toedtoes wrote:
First, it will never be an "asset" - you will never make more money selling it than it cost to live in it. It will never gain in value. Even paying twice the payment, you'll lose money.
Two, add your RV lot fees to your $260 RV payments and you're looking at $610 per month. Not a huge savings. In addition, any problems with the TT are at your expense - problems with an apartment are at the landlord's expense.
Then you have to consider the tow vehicle - is your current vehicle big enough to handle towing the trailer (even on a seasonal/yearly basis)? Will you have to buy a different vehicle to tow it? Add on that cost.
Then you have to consider winter - will you be in areas that get below freezing? If so, you have to consider that RVs often don't have wrapped pipes or other cold weather protection. How will you handle those freezing temperatures? Also, if there will be below freezing winters, the RV parks may close during those times.
My general advice is that if you are looking at living in an RV to save money, don't do it. You won't save enough to make it worthwhile. If you are looking at living in an RV because you want the freedom to move around, then it might be a good deal.
You make an excellent point. These things depreciate faster than anything I've ever seen. After looking at depreciation it seems they level off somewhat after 7 years. Not to say they don't stop depreciating.
I'm referring to it as an asset relative to an apartment in which there is nothing to recoup after paying every month. I will no doubt lose money on this, but I'm trying to figure out if I'll lose less if I can get something of a return in the end or decide to keep it travel trailer.
You make an excellent point regarding expenses. I used to be a mechanic and am very handy, but if any major issues occur that could be costly.
I would definitely be wrapping all my pipes and insulating the tanks, winters around here will get down around 10-15 F at the lowest. I'm located right on the coast near sea level. As for myself I think I could handle colder temps as long as I can keep the trailer above 50 F.
As for a tow vehicle I have an 03 4runner with the 4.7 iforce v8, tranny cooler, HD springs, tow package and brake controller. I've pulled a 7500lb trailer through the rockies and had no problems. The tow rating on the rig is 7000lbs.
I love adventure and traveling, I put around 25k miles on my rig a year. Just thinking about the cheap motels I've racked up makes me sick. Most of the time I go backpacking, offroading, and camping. It would be awesome to have a home away from home
Thanks for the awesome feedback you gave me some great things to think about!
