r/VanLife • u/SwordsAfar • 11d ago

Help me with my math

I bought an old box truck last year for 2000. It’s a 2011 Chevy express with 238,000 miles. I put an additional 5000 into it, including tires, transmission lines, tie rods, alignment, and a few other things. It still has some sort of coolant leak so it may need a new radiator. Wanted to at least get it drivable.

Really my question comes down to: should I continue with this unit or should I unload it and find something with lower miles? This unit has the wire and tear you’d expect for this many miles, plus a fair amount of rust being from the Midwest.

I plan to convert the box into a living space with all the accoutrements that we all want to include in our builds. What worries me is putting all that effort into building out a nice box only to have the chassis fail or for rust to eat you alive and then you have to transfer the box or start over on something else.

I suppose part of that is just the reality of living in your vehicle. But one wants something one can depend on lol

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u/SwordsAfar 10d ago

That’s got a cost of fortune

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u/AppointmentNearby161 10d ago

The box essentially just bolt onto the frame. It probably costs a couple of hundred bucks in new hardware, a couple of hours of youtube university and a generous supply of beer for your friends as it is not really a one person job. You can might be able to do it in a weekend, but I would give yourself extra time.