17-year-old converts her van into a DIY camper van — “that is so cool!”
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17-year-old converts her van into a DIY camper van — “that is so cool!”
Jade Purdon, 17, may only just be old enough to drive, but that didn't stop her buying and converting a van into her own personal"future freedom machine".
17-year-old Jade Purdon converted her van into a liveable vehicle. Credit: Jade Purdon.
The 17-year-old from Sale in Victoria revealed that she used the savings from her part-time job to buy the $5500 Ford Econovan five weeks ago, saying that she considered using the money for a gap year overseas but since the pandemic has happened, she sought alternatives.
Jade said: “I saw it (the concept of #vanlife) on Pinterest and TikTok. I was like that is so cool – imagine being so free and just being able to do that.”
The young girl who is currently in year 11 said that her supportive dad, along with some tutorial videos on YouTube, helped her bring her fantasy 2004 van transformation into life, revealing that she only did it on a shoestring budget.
“I’m still very young, I’m in school and stuff so everyone thinks it’s a bit weird,” she said.
While the DIY project made Jade busy during the pandemic, she said that she was very productive during remote learning as she crammed her schoolwork into a day or two per week.
“It’s so lonely, so you really need to have something to do," Jade said.
The 17-year-old also revealed that is planning to drive the van around Australia after high school.
Experts cited that the lockdown restrictions may have caused Aussies to pick up on the hobby of van conversion. Credit: Getty Images.
Vanlife Australia revealed that a number of Australians have taken up DIY van conversions recently, causing a spike in the sale prices of these vehicles.
“This time last year the group had around 7600 members – now we’re more than 40,000,” Dr Raymond Forghani, one of the administrators of the Vanlife Australia Facebook page, said.
The group cited the international travel restrictions, housing affordability, and shifting to remote work as some of the factors which piqued the interest of Aussies in van conversions.
Check out this video for tips on how to convert your van into a liveable vehicle:
Credit: Exploring Alternatives
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