RV Fantasy
 

I keep playing with the idea of getting an RV. I'm probably at least a decade off from seriously considering buying one. Maintenance and storage fees (can't park one at my house) make such a purchase unrealistic at the moment.

The RV would be used for family vacations and probably get driven 1-3 times a year. I've always wanted to take a 2-3 week vacation and drive to the west coast, for example. It will need to sleep a minimum of 6 people. (In case some family wants to tag along.) I'd like the smallest RV that meets my needs.

My current thought is to buy a used diesel class C motorhome.

My thoughts are:
-Diesels get better gas mileage.
-Vehicle parts (brakes, tires, headlights, etc.) for a class C will be cheaper and easier to get as the chassis is from a mass-market vehicle.
-Motorhomes depreciate like crazy and getting a used one is MUCH cheaper.

Based on Hugh's comments, it makes me think that you really only get a year or two of ownership of a new RV before stuff starts breaking. It also seems that RVs are designed to be put together in modules--which can make accessing and repairing things like water lines difficult.

I'd like to start planning now for an eventual purchase.

My questions are:
-What costs do I need to take into consideration in RV ownership?
-What are the big things I need to look at when inspecting a used RV?
-What features should be avoided? What features are must-haves?
-What other things do I need to consider?

Considering insurance, maintenance, needing to tow a vehicle to get around once you arrive at your destination, etc. I'd look really hard at what it would cost to rent a nice RV for a few weeks.

This is based on info from my friends who lived in an RV for 12+ years, finally bought house last year, still are in their RV for 6+ months/year (they "work" at Ren Faires)

Tires, they need to be replaced every 5 years even if they aren't worn out. 6 tires on the road 7th as a spare supporting 11,000 RV

Just remember that an RV is nothing more than a glorious 55mph outhouse that needs to be dumped.

I know a few retirees that have gone down the road in a RV of their own. If you use it a LOT, it is cheaper to own. If you only go a few times per year it is so much easier and cheaper to rent.

If nothing else rent a motor-home than a trailer and see which one is better suited for your needs.

I've got a Phoenix Cruiser 4X4 RV. Running an RV is not easy, but it is worth it to us. I drive on the beach for surf fishing and have taken this up and down the East Coast. Buying one, you gotta check for water damage, know that you are basically driving a house around and there will be issues related to that here and there. So much really that is involved with owning one.

http://i.imgur.com/6AZ8VU0.jpg?2

I use mine about every six weeks, and I park it next to the house with a sewer dump and a 50A electrical service.

Far cheaper to rent a few times/year. I don't tow a car, I rent-a-wreck if I need one at the destination. Tires every five years. It helps if you can start it and the generator every few weeks and move it back and forth a few feet to keep the tires round and from delaminating.

Huge investment for just 1-3x a year. I grew up in a motorhome family, my parents used it for overnight trips to local lake or ocean front camping ~ every other weekend and 1x/yr for a 2-3 week trip. It was a 25' class A motorhome they bought used with 30K miles. We had space on our property to park it as well. It penciled out in the early days but when Dad was in his late 60's he upgraded to a used Monaco diesel pusher bus that was very expensive even used. They drove it around the country 1x and up to Canada a few more. Even buying used he lost ~ $175K when he sold it. Frankly it was just too big for the short trips they enjoyed. Sounds like you are avoiding the size issue with a class C however your overall $/time investment should be seriously considered.

We do plan on renting in the next couple of years to see if it is something we are really interested in. The rentals do seem very expensive. The closest I can pick up a rental is 150 miles away, and they put such big time/mileage restrictions on the use you can't really go anywhere with it.

If you rent/buy, check where you want to go. At most CA State owned beach sites, the limit is 30'.

Mine is now four years old and the engine/frame of it is Ford V10 Triton for a truck and is very solid. What tends to go is the cheap press board of the interior in that screws on hinges work themselves loose, also many things like the grey and black water tanks appear to have been installed before they skinned the exterior. Carpet and upholstery is not very durable. Seat covers and floor mats in the driver and passenger footwells help a lot.

My wife and I have this conversation from time to time too.
We're willing to go a little more "rustic" in that it would be more of a car camping type vehicle, rather than a rolling home.
I've worked in an Airstream custom shop before and had an up close look at how they're built / systems, etc, and I can say with certainty that I would never want to have to dump waste tanks. Carrying 5 or so gallons of fresh water's fine, but showers and toilets are so readily available in this country we see no need to haul one around.
Where we've landed on the ideas is to get a diesel van of the Sprinter variety (but probably a Nissan or Ford) and I'll build out the interior with storage, bunks and a very minimal kitchen. A Yeti cooler can go for a week or so with one load of ice (depending on ambient temps). Then we'd go out for 3-5 days at national park type campgrounds at a stretch, then get a hotel room for a night or two to sort out laundry and supplies, get a long private hot shower, then back out on the road.
We like to do city stuff, like museums and theatre, so having to park a behemoth vehicle in town is a big "no-thanks".

