Jobs that give you vehicles? (where do you get vans?)

[yayitsducky]

Life keeps happening and taking my savings. I heard a few on this forum, around 2018, talk about jobs hauling medical supplies and then the job gave them the van at the end of the gig. How do you get that sort of thing?

Are there jobs that give you cars at the end of your term or something? Or am I misunderstanding? Seems like most RVs/conversions/skoolies are 10k or more, not sure how I'll save up at $10/hr. I guess I'll just grit my teeth and stay rooted a few more months, try to make some quick cash at Kroger and roll out in 2023?

How did y'all get your cars? How long did it take/where did you get them/any tips? I saw 2 old threads on here but they weren't very useful. Feeling stuck. Maybe I should splurge on a good bike instead...

 

[Pack dogs]

Hey. Sorry if this doesn't help.
I got told by someone that I need to leave this house. They've been paying for everything for a long time and would tell me if they needed help with things. With no money and no supplies I quickly sold some of my video games and got a little money.
I went to a scummy kind of car dealership that says they approve anyone.
They did allow me to take a van with a little money put down.
I call them scummy cause the over all price I will pay is way too high for the vehicle I got. But they were there for me and helped me through my emergency and set me up with really low monthly payment plan.

 

[yayitsducky]

Hey. Sorry if this doesn't help.
I got told by someone that I need to leave this house. They've been paying for everything for a long time and would tell me if they needed help with things. With no money and no supplies I quickly sold some of my video games and got a little money.
I went to a scummy kind of car dealership that says they approve anyone.
They did allow me to take a van with a little money put down.
I call them scummy cause the over all price I will pay is way too high for the vehicle I got. But they were there for me and helped me through my emergency and set me up with really low monthly payment plan.

aw, i wish you well. if you're ever in dfw, lmk. I'll look into buy here/pay here places.

 

[RACC00NHands]

I got my van on craigslist and built it out myself using wood i scavenged from lumber mill burn piles. I know folks who got their vans for like $400 and then did their own conversion for >$100

 

[Matt Derrick]

I heard a few on this forum, around 2018, talk about jobs hauling medical supplies and then the job gave them the van at the end of the gig. How do you get that sort of thing?

I don't recall anyone saying this, and I'm not familiar with any job that gives you a vehicle, so I think your odds of that are slim at best.

It's true that the whole #vanlife movement along with lots of people losing their jobs, has made the average prices of most vans go up by double if not triple in price. Unfortunately this includes things like school buses as well. It's not impossible to find a cheap skoolie but it's gotten much harder. The bigger school buses will be cheaper to buy because everyone wants the shorties nowadays but that's a huge vehicle to handle and can be stressful (I'm a former full size skoolie owner).

My advice to most people looking to buy a vehicle to travel/live in would be either to get a cheap mini van (1500 to 3000), a mid-priced prius (2008 or 2009 - about $3500) or a truck that you can put a camper shell on (about $2000-$3000, see the truck campers reddit). If you want something that you can stand in that isn't a skoolie for a reasonable price, the market on box trucks is pretty reasonable i think because it doesn't fit the # instagram van life look. You can get some small ones that aren't overly huge for around $5k if you search a lot.

of course, always get any vehicle you're about to buy inspected by a mechanic. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. it will cost about $100 and will save you immense grief.