Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Most people who are forced to live in their cars don’t really get the luxury of selecting a car
based on its comfort, durability and suitability for living in. But if you’re one of the rare folks
who actually wants to try car dwelling for a reason – to save money, because you’re traveling,
cheap digs until your student loan comes in or your apartment opens up or you have a job
that requires a lot of travel and not much money for hotels or whatever, there are a few basic
things to consider and a lot of other things to make sure you have.
First, define why you want to live in your car. It’s kind of like buying a house in a way. If you
were buying a house or renting an apartment you’d want an idea of what you were looking for.
If you’re planning, as a graduate student I knew did, to live in your car for a couple of years to
save money for tuition, you’ll want a different kind of car than if you just plan to make some
extended road trips a couple of times a year and don’t want to shell out the coin for a hotel
room. Ask yourself:
How long will I be living or living and working in my vehicle?
Will someone, including a pet or two, be sharing it with me?
Where will I be parking?
What is the climate where I’ll living?
Will I be driving a lot or parking it behind a friend’s house for the summer?
How much stuff will I be taking with me?
Will I be near a toilet and shower I can use at any time of the day or night?
Will I have access to electricity for a fan or airconditioner or heater?
Will I be cooking or eating in it?
How much time will I be spending in the vehicle?
There are hundreds of other questions and aspects to consider as well. Defining your reasons
for vehicle dwelling will help you immensely in deciding what kind of car to buy.
In essence you are going to be living in about a fourfoot by threefoot space, smaller than a
prison cell and nowhere near as comfortable. I lived in a Toyota Paseo with a Rottweiler and a
cat for a month. Not fun, but doable. But all I did was sleep and commute. My stuff was in a
storage unit. I showered at the YMCA and I ate out a lot. In college I spent the summer
backpacking and fishing on the weekends and at 19 years of age and 5’3” tall I could pretzel
into the back of my 69’ VW bug and I did. I wouldn’t do it now. That’s why I have a van!
Sure, you can get an RV if you’re after comfort. But if you’re trying to fit into a town or city, not
attract attention and don’t want to have to spend a fortune on gas, a car is the way to go.
If you’re doing this to save money, you want a fuelefficient car, but then again, remember
you’re going to be stretching out to sleep in this car too. Are you tall? Short? Heavy? Old?
Young? If you don’t get anything else, get a car where you can comfortably stretch out. If you
don’t sleep well you won’t travel or work well and then this whole exercise in being a free
spirit, seeing the country of spending the summer on the road becomes an exercise in
surviving hell. If you absolutely don’t want a van, look for a car with back seats that fold down.
If you must sleep with your legs in the trunk, consider it. Remember to make allowances for at
least four inches of mattress when deciding if you’ll be comfortable with your legs in the trunk.
Most cars don’t have that clearance. To make my Toyota Paseo work I actually took out the
back seat and the passenger seat and built a small platform over the dimples and bumps in
the metal floor. I put a mattress on top of that and the dog and the cat slept half in and half out
of the trunk quite comfortably.
With the back seat gone the trunk became a den about the size of a large doghouse. It was
winter and we stayed very toasty inside with a good sleeping bag. The litter box became an
issue – so I rolled the window down and the cat simply came and went at her leisure. I was
fortunate. She didn’t roam but would do her business, explore and then return to the car.
My choice, and that of most longterm car dwellers, is the van. Used ones are cheap. They’re
generally roomy enough to store clothes, books, food, tools, a dog, musical instruments and
cookware. With the right configurations and imagination you can even fit in a shower and
portapotty. You’re limited only by your imagination and finances.
I picked up an old Chevy van for $750. I could have offered her $250 and walked away with it,
but she needed the money and I was a stupid sucker at the time. But it’s been a great car and
I drive it still – almost two years later.
I routinely see vans of all makes and models for between $1,000 and $5,000 depending on
age and style. I have lived in a van, a Volkswagen bug, a Volkswagen van, a pickup truck, a
stepvan and my Chevy van and an RV. I liked the RV a lot, but the van was my best option in
terms of living in the city undetected.
SUV’s, VW vans, conversion vans, station wagons, pickup trucks are all great options. Each
has their pros and cons. It all depends on what you will be doing in your vehicle. If you’re
working construction or something and just need a place to sleep at the end of the day, a
pickup truck with a shell and a mattress inside is fine. Not only will it fit in on the job site, you
may even be able to park it there. On the whole, cars are not a great choice. There’s little
headroom, it’s hard to get any privacy without putting up curtains – which screams to the
police “Hey! I’m homeless and sleeping in my car, come hassle me!”
So think carefully before selecting your vehicle.
Be realistic about space. If you have a car now, try sleeping in it one night – kind of like
camping out in your own back yard – to get a feel for it. No one said it would be easy, but it
doesn’t have to be uncomfortable if you plan ahead.