etcetera

Here is an example of a 28' for $57,900: I think the smaller 26' with no slides and some other features of the larger models can be had hopefully in the 40K-50K range. https://www.smartrvguide.com/L48797888

The closest to F-series is the Isata 5 but it comes with a sticker shock. It's nice but I can get a nice E-450-based RV for a fraction of the cost. I think my budget allows something like a 2007-2010 IF255 series. It's the 26' Isata with no slides. The most plain-jane model they got. I don't care for slides so it works just fine.

Thanks for sharing this, slackercruster

I found all that too, including the PDF from 2012 but still could not get a definitive idea when they were made, first year and last year. I did find a few 30' all over, with slides, in the 60-70K range, circa 2007. I think the smaller 26' should cost less, theoretically.

slackercruster, Question, what kind of RV do you have? Assuming you can share this info. That works for you for 'urban boondock'. I am at crossroads and trying to make a decision.

Looking for Dynamax Isata F-series, specifically IF-255, their smallest C class built on the F550 platform. It's 26' no slides. I think the ones in my price range will be around 10 years old. I realize they don't make it anymore and it has been replaced by Isata 5. what years did they make it in? The IF-255.rvtrader has nothing, any idea where to look?

Thank you. Amazingly nothing newer than 2001. It's official. They are out of business, got some correspondence yesterday. Meaning even if I got a 2001 model, there is zero support for it. The web site is apparently on cruise control with nobody managing it.

Back to the drawing board. I decided not to pursue the 1999 shuttle bus conversion, it is 7.3 PSD based with low miles. I just don't have the resources to build it before this coming winter, realistically reassessing the workload. Thus looking for a plug-and-play package. Price-wise, around 40K used, up to 10 years old. Length-wise, 25' or so. No slides. Prefer V10 gas but can live with 7.3 PSD or such. I am not married to Ford so GM 3500 or Dodge would work just as well, the V8 Hemi. Seems like 98% of all C class were E350 and E450 based but I would like to stay away from the van platform. Really even F350 would work just fine if I could find one. Surely someone makes what I want. Tiger Adventure vehicles or Earthroamer would be great if they didn't cost like a house.

I forgot to mention solar, that's another icing on the cake. Of course I want it. Maybe 600W. I need to take a look at how much it costs and how much I actually need. and the battery bank. I also need a ballpark cost estimate for the conversion. The purchase, assuming it happens, would be around 18K and I am thinking another 20K dumped into it.. So I will be at 40K and I can buy just something without doing any work. I can also work incrementally without going into debt. It is tempting either way. I am making arrangements to take a look it at. Supposedly 74K miles is pretty low for the 7.3L Powerstroke. OTOH if I actually build it myself, I will have a far greater understanding of the mechanisms involved. Sounds like a great project to do with my son. I doubt he will live there, at least not initially. I think the bathtub idea will only be viable when I connected to shore water... not when boondocking. I envision it will be part time boondocked and part time shore power/water/etc. I get that the bathtub will take probably 50 - 80 gallons, which is a luxury. I think I need to find some youtube page of someone who documented the entire process. RE: Holding tanks, etc. This project may not even happen if there is some issue with the bus or the sale doesn't go through. I am at this point open to multiple options.

Interesting discussion. Lots of viable viewpoints. Just to interject a few, IMO a Fifth has the huge advantage that you can swap the TV (i.e. the truck) anytime you want. You are not married to it. You can also park the Fifth and now you have a heavy duty vehicle you can drive around. So if you suddenly want to upgrade just the truck (i.e. TV) you can. With MH, it's that much more difficult, you are married to the engine/drivetrain. And have to upgrade the entire RV. It's true that a toad will get much much better gas mileage but you would have to drive a lot to make it worthwhile. If it's just 8 miles to work or whatever destination, the higher MPG toad will never make up for the cost of a separately purchased vehicle, insurance, etc. I already did the math. The other factor, for DIY people, F350 and such are easier to fix than motor homes. Spark plugs, belts, water pumps.. Some of these motorhomes issues are just not DIY type. You have to remove panels, etc. If you are not a DYI shade tree mechanic, this section might be completely not relevant. On top of that they are diesel. I understand gas, and don't get diesel. I can do anything on the old Ford 460 7.5L or the newer V10, of the GM equivalent. OTOH, the advantage of a MH is that it's more compact, you don't have to mess with connecting it, leveling it, etc. There are fewer steps involved. It's kind of more convenient. You get it and learn to deal wtih the downside and maximize the positives in it. I think I would prefer a Fifth but by a small margin. It's hard to say what's better. I think I would prefer either one over a TT (Travel Trailer). Either one is a lot more suitable for full-timing.

