The used RV market is getting nuts...

RetiredRealtorRick wrote:

Well, sounds like you're all set. The addition of an alligator-filled moat and roof mounted flame throwers and you've got every angle covered!

Seriously though, if I saw someone attempting to steal my motorhome, I think confronting him would be out of the question. Like you say, that's why we carry insurance, and even if I'm armed to the hilt, the thief might have different plans. Nothing I own is worth my life, nor is it worth taking the life of another, right?

I agree. Having had everything I own stolen while I was on vacation, including my clipper, I can honestly say that nothing I lost was as important as realizing my pets were with me and safe.

I did get the clipper back. They ripped out the ignition (even though they had stolen the spare keys), messed up the steps and bumper, stole the car stereo and speakers, stole the agm battery out of the engine - but not the house battery, and used the toilet...

I worked with insurance and managed to get everything repaired or replaced AND got a new toilet without having to total it.

The thieves did leave a brand new still in the box bing camera in it. I have that set up inside the clipper. Figure I'll get a few videos of a thief before they take it or the battery dies. At home the clipper is plugged in so the camera stays fully charged.

Plan A - Call 9-1-1 is probably the preferred response ... but, Plan B is probably the most useful, and more often the reality.

"Seriously though, if I saw someone attempting to steal my motorhome, I think confronting him would be out of the question. Like you say, that's why we carry insurance, and even if I'm armed to the hilt, the thief might have different plans. Nothing I own is worth my life, nor is it worth taking the life of another, right?"


Right. However, if someone is brazen enough to come on my property, negotiate all of the deterrents that I have in place chances are they will be armed and certainly dangerous. Calling 911 is always going to be Plan A... but having a Plan B is always a good idea.

:C

Desert Captain wrote:
OP here, As far as security for my rig I am fairly proactive. While I don't disconnect the battery I do have 6 security cameras around our house with three covering the front yard and of course the coach. These cameras have infrared for night use and any motion in range of the cameras triggers the video which is simultaneously beamed up to the Cloud. Smashing a camera only gets your face for a nice close up. Any motion detected on any of the cameras generates an immediate notification to our smart phones.

Our bedroom is about 15' from where the coach is parked and we close the gates to both driveways every evening. I do keep it locked and the alarm set. To actually steal the coach assuming you can get in silently and manage to fire it up you cannot simply back down the driveway and out the gate. Directly behind the coach the slope drops off steeply about 4'.
To get it parked you have to pull up and back walking it over and even with practice it takes about 3 tries to get it in and 3 more to get it out far enough to reach the driveway, clear of the drop off, with all 6 wheels.

We live in a very conservative small mountain town and everybody has weapons and I fit right in. Then there is my neighbors dog... Darbie is 100# of 4 year old German Shepard. We bonded when I moved in and began giving her a couple of doggie treats every morning along with a nice bone whenever I have leftovers. Anyone other than my wife or I come onto our property and she goes off and is easily as loud as the alarm.

Lastly I have full coverage, if someone wants it bad enough to defeat all of these measures GEICO can just send me a check although in this market I would have one helluva time finding a replacement.

:C

Well, sounds like you're all set. The addition of an alligator-filled moat and roof mounted flame throwers and you've got every angle covered!

Seriously though, if I saw someone attempting to steal my motorhome, I think confronting him would be out of the question. Like you say, that's why we carry insurance, and even if I'm armed to the hilt, the thief might have different plans. Nothing I own is worth my life, nor is it worth taking the life of another, right?

OP here, As far as security for my rig I am fairly proactive. While I don't disconnect the battery I do have 6 security cameras around our house with three covering the front yard and of course the coach. These cameras have infrared for night use and any motion in range of the cameras triggers the video which is simultaneously beamed up to the Cloud. Smashing a camera only gets your face for a nice close up. Any motion detected on any of the cameras generates an immediate notification to our smart phones.

Our bedroom is about 15' from where the coach is parked and we close the gates to both driveways every evening. I do keep it locked and the alarm set. To actually steal the coach assuming you can get in silently and manage to fire it up you cannot simply back down the driveway and out the gate. Directly behind the coach the slope drops off steeply about 4'.
To get it parked you have to pull up and back walking it over and even with practice it takes about 3 tries to get it in and 3 more to get it out far enough to reach the driveway, clear of the drop off, with all 6 wheels.

We live in a very conservative small mountain town and everybody has weapons and I fit right in. Then there is my neighbors dog... Darbie is 100# of 4 year old German Shepard. We bonded when I moved in and began giving her a couple of doggie treats every morning along with a nice bone whenever I have leftovers. Anyone other than my wife or I come onto our property and she goes off and is easily as loud as the alarm.

Lastly I have full coverage, if someone wants it bad enough to defeat all of these measures GEICO can just send me a check although in this market I would have one helluva time finding a replacement.

:C

bukhrn wrote:
………..which I instantly throw in the trash as i'm not interested in buy a new car at an over inflated price.

I agree in principle. However you either sell yours at an inflated price and buy theirs at an inflated price. Or sell yours later at a reduced price and buy theirs at a reduced price. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

About every month, I get a letter from the three Ford dealers in the area, of which only one I use for service, wanting to buy my '14 Focus, or my '12 Fusion Hybrid, which I instantly throw in the trash as i'm not interested in buy a new car at an over inflated price.

I have had people come up and ask to buy my clipper when I'm home or at a gas station, etc. Or they leave a note on it asking to buy it.

I've been tempted to put a sign on it:

Not for Sale

Desert Captain wrote:
No wonder getting reservations {now a must} at just about any CG or RV park are next to impossible this summer.

Newbies have bought out all the existing inventory and now going for used. Interesting.

I'm fortunate to never have experienced difficulty finding space. Of course being able to camp on nothing but a spot of land helps. I'm in a forest CG in UT and out of 41 spaces there are 3 occupied. Mesa Verde is very slow too.

I think fire smoke is keeping them away. Visibility is maybe 3 miles, from what used to be 20.

Here is recent article on this very issue from RV travel website. The many comments and replies are interesting. In Reno area all the dealer lots are full of new RVs of all types.

Are RVs Really In Short Supply? https://www.rvtravel.com/rvs-short-supply-buyer/