Typical RV annual budget

Veik wrote:

wbwood wrote:

Muddydogs wrote:
Personally I think if you have to go through all this you probably shouldn't purchase an RV. Can you afford the monthly loan payment, insurance and storage fees? If so then everything else will work itself out. In the end are you putting a price on family fun and enjoying life because tomorrow you might not be around.

You don't need to purchase everything at once, a sewer hose, water hose and a few wood blocks will get you camping then other stuff can be acquired over time. Are you storing the unit under cover or purchasing a new unit? If so then you don't need to pay for a roof check twice a year for the first couple years and you can do the checking if you are able to get on the roof anyway.

I think you have to look at the whole picture. If you can just afford the payment, insurance and storage and that's it, then you will have a rude awakening when you do need to buy tires as an example. Time on that would depend on the tires of the unit they bought. If a new unit, then they have 5 yrs or so. If a used unit, then maybe not that long or even half that long. Would suck to be making financing payment, inusrance payment and storage payment on a hunk of metal that you can't afford to move.

Exactly.

I am trying to compare a RV investment to an investment of 2-3 long vacations we currently take per year.

If it came down dollar for dollar, then you need to take into consideration that teh RV will elave with somewhat of value at teh end (appraisal of the RV). If you do a vacation where you drive a car you already have, fly, take a crusie or whatever, you will not have anything left to show except souvenirs and photos.

But then again it's hard to compare the two. You may purchase an RV and only use it one year. You may not be able to use it after that. It will depreciate.At least if you traveled that one year, you will nto be out the next year unless you prepurchase it. While many feel they can RV for cheaper than doing it via the hotel, it's normally not the case. Unless you are willing to give you your hotel bed for a sleeping bag and a tent or pop up tent. The type of RV and value of it will all come into play. A lot different than getting a $5000 used pop up to pull behind your minivan than to spend $150,000 on a Class A.

Want it to be cheaper? Gotta do it cheaper.