I found this 1999 F550-based Shuttle bus not too far from me, am going to take a look at it one of these days. Sorry to steer off-topic. Now contemplating this project consumes me and I am mentally making plans how to configure it. 7.3 Powerstroke, relatively low miles, priced under $20K and the interior is already removed. Sounds providential. Nobody else wants a gutted 1999 bus. It seems like it was garaged and is in nice shape. Or not, maybe I am in over my head. I figure I will sink 10-15K in it. But, the factor that slightly pushes me to get a DIY project is that I have some eccentric ideas I have never really seen implemented anywhere else. It's not that I don't like typical floor plans, but I want these things: Wood floor. No carpets anywhere. Full size bath, as in a bathtub. Accordingly enough water to accommodate that. Nice desk. Full size couch, around 7'. 8' is even better. I only need one bed, queen. The woodstove is the final icing on the cake. It's just uber cool. I think. I love messing with wood and it's always available. Then there are some other things but these are the deal breakers, almost. I know nothing about diesel so that by itself is a challenge. Supposedly it's the best Ford made. I will have to bring a mechanic with me to check it out. Transmission too. I wonder what tranny they used in those beasts.

Applause. what a delight, waking up to this view.

Thinking about this 1999 Ford F550-based passenger bus. It already has no exterior. 7.3 Powerstroke, relatively low miles, 74,000, and sells for under $20K. I think I will need to put at least 10K in it, maybe closer to 20K. But I have an idea how I want to configure it.

My son is staying with my parents. Is this pertinent to the question?

I need to pick a device that works for me. Is within my budget and my capabilities. It's a compromise.

Wow, I never considered that. And I don't. That's why I seek alternatives. Which there are. I can see some can't process that without chocking or firing back demeaning, trivializing messages that add nothing to the search process.

You just love making bad assumptions. I never said that. And read into a message what they want to see. An interesting psychological insight.

Thanks for advice. It's good to put things into perspective RE: Old man winter. To shift gears a little bit. I already have an open thread on this. But FWIW. In terms of getting "advice". I am trying to pick direction as every way looks equally right and wrong. 1) Get a Class C, about 25-28'. Pros: It's turn-key and plug-and-play for the most part. Cons: Not much of a Stealthy camping machine. That may or may not be an issue. I don't want to be an attention magnet. 2) Get a Sprinter Van, Class B. One of these high-top deals. Cons: Not sure if the height is sufficient for me. I want 80-84" of clearance inside so I don't bump my head into the AC unit. And I don't like the "van" concept, the engine is harder to get to to perform an emergency repair. I pretend to be a DIY person. Spark plugs, belts. Vans are a PITA. Pros: They blend in very easily. Not an attention-getter. 3) Get a 25-28' shuttle bus and convert it. There are many build on the F550 platform, easier to repair. Pros: I can build it the way I want it. The clearance inside is about 7' or so, almost. Not an attention-getter as the area has myriad of them. Cons: I work slow and it will realistically take me 6 months to do it, I think. Not sure what problems I run into. Pros: I can build it to look exactly the way I want it. For example, pergo or even real wood floor, no carpet anywhere, not even in the bedroom. The girl who converted an ambulance inspired me to put a wood stove in. Very neat. I never even contemplated that but I like it. I am investigating (3) at the moment and learning what's available and pricing but can't say I wont' turn down a viable (1) option. Or not.. This is the video I am talking about, FWIW. This is not exactly what I want for a multitude of reasons (insufficient height inside, need something a bit larger and at least 25'..) She is not married to campgrounds, can roam around freely and all that without attracting attention, and on a $20K budget ($10K purchase price and the actual conversion). Got to assign some points for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. .

