5th wheeling, any regrets????

Ah, a change from a trailer to a 5th wheel. We haven't pulled anything other than a 5th wheel before, but it might be easier to hitch/unhitch a 5er compared to a trailer. You may also enjoy the increased ceiling height of a 5th wheel depending on the model you get.

One other consideration for you. There will came a time when you have to "hang up the keys" and go to a permanent location, if that park model isn't suitable for habitation during the winter you will have a problem. You may want to consider not selling your home (sell the park model instead) if that's where you want to be on a permanent basis

Plenty of areas to explore. You may have to deal with an occasional hard freeze but Georgia and most of the gulf coast are pretty nice in winter (highs in the 50's are realy nice compared to highs in the teens). If you spend Nov/Dec and Mar/Apr, in the mid sections and save Jan/Feb for the deep south, you shouldn't have much issue with hard freezes. (they have furnaces that can keep you warm on the cold days)

Buy a used 5th wheel and keep a tight lid on the price with the idea that you can always trade in later if you want bigger or newer and you are unlikely to lose much if the lifestyle doesn't meet your liking.

You do not indicate what you have for a tow vehicle. Pulling a fiver requires an appropriate truck equipped with a good hitch. If you do not already own a heavy duty truck, you will want one... Renting a fiver may not make sense because of the tow vehicle requirements.

We decided to go full time and sold the house. Although it has only been 10 months, we have no regrets. We bought a used Nuwa Hitchhiker 5th wheel that was refurbished by the former factory. We believe we have the best of both worlds: a quality unit at a more affordable price. We used to have a travel trailer, but didn't want to go with a long unit. For most-of-the-time living, you will likely want creature comforts that are not usually found in a vacation style travel trailer. Since this our home, we made a list of what we each wanted to find in a unit: recliners, fireplace, king bed etc. Nuwa made some changes for us in the unit we purchased. Good luck with your decision!

I suggest buying used too as most likely in a few years your needs or wants will change and you will save a ton on depreciation. We had travel trailer, fifth wheel, park models and now a Snowbird house in the past 12 years. We still have a 5th wheel too.

You might check with a larger Michigan dealer like General RV to see if they might consider renting, but I'm betting that they don't. Some smaller RV dealers may consider 1 or 2 week rental during the warmer months with one of their used models. You could advertise in your local news paper or Craig's List asking about renting someone's 5th wheel, but be sure to own a good tow vehicle with an installed hitch first. Some parks in Florida actually rent out 5th wheels/TTs/park models that are on-site.

Buying used is always a good option, but for a decent size/quality 5th wheel that is 2-5 years old you'll still be looking at $20-30+K. New is always a option, but as previously mentioned, it is a depreciating item (which almost everything is except for a sticks & brick home/condo).

Don't give up on your dream. We've traveled far and wide with our two 5th wheels over the past 12 years with the past 3 winters as snowbirders. If you enjoy the traveling with your partner then by all means follow your plan. If you change your minds after a few years then so be it.

Just my humble opinion, but if you buy a good used trailer, the depreciation, when you go to sell it, will probably be less than what it will cost to rent one for a long term rental. Even if you get less for it, you're probably not going to take a huge hit. Since you've already been RV'ing, you're mainly concerned with snowbirding over the winter. Lots of discussion on that and where to go. Personally, I like south-central Florida for more consistent warmth. What I like about snowbirding is the camaraderie you develop with the other snowbirders. I have more friends in Florida than I do at home. Another good thing is that it lets you stay active all winter. I'm not a big fan of sitting in the house to stay warm all winter. I have a lot of friends who snowbird and either have park models, on-site trailers or small houses back up north and love it.

sunblade50 wrote:
...I feel that if we don't do this it will be something we will both regret for the rest of our lives...

Then do it and don't look back. I think you'll love it, and adapt to the lifestyle in no time at all.

Why a 5th wheel? Have you done a lot of RVing before? If not, what made you decide on a 5th wheel.

We have full timed for 9 years. And we found that we always spend the winter in Arizona (Phoenix area) and then explore the rest of the country during the spring, summer, & fall. Didn't like Florida or south Texas and S. California gets pretty expensive.

This past fall we decided that we would get a park model for the winter, when we really don't move much, and then travel in the MH the rest of the year. Having a PM in Michigan will mean you have limited your chances of seeing the rest of the country during the summer. When you can no longer travel do you want to end up back in Michigan? You may want to rethink where to have a PM as well.

Barb

Park models are fine but not until you have been around enough to know for sure you want to stay in one spot.

I always said that when I didn't need to go to work anymore I wanted to go where it didn't snow. I didn't know where that perfect place was so I wanted to do it with wheels under us. After more than 15 years we still like to go to different places. (Hitch itch)We did switch to class A a few years ago because we did not need the big pickup for anything else.