There is a big difference between camping and RVing.

Camping is where you load everything you need in a truck or van and head to the campsite for the weekend. Most of what you do is outside; like cooking, fishing, hunting, watching a race. Real men go camping.

RVing is where you take the house with you with the TV, kitchen and shower. You stay inside most of the time. Women and the men who love them go Rving.

This weekend I'm going to the Rolex 24 at Daytona. I'll be camping, by myself. ;)

Good you put this question on the forum. We have never owned a motorhome but we rented a couple of times. It seemed expensive to rent at the time but as the above says it is cheaper than owning. We rented a 26 foot once and it seemed like we were flying at 55 mph.

I don't think I would want to travel too far in one unless you have lots of time available. Four hours max was about right for me as a typical day of driving otherwise it became a chore. Serviced camp sites seem to be expensive for rv's.

It was a good experiment. We took our young daughter and it seemed to rain a lot and be cold so we spent a lot of time in the rv. Plus when I was snoring in the rv I was not very popular. So ended up staying in the Jasper Park Lodge with the rv parked outside for a couple of days. Yes expensive but did not love it enough to buy one. We do like staying in hotels as a preference because then the rooms are made up and don't have to cook.

Yes to summarize I would suggest start to rent to see how you like it. Oh yes rv's having a big flat front end getting covered in bugs. Plus dumping the waste etc . And if you own one where do you park it?

My 2 cents:
Consider a pull trailer, for 6 people you need a 27-30+ ft.
IMO those things are maintenance free aside from the winterization process cause I'm in Canada.
Same storage costs as an RV without all the hassles and maintenance costs.

What I like of the travel trailer (or pull trailer as some people call them) is that I can just leave at the campground and move freely in the truck to do groceries, museum, parks, etc.. without moving that big tub around..

But no matter what you decide, its an amazing experience.

Good luck

Most good points have already come up:

If you already say 1-3 times / year, it probably is 1-2 tops. So, this is a GREAT scenario to rent.
Add up your fixed costs and you will see that owning makes no sense at all.
Like Hugh points out, anything big and you can't go to most state campgrounds (which are usually a lot nicer than the private stuff).
I also think a trailer with a tow vehicle make more sense for occasional use if you can daily drive a tow vehicle. It keeps you from needing to maintain a vehicle with a driveline that's rarely used. Engines and even suspensions just sitting there are not going to be great as we all know.

I was looking at RVs and my solution was a truck camper. Bought a 4x4 crew cab that replaed the family SUV for daily driving and have a slide in pop up camper that fits my back yard. Zero overhead and can be sold in a few years with maybe a $2k loss. Yes, there is no bathroom and it has only an ice box. But it has been great on vacations, longest road trip 10 days so far with the entire family ...

In addition to being low overhead, I can go >55 mph and get into any spot camping / hunting that a 4x4 large truck will go!


G

When my parents retired they bought one of those giant RVs with all the pop-outs etc.

After they had it a couple of years I asked my dad how he like it. he said "we could rent a stretch limo to drive us anywhere in the country, stay in a 5 star hotel and eat at the finest restaurants, and it's still be cheaper than taking this RV. And a hotel doesn't cost $50 a month in storage when you aren't on vacation".

IIRC the sticker price on it was around $120k, they ended up selling to my brother for $30k after 5 years and $12,000 miles.

But hey, a fool and his money are my best friends.

You can rent them.


Don't buy an outhouse on wheels.

1 to 3 times a years is Hookerville: Rent.

I looked hard at towables and RVs this past year since I am working in NC two weeks a month at the small composites factory I am part owner of.

I penciled everything out: Cost per mile, maintenance costs, loans, price of a camp ground hook-up (they are not cheap), driving experience (I rented an RV for two separate trips) and the RV was by far the most expensive option.

I have the spreadsheets to prove it:)

I rent small SUVs and stay in hotels. No muss, zero fuss.

To use it that infrequently simply isn't worth it. Depending on the season we have ours out almost every weekend then on a long trip at least once a year .

I don't know that I will ever be ready for a motorized RV, we have been using our 30' Dutchmen travel trailer for a few years now and love it (after having popup campers for decades). We need the F250 4x4 for other farm reasons, so a used $5000 trailer is pretty nice for what we need, and about 10 years old.

