Throughout the year, as we go from race to race, show to show and so on and so forth, costs are incurred. That car doesn’t create it’s own fuel, I do not starve myself on the roads, and I’ve got to sleep sometime…regardless of how late that night went. It’d also be good to get a quick shower as well. So each event, there’s money coming out of the coffers to pay that way forward. The fine art of keeping a business going is making sure the money coming in is greater than the money going out to expenses. Fuel and food? Those are relatively minor expenses…one is necessary, the other can be mitigated depending on choices. I don’t need to eat a steak and a loaded baked potato every night, then follow it up with a few rounds of some good stuff, y’know? The hotels, on the other hand, are the killer. That’s more or less a hundred a night (averaged, of course) that is necessary but painful. So, if I want to help out the bottom line, how do I do that?

With an option. You see, I’m pretty durable. I don’t need a hotel bed, just a place to lay down and snooze. I don’t need a full-scale shower most of the time, just a place to wash up. I don’t need to eat out all the time on the road, I just need a place to set up and cook some food and I can cut back on that expenditure. Sounds awesome, right? Well, there would be a one-time cost to this wonderful money-saving hack, and that comes in at about $4,900. It’s a Wide One RV conversion based on a 1984 Dodge B350 van. Picking a Dodge van a year younger than I am isn’t always a bright decision, I know, but here’s the rub: one owner, cared for, with one noted fault…a door that needs to be re-aligned to gap properly. The end. There are only 44,200 miles on the clock of this machine, which is 14 inches wider than a standard B-van and a foot taller as well. There’s plenty of room to store gear, stretch out and relax, yet it’s no bigger than some of the dually tow rigs that show up at the races. I can jump straight off of the camera and climb straight into my room for the night. I’ve got a stove to cook some dinner on, a fridge for some cold drinks, a sink to wash my face at, a place to lay down and snore, a generator for power, even a toilet. Though, I’m not so sure about the view from the throne. I hope the outside window is tinted limo-dark at least, otherwise some unlucky passer-by is going to see a bad moon rising.

There’s no CDL involved, I’m not driving an overrated cube van. There is a slight bit of concern about the engine…there’s no mention of what exactly is in there. An educated guess would be the 155-horsepower Chrysler 360 small-block, but that seems low-powered for the application, and a bit thirsty. But could it be better than shelling out for yet another hotel room? I think there’s a case to be made here. Chad might have a few choice words for me, but I’m hopeful. He’s an RV freak himself…maybe that’ll be what saves my hide!

Craigslist Link: 1984 Dodge B350 Ram Van converted into Class B motorhome by Wide One RV