After searching forever and with lots of helpful advice from fellow members I have just purchased my first van It's a toyota Liteace. Automatic and has a good body. It only cost me $2000 and probably needs a bit of work but I'm over the moon! I'm happy to spend a bit of money to get it to where I want. Are there any things I need to be aware of with the Liteace? It's a 1989 model. Plan to set it up myself. Don't need a sink or stove or fridge. Probably a futon and an esky will do for starters. Any ideas for decorating? Am planning my first trip this weekend-not too far and after my mechanic has checked it thoroughly.
Congratulations on your new aquisition. It's exciting for you. I looked for 18months to find my van. It doesn't pay to be impatient in these things.
Decorating? Mmmm .......... You mean curtains and seat covers? Dust resistent, single coloured curtains, triple coated backing, light colour something like a light tan or gold colour. Lace curtains and floral arrangements would be a personal choice. Hell, don't take any notice of me. Those are my personal preferences based on experience. Make sure you have fly screen on windows, and you can get screens with magnetic edges to fit the doorways. Check for evidence of Irish white ants (rust), that would be the biggest enemy of a vehicle of that era. Then it would be all the mechanical stuff like brakes, engine, tansmission and diff wear and tear, condition of tyres and general health of the vehicle. The tyre wear will give you a clue as to balance and alignment. Enjoy your travels in your special space. Cheers Chris
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Good on you I too am looking for a house on wheels and of course need all the help I can get and then hoping my adventure will start in November just taking three months off work to test the waters bit scary but exciting can't wait good luck in your new adventure....Maggi
hey Jenny, good starter, keep it basic and enjoyable, all that is needed is a somewhere to eat and somewhere to sleep with emphasis on sleep, good blockout curtains are a must and a comfy bed, the cooking can be done on a portable stove outside and keeping things cool can be achieved by an esky filled with ice, happy trails to you and may they all be good ones
No mistake. I often wonder where they go. A look at their profile and they're still "active", but I guess they're just too busy "nomadding" to be "forumming". All we can hope is they're out there somewhere, and having such a good time meeting other nomads and enjoying the country they're in. Don't be too disappointed folks. They come - and they go. That's travel. I don't know how many people I've met, spent lots of time with, or a few hours, keep in contact for a while, and then they just seem to fade away. It's as much my fault for not maintaining the contact, as it is theirs for not maintaining contact. Some pop up again on Facebook, which is nice. I've moved on and on for most of my life. Into a family, out of the family, leaving everything behind, even the memories. I hope all those nomads who we don't hear from anymore, are out there somewhere having a jolly good time, and are safe and well.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Freespirit posted this thread in Sept 2009. She found her van. I would like to think she found her van and hasn't stopped since. Happy travelling Freespirit.
Didn't even look at the date! 
