Kiplinger: 13 Reasons You'll Regret An RV In Retirement

DallasSteve wrote:

ajriding wrote:
Gibberish

3 Your RV Will Depreciate in Value
maybe, maybe not, maybe you did not spend enough to matter. maybe you break even, maybe the depreciation is such a small amount after so many years that it is trivial, maybe you make money when you sell like I always do.

You make some valid points, but I don't believe your take on number 3: "maybe you make money when you sell like I always do." Maybe you do, but I am very skeptical. I just don't believe that's a realistic plan. At least not for mere mortals like most of us. By the way, I always get the most beautiful woman and I never have to spend a dime on them. ;)

It's always a maybe. For you, maybe you don't. For me, maybe I do, I always have. Buy low, sell high. It just depends on how much you spend up front versus how much it will be worth on the back end. If you buy new, then you will lose money driving it off the lot for sure. Many people buy used, so the value has already been lost. Some people buy used Airstreams and their value does not diminish so much. It's just a maybe on #3.

My comments in BLUE . . .

First, like it or not the author is talking about full-time RVing -- selling your house, buying an RV, and hitting the road.

Second, ajriding I don't think you're a full-timer and from my experience full timing, truck campers are the exception, not the rule as far as full-timer vehicle choices. So some of your comments below just don't hold water.

ajriding wrote:
Gibberish

1 RVs are expensive.
No, Expensive RVs are expensive.
Playing with words. Even "cheap" RVs need maintenance which can be very costly.

2 You spend more updating the decor.
Umm, you should have stopped reading at this one. This is an Unimaginably stupid thing to say.
Agreed. This is really really dumb.

3 Your RV Will Depreciate in Value
maybe, maybe not, maybe you did not spend enough to matter. maybe you break even, maybe the depreciation is such a small amount after so many years that it is trivial, maybe you make money when you sell like I always do.
There's no maybe about it. RVs depreciate in value. Houses don't. Unless, of course, it's 2008 again in which case RVers and homeowners are both screwed.

4 RVs Guzzle Gas
some do, some do not do as bad as some SUVs towing nothing.
If you drive constantly, or if you park mostly will affect the gas budget more than the mpg.
I get 15-17mpg RVing
That's truck camper mileage. My Class A manages about 7 which I hear is pretty typical.

5 You'll Need Extra Insurance
not really. I did not.
Oh yes you do -- for full timing. At least "umbrella" liability insurance.

6 Health Care Can Be a Hassle
Possibly true for some, possibly a valid point.
Unless you have cash to spare, I don't suggest full timing for anyone under 65 who has to purchase their own individual health insurance.

7 You'll Have to Deal With Your Own Waste
if its brown, flush it down. Waste is a big part of RV life. There are ways to make it easier.

8 Quarters Are Close
yes. cozy, close, and very mobile. The world is your backyard.

9 RVs Aren't Easy to Drive
wrong, they are fun to drive, and easy.
Again, you're talking truck camper, not a 40+ foot RV, some of which (ie, gassers) drive like drunk pigs. Plus, if you don't have IFS, tight turns are out of the question. Finally, if you don't have engine and/or exhaust brakes, then stay away from the mountains.

10 Overnight Parking Can Be Problematic
Sometimes, very dependent on what you do, where you go, how you like to live…
So, yeah, parking can be problematic. Been to a national park recently?

11 Repairs Can Be Costly
Generally a 3/4 ton cost a little more in parts to fix than a half-ton. It is not more expensive otherwise. You drive miles, you will need to spend money no matter a Honda civic, or a class A RV.
Again, truck camper repair. I find Class A diesel repair to be measured in $500 increments, starting at $1000.

12 You'll Need to Get Rid of a Lot of Your Stuff
how is this an issue?
ajriding, seriously? On another thread you said "My big tools, welder, saws, work bench are all non-towable for me; my metal scrap pile, my assorted left-over wood pieces, boxes of random bolts n things that date back to before I was born, . All my camper work and mods are done at home where I can work on things."

13 It Can Get Lonely on the Road
or lonely in that big ole house


They obviously are not RVers. They forgot you need to use water sparingly if not at a campground, and that propane has to be bought or refilled.

techwrite, appreciate your comments,your points are right on for some individuals who are full timers, but I still disagree since the article is not correct for all, or even most full timers.
Me.
Truckcamper, yes.
Class C, yes
Travel trailer, yes.
All of the above, yes.
I have had them all, I am not a full timer, but am close.

I'm not sure the article was specifically only talking about a brand new large class A morothome. Many full timers are in smaller rigs, vans, truck campers, small trailers, cargo trailers. They do what works for them.

There are things to consider and cost to consider, but the writer of the article left a lot to be desired. I hope you were not the author.

