- Joined
- Sep 8, 2023
- Messages
- 48
Hi Everyone,
I'm having a difficult time picking a vehicle for nomadic Van Life. I've done this lifestyle for 2 years in my Mazda CX-5 turbo, but unfortunately the vehicle was totaled. I moved to Chicago for the accessibility purposes that mass transit provides. I'm having a difficult time adjusting to this new city. I have given it 7 months! I had an entire system laid out when I was in my CX-5. Planet fitness is my go to for showers. I used laundromat to wash my clothing. Winters were the best for the ability to keep food in my vehicle that is temperature sensitive. Warmth was simple with using hot hands warmers in a sleeping bag on nights that were 20s and below. Summer was the hardest due to early sunrise and persistent heat even at night. I truly miss the solitude of Van Life, and the ability to explore new towns and nature.
I'm looking at a first/second gen Toyota Sequoia for the amount of room and the reliability of the cast iron 4.7. The only downside it seems is the overall mpg and timing belt changes.
The Toyota Sienna is the next vehicle that I'm also looking into. The Sienna would be the second Gen 3.5 2GR motor which has a timing chain. The only downside that I've come across is oil leaks, but that is to be expected on an older vehicle with 100k+ miles. The second gen Sienna initially had a 3.3L V6 which was changed to the 3.5. I'm more in favor of the 3.5 since it has a wide range of uses such as the Camry and Avalon and Lexus ES.
Honda Odyssey or Pilot a last choice, because of weak and problematic automatic transmissions. The variable cylinder management has also caused problems with mounts and wear patterns in the motor. There's faint possibility of picking a GMC Safari or Astro, or 1500.
I'm looking at overall reliability. I don't want a huge expense down the road. I'm open to suggestions about other vehicles. I'm focused more on Toyota because of previous experience. I've also owned a few Hondas but with manual trans.
This time around in going to do a full build by pulling the second and third row seats out. I'd put in a simple plywood platform with scrap 2×4 for legs.
I'm having a difficult time picking a vehicle for nomadic Van Life. I've done this lifestyle for 2 years in my Mazda CX-5 turbo, but unfortunately the vehicle was totaled. I moved to Chicago for the accessibility purposes that mass transit provides. I'm having a difficult time adjusting to this new city. I have given it 7 months! I had an entire system laid out when I was in my CX-5. Planet fitness is my go to for showers. I used laundromat to wash my clothing. Winters were the best for the ability to keep food in my vehicle that is temperature sensitive. Warmth was simple with using hot hands warmers in a sleeping bag on nights that were 20s and below. Summer was the hardest due to early sunrise and persistent heat even at night. I truly miss the solitude of Van Life, and the ability to explore new towns and nature.
I'm looking at a first/second gen Toyota Sequoia for the amount of room and the reliability of the cast iron 4.7. The only downside it seems is the overall mpg and timing belt changes.
The Toyota Sienna is the next vehicle that I'm also looking into. The Sienna would be the second Gen 3.5 2GR motor which has a timing chain. The only downside that I've come across is oil leaks, but that is to be expected on an older vehicle with 100k+ miles. The second gen Sienna initially had a 3.3L V6 which was changed to the 3.5. I'm more in favor of the 3.5 since it has a wide range of uses such as the Camry and Avalon and Lexus ES.
Honda Odyssey or Pilot a last choice, because of weak and problematic automatic transmissions. The variable cylinder management has also caused problems with mounts and wear patterns in the motor. There's faint possibility of picking a GMC Safari or Astro, or 1500.
I'm looking at overall reliability. I don't want a huge expense down the road. I'm open to suggestions about other vehicles. I'm focused more on Toyota because of previous experience. I've also owned a few Hondas but with manual trans.
This time around in going to do a full build by pulling the second and third row seats out. I'd put in a simple plywood platform with scrap 2×4 for legs.