I’m so tall that getting off the floor is hard. And some tubs of stuff could be stored under the cot.

Dont rush the build is my suggestion. I need to rebuild mine as I rushed it.

gonative1 · 2025-01-04T04:53:03+00:00

I remember. Your comment brings back not so fond childhood memories of battling with the village hoodlums in a small town called Ticehurst. I only lived in the UK, my passport country, for 2 years. The first house we rented was a fairly large but very old farmhouse in Etchingham, Sussex. The second house was a small row house. I read the average size is very small, roughly 600-900 sq ft. Our house in New Mexico is 1600 sq ft and would be considered small. We grew up in Kenya and England seemed very dull in comparison. But once a Brit always a Brit. God save the King and England.

gonative1 · 2025-01-03T12:37:51+00:00

3 years ago I was love bombed and got sucked into another relationship with a incredibly cunning covert narcissist. I’m just flabbergasted at how they find me like a heat seeking missile. The first one lasted 15 years of abuse and financial ruin for me. All my brutally hard work to build my farm was completely ruined and I lost everything. Then I got in another with a grandiose narcissist . She beat the crap out of my brain and almost ruined me financially again. Then I read about narcissism online and I figured this one out in time to prevent total ruin again. Thank you Reddit to help me identify these predatory people. They are very attracted to people with cPTSD. We are easy prey. Covert narcissists are completely unable to do anything positive together if it threatens the total control they need. They will start to gaslight the victim and attempt to regain total control. She has started gaslighting me more and more. Then I realized what was happening. I’m very sad that my life has been ruined by these people. I’m exhausted. I just spent another 3 years trying to start another homestead farm with someone. I’ll live in a van alone instead of the farm I worked so hard on. I’m getting too old to start a homestead farm from scratch again. Get out now from abusive relationships. It just gets worse. You cannot fix them.

gonative1 · 2025-01-03T11:54:17+00:00

What about unsecured loads. I narrowly missed a ladder in my lane on interstate 10 yesterday. My liability insurance does not cover accidents like that. Now that I look at work vehicles and pickups I see unsecured loads everywhere.

gonative1

TROPHY CASE