Thinking about selling 5er & quitting travel?

[lakeside013104]

We don't care much for the FL humidity, congested traffic, close proximity to others in RV RESORTS, and the infrequency of truly friendly neighbors. Arizona weather was better for us last winter, but the extra 2000 miles to get there and back was a real deal breaker. Home at the lake and family in Maine is looking like the better choice for us at this point.


Lakeside

[Milt]

Try some other states. I have some friends that winter in S.Carolina, some quite chilly periods but warmer than home. SE GA. N FL. would be the same.
The FL.panhandle, AL, MS, LA near the Gulf will also be decent weather.
If you like more room try state parks, some FL and AL state perks allow snowbirds to stay the winter with monthly rates.
We stopped at one in AL in march as we were wandering toward home in March and discovered a group of very friendly people. They had been there for the winter, most from most from MI (our home state) and Ontario Province. Three of those couples live within 30 mi. of our home.
Milt

[RAS43]

garyp4951 wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
If you don't want to deal with selling it yourself consider consigning it with a dealer, possibly the one you bought it from. Yes, they will take part of the sale but they handle all the phone calls, showings, and can help with financing.

My 5er has been on consignment at CW for 5 months.

Then it's time to adjust the price or find another dealer. I suggested it because it has worked for me.

[lakeside013104]

Lantley wrote:
There are a lot of places between Maine and Fl. to Snowbird. Have you considered the Carolinas. Hilton Head Area is great. Even Myrtle beach area is OK. Alabama. LA are also decent
These locations won't be as toasty as FL but they are closer, less crowded and easier to get to. Coming from Maine it is easy to find a warmer destination without going all the way to FL or Arizona.
You appear to be a seasoned RV'er if you just want out I understand. But if destination is the problem there are lots of alternative places that allow you to avoid the snowbird rat race and stay warmer than winters in Maine.

Thank you Lantley. We did enjoy time spent around Myrtle Beach area (Longs). We just might have to stay a little further north like you suggest.

Lakeside

[Lantley]

There are a lot of places between Maine and Fl. to Snowbird. Have you considered the Carolinas. Hilton Head Area is great. Even Myrtle beach area is OK. Alabama. LA are also decent
These locations won't be as toasty as FL but they are closer, less crowded and easier to get to. Coming from Maine it is easy to find a warmer destination without going all the way to FL or Arizona.
You appear to be a seasoned RV'er if you just want out I understand. But if destination is the problem there are lots of alternative places that allow you to avoid the snowbird rat race and stay warmer than winters in Maine.

[lakeside013104]

Veebyes wrote:
You sound like the couple we bought our truck & 5er from. They sold their house, bought a real nice upper end 5er with all of the trimmings, like 6X6V batterys, & an equally very nice 3500 dually to pull it.

6 months later, having only brought it from CA to TX, they decided RVing was not for them & wanted OUT.

Well, thankyou very much. It was just the model we were after. 9 seasons of something like 150 nights per season, all of the states at least twice, Alaska 3 times, well over 80,000 trailer miles, 160,000 on the truck, we are still going strong.

Newfoundland is in our sights for next year. Will wave as we pass through Maine.

When you go by Maine, stop and visit.
Safe travel.

Lakeside

[rockhillmanor]

lakeside013104 wrote:
We don't care much for the FL humidity, congested traffic, close proximity to others in RV RESORTS, and the infrequency of truly friendly neighbors.

All I can add for what it's worth is you don't have to stay at those high end resorts that all park you in like sardines. They are not the only CG's in Florida. I have stayed at both high end resorts and CG's and I will never stay at a resort again.

There are a plethora of CG's in Florida available that have nice open sites. AND if you look at mid central Florida the weather is completely DIFFERENT. Just an hour or so north of Orlando there is no humidity during the winter months. Not to mention the FAR better scenery. The Rainbow springs area is just spectacular. Sadly many over look these areas of Florida. Florida is not just the southern tip!

So unless one is out to impress staying only at resorts I find the RV'ers at the smaller CG's to be more friendly and are there to have a good time during the winter and are way more fun to be around. Plus the nice comfortable sized sites is a must for me.

Just saying. I'd give it another chance and just change the venue of your stay in Florida.

[valhalla360]

The lifestyle may not be for you but before you take a $20-30k loss, I suggest assessing how you travel. A lot of people try to travel like in thier working days when they had 2 weeks once a year and raced from place to place.

There are so many options once you go full time, that if it feels pressured or stressful, you can fix it:
- Last time we went south to Arizona, it took us 2 months. We were in no rush and stopped at many great places after the season and parks were near empty. We averaged about 100-150 miles on travel days so it was never tiring.
- Once you get to the destination, there are usually more out of the way places that aren't as crowded. In arizona if you go up into the mountains a little, there are state and national parks. You don't have to sit in one place.
- Store the RV in the winter and get an apartment in Europe or Central America.

If you don't want to take another try, craigs list or the other on line sites are about as good as any.

[rexlion]

A rig like that could take quite a while to sell; not everyone can afford it, not everyone will want one like it, and you need a purchaser who meets both criteria. 1st year depreciation is always the worst, so you may lose $15k-$20k. Are you sure you wouldn't like to leave it in AZ and fly down for a month or so in winter? You may find AZ to be a better market for selling it, too; plenty of snowbirds in and out of there, and always some are looking for a unit they like better than the one they have.

[Veebyes]

You sound like the couple we bought our truck & 5er from. They sold their house, bought a real nice upper end 5er with all of the trimmings, like 6X6V batterys, & an equally very nice 3500 dually to pull it.

6 months later, having only brought it from CA to TX, they decided RVing was not for them & wanted OUT.

Well, thankyou very much. It was just the model we were after. 9 seasons of something like 150 nights per season, all of the states at least twice, Alaska 3 times, well over 80,000 trailer miles, 160,000 on the truck, we are still going strong.

Newfoundland is in our sights for next year. Will wave as we pass through Maine.

[richfaa]

Rv'ing is not for everyone and obviously it was not for you at least you tried and know. Get out and find something else to do.

[garyp4951]

RAS43 wrote:
If you don't want to deal with selling it yourself consider consigning it with a dealer, possibly the one you bought it from. Yes, they will take part of the sale but they handle all the phone calls, showings, and can help with financing.

My 5er has been on consignment at CW for 5 months.

[Dick_B]

How about parking it somewhere, like a park model, and just go back to the same place every year?

[lakeside013104]

WyoTraveler wrote:
Reading your post I suspect you live in a small rural community. When I lived in a large urban area I couldn't wait to get out of the area and FT when I retired. After spending some time FTing and buying property in a rural area I find RVing and crammed into an RV park becomes less enjoyable. Dog always has to be on a leash. He runs loose on our WY ranch. I stopped FTing but still enjoy RVing. Although I have never been to Florida, just looking at populaion levels of Florida and no other reason persuades me not to travel there. Fortunately WY is close to a lot of wide open camping areas.

You are correct. Small home town, great neighbors (almost a long distance call away), dog runs free on our property and swims at leisure when the lake is free of ice, otherwise she romps and rolls through the snow.

Thank you ALL for the great ideas. We have had hundreds of trips to State parks and such with our previous smaller campers (1960 thru 2000+). Camping in the open spaces is truly relaxing and enjoyable.

I expect to take a loss on the sale of our 5er, but would like to still have my shirt after the deal closes. 🙂

Thank you so much RV.net folks.

Lakeside

[tsetsaf]

A combination of Craigslist, eBay, and RV Trader got us full value for our last rig. It takes time and energy to do it but can be done.