Discouraging words, what a let-down - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Montanamanda · RV-Dreams Community Member

Discouraging words, what a let-down

Colorado_Kid · RV-Dreams Family Member

It sounds like your friend hates his job and is just venting.

If it was such a bad idea then why are so many people doing it? Things can go wrong but things can go wrong working at a regular job and living in a house. If you are careful and choose your RV wisely and take care of it you will be okay.

mktobob · RV-Dreams Family Member

Everyone has an opinion, and he made his very clear. That is just one persons opinion and I am sure you will get plenty here as well, and that is good. We should value all opinions and only believe the ones that seem reasonable. I think his sweeping generalizations are just that.
I have owned five campers over the years and each one needed some attention at one time or another. I have also owned six houses over the years and guess what? Yep, each of them also needed attention at one time or another. Come to think of it...many times!
Don't let this one opinion spoil your dreams. By doing research and smart shopping, you will decrease your risks.

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

He sounds like a negative person, ignore him and all others like him, pay attention to the thousands of people who actually live and enjoy the lifestyle, G

Acorn · RV-Dreams Family Member

There is a certain amount of maintenance to anything you own. We have found if we pay attention, and keep a regular schedule of maintenance, positives far outweigh the negatives in this lifestyle.

Do your research, buy the best you can afford and are comfortable with, and you'll be happy. We bought a gently used RV and saved major depreciation -- there are lots out there. Doesn't have to be "old" -- well taken care of units are just as nice as brand new.

We've never been happier!

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

It sounds like you talked to either a bitter person, or one who works for a low end dealer. RV's, like anything else are made in all different quality levels and if you buy one of low quality and live in it, you probably will have more maintenance than normal. But, if you buy even a used high quality brand, you should look forward to years of relatively trouble free service.

Choose and shop wisely

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

My 15 year old house has more things wrong with it than my 15 year old RV does.

The house just sits there and falls apart. The RV travels across rough roads, through all kinds of weather and holds together well.

Our previous trailer was 14 years old when we upgraded to our current and the only problem I can attribute to being made like crap was one of the bench seats broke down (glue and staples gave way) after 10 years of use.

Both trailers were not top of the line units, they are/were more of middle of the line units. So even inexpensive RVs do well.

Prove your friend wrong....hit the road and don't look back.

-- Edited by The Bear II on Wednesday 15th of September 2010 04:10:03 PM

blijil · RV-Dreams Family Member

Some are not well suited for Rving and the input you recieved is from one of those people. If you are expecting a maintenance free and trouble free experience then you are going to have a suprise. We love Rving but we have dealt with maintenance and less that stellar RV performance but we still love our RV. Flexibility and Risk taking must be a part of your personality to cope with those little surprises from your rig and from the world around you as you travel. Two days ago we traveled 83 miles and spent almost an hour on that short trip in two separate road maintenance stops. Frustrated but not beaten we arrived ready to enjoy our new destination.

For what it is worth.
Larry

retread · RV-Dreams Family Member

The blogs of several posters here will show all their experiences - good and bad, mostly good. Do your homework, evaluate your circumstances, plan as best you can and pursue! All of life's opportunities hold certain risks. The foolhardy plunge in without enough careful consideration. The overly cautious don't even get out the door. Most of us fall somewhere in between!

Truly - explore the blogs. You'll find several honest accounts of troubles encountered and how they handled them as well as wonderful accounts of their adventures. For us, the benefits outweighed the risks by far!

picolina · RV-Dreams Community Member

You should tell your friend that he himself needs to be fixed like every other machine! wink

Melstar · RV-Dreams Family Member

Here's my totally uneducated response.....

1. He probably would love to do that himself and for some reason feels like he can't so he would rather steal your dream.

2. He only works on cheap crappy campers....not the well-built more expensive brands which people take better care of and the factories where they are built stand behind their products.

Just sayin......

