This weekend my son expressed an interest in possibly trading his sedan in for a class B van. This is due to impending attendance in college and is attempting to keep his expenses down but be very mobile at the same time. I have done a search of Craigslists between southern Indiana/Kentucky area and eastern Oklahoma which is where he plans to attend if everything shakes out. So far I have not found any class B's...and he has no interest in class A or C's nor any in travel trailers or 5th wheels as he does not want to purchase a pickup truck at this point. Since he has been the only child in our home since birth (his half-brothers lived with their mom), the small space is not an issue with him.So...does anyone have suggestions besides Craigslist or eBay? He would even be interested in a conversion that is ready to use if possible. The biggest factor at this point is a unit that is as inexpensive as possible.

I would suggest for him to consider a small Travel Trailer, some on the lines of a Scamp or a Casita or a FunFinder which could be towed by a sedan or a van. Might be more to choose from & perhaps less expensive than a B Class. TT could be left at an RV park & have a vehicle to get around in. If planning on stealth camping in the "B" without using a park. There is a lot of hassle in having a shower, water, & a toilet to use in any RV, perhaps a little more in a "B". Likewise, going with a conversions van, one would have to have a place to shower, etc. I believe I'd go with a small trailer. Eastern OK can get some cold weather to take into consideration. Might check at RV dealerships, they are having a lot of sells about this time of the year.

I made an attempt to convince him to buy a small travel trailer but he is not interested in that route. The class B is the only type of motorized RV he is remotely interested in and nothing in the towables right now. I will keep on looking and hope that something shows up.

Check rvt.com for used units, also lots of used RV's at Camping World locations which can be accessed from this RVNet forum.

shysher wrote:This weekend my son expressed an interest in possibly trading his sedan in for a class B van. This is due to impending attendance in college and is attempting to keep his expenses down but be very mobile at the same time. I have done a search of Craigslists between southern Indiana/Kentucky area and eastern Oklahoma which is where he plans to attend if everything shakes out. So far I have not found any class B's.So...does anyone have suggestions besides Craigslist or eBay? He would even be interested in a conversion that is ready to use if possible. The biggest factor at this point is a unit that is as inexpensive as possible.I found my 1992 GMC conversion van with rooftop heater/AC and electrical plug in on Craigs list nov.2011. It had less than 100k miles and I paid 5K. There is a search engine that I use. click here Craigs doesnt get good returns using "class B" so use other specific terms. Actual "B" RVs are quite expensive especially if the "RV" part is functional like the generator, etc. Conversion vans are much cheaper and can be converted rather easily. A small frig inside, a heater, an LG air conditioner on an extension cord out the window. Other than Craigs I would look online at RV places. Remind him that he needs to both get the "van" part checked out by a mechanic AND get the RV functional parts checked out by an RV place. I think a B or B like conversion van is perfect for commuting back and forth and for short camping trips as well. Do have him take a look at my website for how I have "converted" my conversion van.

Being at college - he should have plenty of places to have a shower or get a hot meal. But, does he know where he will park the thing?

Class B van for college student | Good Sam Community

drsolo
Nomad
Oct 07, 2013
Not that any of these are great, but they are out there.. I used "hightop conversion van" in the search engine

2002 astro conversion van - $4250

Astro Hightop Waldoch conversion van - $1995

then I used B RV -"class C" in search tempest

over priced, I think ..Class B camper Van fully loaded fully self-contained Low Miles $12,500 (Rockford)

this looks good even without bathroom, but that is what porta pottys are for 1992 GMC Motorhome (B type camper van) - $4500 (Middleton)

1990 Motorhome (Zeeland, MI)
stan909
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
I suggest looking in San Diego, Inland Empire, LoscAngeles craigslists. He will find non rust class b vans or conversions. Could well be worth a trip. He could outfit a conversion van with. Porta potti, campstove (with venting) ,dc electric fridge,solar panels,extra batteries isolated from starter battery. Look in my profile for my website. Mine is a conversion van. Gym membership for showers. I also use a Coleman Black Cat lp heater but I 'm in SoCal.
stan909
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
College van dweller. Lots of really good info on the wesite also.
jjrai
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
I think it is a reasonable idea. A van is the best option as a trailer or Class C does not offer the flexibility. Search Chris Penn on YouTube. He lived iin a van during college and offers some good tips and perspective. You will have to check his older posts. Good luck.
drsolo
Nomad
Oct 07, 2013
stan909 wrote:
campstove (with venting) ,dc electric fridge,solar panels,extra batteries isolated from starter battery.

campstove? microwave! and electric hotplate like every other student. I do have a small electric pan I havent used yet. And dc fridges are expensive, I got an AC "dorm" type frig really cheap, put water bottles in the freezer and it keeps nearly everything cold for the 5-6 hours I am "unplugged". I like the idea of solar panels tho.
charles
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
And then there's that need for a dump station.

Nick
drsolo
Nomad
Oct 07, 2013
charles wrote:
And then there's that need for a dump station.
Nick

One advantage of a porta potty, I carry my tank into a bathroom with a towel over it, get into a stall and dump into the toilet. Now I do use nice blue stuff in there so the smell isnt bad.
NCWriter
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
stan909 wrote:
College van dweller. Lots of really good info on the wesite also.

Although...knowingly violating university rules against living in vans... Or Illegally using someone unsuspecting random person's address found on Google to register for the college parking pass, a "harmless lie"? ...might not be ideal advice for embarking on a college career.
rexlion
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
I saw this in the Tulsa Craigslist this weekend:
'06 Roadtrek

Sportsmobile has some used ones listed, see their website. They have 3 locations. Here's the list in Indiana:
IN preowned
The Texas location has one for under $15K.
stan909
Explorer
Oct 07, 2013
Think college student budget. $3500 to????? As for rules. There are many homeless who are trouble. There are also many who are clean law abiding people who seek an alternative that won 't bankrupt them before they are done with school. If this young man were mentally ill he would have the civil right to wander around all day talking to his special friends in his head,defacating in the bushes and sleeping in any doorway he so chose (at least in California anyway) ,but if he has the means to buy a van,register it and insure it then he will be breaking the rules. Oh well.

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