Times are hard. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Nobody knows this better than millennials, some of whom were halfway through college — and signing student loan documents — when the housing market crashed and turned the economy into confetti. What starts as a quest for a good career, a cute house with a white picket fence, and maybe an unnecessarily large SUV turns into bargaining for a tent and a bowl of soup. Ok, that’s a little dramatic but many of us are finding we need to reevaluate our wants and needs in order to survive. Maybe we don’t need all that superfluous stuff. Maybe we could just… live in our cars. Sounds crazy? Wait till you take a stroll through these cozy abodes: these are three cars you could absolutely live in if push came to shove.
1. Volkswagen Camper
The Volkswagen is the gold standard in four-wheel living. Sure, you don’t have a home with a stable foundation but you’re living large in a Scooby Doo Van. That’s got to count for something. To make a camper living situation work, you’ll want to set down anchor somewhere like Venice Beach, befriend the hobos and transients, and snag a couple free hotdogs at the nightly beach cookout. Grow your hair long, tie it with a bandana, and take a Lebowski approach to life. To keep the coppers off your trail, paint a few pleasant hippie flowers on the side and absolutely do NOT get a puppy. Make it work.
2. Ford Transit 12 Passenger Van
What, you thought living in your car would be all glitz and glamour? This is the apocalypse, son (or potentially just the end of your rent fund). Yes, this van is more at home on film sets ferrying 12 crew members to and fro, filled with bags of garbage leaking half-full cups of coffee and cheese curls. But with a little TLC and some mean elbow grease, you can have all the benefits of a studio apartment in the city with, presumably, less cockroaches and mice. The seats can be folded down to allow for a mattress but, should you pick up somebody at the bar? Definitely go back to their place.
3. Honda Element
When the Element first debuted it took a lot of criticism for looking like a giant size lego that some errant child thought was road-worthy. But who’s going to be doing the laughing when you’re cruising by in your fully supportive casa di tires? Probably whoever owns a house, but nevertheless, if you want to live in your car and do with pizazz do it an Element. It’s a look that says “granted, maybe I’m homeless, but also maybe I’m just really adventurous!” The seats can be tucked down to create not one but two beds! That means a couple could call the Element home, and still sleep in separate beds if they argue, which is generally bound to happen when you’re living with your lover in a moving vehicle.
