‘Ive always said that I live OUT of my Prius, not IN it’, (a quote from Suanneonline.blogspot.com – an adventurous women who lives OUT of her Prius car!).
Like the quote above, I only intend to live OUT of my van, hence the name of this blog ‘Crash Pad On Wheels’. Its a place to store my gear and prepare meals, a roof over my head and a bed to crash-out on. What more could I want?
Well a lot of people would say a bathroom with a toilet and shower, but I was never really interested in having those facilities onboard. I can shower on the beach, at the gym, and at friends houses (they have all been very supportive, offering showers and laundry. Do I smell already?!?).
Toilets are everywhere too, and I would never want one of those chemical toilets that smell like a mixture of Redbull and bleach!
I had spent a few years looking at the pros and cons of both campers and motorhomes, checking online opinions from other van dwellers, and figuring what I would need to live comfortably?
Motorhomes are obviously more suited for day to day living, as they have a bathroom and standing space. I had already figured that the only time I stood in a house was to get dressed, cook, shower and pee. As I was not planning to get a bathroom, that just left getting dressed (now performed in a manner that can only be described as body origami), and I cook perched on my sofa-bed.
The majority of my time at home was spent sitting at a computer desk or laying on the couch, so I decided that standing space wasn’t a deal breaker.
I came to the conclusion that motorhomes were just a big pain in the butt. They are too large to park in many places, and are limited to where you can drive them. Their height restricts them from entering heaps of parkings and mechanic workshops. They have zero stealth factor, making it harder to park in urban neighbourhoods. And what really put me off, was having to get up and walk to get something from cupboards (when in a camper van, you can just lean to reach stuff – a couch potatoes wet dream!).
The first vehicle I originally had my eye on, was the VW California Exclusive. It has a rigid high top and a bathroom with toilet. I checked out a secondhand Exclusive here on the island, but it was looking a bit tired (and the owner didn’t resonate confidence either!).
When no other Exclusives appeared for sale, I started looking at the classic California with the pop top roof.
My father asked me, why not get a bigger motorhome instead of a small camper van?
Well, due to the popularity of the TV series Breaking Bad, the last thing I needed was people thinking I had a motorhome with a meth lab inside! With the camper van however, people might think Im a cool surfer dude (never surfed in my life!), which seemed like a more appealing image to convey?
The VW California has everything that I need for a drive around crash pad vehicle, with some of the commodities of house life. It has a gas cooker, a small sink, a chest fridge, sofa bed, swivel pilot chairs, and enough storage cupboards to hold all of my gear. It also has a pop-top canvas roof creating more room inside, with a drop down bed included. So now I have the option of standing to cook, an extra bed for sleeping guests, and enough arm space to dance the routine to the Village Peoples, Y.M.C.A!
The California is the perfect sized vehicle for public parking spaces, and I can also drive into underground carparks over 2.1 meters (great for shade). Should I ever have a mechanical problem, there will be no issues taking the camper to any workshops to be fixed.
VW campers also retain their value, so maybe some time in the future I can sell and get a good cash return?
The VW California that I bought is the T4 model, first registered in 2001. During its 14 years on the road, it has only had one owner, the guy I was buying from. This camper was not cheap, but the prices here on the island matched those in mainland Spain (once I would of added on the cost of a flight, the car ferry back to island, diesel and import fees).
I decided to give the guy an offer, knocking his price down 1000€ and he accepted. A few days later, I went to the bank, withdrew the cash (they only had 20€ and 50€ notes!), and organised a meet with the seller to exchange 19,000€ for my new vehicle!
YES, I know thats heaps of money for a secondhand vehicle, but its my home, and I follow the saying ‘Always buy the best you can afford’. Its also the going rate for a secondhand T4 model, as the newer T5 and now the T6 are more computerised, whereas the older models are manual and easier to fix.
Why not buy new? At 50,000€ for the basic model, I would of needed to borrow money from the bank and then they would of added interest too. No thanks!
Anyways, Im very happy with my new home, which is the equivalent of 3 years rent in my old apartment. But this pad is mine, and if I dont like my neighbours or the scenery, I can drive away!
More van posts to come…..
Crash Pad On Wheels 