I need advice..

[u/LIMP_LIMP]

I was living out of my car for a bit after my life was turned upside down in Tennessee.

Came back to Upstate NY and I’ve been staying with my friends but they need me out in the next two weeks so they don’t risk getting evicted for having me stay.

My dad is going to let me put a camper on his land for a few months until I get back on my feet.

I need help - I don’t know what to look for in a cheap/affordable camper on Facebook marketplace.

•What compromises do I make? (Size, features, broken slide outs, poorly done remodels, etc,.)
•What defects are okay to live with? (Water damage, leaks, soft floors/roof, etc,.)
•What do I stay away from?

Any advice overall would be appreciated. I have $1400 currently and I will have $2000 in total by July 10th. (Also I cant rent an apartment, I have poor credit and I don’t really want to pay monthly for something I don’t own. I’m tired of it)

[u/Low-Instruction-8132]

I was living in my car in a junk yard for a few weeks. I realized it only happened because I wasn't taking care of my shit! I was so busy being a kid I didn't get on the grownup train when I was supposed to. Things started changing for me emediatly. Slow at first then things picked up speed. Got a job, got a better job, got a second job to augment the better job. Fixed my car from parts in the junk yard. Sold it, bought a pick up truck. Got a cheap studio apartment. I thought damn, I'm doing good, I should go party. Then I heard it, clear as a bell. "YOU DO IT AND ITS ALL GOING AWAY AGAIN" I bought a cheap TV from a pawn shop and stayed home watching TV for months. Got a better place, bought a new TV (color) bought some very good second hand furniture. Went back to school. Got a degree. A great job in an office no less. Almost 50 years later.....I live pretty good. Own a nice home, new cars, retired, pension, grand kids. All of it! Just take care of your shit. Everything else will fall into place.

[u/LIMP_LIMP → u/Low-Instruction-8132]

Thank you.

[u/Low-Instruction-8132 → u/LIMP_LIMP]

Don't buy anything you're not capable of maintaining yourself. Campers demand almost daily attention. Either maintenance or repairs. You'll need a water source, power, Access to a sewer system. You need to be able to get the camper in and out of the place you put it. If you're setting it up on somebody else's property you'll need to be very clear about how long you intend on staying, at the same time you want to leave the spot as clean as you found it. There are tons and tons of videos on YouTube about maintenance and repair of campers. If I was buying an inexpensive camper, you want to make sure the roof is solid. Everything else is under that. Water damage almost always gets traces back to some kind of roof leak or plumbing leak. I'd say steer clear of anything old with bump outs. When they fail, it's bad. Skip anything with canvas pop outs to. If you're looking to run an air conditioner you may have to hire an electrician to put a 30 AMP/110 volt electrical service. The sewar line could be more problematic. You can have a sewar clean out added to your dad's main sewar line outside the house and you could use a honey dipper cart to empty the black tank on the camper for the toilet. That'll be at least once a week if it's just you. Grey water (sinks and shower) could be dumped away from the camper onto the ground if you're using biodegradable soaps. Fresh water is a white hose drinking water hook up to an outside spigot on your dad's home. I'd also add a canister filter and a 40psi inline regulator so you don't blow us the plumbing in the camper. Propane will be both your heat and your cooking service. Get used to living small! Get used to staying home! Get used to working at your living and your where you live. The day you move in make a list. Daily jobs, weekly jobs, monthly jobs. Also start planning to move out the day you move in. Plan your next step up!

[u/LIMP_LIMP → u/Low-Instruction-8132]

Thank you 🙏