To say that all full timers fall under the outline of the article was disproven by what I wrote. It is only necessary that some fulltimers are like what I wrote, not all. If some full timers can get 24 mpg in their sprinter van, then they get pretty good gas mileage for any vehicle on the road. If some don't have health insurance then this is not even an issue for them. If some tow a 5th wheeler then they have an easy to drive rig (I have gooseneck which is even easier), Rvs can be cheap or expensive, it depends on how much you spend and how much that money spent means to you.

A different issue is upkeep on an RV, but again, this is rig dependent - a trailer may need little to no upkeep. A new truck may never need repairs, but an old anything might break down all the time.

Putting some stuff in storage my drain your wallet $25 per month, but that mortgage could be $2,500 per month.
So, it really is all about individuals. Calling fulltiming expensive then going home and paying someone $45 to cut the grass every week…

My point is the article is wrong, poorly conceived and just not accurate for all full timers.
For you it may be spot on.
Boy, you must have a lot of time on your hands to research my post to make your point, lol. sorry this was important to you, I thought the article was a joke

I got a kick out of the pic of a person dumping the tanks. Gloves, long sleeve everything and - what is that? - a bee hood?

OK, I thought I might post a slightly less sarcastic response than my previous one after some time to digest. ;)

1 RVs are expensive.

I have to at least partially agree with ajriding here. There are RVs for most budgets. If you can afford to retire and live comfortably in a house, you can probably afford some type of RV. Some RVs are budget friendly and some aren't. If you must have gold plated everything and servants to do your bidding, you probably won't want to RV in retirement, but then again even a lot of the super rich have RVs. Most of them call them tour buses and have drives, but really they are just fancy RVs. Those are truly expensive though.

The flip side of this is houses can be really expensive. You have to maintain them too. I've never had to cut the grass around my RV except when it was parked at my house. A lot of people end up in upscale houses that cost way too much and don't make them happy.

2 You spend more updating the decor.

As if I won't have to spend more money updating a house I might choose to settle into for retirement? I'm not sure what to say about this one. Yes, you will probably want to spend some money updating things like mattresses and linens.

3 Your RV Will Depreciate in Value

For most this will be true. If you buy a new RV, it will depreciate in value. Of course there's no guarantee that a house will appreciate in value and if you move to a retirement community that rents, your rent is gone forever there is zero residual value in rental...

4 RVs Guzzle Gas

Only when they are moving. I experience extremely little evaporation while my truck is parked... It's true that towing my trailer cuts my mileage probably nearly in half, but I hope in retirement I will be able to travel at leisure and in comfort. RVs guzzle far less gas than airplanes and are far more comfortable.

On the flip side, if you want to see lousy mileage, see what kind of mileage a house mover gets. It may get lousy mileage for a car, but it gets really good mileage for a house...

5 You'll Need Extra Insurance

This depends on your situation. Travel trailer liability insurance is usually a function of the tow vehicles insurance. If you have a new trailer, you will probably want insurance to cover your losses in the event of damage but not strictly required. A motor home will require it's own policy, but it's often less expensive than insuring a car.

6 Health Care Can Be a Hassle

Health care can be a hassle no matter what. I have great insurance and live in a relatively large city that is experiencing rapid growth. I can't get a "routine" appointment with the doctor I've seen for years without waiting over a month.

7 You'll Have to Deal With Your Own Waste

Spoken like someone who has never seen an RV. It's not like I have to wash my hands in it or anything. I did buy a used RV once that someone had flushed a child's wallet down the toilet and it clogged the drain line. I don't care to relive that experience any time soon, but "normal" hookup and draining just isn't a big deal. I suppose if you qualify for one of those expensive RVs I talked about above, your driver would have to deal with it. :)

8 Quarters Are Close

Quarters are also close in an apartment in NYC or many retirement communities. This may be a consideration for some. If you can't stand to be in the same room with your spouse, you might have bigger problems. ;)

On the flip side, if you love your travel companions the closeness can be a blessing. Too many couples end up in large houses barely seeing each other in passing. I want to see the country with my wife when I retire.

9 RVs Aren't Easy to Drive

Decent RVs aren't particularly hard to drive. Our family took the same route on an 1800 mile one way trip to see my wife's family at least once a year for many years. We drove a car, a minivan, an older Class A, a Class C and a brand new, in 2004, class A. The absolute worst of the bunch was the minivan. I would almost rather walk than make that trip in a minivan. The older class A(86 Allegro) had issues typical to many RVs of it's vintage. Poor steering system, overloaded chassis, and less than stellar performing brakes, but I would still rather drive it than the car or minivan for that long of a trip. The class C and newer class A both were much easier to drive. That's not to say it's like driving a car, you need to learn the differences, but I wouldn't call it hard. We haven't taken that long a trip with the truck/trailer combination, but we did take a more leisurely ~1000 mile trip last year. I have no complaints about it being hard to drive either.

