RV's . give me the good and bad of owning one

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Dec 18, 2012
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Washington for now
buddy of mine inherited a RV from his folks after they passed . he brought it up from SoCal where its been all its life. its a 99 with only 20k on it. for whatever reason this is the only RV i have ever really had time to look and feel since i have been helping him do some maintainance stuff to it.

it a lot roomier than i thought it would be. has most of the stuff needed to live while camping. now i got the itch to buy one. So you guys with Rv experience , please educate me on the pros and cons of owning one. beat some sense into me if its a foolish endeavor

here is one for sale just like my friend has

https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/rvd/d/tacoma-great-deal-sold-coachman/7062531497.html
 
Funny, the RV show is going on right now at one of our local MALLS.

I don't own one but the little that I do know(from friends) is this:

While driving, they fuel economy is horrendous. And some could be underpowered depending on how much extra you're tugging around

While sleeping and it's raining, they're loud inside

Maintenance is like any other vehicle and may require more to avoid breakdowns while traveling from one place to another and to keep your vehicle looking good(not like Cousin Eddie's from Christmas Vacation)
laugh.gif

It's much like owning a home. You need to do maintenance. Not only on the vehicle but for the home use(kitchen, bathroom etc). Things like propane, water line coolant during storage are just some extras to consider.

And while they're being stored(like on the side of your house), will neighbors complain?
Will the brakes seize up while sitting for months at a time?
 
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I want one eventually. Seems to me like the ideal way to see the country. Especially with a young family.

I think I'd be more inclined to get a pull-behind style.
 
Also, if you buy an RV, you'll need to have another smaller vehicle with you to either pull-behind for just get a pick-up truck and a pull-behind camper. Either way, you'll need a vehicle with you otherwise you will have to take your RV to anywhere else you may need to go off of the campsite, such as the local stores and runnin'round for extra food & gear you may have forgotten or for whatever!...did I say that right?
 
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good? holidays without queueing at airports

bad? size, weight, cost, performance, fuel usage, having to spend long stretches of time inside a big van, lack of peace or quiet,
 
I'd head to the mountains several times a year if I had one.

Getting married in a couple of months. I like regular tent camping but the fiancee has never even been. She's up for trying it, though.

I'll probably take her tent camping down to Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia, near Chattanooga, this spring.

But, eventually, yeah, I can see us getting an RV. Smaller one. My Tacoma is only rated to tow 6500 lbs. Be slow going in the mountains.
 
There are lots of forums on Rv information that will give accurate information on the model you are interested in by people that own one. I am on my second 5th wheel and it's what works for me. I like having the truck to use after set up, and use it the rest of the time as our second vehicle (we have a fuel efficient car for non Rv trips) I like to have my own bathroom, kitchen with our food and water, and ability to move anytime and anywhere. We boondocks a lot, which is camping without hookups and enjoy the quiet spots we camp in. It is best IMHO to buy used unit that you can easily afford, RVs depreciation is like any vehicle, high first few years, then levels off.
 
Every RV roof leaks or will leak soon. Being anal about looking for cracks in the sealant around the vents, joints, edges, etc. is pretty much mandatory. They really aren't put together well and you just have to constantly be looking for things coming loose. I've had quite a few and love camping but they take a bit of work.
 
We had three different travel trailers over a twenty year span. The first two were bought used, the last one new. They got bigger each time to accommodate our growing family. We have some good memories of past camping trips.

Sold our last travel trailer and the truck to tow it 12 years ago, and don't miss camping at all. Now we rent cabins or condos with kitchens, and find the cost is about the same, but without the maintenance, repairs and insurance of RV ownership. We travel much further now too, as we don't have to take RV gas mileage into account.
 
Originally Posted by Char Baby
Funny, the RV show is going on right now at one of our local MALLS.

I don't own one but the little that I do know(from friends) is this:

While driving, they fuel economy is horrendous. And some could be underpowered depending on how much extra you're tugging around

While sleeping and it's raining, they're loud inside

Maintenance is like any other vehicle and may require more to avoid breakdowns while traveling from one place to another and to keep your vehicle looking good(not like Cousin Eddie's from Christmas Vacation)
laugh.gif

It's much like owning a home. You need to do maintenance. Not only on the vehicle but for the home use(kitchen, bathroom etc). Things like propane, water line coolant during storage are just some extras to consider.

And while they're being stored(like on the side of your house), will neighbors complain?
Will the brakes seize up while sitting for months at a time?


yeah i asked my friend how much gas he used coming up from orange county to the Seattle area . he said it cost him about $500 in gas. seeing its about 1200 miles and gas is about $3 a gallon my calc is he got about 7-9 miles a gallon.

parking is an issue as i don't have anywhere to park it . could park it at a storage place . been looking at some about 30 miles away and its about $125 a month to park it there.

leaking is also a concern. we get lots of rain in my area and unless its covered its definately gonna be bad if it leaks.

