Now that we’re all accustomed to people turning their vehicles into mobile homes, you should be prepared to see some eyebrow-raising adventures of the sort. So how about a 20-year-old who built a bed inside his Ford Mustang so he could live in the vehicle for two months? Oh, and yes, this is a story with a V8!
Last summer, Ardalan G. decided to take his 2018 Ford Mustang GT for a trip across North America. And while that sounds like a memorable way to spend the season, finding somebody who would be willing to commit financially proved too great of a challenge. Undeterred, the Canadian young man found a way to keep the budget in check—he would turn his Mustang into a mobile home!
How to sleep in your car on a tight budget
Ardalan’s plan and execution can be used for many other vehicles since this is the most basic way of turning your car into a mobile home. And we’ll also detail his impressively small budget for the build below.
He started by building a wooden bed frame ($200 wood), removing the passenger seat, and using the latter’s mount points to fit the frame via wooden posts. An air mattress would serve as the finishing touch for the sleeping part.
However, you also need some basic amenities if you’re going to live in your car. So, underneath the bed frame, the young man fitted a battery ($150) that would be charged by the vehicle’s alternator ($150 charger). He also installed a $150 inverter so he could plug in a fridge located in the trunk, and a fan that would handle overnight air circulation.
He used a $75 propane stove for cooking—this does take up a considerable amount of space in the trunk—while bringing along a long telescopic pole. The latter served as an umbrella mounting point for shade, while hanging a shower curtain around the umbrella instantly added a second room for changing or taking a shower.
Speaking of which, the Canadian used a fitness network membership and paid to enter public swimming pools for showers… or simply went for a swim to cross this off the daily list of things to do.
Another neat trick was covering the side windows with CNC-cut black sheets of material. This made the car look like it had dark tint so people wouldn’t suspect somebody would cover up the windows to sleep inside overnight. The rest of the privacy came from a sun visor up front and a large tower for the rear window—some would suggest doing the camper thing in a Bronco, but that’s a bit too predictable for this story.
Ardalan’s Mustang tiny home adventure by the numbers
Ardalan’s Mustang sleeping trip saw him covering 13,069 miles (21,042 km) over 45 days. He visited 10 Canadian provinces and 23 US states. Enjoying the great outdoors saw him going from visiting multiple national parks, Yellowstone included, to having a stroll in New York’s Central Park.
You should know the young man only spent three nights at campsites, but the $20/night cost meant he usually sought free parking areas. Speaking of which, the adventurer spent $3,000 on gas for the 310 hp EcoBoost ‘Stang, $200 on highway tolls, while treating himself by adding $1,000 for ferries (more on why this paid out below). All in all, traveling across North America while sleeping in his Mustang for 45 days cost the Canadian $5,175.
Hey, perhaps this diesel-swapped S550 Mustang would’ve saved some fuel… or maybe not, since it packs 1,500 hp!
Safety concerns and what it all means
Nevertheless, skipping hotels and even campsites means the trip wasn’t without its safety concerns. For instance, somebody slashed his tires one night, which caused him to miss the ferry the following day. However, Ardalan wasn’t directly affected and he prefers to focus on the positive parts. One example is the Euro-flavored experience he had after taking the ferry to Saint Pierre island, which remains a French territory to this day, with all the driving quirks involved (e.g. non-colored road marking for two- or one-way roads).
Somebody on Reddit also pointed out the risks associated with the additional battery installed inside the car, which seems to be of a Lead-Acid type. Nevertheless, there are ways of dealing with this, such as using a LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, which is one of the recommendations many experienced campers make. Sure, they are more expensive compared to Lead-Acid units, but the safety benefits are always worth it.
The conclusion? The traveler doesn’t offer any in the YouTube clip documenting the adventure below. However, turning your Mustang into a tiny home and touring North America in it at the age of 20 means setting a pretty high bar for future travels, to say the least.