Thinking of Full Time would love some advice

[Abledturtle]

My husband works remote, and we're discussing full time RVing. I have a few questions about this topic.

What type of insurance is the best?
Should we buy new or used? We've never owned an RV before
Are there any books we should read?
Is a mobile hotspot the best way to maintain internet while at campgrounds?
Are there places to get solar panels installed or are they easy to install?

Thank you for any and all help.

[Fishhunter]

One thing I never see discussed on this topic is parking at RV parks. We are currently on a two month long road trip and had at one time discussed full timing but after staying in RV parks we've decided it's not for us, no privacy and they just jam everyone in there together. One or two nights in one is OK but after that it's time for me to move on. I like my space. Also your going to be limited on where to park come winter as they shutoff the water and sewer in most places that have winter. We are fortunate to have some kinfolk in the south that own farms and ranches so we don't have to stay in a cramped up snowbird park. Just some thoughts.

[2gypsies1]

You asked where else you could look other than Camping World. Naturally, if you can find a private party ad near you that would be a good start. By visiting the person and hopefully, at his home, you can tell how the RV might have been cared for. The private party should have all the repair/maintenance receipts for you to make sure the maintenance intervals were followed.

RVTrader is another place to look as is Craigs List (although there are scams on that site so beware).

Go around to RV dealers near you and test drive some RVs. Take you time with them. Walk through various day-to-day things like both of you trying to walk the aisle at the same time - some folks would have a hard time with the small passages; envision cooking a meal - is the kitchen convenient and roomy enough; does the toilet area have enough leg room and stand in the shower - is it roomy enough? Tall people have an issue with this. Is the bed easy to use - is it a walk-around or against a wall? Is the seating comfortable?

Buying used definitely doesn't mean that something is wrong with it. Some folks find out that RVing is not for them; some just get tired of RVing or medical reasons force them to quit. Some folks buy and realize they need something bigger. You can get a higher quality RV if you buy used.

To give you an idea of used prices, look over this site. Also note that they not only carry Class C's like you mentioned you might want for towing the car but look at smaller Class A's. Class A's will give you a lot more storage space for full-timing.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/classc/class-c-motorhomes.php

[doxiemom11]

You will need to purchase full-timers insurance on whatever RV you get. The policy will then provide coverage on the RV, your contents and liability coverage like you would get on a house policy. We are full-time and purchased used and got a high quality rv that we would otherwise not have been able to afford.

[BarbaraOK]

dd992emo wrote:
I'm interested in the strong "buy used" sentiment in this thread. I can certainly see the financial/depreciation aspect, but what about other factors?
- did the previous owner get rid of it because of some kind of problem?
- do I want to live with someone else's funk around me?
- What hidden maintenance issues are there?

On the flip side, if you buy new YOU are the quality control and you should expect to spend the first 6 months to a year getting things to work correctly. RVs are notorious for having bugs and only the very high end ones have adequate factory QC done. So if you buy a gently used coach (ie a retired couple with no teenagers around) that has maintence records, etc., you will often be way ahead. Would you never buy a used house? Same thing applies.

We bought a used coach 11 years ago, she's still going strong and has given us years and and 100,000+ miles of service. Sure there will be little things to fix along the way. Just like with a house, there will always be something that needs attention, or that you just live with until you have time/money to fix it.

Barb

[tinner12002]

To add to that some, if you have a member of your family or a close friend that currently has an RV or does some RVing, have them go with you to look at whatever RV you decide to get in order to help with what things to look/watch out for in buying a used RV.

[dd992emo]

I'm interested in the strong "buy used" sentiment in this thread. I can certainly see the financial/depreciation aspect, but what about other factors?
- did the previous owner get rid of it because of some kind of problem?
- do I want to live with someone else's funk around me?
- What hidden maintenance issues are there?

[stew47]

Buy used. check craigslist. You will probably not be in your first camper in few years. IM on my third in like 5 years lol. whatever you buy please please please pay an independent rv tech to look over everything. there are so many systems on camper.

[donn0128]

Absolutely buy used!
Camping World has to be overall one of the worst places to buy from. All there interested in is squeezing every last dime out of you. Not that all dealers dont, but it seems CW is one of the most blatent.
Start by checking RVtrader, and craigslist for whats available. Price is one aspect, but by far not the most important. A floor plan you can live comfortsbly in is far more important. Can you take a shower? How about making a meal? How about sleeping comfortably, oh and dontmforget about where your going to put your clothes.
Class Cs tend to be rather limited in actual space for the important stuff. As are not a lot better, but do offer under floor storage that may be better.
Yea, one last thing. OK two, where are you going to park, and for how often? And, how about desk space for hubbys work?

[Abledturtle]

arhayes wrote:
Traveling is definitely a problem for health insurance as there is little that is ACA compliant and allows nationwide coverage. BUT, if you're healthy, will be only needing emergency care, and will be going home yearly for physicals that might be fine for you.

As far as a rig, I echo buying used since this will be your first one. You can also buy a newer one later. You need to decide if you want a trailer or 5th wheel, both of which mean you'll need a tow vehicle, or a Motor Home. All have their pluses and minuses. We're retired, sold our home in Dallas and have been Full TImers for 2 1/2 years and love the lifestyle because we're travelling and sightseeing. Once those days are over, we'll definitely buy or build a house or condo. I cannot see a reason to sit stationary in an RV.

