Best RV + TV for less than $10k?

I'm (newly) single and poor, have been living in the jungle here in Central America, and about to return to the states, where I have no vehicle or home. I am planning to live on the road for the next 6 months to a year. I have a budget of less than $10,000 to buy a vehicle/temporary home, and my budget ongoing will be tight for a while. What is the most cost-effective RV (including fuel costs) for a single guy to travel and live in for a while?

I promise I have done lots of research and looked at hundreds of forum posts. I am currently leaning toward buying an older F350 dually and loading it with an older truck camper. (Or possibly an '80s Toyota Dolphin motor home?) My reasoning for this is the balance between cost, flexibility, and comfort. I've been living in a tiny 1-room cabin in the jungle, so I don't need luxury. I'm not exactly sure where I'll be going, but looking for adventure (I'm <40), and do not want to be limited to paying to park (planning to boondock as much as possible), so was thinking the truck camper might be best for that, and might have more room and cost less than a Class B or C. I also am concerned about ongoing fuel costs and looking for an option with the best gas mileage.

I know many mention to take time going to RV shows and trying everything out, but my time will be limited once I get back stateside, since I won't have a vehicle, and planning to do research online and look on craigslist and have mechanic relatives go check things out for me so I have a couple options waiting for me to go test drive and buy within a couple days. Plus, I can't afford any new RV, so going to a show and seeing all the shiny new stuff will just get me down. So I'm trying to as much as possible remotely, and trying to take the word/advice from those who know (or may have had similar experience).

There ya have it. I need to buy something to drive and something to live in for less than $10k. What should I get?

22 Replies

westend
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
Oh yeah, the Sunrader, those are nice. Molded fiberglass body, IIRC.
wny_pat1
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
westend wrote:

One of the better things about the Dolphin is that Toyota made millions of durable, similar drive trains so parts availability is still rather good.
But the Sunrader was the nicer coach!!! There were 27 different coach builders who built coaches on the Toyota chassis. A couple of them are very desirable units. My old Sunrader was 24 foot long and got a solid 15 mpg. You will not find a class A for under $10K that will give you that kind of mpg!
http://www.toyotamotorhomes.com/
merman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
ah, good to know. thank you. possibly a pickup+topper/shell may be my most economical option at this point, then just try the minimalist way for a bit until i can afford more.
Community Alumni
Jun 04, 2013
"...anyone have any ideas of what I might be getting for either of those?"

You are looking at a couple of potentially never ending money pits. You are also bound to be stranded when you least expect it. Try to buy as new as possible.
merman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
So... so far I've narrowed it down to either an '82 Dolphin ($4500 w/80K miles on it) or a '78 Jamboree ($3500 w/40K miles on it). I know in these cases fuel economy is not appealing, but anyone have any ideas of what I might be getting for either of those? At these low prices, I'd have enough left over to pay for gas for at least a few months. And both of these have low miles. ...I'm looking at truck+campers, but the total price goes up significantly for those for any decent truck.
merman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
wbwood wrote:
rockhillmanor wrote:

Curious what brought you to live in a jungle in South America? :B

They have awesome wifi there! lol

We snag the signals coming from across the gulf (I'm on a remote peninsula) and amplify them. No towers (or grid electricity) out here, so it gets spotty, but usually works ok. :-)
merman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
dverstra wrote:
merman wrote:
I'm (newly) single and poor, have been living in the jungle here in Central America, and about to return to the states, where I have no vehicle or home. I am planning to live on the road for the next 6 months to a year.?

This sounds like me when I returned from Sierra Leone after two years in the Peace Corps. :B what are you doing in the jungles of Central America?

Quick answer: I just sold everything and left. You can follow my blog about it all at www.ReStartExperiment.com , and in this article I wrote: http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/the-good-life-how-i-quit-materialism/

I was in magazines and in the corporate world for 15 years, writing, and now have made the switch to full-time freelance outdoor writing. Thanks everyone for your advice! This is the next phase in my experiment.
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
rockhillmanor wrote:

Curious what brought you to live in a jungle in South America? :B

They have awesome wifi there! lol
dverstra
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
merman wrote:
I'm (newly) single and poor, have been living in the jungle here in Central America, and about to return to the states, where I have no vehicle or home. I am planning to live on the road for the next 6 months to a year.?

This sounds like me when I returned from Sierra Leone after two years in the Peace Corps. :B what are you doing in the jungles of Central America?
timmac
Explorer
Jun 04, 2013
Class B van type motorhome is your best bet, you got to factor repair cost and a class B should be near the lowest, good on gas and still plenty of power, there is many for sale under $10,000, you can park these any where and camp for free in parking lots, not as noticeable as a towed TT and small car.