Used RVs

[ajacobs1112]

I have never owned an RV and am contemplating going out full time with my wife and two teen aged kids. As much as I think a fifth wheel would possibly give us the most living space, I feel the cost of a truck and suitable sized rig(both used) would be prohibitive, as compared to a used class a. I've seen units ranging up to 50K which is around where I would like to be, but I'm afraid to lay out that money when there are usually no warranties on used vehicles. Are there ways to protect myself from this through insurance or private warranty companies. Any advice on any of what I have shared would be appreciated.

Thanks, Allen

[2oldman]

Probably a bait post.

[arkieguide]

In my many years of rving. I have stayed away from M.H, and always used T.T. are 5th wheels. We camped with our 1 son in 16,24, foot T.T. it depends on your children, size, age, and temperament.boys, girls, are both? Of course the bigger tow the bigger the tow vehicle.If you go with a 4 door pickup and 30-35 foot TT, you have a long rig, hooked up are not.A 1/2 ton with tow special, will handle a 28 ' TT fairly well.Some have bunk beds and a large bed both.

[MyPedataRV]

Good luck with two teenagers! If your'e going to buy a used RV I suggest ***Link Removed*** This was where I purchased my first used RV and I had 0 issues or stress. Good luck again man!

[Veebyes]

jarata1 wrote:
You have never had an rv and your going to go out full time with 2 teenagers that's a bold step

My first thought too, though "bold" did not come to mind first.

Fulltime eh? Looking for a cheap used one too. With use comes wear & tear. Wear & tear equals something seemingly always breaking down. No real big problem if you are handy at diagnosing & fixing stuff yourself. It gets real expensive fast if you are a credit card RVer who can't take care of the stuff that goes wrong.

[DallasSteve]

10 years ago people in Internet forums would write about how foolish it is to rent your home and how great it is to own your home. After the Great Recession those people got quiet. Now the market it getting better and they are telling us how smart they are again. A house can be a good investment, but you probably need to stay in it for about 10 years before you've made real money. Then again, it depends where you are in the housing cycle, and you never know that until it's too late.

Houses have a LOT of expenses associated with them. Starting with paying interest (some of which is tax deductible, but not all), real estate taxes, homeowners insurance, yardwork, and unexpected repairs (big ones). And even if your mortgage is paid off you've got a real cost called 'opportunity cost' of what you could earn if you invested that equity in something else. I've owned and I've rented. My net worth has increased a lot more since I've been renting. But if you like to live in the same place for 20 years buying a home is (probably) the way to go. That's not where I am in life now.

How does that relate to this thread? In a lot of cases living in an RV can be cheaper than living in stick and bricks, even considering the depreciation/appreciation. But it comes at the cost of a lot less space, among other things. It depends on what you want in life. If you want to travel the country extensively, it's hard to move those sticks and bricks around.

[bsinmich]

The original purchase will get your RV. You should also have a good emergency fund for repairs. Tires for a Class A run $500-$1000. and usually RVers don't wear them out before they have deteriorated from age (5-7 years). Everything else will cost more on an RV for service. When we got ito RVs in 1969 my car could pull a TT. That is no linger true. I have had 6 motorhomes over the years and the only one that gave me any problem was the new one. The 5 used ones were much better for dependability. I got into my Roadtrek after losing my wife and the GMC was a lark for me that just hasn't worked out. I can't climb the step to the driver seat which was the same reason I had to sell my Moutain Aire.

[tatest]

Shopping used, a fifth wheel or travel trailer and a suitable used truck can be less expensive than a motorhome with equivalent living space and a second motor vehicle to haul around for local transportation.

My Class C (29 1/2 feet) was $58,000 when I bought it used in 2005 (although lesser new ones this size were available for about $50,000 at the time) and I paid another $9,000 for a seven year old towable vehicle. I would have gotten equivalent space in a trailer with with a 23-24 foot box, as little as $12,000 new, or $20,000 new for trim and build quality similar to the motorhome. In 2005 I could buy a suitable 3/4-ton or single rear wheel one-ton extended cab pickup for under $12,000, and actually had a RV dealer offer to sell me a tow-ready 3/4 ton truck for $4500 if I bought a trailer at the same time. The truck was nine years old, but had modest (under 60,000) mileage.

