Looking for a Motorhome for permanent residence

My 2 cents.....

1)Start with a TT and a pickup. Where ever you stop you are going to need a way around town especially if you are going to work in a particular area for short time. A motorhome won't do it. The maintenance on the TT and the pickup is much, much less than a motorhome and if you change your mind after a while, a TT is much easier to get rid of than a motorhome. Go by Sears and get yourself a good set of tools. You are going to need them.

Also, after a while, you may find that all you need is some sort of van.

Good luck...... you've got the world before you..... go for it.

Becker

This one looks decent.

HR IMPERIAL

At your age, nothing is permanent though it might feel that way. You need to have an "exit strategy" along with your dream. You've received good info already. Knowing all I know now, with your goal of traveling the US, I'd get a van. Here's an article about a stealth camper: Stealth Living Article


I'd also spend a month reading up everything on Expedition Portal - which is far more suitable for young travelers.

Recommendations:
* Truck with camper shell, bedrug and a roll mattress from Ikea - well within your budget. Con - little headroom.
* Van - better for stealth camping. More roomy inside depending on config. Still well within budget. Can even go with a minivan if wanted to - gas mileage anyone?
* SUV with teardrop - a bit cramped but more options.
* SUV with Casita/Burro style camper - still aerodynamic and decent mileage.
* Motorhome - at your price range - it can be done - but you need to be handy. Can you work a wrench? Your water pump goes out - can you deal with it? Can you take on a job like replacing a thermistor in a refrigerator? If you have to "have it done" every time something goes wrong - you WILL be bankrupt.

I vote for van but early to mid -1990s motorhomes are out there for you. Expect 8 miles per gallon and constant tinkering.

PM me any time. You will have so much fun if you give yourself leverage against spending a lot of time and money on maintenance and repairs.

GavinHardison wrote:
I am looking for an RV to fully live in. My roommate will be joining me in my quest to travel the U.S. This RV will have to be used and fairly cheap in price (5,000 to 12,000) What RV will be best for me? I need something sturdy and can take punishment. Also I need the engine to feed one or two electrical outlets while idling and driving. Also is it possible for a way to get mobile WiFi? If so what is the cheapest company in price offering it. Im sorry to ask such questions but in this permanent road trip iI obviously need a source of income, my freelance photography cant do it alone. What jobs are out there that allows me to live this lifestyle? I was thinking a mid 1980's Fleetwood Bounder would be best. But I need to know she wont quit on me in the middle of nowhere. Also I would like to be able to make heavy modifications to this Motorhome.

Stick with a van and put a bed in back, with no income you cannot keep a motorhome on the road very long, heck your mileage will be around 7 mpg, how you going to fill the 60 gal tank every other day with no money..

The flyovers for zoning violations are generally done with airplanes, and it's not necessarily zoning violations they are looking for, but that's a side benefit of the photos. Many cities will do full aerial photos of the city every few years that are used for a variety of things. One of those being somebody looking through them and looking for room additions and swimming pools and things like that, that don't have building permits on file.

A few years back there were news reports of government agency night time flyovers with IR cameras. What they were looking for was to create a report that the fire department could use, so when they entered a house during a fire, they would know where the occupied bedrooms were. Did it actually happen, I have no doubt in some areas it did. Is it happening now on a regular basis? With most city governments strapped for cash, this seems very unlikely. Those kinds of things happen sporadically, we know of periodic reports of government flyovers resulting in zoning violations on private property.

While it is not happening currently, I have no doubt it will happen much more often in the near future with drone surveillance. No doubt with local city governments jonesing for power, they will be all over that intel.

At the operating cost of a helicpter, I very seriously doubt that any city has the money on hand to do that. I'm with msmith on this one.

mlts22 wrote:

Even the van dwellers are a dying breed because the medium to larger cities are using helicopters with FLIR to locate occupied vehicles at night.

Okay, I'll bite on this one. I spent a long time in law enforcement and worked with helicopters quite a few times and I've never seen and agency use one to look for illegal campers. Where is this happening? Seems like an awful expensive use of resources.

Here's my adult advice to you. Don't do this. Go find a real job and start working on saving for retirement.

Now here's my real advice; Go for it. I sort of went on a travel expedition after I got out of high school, but it was with the Air Force. I wish now I had done something like you're talking about. Even for a year or two. It will be a good education for you.

I worked as a brewer from 2007 till a year or so ago until health issues stopped me. I found a used 25' TT for 3000 and a tow equipped truck for 3000 and full-timed up and down the eastern seaboard.
It's not easy but it can be done. I agree with every post so far. If you park at a Wally world, find the manager and ask if it's ok to stay for a day or so. Don't overstay your welcome. I advertised in a local north east trading post for a lot to rent before I drove up from NC. That worked.And so on.
A class A is an expensive mistress to keep up. I have a used one now. It was in great shape when I bought it but I am still putting $$ into it and I haven't made a road trip yet.
Don't be afraid of the naysayers like me, just listen to what we say, learn from us and keep it all in mind. We have been there and done it already. I wouldn't trade anything I have done over the last few years