I see so many huge 5th wheels, and RVs with multiple slideouts, and endless options. I think once the kids no longer go with us, I will buy a smaller 26' or 27' travel trailer with one large slideout for touring the country.

I use the heck out of mine, it's a 4x4 Tiger CX it fits my lifestyle as a cyclist and the family loves to road trip a few times a year.

I agree with much of what is said above, few times a year it's not worth it. But if it fits into another hobby (cycling, moto bikes in the desert, surfing, ect then go for it)

Between weekend Mountain trips and longer road trips I put over 10k miles on mine last year, more than my daily driver.

If you need to sleep six I would suggest a Class C. I would look at a larger Mercedes diesel van based model with a slide that is 2-3 years old with low miles. They seem to hold their value much better, and drive much better.

Six people in any RV for any span of time does get "tight" certainly if a mix of adults and kids.

Where would you suggest the crossover is between owning and renting?

Good Question... I think one big trip a year for a few years with a bunch of long weekends throughout and it's worth it.

Rentals are not cheap, I would guess in the 5k neighborhood for a two week span is about right.

If it's something you know the whole family will enjoy then go for it. We did a 15 day trip starting in Tahoe up to Portland OR hitting all the spots. My kids are 10 and 12 and it was in their words better than Hawaii. From a family perspective it is a wonderful way to spend time.

An idea about renting one... Here in New Zealand there are some very good deals for returning RVs to their home base. You could call around and see if any companies want that done and tack on a bit of extra time that is part paid for.

I'm in the same boat. Wife retire's June 1. Lots of time and I would like to get out and travel. Wife is a homebody. A friend said way back," I could get the best room in best hotel anywhere I want" for alot less than owning a RV. Hmmmm. I love cars so much and the thrill of driving them long distances gets me going. Good luck, look for the best one to buy, and have fun.

Where would you suggest the crossover is between owning and renting?

Obviously depends on price and use and needed maintenance, and other uses of the money if you buy.

I spent $80K or so on mine new four years ago. I could realistically sell mine for $50-60K today with 10,000 miles on it. Yes they depreciate a lot. But its most certainly not an investment. When I sell it someday, it will be worth next to nothing. A friend had one he owned for ten years (Class C) and traded it in for a new $150K one and got like $10K, I think he paid about $60K for the old one ten years ago.

The "note" on mine with a ten year loan is around $400/month, which is very OK with me since I use it every 4-6 weeks. I use mine about 40-50 days/year so it costs me around $100/day of actual use, plus gas, insurance, maintenance.

One plus, is that I keep tools, clothes, etc. in it so when I want to take it out, I only stock the food and I'm ready to go. Having a 5K generator and 80 gallons of gas is a nice backup for earthquakes/brush fires in Southern California.

A few problems I've heard about a Class C,

1. The overhead view sucks if you're in a scenic area.

2. The driver and passenger seats are lower than the cabin floor space and unusable when parked except to throw suitcases and such,

3. A class A you can see more of the road.

Class A's don't have air bags for the most part, some class C's do.

Class C diesels are not common, but are around.

By the time you buy a Class C and put in things like auto-levelers, which are really nice, you start approaching the cost of a Class A.

Being that I am a Class C owner, you are wrong about many of the things you listed.

I have no issues with my view. No overhang on my rig at all.

My front seats rotate so they are very much usable.

I have a custom full air ride suspension on my rig, but that's by choice because I take it off road and it does ride smoother.

AutoLevelers are very much factory install on most new RV's.

Class C costs can be high(i.e. Mine) but they are on average significantly less costs then most class A pushers.

Sweet, you may well be correct on many accounts, I've never owned a C, I'm basing my thoughts on one friends older C. Mine is a gas front engine, not a diesel pusher, which are a totally different animal.

I'm giving Legion things to think about when looking around, like 19.5" tires versus 22.5" tires which either way should be replaced every five years. BIG $ difference.

My wife and I looked into this. Since she has an accounting background she ran the numbers for purchase, licensing, insurance, gas, fees at parks (which are not always cheap), maintenance, etc came to the conclusion we could fly to the areas we want to see, rent a nice car, stay in 5 star hotels and eat out more cheaply. The math doesn't add up unless buying a well used unit and using it frequently or for prolonged periods of time.

I know a guy who buys a slightly used one every year, drives the family from Chicago to California for 3 weeks, and then sells it. He says he always comes ahead, or breaks-even.

x2

The missing piece is the experience. Different strokes. The $$ doesnt make sense unless you specifically want to wake up in your rig and be at the camp ground. I've been through this too and my solution was a cabin rental at a park. Not always available but if they are it was good solution to me. I drove a class C once so I have very limited experience but I much prefer a car, rented SUV.. wind scared me and it wasnt really that windy.