Trucks look a lot more expensive now because most are being sold as family passenger vehicles, loaded with $10,000 to $20,000 trim upgrades and entertainment technology. "Work" trucks capable of towing are much less expensive, particularly if you find them used, coming off a 3-5 year lease. These are fairly easy to find in the rural midwest, maybe not so easy in mostly urban markets.

[Chuck_thehammer]

Rent for short trips FIRST. try different units.. class A, C...

thing is if you wish to go to store or sight seeing. disconnect and where to park that big thing...

truck and Trailer... park trailer and truck it to whatever you wish.

We, Snowbird. second year. truck and trailer... and have less then 25k total in both. but NO children.

and children is the biggest issue.. can and/or will they .. no room. no privacy.
just 4 days of rain.. can kill this deal. but everyone is different.

the Best of Luck, you will need it.

[Bumpyroad]

ncrowley wrote:


I am not trying to tell you not to RV full time. I think it is a great idea and the opportunity of a lifetime. Just be sure you have the money you will need once you stop RVing full time.

and remember if you go to rebuy your old $100,000 house after a number of years, it will now cost you $200,000.
bumpy

[ncrowley]

The big difference between the RV and the house is the RV is definitely a depreciating asset. Your house may not increase in value but most of the time it does. But it definitely does not depreciate like an RV does. If you put $100K into an RV and $100K into a house, you will have more money still left in the house at the end of 10 years. And the house will give you a place to live once you get off the road.

I am not trying to tell you not to RV full time. I think it is a great idea and the opportunity of a lifetime. Just be sure you have the money you will need once you stop RVing full time.

[pira114]

Very over simplified here, but let's say a stick and brick purchased for $100,000. Forget about tax, insurance, etc. Just the price tag.

Very decent Trailer at 50,000. Average 50 a night for 365 days is 18,250, for a total of 68,250. Leaving 31,750 for everything else to equal the 100,000.

I'd argue that 100,000 is pretty low for an average house, and 50,000 is probably high for a decent trailer. Gas, food, insurance, etc can eat up that 31,000 pretty quick, but that's just year one.

If you had 100,000 and zero income, you're done either way. If you have an income that'll cover monthly bills either way, the trailer wins for cost, but obviously loses big for investment. All depends on what you want out of it. Secure investment or life of travel.

[Jayco-noslide]

One of the posts mentions "cheaper than sticks and bricks". Well, be careful about that. Depends on a lot of factors, like whether you start new or used, what you pay for campsites, how long you keep the unit, etc. The big item that most RVer's leave out is the actual cost of the RV ie, depreciation. Some day you will have to replace it and it will lose tons of $$, whereas a house generally increases in value.

[Crabbypatty]

I have only bought and owned used or second hand. Ill never make enough money to lose money on a new purchase. In cars and Rv's. Start to educate yourself on maintenance issues by reading on this site and others. I wouldn't rely on an RV inspection as much as doing it myself as the industry doesn't seem to have a standard. However Search your location for the best RV dealer and get a feel for them. Go visit perhaps they will have an inspection service that the rig can be towed to and looked at and you feel that they would do a good job at it.

That said part of rving is doing it yourself as problems can and do occur over the road. The more you know the better your camping will be. What seems to be a big problem when you dont know, can be just a simple fix. So study and learn before you pull the trigger. You will thank yourself later.

[pira114]

Bumpyroad wrote:

jarata1 wrote:
You have never had an rv and your going to go out full time with 2 teenagers that's a bold step

you have just won the understatement of the month prize.
bumpy

I never did a lot of things till I did. I understand a lot of people would be too scared to try this, especially jumping in head first. But it's not as scary as everyone seems to think.

And cheaper? Ummm, yes it is. Almost everywhere, but especially compared to a stick house of average size in most major developed areas.

It's a HUGE adjustment. Very different lifestyle, and everyone should be on board and prepared for unforeseen stuff. But it's just not as scary as most on this site seem to think, and no where near as expensive as people MAKE it.

I only post as an alternative opinion to those against the overall idea. Renting one first isn't andssnlternative horrible idea, but it's no where near the same as living in one.