Start of a million questions from Australia

Hi Paul
We currently have a 5er and truck in storage in Phoenix. We have just returned to Perth from 10 months of travelling through Canada and the US. Just be aware that there can be difficulties with trying to stay for that length of time in the US. The first time we went to the US we were given a 12 month stamp in our passports however the second time we could only get 6 months and then had quite a situation when we were returning to America from a period in Canada and requested another six months. We did get it however it was quite an unsettling experience. Please PM me if you require any further info or if I can help you at all.
Cheers
Paula and Norm

There are various ways of doing it. One way is to form a LLC, Montana is a popular state to incorporate in. There is the problem of registering a vehicle when you do not have an address to register it to. The LLC solves that problem. There is also the drivers licence. No address. No state drivers licence. Again the LLC solves that issue. Your vehicle belongs to a LLC company, not you directly. You drive your compnay's vehicle on your license.

There is more but everything happens through the name of your LLC. form that first them go shopping as CEO of your LLC.

As far as registration goes, we register our fifth wheel once, for $75.00 and have a prem plate. Never have to pay registration fees again.

paulybronco wrote:
Guys thank you all so much for your imput. Some suggestions have given us avenues to follow up but still have reservations about leaving a 60k 5th wheeler on the other side of the world on consignment with a dealer that i dont know. I have read of several reputable dealers selling consignment vans and not paying up. Thanks again to all that have taken the time to reply again, and please keep the ideas and tips flowing

Regards
Paul
Queensland Australia

PPL Motorhomes in TX http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/does consignments, I believe, and has a good reputation.
Might be worth calling them to get some info. They usually have a good selection of used units that you might want to look into.

Have you checked into the visa rules? I'm not sure if they allow 24months in one go. Not the end of the world as you can probably work around by visiting canada and mexico.

I wouldn't worry about the all season RV, most northern parks shut down in the winter anyway, so you likely will head south anyway.

You can find good rigs for very little money. We bought a 1992 3/4ton truck and 1997 28' 5th wheel for $8000 combined and have used it about 1/2 the time for the last 6 yrs with minimal maintenance. We just replaced the truck for $5k as rust was making it look bad (still runs strong). The 5th wheel still looks and operates fine.

You should be able to find something for $10-15k. Assuming you take reasonable care of it, you should be able to get $8-10k out pretty quickly in a couple years. Now if you spend $50-100k or more on a rig, expect depreciation to eat you alive.

Guys thank you all so much for your imput. Some suggestions have given us avenues to follow up but still have reservations about leaving a 60k 5th wheeler on the other side of the world on consignment with a dealer that i dont know. I have read of several reputable dealers selling consignment vans and not paying up. Thanks again to all that have taken the time to reply again, and please keep the ideas and tips flowing

Regards
Paul
Queensland Australia

Someone above talked about 6months in FL or TX. I would agree, but I would say to spend from the beginning of December until the middle of March in the southern states (AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA and FL) to miss most of the cold and snow and then start moving north as the weather gets warmer. While it's cold, you don't have to sit in one place, but you will need to do some pre-planning.

I think it's a marvelous idea and wish I could reciprocate. I would LOVE to travel to Australia and New Zealand and just travel the countryside.

The Montana LLC (Limited Liability Company) may be a viable option for you. Montana also has no sales tax. The Bennett Law Firm in Missoula, MT can advise you about the viability for your specific situation, and, if you so desire, they are familiar with filing the paperwork to create the LLC.
It is quite possible that such a Company can be set up in other states. Montana is merely the most common, since there is no sales tax. Another thing to keep in mind is that ALL trailers in Montana get PERMANENT registration, as do all vehicles 11 years old or older, all motorcycles, boats, and ATVs (yes, some ATVs can be made street legal in this state!)
For a "residence address", when we were full-timers, we found that a mail forwarding service worked just fine. We used a Personal Mail Box (PMB) at The UPS Store in Great Falls, Montana for a mailing address the full three years we lived in an RV. All our mail was addressed to the street address of the UPS Store, PMB XX, and the store forwarded it to us twice a week. The cost was quite reasonable, IIRC.
As for buying in California, from a California dealer, I wouldn't, unless arrangements can be made to take delivery in Nevada. I have purchased two used vehicles in CA from dealers, and both times, even though the dealer was well aware the vehicle would be taken to Montana and titled and registered there, we had to pay the California taxes and registration, and the California title arrived a few days later. If you take delivery in another state, they just hand you the paperwork, and it is up to you to do the registration wherever is to your advantage.
I, too, have met people from other countries that were doing just what you plan to do. In fact, we met one couple from the UK that spent 6 months in the U.S., then put their rig in storage, went home for 6 months, left instructions for a local mechanic to wake it up and check it out on a certain date, came back to the U.S., renewed the registrations as needed, then spent another 6 months touring. I don't remember what state their rig was registered in.
So, YES, what you are wanting to do HAS been done by others! Just get all your waterfowl in exact linear order (all your ducks in a row), and go for it!
DANG! If we could afford to go to Australia, we would offer you a house and RV swap! You could live in our house, use our RV, and we would use yours! I have heard of services that make these kinds of arrangements, might be something to look at!
Good luck.

Funtown RV (3 locations in Texas - Cleburne, San Angelo and Waco) had the best prices for our geographic location when we were looking. They have both new and used units for sale. My personal opinion is that it may be very hard if not impossible to find someplace willing to rent an RV of any kind for that length of time. I think you would be better off purchasing and attempting to resale to a dealership (even if on consignment) or plan to spend possibly your last couple of months in a hotel if you are able to sell outright on Craigslist towards the end of your visit.

A point to consider. Most states require that you be a "resident", that is have a physical address to register a vehicle. You could, of course, use a campground for the physical and a mail forwarding service for contact.

What ever state you register in is going to require fees and taxes. You probably want to stick with one of the no/low (vehicle) tax states like: Montana, South Dakota, Oregon or Texas.

There is also something called a Montana LLC. Where you setup a limited-liability-company that actually owns the RV, which you own. There are several law firms in Montana that can probably help you understand if this is a good idea, for you.