Long Wheel Base Van Verses Short Wheel Base

QUESTION: Hi Jason, I have been reading your book which I got as a pdf file from the website. I have a 96 Chevy express 1500 low top conversion van. I bought it new, my wife Mary and I used it to raise our family of 5 kids, then as a work van back and forth to the vet hospital (I'm a vet) and now as a travel van.

For about the last 7 years, when I drive from the Cleveland Ohio area to Orlando for my annual vet meeting, I have been fishing and Vanaboding in the Florida Keys for about 3 weeks per year. I have fallen in love with the crystal clear waters, fishing, kayaking, marine life in the lower Keys. We have met friends down there, I am almost 59, and I hope to spend more time there as I near semi-retirement plus traveling the country for the first time.

The van has rusting running boards 220,000 miles with a still strong engine and tranny, but I also got rear ended last year while in Marathon. The van seriously needs replaced. I would be very happy getting one just like yours but my wife is quite hesitant to do too much Vanaboding with me. Her one objection is personal hygiene and space. She wants something more of a shower. She probably would eventually get used to the ideas you present in your materials, but I was considering getting the Chevy extended van to make more room in case I do have to put some type of shower/tub/potty combination in.

My concern is as you say about parking. I usually stay on a quiet street in Boca Chica, or Key west/Stock Island area. I suppose with a little extra effort, I could find a slightly larger (18 inches) parking space for overnight. Then there are the times when we use the public parking garages in Orlando or Cleveland etc..