Just my opinion

[Locky]

I have noticed quite a few times on this forum when people talk about financing a travel trailer they will get responses saying "save up and pay cash". Well here is my take on it:
I will use my exact scenario. I bought my trailer new in 2006 for $14,000. I financed it for 10 years and when my trailer was all paid for my total amount was $18,651. So it cost me on average an extra $38.65 a month in interest. I think that was money well spent to spend the quality time i have had with my kids and now grandkids. So for the ones on here that always bring up the stupid comment about saving up to pay cash for that......well enjoy sitting at home saving while the rest of us are out enjoying mother nature and making memories with our family.

[jplante4]

Well, it looks like most everyone has weighed in on this. Before it gets to 'lively'...

Closed

[fj12ryder]

fulltimedaniel wrote:
I think what so many are responding to here DS is that your posts on this subject here so far intentionally or otherwise can be viewed as a bit smug and self righteous. And I think that was the intent of the OP's original comment. When a few well known folks on this site respond it is always in ways to tell the OP or others how they should live their lives. They rarely address the topic.

This is how the comment: "You should pay cash" often sounds. Smug, self righteous, elitist and frankly ill mannered.

Your great good luck as you put it in another post (a veiled way of letting everyone know how smart and hardworking you are and what a great decision maker)is just so much self aggrandizement.

Once again as so often happens in so many threads instead of discussing the TOPIC a few derail the conversation to the personality actions and lifestyle of the Original Poster. This is becoming endemic here. I for one am sick to death of it.

Now just a question: Did you pay cash for your house? AH! I thought not. So really you are in the same boat as everyone else. Lets drop this needless and yes stupid argument over paying cash or not.

The OP's opening post was an opinion about financing vs paying cash. Opinions invite rebuttal, differing opinions, or agreeing posts. The thread has offered many examples of each.

Just because you think "You should just pay cash" sounds "Smug, self righteous, elitist and frankly ill mannered." doesn't make it so. Sorry, you don't get to be the arbiter of opinions.

And exactly how has this thread been derailed? It never had a clear course from the very beginning. The OP never asked for a clarifying answer, or more information. He posted a hot topic opinion, and has been rewarded by many more opinions.

BTW, if you feel "This is becoming endemic here. I for one am sick to death of it.", there's a very easy cure: use the "Hide" button for threads you don't care for, or a more extreme cure would be to simply leave the forum.

[2112]

Paying cash would only make sense to me if there was a cash discount to offset loss revenue from $ pulled from investment OR you have your $ buried in the backyard (typical bank savings account). Otherwise you are cutting a branch off your money tree.

[DiskDoctr]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Remember the weekend it rained non-stop? Remember the crummy camp wood you couldn't get to burn? Remember the trip when you visited the Grand Canyon? Not one of those memories requires a financed RV.

Remember the year we spent most of the summer traveling from place to place in the RV, while we used our computers to do work and school on the road each evening and on rainy days?

Remember our friends who joined us for 2 weeks on the road as we visited all these places and stopped for lunch along the way during rush hours and had hot meals in the camper at truck stops?

Remember those times we were 30 miles from civilization and how nice it was to have a toilet and shower, fridge and microwave?

Yeah, we really enjoyed that camper. So GLAD we did that instead of letting the kids hang out at the mall all summer.

Different Strokes, as they say 😉

(Just counter-pointing. You are entitled to do it your way, too 😉 )

I vote for MORE CAMPFIRES and LESS DRUGS for our youth.

[paulcardoza]

Just another "My way is the only way" post.....

beemerphile1 wrote:
It is a sad, sad day when people are so brainwashed by the financial companies and marketing agencies that they believe the only way to live is by borrowing money.

If you have $500, then you buy a $500 RV, it is a no-brainer.

An RV IS NOT an investment, it is an expenditure and a frivolous one at that. I see no justification to take on debt for a frivolous, unnecessary, massively depreciating asset.

You can make the same family memories in a $50 tent as you can in a $100,000 RV. Family memories are about time together and conquering obstacles, not about the vehicle.