We currently have a car, a honda civic and since it's not fully paid off we think we're going to get a Class C and pull the car behind us.
We're still really on the fence on used/new just because of creature comforts. I've only looked at camping world's website for RVs to buy, what are some other sites? We would need to take a loan out for whatever we do buy, but will have 10% ready to put down. Any advice?

[Second_Chance]

Also check out (I recommend joining) these forums:

Escapees RV Club Forums

Escapees RV Club. Joining is well worth the cost to get access to all the educational and support ma...

RV-Dreams forums

RV-Dreams web site (lots of educational material here)

[arhayes]

Traveling is definitely a problem for health insurance as there is little that is ACA compliant and allows nationwide coverage. BUT, if you're healthy, will be only needing emergency care, and will be going home yearly for physicals that might be fine for you.

As far as a rig, I echo buying used since this will be your first one. You can also buy a newer one later. You need to decide if you want a trailer or 5th wheel, both of which mean you'll need a tow vehicle, or a Motor Home. All have their pluses and minuses. We're retired, sold our home in Dallas and have been Full TImers for 2 1/2 years and love the lifestyle because we're travelling and sightseeing. Once those days are over, we'll definitely buy or build a house or condo. I cannot see a reason to sit stationary in an RV.

[BarbaraOK]

Having fulltimed for 10 yrs now, I'll share a few items for you to think about.

First - go rent an RV, say a Class C for at least a week. Yes, it will cost money but since you don't have experience, you need to see how you feel being in a small space 24/7.

There are several forums out there - read them and then look at those who post frequently and see if they have a blog (usually in their signature line). Go read as many blogs as possible - - everyone fulltimes differently.

We bought used because we could get more bang for our buck. If we had gone new, we would have had to have settled for a entry level DP, buying used meant we could get a higher end (better fit and finish) coach for the same $$$.

Unless you know that you are going to boondock a GREAT deal of the time, solar is not a good return on investment.

We have Version and a MiFi with 20G/month. Adequate for our needs, but have no idea how much bandwidth you need. Do NOT depend upon park WiFis. Some good, some bad, you just never know.

We've had National Interstate for 10 yrs for insurance. Bought through a broker. There are several out there, Escapees has some insurance brokers who are commerical members you might want to talk to.

[Abledturtle]

Thank you for all your responses.

I guess I should have explained. I've grown up with dad camping, multiple times a year in a travel trailer. On top of that my husband and I live in 400 sq ft as it is in the basement of my parents house. We've done that for five years now and it's small but has no kitchen. This is something we are going to do, because we're young with no real real bills.
As far as health insurance, we don't visit doctors a lot, and if we do we can always come back. We will also be keeping our address at my parents so is traveling an issue for health insurance?

[azdryheat]

My cousin and her husband retired two years ago, sold their San Diego home, and bought a 2008 40' Allegro Bus. They were brand-new to any sort of RV'ing and had lots to learn. After two years they are still loving the full-time lifestyle.

[mds1]

Abledturtle,

Those are all great questions. I've spent the last two years studying up on fulltiming and will learn more till we hit the road in about three years. Some detailed questions can be asked closer to when you hit the road, such as technical aspects like mobile hotspots because that's subject to change.

My wife and I started off just thinking about what we would like to do in retirement other than sitting around on the porch. We never planned to retire in our current home because there is too much yard to take care of and too many stairs. Learned a lot about that by watching the elderly lady next door as she attempts it. So we decided traveling would be nice. And then we figured fulltime RVing could be the less expensive way to do it. It all came together when I sat down and looked at our financial plan which set the date for us to go. From there learning about the lifestyle really starts. I've oversimplified this in suggesting a starting point but you have to begin somewhere.

For us it went like this so far - and I realize it's different than for those working remotely and looking for a way to travel:

1. Decided we did not want to stay in our current home when retired.
2. Decided we want to travel the country - affordably.
3. Sat down and looked at a financial plan which include workamping at times to make our budget.
4. Came up with an estimated retirement date. Started at eight years out and shrank to five years.
5. Knowing we had five years to plan we are not in a rush to learn it all right away, if that's ever possible.
6. Decided on a fifth wheel after much thought. This was based on our expected style of travel with includes longer stays in spots. Fifth wheels are nice for longer stays and motorhomes are nice when you move a lot.
7. Now we are deciding on floor plans.

The list goes on. During these two years I took advantage of reading forums, blogs and whatever else I could get my hands on. Karen and I both tent camped when younger, owned a popup camper and a 30' travel trailer. Last year we rented a class C and hit the road for a couple weeks.

That does not answer your questions, but might be a better starting point. That is unless you are past all those decisions and are just looking for more specifics. If that's the case then I'll try and point you towards the answers:

What kind of insurance are you asking about?

We are buying used or new based on our budget. The more expensive units we would have to buy a couple years old. Some also suggest buy a quality used unit and upgrade it.

Start buy reading blogs and forums instead of books. You can search books on Amazon but a lot of what you learned can be found elsewhere.

For mobile connectivity take a look at what http://www.technomadia.com/2014/08/how-we-keep-online-illustrated-tour-of-our-rv-mobile-internet-set...Technomadia posts.

https://ourfutureinanrv.wordpress.com/construction-methods/electrical/solar/Here is a link to some solar stuff and how I'll most likely handle it. Lots of things you can do here. But you will need to figure out your electrical requirements first, such as do you plan to have a residential fridge.

Best of luck,