The guy turned the ambulance into a motor home and now lives for free in the heart of New York

While some children dream of living in castles, Eli Young dreamed of living in a car. As a child, a toy orange Volkswagen bus was one of his most treasured toys. Now the 25-year-old actor turned an ambulance into a motor home for $15 and now lives in New York for free. The edition told in more detail Business Insider.

When it came time to move from a toy bus to a real one, the 25-year-old aspiring actor was taken aback by the cost. In the end, he converted the ambulance into his dream.

“I found the car on a government auction site,” said Young, whose video tour of the converted car recently went viral on TikTok. “When I received it, there were medical gowns, needles and liquids inside.”

In seven months of hard work, Eli completely remodeled the interior of the ambulance. He placed in it a full-size bed that folds out of the wall, as well as a kitchenette, a workspace and a hot shower.

The repairs, he said, cost about $15 in total, plus an additional $000 in taxes and registration on top of the $1000 purchase price.

@eliiiyoung Tour of the interior of Bessie, my converted ambulance! I'll be posting some videos from the build process soon ? #amboconversion #vanlife #nomad ♬ original sound – Eli Young

“I thought a lot about maximizing the space, because I wanted a full shower, a comfortable bed and everything that is in the apartment,” he explained.

For three weeks in October, Young parked his new mobile home in various parts of New York while he worked as an audio electrician on Broadway. He spends an average of $350 a month on gas and $100 on insurance, about 12% of the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New York.

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“I rented an apartment throwing away thousands of dollars a month on things that were moldy, had no air conditioning, no hot water, and no security,” Eli said. “Enough already, fed up.”

@eliiiyoung Part 1 of the creation of Bessie, the converted ambulance ? #amboconversion #vanlife #nyc #actor ♬ original sound – Eli Young

Young says that without the burden of rent, he now has the freedom to pursue acting gigs across the country. This summer, he lived in an ambulance, traveling with a children's play through the Midwest.

“Now gas is my rent, and I look at my insurance as a utility,” he reasons, and says that even when driving 10 hours from the Midwest to New York, he spent less on gas than on rent.

“I had the opportunity to just take a different look at several cities in one year,” he explained. “Now I feel very lucky because I don’t pay rent in New York.”