I'm looking for recommendations on which vehicle I should use to stash some funds to be used at a later time.

Why reinvent the wheel when you can ride in a luxury vehicle ?

One excellent strategy for getting around that is to buy the notes for long term holding in a self directed IRA, Roth, HSA, 401k, or other tax advantaged vehicle. 

I have a sense we are especially prone to this in real estate as not many other investment vehicles may need unexpected repairs and in the event of a natural disaster hitting your portfolio, you're not only dealing with the damage to your home but the income from your portfolio is instantly gone until you reach an insurance settlement and repairs are done.

Chemicals are cheap (100,000k gross location can run on $3500 in supplies) Auto Laundry News carwashmag.com is a tremendous resource for industry news and owner surveys.

"Before you move in, you should know that you cannot move in because there are meth chemicals all over the place

You might not want to look up vehicle fatalities...it might cause you to buy a tandem bike with a kiddie basket.People are much more dangerous than ANY dog...

That doesn't mean that this shouldn't be an avenue or vehicle, as you said, you start at where you can, and you work your way up to houses that are a surer bet for you.I think what we have all said is valid, its just how, why, and how long you will implement this strategy.

Real estate is illiquid relative to other investment vehicles and therefore inherently more risky.

there is actually a vehicle that has been paying me between 7% to 13.25% for the past 3 years, no income tax, no downside market risks.