No right/wrong answer, check it out and see if it works for you.

If looking to buy, a co-worker had a friend that made good money flipping RV's. His technique:

In the spring, find a snowbird widow in Fla or the desert SW whose husband died over the winter. The widow would be looking to unload an RV cheap as she didn't know how to drive it north in the spring.

This guy would buy a few a year, bring them north and sell for a profit.

Seems like it's time to try out your fantasy. Maybe rent one for a long weekend near by. This will give you a shot of the reality. Plus there is a lot of opportunity to talk with other RVers to get their take on it all. Truck and trailer vs Moho. Big azz rig vs smaller more lightweight unit.

I have been impressed at how busy the desirable places are especially in the summer months. Calls for a lot of long range planing and reservations made well ahead of time.
Also driving long miles at well less of than 10 mpg does add up as well as $45 per night, it's not a cheep way to go.

On the other hand I have found that touring in my coach is good fun. Great views from the cab with wraparound windows. Being able to stop when ever you like to have a bite while you enjoy a neat spot, use the facilities and be on your way. Explore back roads and see another side of the country at your own pace. Wing it a bit and see where you end up for the night ( not recomended for west coast in the summer)

Flying and renting wheels works great if you are interested in cities or big towns. But there is a lot to experence out in the countryside too.

If you do end up looking for a class C. I'd look into Lazydaze coaches. They seem well built and have a strong following.
Water intrusion and damage is a big issue to be on the lookout for, as well as insuring that all of the appliances and systems are working well.
For those occasional big family trips a tent can round out the sleeping accommodations.
And still let you use a smaller less costly rig.

Strupgolf. Let me offer another angle on your situation. R Ving is a good way to be able to enjoy traveling while enjoying the comforts of home. Your own bed, head and shower, the decore you chose. Familure foods in the pantry and fridge. And you can bring along some toys to add to the fun once there.

Have you taken your bride to RV shows? If you can find a rig she likes, and can see herself in, you are half way there. Be selective in what you show her, there is a lot of cheap poorly built product in the RV world. But some nice quality very homey units too.

All the best with your quandary.

Cheers Richard

I know you might not want to hear this, but at 1-3 trips a year, unless they are big ones, its probably not worth it. You can have some pretty lavish hotel rooms when you amortize the cost.

Whatever you do, don't buy new.

Start with a small cheaper class C - see if you like it. Buy it 5-6 years old where it's > 75% depreciated.

Costs? Like used cars, it depends. Normal stuff like insurance and general auto maintenence. After than it all boils down to what breaks, that's a roll of the dice.

Yes, just a few trips will not justify the cost especially if you have to pay storage while it sits.
Having it at or very near home lets you continue to enjoy and take care of it while not traveling with it. Makes a nice guest room.if all hooked up.

Lots of folks that like RVing end up making it a big part of their yearly routine.

Just got to check it out to see if it's a fit.

Cheers Richard

RV ownership can be a lot like owning a boat....happiest day is when you buy it and second happiest day is when you sell it.

I had a pretty unique rig a few years ago that I bought from a friend. 1974 Dodge 4WD PowerWagon chassis mounted motorhome. The thing was a beast that would literally go anywhere. We had a blast in it for a few years and then sold it to a retired movie stunt man, Chuck Connor's double. He drove it to Honduras!
I drove it to a few Grateful Dead shows and once picked a young couple thumbing their way to the show. When we arrived they offered to fill the tank for us. Couldn't keep from laughing when I told them "sure, that would be really cool. It has a 100 gallon tank"! I think they had about ten bucks between them. Told them not to worry, just sharing the ride!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1485292735.jpg

That is way cool. My Tiger is sorta the modern version.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1485293383.jpg

You may have the best taste in cars and other modes of transportation on this or any other planet.

Thank you....I've been pretty lucky to have had the opportunity to be the owner of some nice rides. I regret selling almost everyone of them!

I think you posted about this when you bought it...I was envious then, still am. It was the first time I had seen the Tiger/ I also lust over the Earth Roamer.

I think we'll go the slide in camper route since we have a farm and will always need at least a 1/2 ton (much more with a slide in) and I have barn space.

RKT you are just a shade more than lucky:)

Earth Roamer is about 10 miles from me. I know one of the guys, he is a regular at coffee n cars... They sure are nice, but man do you pay for it!

Tigers were built here as well up until 2003-4 now they are in SC.