Frustration with owning an RV!

[thehotsung8701A]

I bought a 96 Toyota RV because I was worry about losing my job and having no place to go ever since my mom passed away a year ago. I just graduated from college a few years ago and having only 3 days to learn that my mom was going to die didn't give me much time to prepare or even say good bye. Unfortunately having an RV has done nothing but cause me trouble. I am stress to the point that I want to cry and I drink a bit from having to deal with lost and stress. The first major problem arise when my job found out that I had an RV and didn't allow me to park in front of the house. Since I am a caretaker, and my job is tie directly with where I reside, I had no choice but to suck it up to my bosses. So I did what anybody would do and that is to park in public streets every 2 days (due to common curiosity) but there are many times that I would come back to my RV and see a note threaten to tow my RV or call it a "piece of junk" even though I'm well within the rule of the road. Even though I abide by law, I am still very stress out daily. constantly worry about vandalism or/and getting it tow.

The second major problem came with having no knowledge of an RV prior to purchase. I didn't know that my roof was leaking because when I bought it was in the summer and we have not had as much rain in over 3 years here in California so it came as a shock when we had 2 weeks of rain. I cover the RV roof with a tarp as best as I can but there were days where there was no tarp because the walk to my RV was miles away and I was just so depress. Now I believe there are wet spot which is now dry because I used a blow drier but I also discover some dry roth which was already there prior to me purchasing the RV. Now I'm doing my best to fix the RV up and sell it but it just seem like more problems arise and I just don't know what to do. I never really got to enjoy the RV because of all these factors.

As fellow RV owners, what would you guys do in my shoe and what tips and suggestion do you have for me? I'm not looking to make a profit and I'll be happy if I can cut it even but at this point, I wouldn't mind taking a loss selling my RV. I cannot have an RV without a proper parking space.

Thank you and I look forward to all your wonderful expertise!

[fourthclassC]

Here is my suggestion: Find a place to park the RV and work on it. Pour all your spare time into fixing it. Sounds like you are on the right track. Liquid EPDM works great, just follow the directions carefully. Working on the RV is like therapy.. Dream of where it can take you when you get some time to travel...Good luck

[thehotsung8701A]

DutchmenSport wrote:
Unfortunately, too many think an RV is an easy way out, a way to live cheap, and even a slick way to avoid dealing with financial responsibilities. All are farther from the truth. RV's cost, upkeep and maintenance is ongoing, there are always the laws and rules of the road, you cannot just park them anywhere, they are not welcome everywhere, and they are always a financial loss. Unfortunately, you learned these things the hard way.

You really have 2 choices in my opinion.

1) Sell the RV. If it won't sell, junk it and take the loss. Evidently California has some strict laws, and if you cannot comply, they junking it is the only option you've got. or

2) Accept the fact the RV is NOT what you thought it would be, and accept it for what it actually is. It's actually a money pit, that demands a lot of love and attention. (I think most of us will agree an RV requires about as much attention as our wives!) Find a suitable place to park the camper, and somewhere you can fix the leak on the roof. Simple Dicor lap sealant will seal the joints back up. Move to a real camping or RV site, like a campground or RV park it and do not park it on the street any more. This will eliminate your stress.

But in all reality, from what you described, an RV is really not for you. It does not fit your lifestyle, and you're no longer happy with it. Once the milk is soured, it can never be made sweet again.

I bought EDPM rubber liquid coating for my RV. I plan on fixing it up within a week and selling it. I'm not sure what you mean by financial responsibility? I have my own place and I pay rent. The RV was just a insurance plan in case my job went sour. I also have an SUV as well.

[DougE]

Sounds more like English isn't his first language. First thing is to have the local hardware store recommend the appropriate caulk from their stock. Get a tube of caulk and a caulk gun. Scrape off the old caulk and replace with new. Sadly an individual takes a beating when selling an RV unless it's new and high end. Look for a local consignment seller.

[mockturtle]

If I were you I would go to the Cheap RV Living forum. You're more likely to get help there without the sarcasm.

[buta4]

2oldman wrote:
You don't write like someone with a degree. I think this is a bait post.

Many "colleges" are churning out people who are abysmally prepared for the Real World out there! Any Man-on-the-Street type of TV Q/A show will prove that fact. 😞

[DutchmenSport]

Unfortunately, too many think an RV is an easy way out, a way to live cheap, and even a slick way to avoid dealing with financial responsibilities. All are farther from the truth. RV's cost, upkeep and maintenance is ongoing, there are always the laws and rules of the road, you cannot just park them anywhere, they are not welcome everywhere, and they are always a financial loss. Unfortunately, you learned these things the hard way.

You really have 2 choices in my opinion.

1) Sell the RV. If it won't sell, junk it and take the loss. Evidently California has some strict laws, and if you cannot comply, they junking it is the only option you've got. or

2) Accept the fact the RV is NOT what you thought it would be, and accept it for what it actually is. It's actually a money pit, that demands a lot of love and attention. (I think most of us will agree an RV requires about as much attention as our wives!) Find a suitable place to park the camper, and somewhere you can fix the leak on the roof. Simple Dicor lap sealant will seal the joints back up. Move to a real camping or RV site, like a campground or RV park it and do not park it on the street any more. This will eliminate your stress.

But in all reality, from what you described, an RV is really not for you. It does not fit your lifestyle, and you're no longer happy with it. Once the milk is soured, it can never be made sweet again.

[2oldman]

You don't write like someone with a degree. I think this is a bait post.

[lots2seeinmyrv]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/prk/5439690985.html

A place to park it and live in it in Santa Cruz.

Get it fixed up and sell it...or maybe get reduced rent for part-time work at the park?

Good luck.

[Tiger4x4RV]

Sorry to put more rain on your parade, but California requires the seller to provide a current (within 90 days?) smog certificate. It took 89 days to sell my elderly RV 10 years ago. Plan B if it had not sold in time was to donate it to a charity which would haul it away. If you choose not to smog your RV, you might consider just going with Plan B. It would remove a LOT of stress from your life. Good luck!

[Triker33]

Craig's list it? And take your losses.