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Amanda,

I would say to ignore your friend. There are just too many people out there full-timing and part-timing for his words to have any worth. But, let me suggest something else to perhaps bouy you up.

Go to an RV park and just walk around. Look at all the rigs and talk to as many folks as you can to see if they are full-timers, snow-birds, or just campers. Ask them your questions and if they point out problems, ask them to show you what they did to fix them.

Also, these words of advice:

"Don't pay any attention to the barking dogs."

Those words are a part of a posting that I did some time back for another dreamer when he was discouraged. I'd like to claim the words as my own, but I'll let that previous post of mine speak for itself.

Quoting myself:

"Pioneers take the arrows."

Oh, wait. Supposed to be upbeat and taking arrows doesn't sound like an upbeat thing to say.

So, let me amend that.

It was courage and vision that led the pioneers to leave behind a comfortable, settled life and trek West and begin a new life in a new place. Many of those from the East that went West found a strength within themselves that they didn't see while they were in their old life. Instead of being one of those that just kind of went along with all the others in the old life, they became leaders and visionaries in their new life.

The sentiments of that last paragraph come from a favorite author, Louis L'Amour, in many of his books, so I can't really say that it is an original thought from me. However, what he said is very truthful.

Welcome to being a pioneer. Look ahead, and ignore the "barking dogs" that give you negative "vibes". Louis L'Amour also spoke of the barking dogs. In his comments, he stated that the barking dogs never stopped the wagon trains from going West.

Terry

Montanamanda · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks everyone, I think he has to just deal with the negative side and has not ever been exposed to the positive side of RV life. Maybe he has to listen to disgruntled owners too much. I won't be deterred. The idea of not going for it is scarier than the idea of going for it for me. I hope that made sense.

aussiesteve · RV-Dreams Family Member

My 50 year old body has let me down many times. Particularly now its getting older... but it beats the heck out of the alternative!!! No way. Just go for it and don't forget when we were born we were given birth certificates not guarantees.

Ooroo
aussiesteve

janieD · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just went to a panel discussion with full timers, Howard and Linda were part of it. They were the new ones on the road. One couple had been on the road 18 years and another couple for 12, another for 15. They all love it so much that none of them have any plan of quitting anytime soon. I think seeking out those that have actually done this would really help you. Howard and Linda are two but there are many other full timers that have blogs that you can read. I'd encourage you to seek those out. Good luck out there.

traveljunkie · RV-Dreams Family Member

Just spent $5K putting a new roof on our house. Does anyone discourage you from buying a house because of all the things that could go wrong and the maintenance? ... nope. Maybe they should. I can't sell my house and need to keep putting $$$ into it just to maintain it. It's worth less than what we paid. My RV also costs money to maintain and is worth less than we paid... but it enables me to be on the open road and see the world. Priceless!

earthmommy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Two things, from another wannabe fulltimer.

One: The most important thing I've learned in my three years of research into this is to ignore the nay-sayers. They often mean well (or not!) but either way they'll drag you down!

Two: When you have a list of possible models you might pick, research the heck out of each one, and read as many consumer reviews as you can, talk to folks who own or have owned one etc.

Keep going....hope to see you on the road!!

TxYellowRose · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hiya Amanda,

We started our journey in June 2010 and are enjoying the heck outta ourselves.

Did we spend sleepless nights when wrestling with the decision to do this? Yes.

Have we had repair issues (nothing major-major and covered under the warranty) on our brand-new fifth wheel since launch? Yes.

Have we found work, health insurance, the technology we want and need? Yes, with being proactive in our seeking these things.

Do I miss owning property? Nope. Owning "stuff"? Nope.

Is it a bed of roses? No. Life isn't. This is life, not vacationing. But you know what?

Life is great!

No work-related stress, we sleep much better and wake refreshed, we feel better physically overall. We are more in control of our lives. In our short time out, we have seen such beauty in this country and shared wondrous experiences together, making memories to last a lifetime.

I invite you to visit my full-timing blog .

