Road Trippin’ Summer – Van Life Calling

June 1st, my husband and I packed up our Smurfin’ Subaru with more than we needed (okay, that was me – I’m the over-thinker/over-planner) and hit the highway for the first time in…well, I can’t remember how long it’s been since we left our city (I know it was for a Motley Crue/Def Leppard concert that was disappointing and we got home around 2am). My mom’s side of the family was having a reunion in the small town of Forsyth, Montana, almost exactly 100 miles northeast of where we live in Billings – an easy day trip.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and we didn’t have to be there super-early, so we took our time getting out of town (important for non-morning people like ourselves), and left the dogs in the capable hands of my brother-in-law (who had a few issues, but dealt with them and made sure they got fed and let out for a bit at lunch).

Last year, we decided that this summer, we were going to take a series of short road trips to destinations on the Montana Bookstore Trail, and see how many we could get to. So this reunion trip was a good first day trip out, and we learned a couple of things:

– We should definitely take more day trips
– The seats in our Subaru are really not comfortable for longer than an hour or so.

I wistfully started yearning for the posh old Buick Park Avenues my husband used to drive when we were dating/first married – the seats in those were so incredibly plush and soft, and the ride was so smooth it was like floating down the road. Perfect road cars, but alas, impossible to find parts for or keep running after awhile. Both have been gone for many years now, sadly.

Then I was scrolling Facebook Marketplace after we got back from the reunion (as one does), and I spied a decent-looking passenger van for sale. It was old enough to be “classic”, but still in pretty good shape on the exterior, with a posh looking interior and super-comfy looking seats, in running condition, with just 75k miles on a “new” (second?) engine…all for $3000.

I mentioned it to the hubby, because in addition to our short road trips, we wanted to do a few longer trips that would require one or two overnight stays. I didn’t expect him to go for it, but figured I’d toss it out there as an alternate option to booking/staying in hotels (which are crazy expensive, especially during tourist season). There were a few other vans on offer, so options, but I really didn’t expect the suggestion to go anywhere.

And it didn’t…until one night later in the week, he came over and looked at the pictures. And then watched some videos on van camping. And then did some calculations on hotel costs vs. the added fuel costs inherent to driving a larger, older vehicle than our Subaru (which doesn’t actually get super-great mileage either, but definitely better than a 40 year old carburetor-engine van). And more calculations on how much it would cost to get the van actually road-worthy (it makes sense that an older van would need some mechanical work even if it runs before highway driving), and then outfit it with basic camping “necessities” like a bed, shades, etc.

It took a couple of days, but we talked ourselves into taking a look. We took it for a test drive, factored in the obvious repairs it needs (brakes, glass, seals) plus some that might not be as obvious and last Saturday (June 8), we bought this classic 1982 GMC 2500 Vandura for $3000.

Both of us have been unexpectedly energized by this new purchase, and we’ve been going a little nuts researching and planning how to prep and outfit our van for decent weather road trips, the occasional overnight stay, and then how we’ll store it for the winter months (bonus: ours came with a custom cover, which is good because it won’t fit in our garage). We’ve both read and learned more about engine types, repairs, gas types and car storage/maintenance than we previously cared to, just because this is a classic vehicle, so it’s a bit different than our “modern” vehicles and we want to take good care of it and also not get stranded – at least not due to our own ignorance or lack of maintenance.

We also want to upgrade the interior, shine up the exterior, and make it into something of a showpiece that we can enter in car/van shows if we feel like it. Because…well, it seems like the thing to do.

We do have another classic vehicle in the garage – a 1961 Chrysler Newport (for the car enthusiasts out there – it was the last year this particular model had wings on the back) that his grandma bought new that has been waiting decades for us to put the same level of interest and care into it, but…we can’t camp in that, so the motivation hasn’t been there. I dare say it will get more attention though after we get the van finished to our liking. The van is a nice vehicle to “learn” on.

The new van is registered (working at the courthouse helps with getting that done quickly) and license plates should be here in a couple of weeks. It’s insured, and currently spending a couple of weeks with the mechanic for a laundry list of replacements and fixes, including brake work, A/C retrofitting, belts, hoses, headlight drying, a tune-up, fluid flushing and replacement, and a few other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten. Basically everything except the engine, alternator and transmission needs some sort of repair or replacement, so it’s a very good thing we got it in before trying to drive it around much.

After that, it will get new tires, and spend a day at an auto glass shop for windshield and window seal replacements, though we may take a short trip between those two things to start our Bookstore Trail travels (and test out the mechanical work). Then we can get to the fun things like exterior paint refreshing/protection and interior redecorating as we have time and money.

We’re both very excited with this new development, and I think it’s for the same basic reason kids get excited about their first car: it represents a certain level of freedom that we didn’t really have before (limited by hotel costs/availability, and the comfort level and road-worthiness of our “daily-drivers”). It’s also something new, and not “just” functional – restoring and maintaining classic vehicles is a hobby all on its own (one we’re both interested in), and we may well take part in some “vanning” events eventually as well.

So, exciting times ahead, and many stories to find and create from the inspiration that travel and new experiences brings. Just this week, the Bookstore Trail passports became available at all the participating bookstores, so I got ours, and got our first stamp from my favorite local bookstore (plus a really, really cool book of book-themed stickers as well). We’re on our way!

We will incidentally be visiting stops on the Southeast Montana Burger Trail as well…which will be almost as fun as visiting all those bookstores! Stay tuned.

What’s brought you the excitement of something new lately? A thing? An experience? Plans for something different? Comment, email, or message me – I’d love to hear all about it!

Support your author:

Jamie DeBree

Writer | DBA | Dog Wrangler

Road Trippin’ Summer – Van Life Calling