Remember the weekend it rained non-stop? Remember the crummy camp wood you couldn't get to burn? Remember the trip when you visited the Grand Canyon? Not one of those memories requires a financed RV.

[beemerphile1]

fulltimedaniel wrote:

...Now just a question: Did you pay cash for your house? AH! I thought not...

Now who is being smug?

A house is a purchase that can in all probability be expected to go up in value and financing is reasonable. A new RV will only depreciate.

It is irrelevant to the topic but yes, I did pay cash for my house. I now live in the seventh house I have owned, numbers one thru five were financed to some extent.

[beemerphile1]

It is a sad, sad day when people are so brainwashed by the financial companies and marketing agencies that they believe the only way to live is by borrowing money.

If you have $500, then you buy a $500 RV, it is a no-brainer.

An RV IS NOT an investment, it is an expenditure and a frivolous one at that. I see no justification to take on debt for a frivolous, unnecessary, massively depreciating asset.

You can make the same family memories in a $50 tent as you can in a $100,000 RV. Family memories are about time together and conquering obstacles, not about the vehicle.

Remember the weekend it rained non-stop? Remember the crummy camp wood you couldn't get to burn? Remember the trip when you visited the Grand Canyon? Not one of those memories requires a financed RV.

[fulltimedaniel]

DallasSteve wrote:
I accept what the original poster wrote, except this last line:

So for the ones on here that always bring up the stupid comment about saving up to pay cash for that......well enjoy sitting at home saving while the rest of us are out enjoying mother nature and making memories with our family.

First, you make the judgment that our comment is "stupid". Well, as I said to my 35-year old son, if you're so much smarter than me why do you need to borrow money from me?

Second, your comment (notice I left out the word "stupid") assumes that this is an either/or proposition. It's not. It's entirely possible to not sit at home and still make great memories with our family without owning an RV.

Third, you apparently will never know how great it is to have financial security. Let me give you an example. Because I deferred a lot of expenditures when I was younger (I'm hoping you know what expenditure means) I now have reached a point where I will probably run out of time before I run out of money. That's a wonderful feeling. When I was looking for my current apartment I decided that I wanted one with an attached garage, something I wouldn't have done in the past to save for my future. This one happened to be brand new to boot. I decided, it's time to enjoy my money. I've been saving all my life for when I get old. There's no point in saving for when I get old any more. I'm 60. I'm there! This is what I have been saving for. It's great to be at a point where whatever I want (within reason) I can get it; with no debt.

Stupid comment? Laughing all the way to a comfortable retirement.

PS: My youngest son likes going to college and graduating with no student loans. Dad just pays cash for his tuition. An in-state school, of course.

I think what so many are responding to here DS is that your posts on this subject here so far intentionally or otherwise can be viewed as a bit smug and self righteous. And I think that was the intent of the OP's original comment. When a few well known folks on this site respond it is always in ways to tell the OP or others how they should live their lives. They rarely address the topic.

This is how the comment: "You should pay cash" often sounds. Smug, self righteous, elitist and frankly ill mannered.

Your great good luck as you put it in another post (a veiled way of letting everyone know how smart and hardworking you are and what a great decision maker)is just so much self aggrandizement.

Once again as so often happens in so many threads instead of discussing the TOPIC a few derail the conversation to the personality actions and lifestyle of the Original Poster. This is becoming endemic here. I for one am sick to death of it.

Now just a question: Did you pay cash for your house? AH! I thought not. So really you are in the same boat as everyone else. Lets drop this needless and yes stupid argument over paying cash or not.

[Lantley]

Grit Dog make the point that we all discover.Money comes and goes, But your time and health are the real barometers to all of this.
I'd just assume eat cat food in the end knowing I enjoyed it all vs. having a 6 figure bank account but being too old to really go out and have fun.
I'm still a weekender, working stiff. I can only hope I am in good health when I get to retirement age to do some full time RV'ing. After 60 years of working daily, health and fitness will be a bigger factor than finances.