More i think about it , the more i think i should get this out of my head . LOL
 
You will invite your friends along to enjoy it (at an auto race or other gathering) . But you'll do all the work and shoulder all the expense. That will suck the life right out of your soul....
 
Unless you are independently wealthy and have a high tolerance (patience) for dealing with problems, stay away from motorhomes. Economically, the way to go is with a 5th wheel and pickup. In addition to having something to drive when you get where you are going, the pickup can be used as primary daily transportation when you aren't camping/traveling and can be easily replaced when it becomes old and/or unreliable. Also, a pickup will be cheaper and easier to get mechanically repaired. Available horsepower/torque choices on the pickup are only limited by your pocketbook. You can also choose a pickup with 4WD, a big advantage in many areas of the country (no motorhomes are available with 4WD). Pick a trailer light enough that it can be pulled with a 3/4 ton so you don't have to deal with dual rear wheels, and choose a long bed pickup so you don't have to deal with a sliding hitch. Buy a removable hitch so you can use the pickup as a pickup.
If you MUST have a motorhome you should be aware that MANY privately owned campgrounds don't allow class C's (or class B's) and restrict class A's to newer/nicer models.
 
Bad.. everything .. good.. also everything. It's a house that goes 70mph and subjected to all the stresses that goes along with it. Things break, roofs can leak.. And even though most isn't driven much you still need to maintain the driveline. Which is more difficult and costly. NOW if you can get passed that a RV is awesome thing to have. We've woke up next to several oceans, mountains and several other locations that can be described as WOW. Nothing beats taking the RV to events. Saved alot of money being able to go back out and eat lunch.. and can't forget a good nap. It's hard to go to state fairs without it.

I grew up around Class C's and now have one and like I said it's work. But once you get around that there's alot of good memories to be made. Ours is going to Florida for two weeks this year and a month trip to Alaska next year.
 
Originally Posted by Eric Smith
Bad.. everything .. good.. also everything. It's a house that goes 70mph and subjected to all the stresses that goes along with it. Things break, roofs can leak.. And even though most isn't driven much you still need to maintain the driveline. Which is more difficult and costly. NOW if you can get passed that a RV is awesome thing to have. We've woke up next to several oceans, mountains and several other locations that can be described as WOW. Nothing beats taking the RV to events. Saved alot of money being able to go back out and eat lunch.. and can't forget a good nap. It's hard to go to state fairs without it.

I grew up around Class C's and now have one and like I said it's work. But once you get around that there's alot of good memories to be made. Ours is going to Florida for two weeks this year and a month trip to Alaska next year.



This.

If you are at a campground, walmart parking lot, car show, or traveling the country you have a nice dry place to sleep. RVs are great because the weather is not as big of a factor like it is with tent camping or even trailers (you have to unhook it, etc). You can bring everything you need with you everywhere you go. The downside is you have to use it often enough for owning one to be worthwhile. My grandparents have owned several RVs of varying sizes. At 79 and 80 years old they no longer own them due to driving for long periods of time being too difficult. They used to take them all over the east coast and to Florida in the winters. My grandfather always says the most expensive part of owning an RV is storing it, because that is when things break down, seize up, mice find their way into things, etc. Like any other vehicle the worst thing for it is to sit around.
 
An RV is much like a boat or a pool or a hot tub.
It is a fantastic thing for your neighbor to own.

And I have always found it odd that people mention staying in a Walmart parking lot. I get it that it can be done at no cost, but you get hammered in costs on everything else about owning one.
And you are still in a Walmart parking lot, which may or may not be the safest place in the world but it is surely not the most picturesque....
 
Imp4 said:
An RV is much like a boat or a pool or a hot tub.
It is a fantastic thing for your neighbor to own.

Yeah, and I have the others - she wants an RV and a Rubicon
I'm wanting to do the opposite and get rid of some things
 
Originally Posted by Imp4
An RV is much like a boat or a pool or a hot tub.
It is a fantastic thing for your neighbor to own.

And I have always found it odd that people mention staying in a Walmart parking lot. I get it that it can be done at no cost, but you get hammered in costs on everything else about owning one.
And you are still in a Walmart parking lot, which may or may not be the safest place in the world but it is surely not the most picturesque....


I don't think anyone actually looks forward to using one at WalMart, but rather the idea that they could stop at one and basically have everything they need while en-route to their vacationing destination. I know my grandparents would stop in beach parking lots while they were making their trips to the Florida keys and would pull out some chairs and nap for awhile. The ability to do this has advantages over just driving a car and having to stay in hotels or set up a tent.
 
Yeah, aunt and uncle used a big motor coach to not just vacation but instead of a hotel when they attended weddings, funerals, family reunions etc … Sometimes that meant a Walmart parking lot … (towed a Jeep)
 
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