One cannot enter this lifestyle thinking it is going to be pure fun, even if you are fortunate enough not to have to work. It is life and all its peaks, valleys and plateaus.

Do your research, make your lists, weigh your pros and cons and if you feel it is for you . . . go for it! I am a cancer survivor and I will tell you that life is short. One of the reasons we are doing this now is because we are young enough to physically do so. That being said, I know one couple who started like us in their mid 50s and are going strong 25+ years later on the road.

As another full-timer said to us on our first evening out, "Welcome to life!" I say amen to that!

Carpe diem!

-- Edited by TxYellowRose on Friday 17th of September 2010 12:42:56 AM

rjenkins · RV-Dreams Family Member

Never owning an RV, just renting them, but being an owner of a couple of S&B homes over the last 26 years, I have enough receipts from Home Depot and Lowes for these homes to cover the globe I think. So what does that tell you, that S&B's shouldn't be bought either?
Go with the recommendations from the folks here that live the life, not from one that only sees the bad things.
Good luck

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think it's all a matter of perspective. From your friends prespective of a RV repair technician who sees nothing but broken RVs all day, every day, they seem like unreliable junk. He dosen't see the millions of Rvs that aren't broken. It's like a doctor who sees nothing but sick people thinking the whole world is full of nothing but illness. In reality he just has a skewed outlook on reality. The well have no need of a doctor. It's good to speak with others like escapees and those experienced FTers on this board to get a more balanced view of life on the road.

Chip

Montanamanda · RV-Dreams Community Member

I come and read here everyday. We are not giving up. Thanks to all of you who gave me encouraging words. We feel much more confident.

azrving · RV-Dreams Family Member

Montanamanda wrote:

We have a good friend near Seattle that works at an RV repair and supply business. We were telling him all about our plans and he said DON'T DO IT!! Then he proceeded to tell us that RV's are made like crap and all the things that go wrong with them, how hard and expensive they are to fix, and really threw a monkey wrench into our dreams for the future.

Glad to hear you are not giving up on your dream! biggrin

My TT isn't a top of the line unit but I have owned it for 9 years and haven't had any major issues, in fact the tires are original and still look great.
I have replaced one battery, re-packed the wheel bearings (one time), cleaned and serviced the rooftop ac (one time), replaced 2-3 interior bulbs, and I have kept the interior/exterior clean. I might have spent $150.00 on the TT in the last 9 years! Did all of the work myself to learn the systems and save money too. I probably spend that much on my stationary house every month. Taxes and tags for the TT were $98.00 this year, sticks and bricks were $1500.00 last year.

Our camper has been used plenty! We leave it plugged into shore power 24/7 between camping trips and never a problem with any of the onboard systems. Most winters I run the heat (propane) or a ceramic heater so I don't have to drain the water. The children like to use the TT when friends come over to spend the night and we have used it as a guest house too.

We have been (camped) all over the East Coast and most of the states between AZ & SC. We are currently exploring the great Southwest & West Coast with our 4 children and three Shih Tzus (dogs). We will be attending the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October, that will be another 900 miles round trip and I am confident we will have no problems (knock on wood...lol). We will probably get another camper when we hit the road fulltime but for now we are very happy with our "made like crap" travel trailer. biggrin Good Luck and Happy Camping!

-- Edited by azrving on Friday 17th of September 2010 10:56:23 PM

NorCal Dan · RV-Dreams Family Member

I am not surprised...when we mentioned our plan to quit our jobs and go full-time RV'ing most of our friends thought we were crazy and would be back in less than a year. There were a few who seemed genuinely jealous and wished they could do the same thing, but they had plenty of excuses for why they couldn't. As we near our 3 year anniversary we couldn't be happier and see no end in sight to the freedom this lifestyle provides. Live the dream...

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

I have a good friend who is in the RV repair business who is jealous we could go full-time already and he has to work for a few more years. He says he can often pick out the full-timers because they are more easy going and happier than the weekenders.