How do you afford gas when living in a van?

[up2eleven]

I really like the idea of living in a van, but vans usually get really bad mpg, so how do you folks afford all that gas? If there are any tips and tricks to get gas, let me know! Thanks much!

 

[Ayurveda78]

Vans are excellent way to travel/live. Better gas then rv or bus and able to park a lot easier. I had a Chevy g20 that had a v6 got like 17 hwy. you definetly have to plan a little more considering the cost of gas but there is work. Gas jugging. Find people to throw in along the way or even delivering stuff along the way.

 

[ped]

work temp gigs, drive really slow and stay in one place longer.

 

[Ayurveda78]

Find a place to park and walk or bicycle when possible getting around town. Maintain regular maintenance tune ups. The few dollars it takes saves in mpg and if something breaks wrong time or place.

 

[dprogram]

I've got a 2002 e150 cargo van that isn't horrible on gas but it does add up fast. What he said ^^^. I now keep my BMX inside for my future road trips. That way i can get around wherever I am without wasting precious gas. lol There is one company and I cant remember their name but its a courier service which is great if you can hack it. Maybe try to do that. Place an ad on craigslist in whichever city you're at and offer transportation or courier stuff.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Vans are fine just make sure they ate diesel!!!! Diesels are way better, mileage wise & more dependable.All trucks & heavy equipment are diesel, so its easier to jug truckers with fuel cards. It is also possible to pump out home heating oil tanks found on craigslist. If you are brazen & supet desperate it is really easy to pump diesel from refer trailers, trucks, those portable generator lights for construction. Temporary construction sites for roadwork are great. Most are deserted often. I dont even want to open the wvo grease convo. Been there done it & never will again. It too involves stealing but its nasty, bad for engines & fuel systems & the additional equipment needed is super expensive. Cut out the middleman & burn koolaid(non taxed red diesel) for farm use, boats, construction equip etc that will save you a decent amount right away instead of stealing fuel or paying for green diesel(taxed).

 

[smiling mike]

i don't know about the US but out here if you burn red diesel ( non taxed) you can get fucked up fines well into the thousands if they catch you with it.

 

[incognita]

I just bought a 93 Chevy silverado. It's a 6.5 turbocharged v8 engine so I'm a little curious about this too. I want to go traveling SO badly though. Thanks for the thread

 

[Deleted member 20]

You can get fucked if caught but state police, weigh stations etc dont dip cars/vans/pickups for non taxed fuel. They are after latge commercial truckers.

 

[East]

If you have enough to afford a van you probably have enough to afford a tablet with a wireless plan. T-mobile is 30 bucks a month for unlimited data and texting prepaid monthly, if you're smart you can use Google Voice for calling since it runs on data. Assuming you have enough resources to invest in that, you can just earn 30-40 a day doing surveys for psychological researchers on amazon mechanical turk. Each one pays about 50 cents to 10 dollars. Plug in when you need a charge, use amazon payments to drop your earnings into your bank account. Run with a credit union because they're all networked together and you can withdraw cash with no penalty just about anywhere where a credit union is. I lost my job awhile back and I've been holding down a studio apartment on just surveys alone.

Actually living this way out of a van or on the road would probably be safer and the only way to go about it. A tablet would probably get you shanked train hopping or squatting. On a really good day I can manage to get about 60 bucks. Of course it would probably be better to find temp work here and there, but if you're ever in a situation where you can't find anything it's nice to have around and would probably keep you afloat. It's basically saving my ass ATM. Assuming you had data coverage or access to wifi it would work out. I'll be honest, it's not that great for holding down an apartment but it would be perfect for living on the road. I'm currently saving up for a conversion van and paying my rent on it alone.

 

[Beegod Santana]

Find a temp job that where they feed and house you and you can work 80+ hrs a week. Work it for a month, then take next two off and watch that highway fly by. Repeat.

 

[Alice B Goode]

Get a gas jug and ask for it. A closed mouth doesn't get fed.

Selling trinkets/shiny rocks/hippie shit will get you by, maintain the vehicle.

Go for diesel and you can split the gas 50/50 with used vegetable oil. Apparently you can push it past 50/50 but it may not start? Do some research on this 'cuz I own a non-diesel vehicle currently, but the guy I spoke with about it was very encouraging about it.

 

[birdsonthebat]

A closed mouth doesn't get fed is true but a closed mouth doesn't catch any flies either. Dichotomy is a beautiful thing

 

[Alice B Goode]

Never had anything bad happen jugging. Get told to leave, get told no. One time had a cop show up to tell us to leave. Beyond that I don't think much bad is possible jugging lmao..

So if by flies you mean unsavory things.. I'll take getting run off now and again and getting told no in comparison to all the free gas and money we get doing it.

Besides. Flies are protein.

 

[Joni]

Vans are excellent way to travel/live. Better gas then rv or bus and able to park a lot easier. I had a Chevy g20 that had a v6 got like 17 hwy. you definetly have to plan a little more considering the cost of gas but there is work. Gas jugging. Find people to throw in along the way or even delivering stuff along the way.

yes there is sites where you can deliver packages for ppl as a courier. i forgot what the site is buttt there is a tv show about these ppl doing it for a living. they make pretty good bank too!

-joni

 

[Desert]

yes there is sites where you can deliver packages for ppl as a courier. i forgot what the site is buttt there is a tv show about these ppl doing it for a living. they make pretty good bank too!

-joni

I'm glad you brought that up! I completely forgot about that site!

It's: "www.uship.com"

TO anyone wondering, the site "www.uship.com" is a place where you can find things that need to be shipped from one place to another. It's essentially an ebay for shipping; you simply bid on the item for a price you think would be reasonable to ship it, and the lowest bid gets the job. If you have a good means of transportation and plenty of room to spare, it's a great way to make money.

 

[Matt Derrick]

I'm glad you brought that up! I completely forgot about that site!

It's: "www.uship.com"

TO anyone wondering, the site "www.uship.com" is a place where you can find things that need to be shipped from one place to another. It's essentially an ebay for shipping; you simply bid on the item for a price you think would be reasonable to ship it, and the lowest bid gets the job. If you have a good means of transportation and plenty of room to spare, it's a great way to make money.

There's a really good thread on here talking about how to drive someone's car across the country via uship. I've tried it several times but it never panned out. Good way to get across the country with some loot in your pocket though.

 

[yoder]

Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel

Hands down the best truck
30mpg!!!
Pulling 20,000pounds all day.
My buddy has one and he just broke the 400,000k

 

[Joni]

Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel

Hands down the best truck
30mpg!!!
Pulling 20,000pounds all day.
My buddy has one and he just broke the 400,000k

you have a good point. there is fewer parts to break on a diesel vehicle. if its a stick all the better! push to start batteries are getting expensive!

-joni

 

[yoder]

Manual is a must
5th gear goin 35 mph
Probably get 25-35mpg
o yeaaaaa.
Mercedes have been producing some of the best diesels on the market getting close to 50 mpg!!!