My situation in life is unique but so is everyone else's. I am not on the road. Not yet. I am stuck in one place. It may not be a bad place to be stuck in, but I am stuck nonetheless at least for a few more years. Maybe less. I am venting my frustration and yes, ranting. Do all viewpoints here have to conform to a single party line or dogma? And if they don't, get ridiculed? I am also helping sharing my experiences, which while not as extensive as yours are still legitimate and validating. I full timed before. Learned what I liked and what I didn't like. What was essential and what wasn't. I don't know why it's so hard to realize members of this community are in vastly different places in life, which is fluid and not fixed. One size fits none. Maybe CGs work for other people, they definitely do, since they are so occupied and you need to wait for weeks and months at times to get a reservation. The real problem is not CG but the location. The state the county drives the availability. Then there is the social mores and the clientele. Nobody wants them here, it seems. Things are somewhat easier out west but there are other issues there. Being rural definitely helps. But many younger people, the working class, 20's and 30's and such.. they think it's absurd to pay 800-$1000 / month for a piece of dirt 20'x40', a few feet away from other campers.. especially when they are at work all day and only need a place to sleep. CGs offer them nothing, especially if they are not socialites. One famous CG here in DC is about 1600/month if you stay all month, you might as well rent a townhouse or a 1 bedroom in the suburbs. Will end up way cheaper overall. (NO RV expenses and no maintenance costs, gas or propane, etc. etc. etc.) I don't know where I will be in a year or two. On the road or still here. Or something in between. I want to make some changes now so I am ready later.

It is ironic that the main actress in RL lives in a NYC apartment, and I can't help but think that once the film is over, she will go back to that high-life ritzy lifestyle and the vandwellers will stay in their vans. This is not to say she is not a gifted performer. She is way more talented than the average Hollyweird person. I do want to watch it, I suspect I will like it. the trailer looks promising. I would find NYC very stressful and depressing. I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere, Nevada and look at the stars. It's just such a liberating experience.

You made a bad assumption again or read something in my statements that wasn't there - I am that 1% or 2% of fathers that has full custody and can determine living arrangements. I know it sounds incredible. The ex pretty much told me I could move anywhere, including Alaska (maybe I should accept her offer). It's probably a lot easier to stay at a CG now than it ever was for me and this point I still don't want to engage it but seek other arrangements.

Except it does. If I have to pick up the minor child from school, I cannot stay at a certain CG that's 1 or 1.5 hours away and still make it on time to school pickup-drop off and other meetings. The court thing is really no longer relevant but it was for a decade. If there were many more CGs, with better locations, it would make a difference but there aren't. It's the county zoning thing and 100 other things that drive it. Feel free to contribute nothing to thread, thanks.

DC has had very mild winters for the last 5 years in the row, or so. It hardly dipped into 20's. Heat is likely a bigger issue in the summer but you don't die from it. Maybe install Solar. I am thinking about making incremental progress towards what I want. Capacity planning for 5 days of the grid and 2 days to recharge. It seems Class C/B/etc gives you a lot of options, maybe find a place to park it with shore power. If I go 100% remote, I could move to the South in the winter, Florida here I come and to the North east in the summer, like Vermont or such. That's the whole point of mobility. The great west is beautiful also, Colorado, Wyoming. Utah scenery is breathtaking, the whole thing hinges upon having online access. I worked with a guy who full-timed in Texas. He seemed to be happy.

You do not have a choice when you are bound by a court order that defines a custodial agreement involving a minor child - evidently you not being in that position puts you light years away from identifying with that reality, or knowing that some people live in any paradigm other than yours. Same useless advice as given by Marie Antoinette, why not just eat cake? (When you don't have any bread). If you don't like it where you are - just move, simple. I could never think of that brilliance.

What a useless advice. What good is the criticism (posing as advice) in the form of why you did this or why you did or did not do that? I can't go back to 1992 and undo things and instead am forced to deal with the cards fate dealt me, here and now and I am doing it as best as I can. If I could go back 30 years, there is a long list of 1000 and 1 thing Iw would do differently. But here I am. Today is the tomorrow we used to worry about yesterday. Everyone in life is stuck in one place or another. Some geographically, some in other ways. I am not in the same position in life as most people on this forum, I suspect, but it doesn't make it any less legitimate. One size fits none. Isn't that the whole point of the community. The whole statement you should have done X or Y is meaningless. Sometimes I wonder if I picked the wrong career, the wrong spouse, the whole location but I suspect it's not any better on the other side, just a delusion. I can see my vibe resonates with a great deal of other individuals.