On the flip side, it's near impossible to drive a house or an apartment.

10 Overnight Parking Can Be Problematic

I'm not sure what to say here. While on the road, we used to overnight where it was convenient with our motor homes. We haven't so far with the trailer. We have spent nights at Flying J, rest areas, and the occasional Wal-mart. My experience, at least on the east coast and heartland, has been that it's almost impossible to overnight at rest areas anymore unless you pull in really early. But there are other alternatives.

You can resolve to only stay in RV parks and maker reservations ahead, but that takes a lot of the spontaneity out of things.

11 Repairs Can Be Costly

Yeah, it also cost a truck load of money to put a new roof on my house. We had a water leak in our previous house that wound up costing more than a lot of houses to fix. There will be repairs. I guess that's one plus for renting. Usually repairs are on the landlord.

12 You'll Need to Get Rid of a Lot of Your Stuff

You might not stuff everything you own in an RV, but unless you are truly full timing, without a home base, you don't need to. If you move from a 3-5K square foot house to a less than 1K square foot retirement community apartment, you will also have to get rid of a lot of your stuff.

On the flip side, I can fit a lot more of what's truly important to me in an RV than a suitcase. If you are going to travel full time, there's not much closer to home than an RV.

13 It Can Get Lonely on the Road

have to agree with ajrider on this one to:

or lonely in that big ole house

Or it can be truly fulfilling seeing parts of the country with your spouse that you've never seen. You can be lonely anywhere, including in the middle of large group of people at a retirement community.


There are many benefits to RVs. However, the real fail of this article is that it doesn't address the alternatives. Is a travel trailer really expensive when compared to other methods of achieving the same result. In other words, while it's true some would consider even the least expensive RVs "expensive", How does it compare to say travel by car and hotel. If you compare driving a Toyota echo and staying at a motel 6 to a Prevost, yes the Prevost is expensive. However, if you compare a Mercedes or BMW and staying at 5 star resorts to a base model truck with a low end trailer and staying at free or low cost camping destinations, the truck and trailer will be cheaper. For most of us cost really isn't the issue.

Some of the things that appeal to me, whether I end up with something like I have now or a mid to low high end Class A in retirement are:

• I can setup my RV to fit my needs/desires. I GET to spend whatever I feel appropriate/can afford to decorate/outfit the RV like I want it. They tend to get snippy when you start redecorating hotel rooms...
  
• I'm pretty sure I know who slept in my bed last night.
  
• I'm pretty sure I won't find bed bugs in my bed unless I bring them from a hotel.
  
• I know when the sheets were washed.
  
• I know who used my toilet and I'm relatively sure what condition I will find it in when I go to use it next.
  
• I have a full refrigerator and kitchen at my disposal while traveling.
  
• I can choose to cook for myself while on the road or go out to restaurant if I want.
  
• If I don't like the view out my window/door, I can move on with ease.
  
• I will travel more often and see more unique destinations than I would if I had to stay in hotels. This may not affect everyone the same, but personally I use the RV for trips I wouldn't take if I had to stay in hotels.
  

TechWriter

You wrote "Unless you have cash to spare, I don't suggest full timing for anyone under 65 who has to purchase their own individual health insurance."

How is that any worse than being retired and not yet reached 65 and not living in an RV? Does living in a house or apartment give you some magic solution to health care? I don't think the RV or living in it full time is the problem.

DallasSteve wrote:
TechWriter

You wrote "Unless you have cash to spare, I don't suggest full timing for anyone under 65 who has to purchase their own individual health insurance."

How is that any worse than being retired and not yet reached 65 and not living in an RV? Does living in a house or apartment give you some magic solution to health care? I don't think the RV or living in it full time is the problem.

If you don't move anywhere, there shouldn't be a difference. In fact you could move to a state with better health care coverage.

However, the Kiplinger article was about full timing and moving around: "why not sell the house, buy a recreational vehicle and see the country?"

jplante4 wrote:
I got a kick out of the pic of a person dumping the tanks. Gloves, long sleeve everything and - what is that? - a bee hood?

Ha! Should've been a Biohazard 4 suit to make it realistic.

Garbage article, a topic assigned to a junior scribe to fill the net with more **** we don't need.

What I know from MY experience is that, yes I bought a big new diesel pusher two years prior to retirement, yes we sold the brick houses, BUT we knew that our fulltiming years were for a specific purpose, AND that at some point we would insist on MORE living space. It's a good thing that we had the cash to build a house PLUS keep our diesel pusher (it's the best way for traveling anywhere in the USA).