How to build a base in DayZ

The best loot guide around that I know is backed up with code snippets. The executive summary:

• Each building is triggered individually, and has its own loot-spawn timer.
• Loot spawns as soon as a player is closer than 120m but farther than 30m from the building. The building's loot spawn timer also starts then.
• Every 10 minutes new loot will spawn if and only if there is a player in the 120–30m ring. A player in that ring will cause loot to spawn on the timer even if there is another player inside the 30m ring. If you're not inside that ring when the timer checks for a player, there will be no new loot.
• Each spawn location in a building has a 50% chance to populate whenever spawning is triggered, so emptying loot spots helps.
• Backpacks and ammo cases don't count when the code checks if there's already loot in a spot.
• Bonus: Zombies spawn when a player enters a 200m circle.

For a pretty picture of the trigger ranges and the code snippets to back these up, read the full guide.

The only information I could find on the subject is the DayZ Wiki Vehciles page where it states

Will my vehicle stay where I left it?

• You have to Save the vehicle in order for it to stay where you left it.
• Other people can take or destroy the vehicle if they want.
• If a vehicle is unused, bugged or left, it will respawn after a minimum of 7 days.

(emphasis mine).

As I understand it a vehicle spawn point will never spawn a new vehicle as long as the existing vehicle is in use and has not been destroyed. If the vehicle is destroyed or left unused for 7 days then I believe that the vehicle will respawn after the next server restart.

I'm not sure where the vehicle will respawn though - I have heard that vehicles can also spawn either at their original location or at the point where it was last saved, repaired or even where it was destroyed. If this is the case then it implies that vehicles are probably never going to be found at their original spawn point.