DrewE wrote:
I realize I'm reading between the lines, and may be misreading...but if you're thinking you will save money overall in Montana by full timing in a class C RV vs. renting an apartment or something similar, particularly over the winter, I suspect you'll find you're mistaken. Check the seasonal rates at campgrounds, and figure you'll spend a good bit on propane (or electricity) for heating as an RV is nowhere near as well insulated as a house.
If you're thinking you won't be in a campground, figure out where you'll get water fills and sewage dumps and propane fills when you need them, and preferably have an electric hookup. (Solar is nice, but you'll need a comparatively substantial system to keep enough power to run the furnace when the days are short in winter).
If you aren't looking to try to live on the cheap, but have other reasons for wanting or needing to full-time in the RV, then maybe this doesn't apply quite so much. Likewise, it's a little easier if this is a seasonal thing during the warmer weather.
Funny how so many people are making unwarranted assumptions. I'm not looking for a rolling substitute for an apartment. I have a good job that is performed exclusively online. I would like to be mobile while doing it.
I don't have to and probably won't spend the winters in Montana. That's the good thing about RVs. They are on wheels and have an engine. You can move them. I thought you folks knew that.
It is true, however, that one can spend the winter huddled in an RV park for cheap in the colder parts of the country. However, I intend to boobduck or whatever you call it most of the time. One person can stay in an RV for a week without having to dump this and refill that. A solar panel and frugal water use could double that. Why spend ridiculous amounts of money on RV parks that charge motel rates for a concrete slab?
The various comments about the mechanical issues I will probably face make me think I might want to buy from a dealer, even though there's usually a 700 percent markup on their prices. At least I MIGHT have some recourse if the contraption blows up ten minutes after I drive it off the lot, though bitter experience has taught me that a used vehicle dealer's promise has less value than a used Kleenex.