[Grit_dog]

To what metalgator said, yeah never know when your ticket is going to get punched.
My family, think I'm glad I'm adopted...... hasn't had but 1 member get over 70.
Dad clocked out for the last time at 58 hadn't retired, halfway thru building their dream home that they'd been planning forever and never was even well enough to help me build it, which was another dream of his....... Mom made it another 8 or 9 years, got to enjoy life on the lake in the dream home....by herself and made it to 67 I think.
I get caught up in saving $ and yes we are debt free thanks to my income, but it crosses my mind all the time and I'd pay the man to have fun now.
Guess I'd rather enjoy life when I am young and healthy enough. If I'm broke when I'm old and the best thing I can hope for each day is a bowel movement, so be it. Can't spend it then and I'm not saving up for a nursing home...... can't take it with you!
We're sort of in that boat with the wife's health. Kids are middle school age and idk how many years she has left. Puts a different perspective on it.

[jplante4]

The check your kids write to the undertaker off your bank account should bounce.

[winnietrey]

We are in or 60's now. It is not my right to judge anyone or tell them how to live. But I will say this as I look back, when we were raising the kids, we took vacations, both camping and flying. Bought boats and trailers, (none cash) We put in a small back yard pool. We remolded houses, and in general spent a lot of money we did not need to. Often we did it on credit cards, paid interest, and in general did a lot of things. We did not have to. And a few times those credit card balances got pretty high

We did however buy a small office bldg., 30 years ago, which has greatly helped with any planned retirement. So we will be good in retirement.

If I have any regrets it would be

1) We did not do more of it, vacations etc
2) I worried to much about my career. And did not take more time off with the kids

Once those kids and your youth are gone, they are gone. you will never get those times back. I would much rather have those memories than any extra money we would have in the bank, had we not done those things.

But that is just me and us. not up to me to judge other's choices

[captnjack]

DallasSteve wrote:
It's been suggested by one of the members that most people can't be expected to accomplish what I accomplished and be able to pay cash for big ticket items like an RV because it's usually the result of good luck or rich parents. Let's look at my good luck.

I was lucky enough to be born in the USA. Did anybody else here have that good luck?

I was lucky enough to have good parents. Anybody else?

My parents were middle class; they died with a combined estate of about $100K that my brother and I split. I used most of my share to buy two new cars for my 2 oldest children. Woo hoo! We's Rich!

I was lucky enough to be able to work 40 hours a week in my early 20s with a wife and 2 kids while going to night school to get a degree in accounting. Some people call that luck, I guess.

I was lucky enough to be able to spend hundreds of hours studying for the CPA exam (in the evening after work) and pass while others had the bad luck to be out drinking and partying.

I was lucky enough to decide to change careers at 40 and to spend hundreds of more hours studying computer books to pass Microsoft certification exams (in the evening after work) while others had the bad luck to be drinking and watching football.

I was lucky enough to defer expensive purchases and vacations so that I could save for my retirement and college for my son while others had the bad luck to be running up credit card debt to live for today.

I was lucky enough to never smoke nor do drugs and to quit drinking in my 20s when others had the bad luck to keep wrecking their health. I also exercised regularly and ate healthy - more good luck.

I could go on, but you get the picture. None of what I have is the result of wise decisions, hard work, and sacrifice - it was all just good luck.

There are many variables at play. I live in a part of the country where a young couple need the better part of a decade to save up just the down payment for their first home. That home is likely 50-100 years old and sits on a 60x100 foot lot. Property taxes will be anywhere from 500-1000 dollars per month. Electricity is expensive here too. Winters are cold and heat costs money. Car insurance is likely more expensive than most areas. I could go on and on.
The idea that this couple could ever save money to buy all of their cars, vacations, RV's, etc for cash is not realistic. Unless they live in Mom and Dad's basement for a couple of decades. If they were to wait for full financial solvency before they started to really live life a little they could drop dead before it happened.
This is not meant to knock your post, or your life decisions. They have obviously served you well. Hard work and discipline are never bad things. Not everyone is gifted with the intellect or discipline you were. Some people have great hurdles to overcome. They start life out as an adult already behind the eight ball. You had two good parents. Many don't. You were middle class. Many are less than that.
Let's not discount other factors. Local cost of living being just one of them. Health, layoffs, natural disasters, divorce being some others.

[delwhjr]

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”

- Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967