Where do I start? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

MWilliams · RV-Dreams Community Member

Where do I start?

BiggarView · RV-Dreams Family Member

Wher do you start? I'd work up a budget first since this is all relatively new for you. Just like living anywhere else you have to match up your income to your expenses and hopefully have something left over. There are many RV budgets out there, google "RV budget". Factor in any loans into that budget if you will have any... they will be an expense. More on that later.

Any dealer worth their salt will take your car in trade, even if you are still making payments on it. They will simply subtract the remaining note balance from the value they will give you for it. If that number is a positive amount they will deduct that from the price of the new vehicle and if it's a negative amount they will add that to the price. Financing the new vehicle should not be a problem if you are credit worthy.

Generally speaking, carrying debt into this new adventure is not recommended. If you have a settlement coming from the accident, I'd consider paying down most, if not all, of the note ASAP. The ususal caveats... your milege may vary based on your particular financial situation. You really don't want a situation where somebody else has financial leverage over you where it comes to your transport or living accomdations especially if income is not reliable, steady and/or sufficient to meet all your obligations all the time.

Having a decent sized reserve fund for "surprises" is an excellent idea. If your RVing budget can handle the payments on the loan(s) for your rig and truck, so much the better, just remember to ask yourself what happens if... and there are plenty of ifs to consider. Develope your RVing budget plan accordingly. Don't forget to make sure your reserve fund for "surprises" is also a budget item and treat it like it was gold... replenishing any expenses from it should be a top priority. If you don't, you invite future headaches and worry if you run low. Peace of mind comes (in part) from not having to ask yourself if you can afford something. If you have to ask then you probably cannot afford it. That is one position I'd prefer not to be in.

FWIW, Brian

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome. "I am not in a rush to buy one. It will probably be at least 3 months so I want to make an educated decision." Three months is a pretty short period in which to educate yourself unless you are going to work full-time at it. We researched for nearly three years before we made an offer.

The type of coach you choose should be based on how you intend to use it. A fifth wheel (aka 5'er) offers a lot of space, both inside and out, but so does a Class A motor home. Travel trailers generally have less outside storage space, but are generally lighter and not as tall. Towables are generally considered to be the better choice when you will not be moving frequently. Motorhomes, though, let you have full access to your interior (bath, kitchen) even when the slides are in, and the interior is always at normal temperatures. You can leave the furnace on while traveling with all three, but only the MH lets you run the generator so the a/c can keep the interior cool while traveling. If you have pets, a MH lets you keep them in one place, whereas you have to move then from the trailer to the truck for traveling, then back again when you stop.

Travel trailers are generally closer to the ground, so there are fewer steps to deal with. A 5'er can be a full flight of stairs from outside to up to the bath.

How you will use your RV should determine what type to get. Once you get that figured out you can start researching brands. If you are going to be full-timing you will want a higher quality coach than something that is intended only for a few weekends a year. That quality comes at a price, though. Coaches intended for full-time use are generally heavier and more expensive when new. That's because they use higher quality materials.

You mentioned a price. That number is a bit low, but doable. It will require you to accept a somewhat older RV and truck (if you go with a towable), but that isn't all bad. Very few people get the perfect coach first. Most of us come close the first time, get closer the second, and get it right by the third or fourth - and that's if your needs don't change. Be sure to allow money for needed repairs and upgrades. Tires should be no older than seven years. If the tires are old the price should reflect that, as it will if they are new. Same for batteries. There are lots of checklists available to help you evaluate a particular coach.

Once you get to the point where you are looking at specific brands you should join the owners forums for those brands you are considering. Ask lots of questions. Owners will tell you which years to avoid, where specific problems are, and how that brand will fit your needs.

You have a lot of research to do, but many of us have already done it, so ask your questions. Talk to as many RV'ers as you can and get their stories. Then put what you learned up against your own plans. You will soon learn where you are on the right track and where you are way off. At first every answered question will raise several more unanswered ones, but eventually you will figure out what's right for you.

