Vans over 3.5 tonne - a legal minefield?

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Looking forward to moving out of my current van...

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sounds an ideal set up - but dont forget the essentials for the new vehicle

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:)

If you look back through past economic crises the only way out was for the government to grab wealth; expect a pension and property grab in the near to middle distance...:(

heh, you and me are of similar minds on this.

but think I'm in danger of going off the reservation re the forum rules here. Be interesting to see the progress on the van.
 
well, the obvious example could be the bank deposit seizures recently in Cyprus, where deposits over a certain amount were taken by the state to bail out the failing banks. Something similar here could be a tax on investments (like pensions, etc) or on property values.
 
so then the only way around it would be to liquidate you assets, then close your bank account and buy precious metals? although i think you would have quite a challenge withdrawing a couple of hundred thousand - or whatever your house was worth. they get a bit twitchy when you want to take out anything over 5k
 
Gold is now falling in value. There simply is no way to protect your money any more.

Go out and spend it is my advice, chances are we'll all end up on the breadline anyway so you might as well have the memories of some wild times to cheer you up.
 
I once asked fianancial pundit David Buick what he recommended as an investment. He replied - a shotgun and a pile of tinned beans.
 
One thing you may want to look at if you want to do it properly is to re-register it as a camper. There are certain things the DVLC insist on for this. I know a few who have done this and a few who didn't bother.
There are certain advantages to this eg. you are allowed to drive faster, your insurance premium should be lower. Some details here;

http://www.campervanlife.com/building/legal
 
Good on ya fella.

I spent a few years as a harvest gypsy travelling around the country and living in a caravan. The winters are hardest but so long as you have a plan then its easy enough to get by. I used to do maintenance on farm machinery in the winter and had a few farmers who gave me regular work. Payment was a tank full of fuel, a cylinder of gas or a shop at the supermarket and a few quid pocket money. In return I would service their machines and repair broken kit. Sometimes I miss the life on the road but I wouldn't want to bring my daughter up that way as it can be hard at times. At least you have a more modern set up and a regular job. I had a wood burner in the van so not all bad. Although, I used to dream of a webasto!
 
One thing you may want to look at if you want to do it properly is to re-register it as a camper. There are certain things the DVLC insist on for this. I know a few who have done this and a few who didn't bother.
There are certain advantages to this eg. you are allowed to drive faster, your insurance premium should be lower. Some details here;

http://www.campervanlife.com/building/legal
You only need a class 4 MOT instead of Class 7. You won't need an operators licence. The law has changed though, To qualify as a camper it must resemble a camper from the outside. However you cannot change the outside appearance of a commercial vehicle manufactured after 2003 So its all a bit up in the air for now.
 
That looks fantastic. My lil sister and her fella converted a van into a camper to for their travels around Europe. One thing they decided to do after about 2 months of living in the van was seal off the cab. Apparently it massively increased the insulation. Although they''re regretting it at the mo as they've stopped in Dubai for a few months to work. Sleeping in a hot tin can
 
Van in now foam sprayed, bubblewrapped and ply lined. I have fitted a cab heater and a bed and have been living in it since 6th September.

looks very professional. now that you're four months in, what would you say are the key ingredients for comfortable van living?
 

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