MWilliams · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks guys. Basically my plan if I go the RV route is to stay in one place for 4-6 weeks at a time. I know you can get better deals as far as a site goes if you stay longer than a week or so. I'm not a materialistic person, everything I have is in my car. My sister has a few boxes with her but it's nothing major. I already have one revenue stream of about $1,000 a month as it is. Once the settlement comes in, I will budget accordingly.

www.campingworldofcoloradosprings.com/searchresults

Why would this be only $32,000? That seems pretty low for a motor home.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

No, it isn't - for what you are getting. I'm asking $37,000 for my 1993. What's the difference? Mine is a diesel pusher, while that one is a gas powered one. Mine is built on a chassis designed to be a motor home, that one is a medium-duty truck chassis, meaning that you can take the motor home body off and put a truck body on. Mine can take about 2500 pounds of people and stuff and still tow 6000 pounds, and that's with full fuel, water, and propane. Some low-end motor homes are pretty close to gross weight with full fuel and a driver aboard.

As for pricing, yes, you can get decent rates for longer stays - at some parks. Many State and Federal campgrounds have a two-week limit. We're in a city park right now that doesn't have time limits, but they don't offer any discounts during the summer months. We checked out some commercial parks in Corpus Christi earlier this year that do offer some decent monthly rates. The catches are that you have to sign up for five months at a time and you pay your own electricity. Since, to my way of thinking, the whole purpose of full-timing is to see the country, I'm not too likely to go to any of those parks.

From what you are saying, I'd suggest that you look only at towables. We're switching to a towable because our needs have changed and we're going to be in one place for longer periods of time than we had originally planned. (This is what I meant earlier about buying used. Our needs changed, and so the right coach has changed.) Now your choice is a travel trailer or a fifth wheel. For travel trailers I'd look at Airstreams and Arctic Foxes. For 5'ers I'd look at Arctic Fox, DRV, Heartland (Landmark, Bighorn, Big Country lines only), New Horizons, and Open Range. DRV and New Horizons are higher level coaches than the other brands, and will be heavier. I'd suggest at least an F450-class truck for those. The others can probably get by with F350-class dually.

MWilliams · RV-Dreams Community Member

Wow, great advice. Never even thought that I might be close to weight with fuel and driver. I'll keep that in mind.

I know all about the 2 week limit haha. I've gone camping for years and it's the same. I backpacked the AT from Springer to Clingman's Dome and when we got to the Smokies, we had to document where we would be on which days. Very annoying!

Honestly, I am not worried about the finances after I get an RV/Truck. I am single and have a dog. That's it. No kids to worry about or anything like that. I'm 40 and that could change but it's really not a concern. I'm just basically trying to figure out the best bang for my buck. Right now it's 50/50 I even get an RV. I'm just done with the whole renting an apartment thing. One bedroom apartments where I was living were going for $1,300. That is insane. You can get a mortgage cheaper than that.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Matthew,

First of all, welcome to the forums. You will find lots of friendly folks here that can help you with decisions.

As for starting new threads, it is better to start new ones than to make a comment on an old one. If one comments on an old thread, succeeding readers may think that all the information in the earlier posts is still valid and up-to-date, when they actually may not be. So, feel free to start new threads with your questions.

With regards to full time RV'ing, the wife and I feel that it is better if we spend a longer period of time in each area where we go. For instance, after we retired from our jobs in Oklahoma in 2014, we moved ourselves to the Colorado Springs area. We went there because the wife had two sisters living in that area. We were in that same area for about 20 months before moving up here to Oregon. We will be in Oregon for at least 1 year, perhaps longer.

What that does for us is two-fold. It gives us time to see more attractions in that area before moving on, and it cuts down on the expense of fuel because we have a second vehicle in which we do our running around and seeing the sights.

Good luck with your research and planning. Like David, we spent a much longer period of time researching. We looked for 2 years before making our purchases.

Terry