Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

[dmonta]

Hi everyone, I'm a 44 year old married man, my wife and I recently started to wonder what we will do when we retire, I look at our parents and may other retires and realize most of them retired and move to a warmer climate "Big deal", ever since I can remember I have always called retirement "The BIG Vacation" and just moving to a warmer climate doesn’t work for me especially since I live in hells kitchen "Houston" LOL
well we had this thought "Since we are very adventures people to begin with" how nice would it be to live in a Class A RV and move when and where we want, when ever we want "What a concept" well after looking at may different RV's we decide to go ahead and rent an RV with the floor plan we like most, this will happen early next year.

Well after months of research we are so excited about the thought of seeing the country like this that we decided if we still feel the same after our trip next year, we will save and buy one in 5 years "And continue to take a once a year trip until then", but this is still about 12 years before I plan on retiring, because of the price of these RV's I really don’t want to buy more then one "Unless you convince me of other wise" how long can I realistically expect this RV to last and be a reliable place to live?

Thank you in advance for your feed back

Dennis

 

[hertig]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Renting to try is a very good idea; it will help you see how you adapt to the lifestyle.

When it comes to buying one, make sure that it is rated for full time use. Some companies even void the warrenty if you spend more than 'x' months per year in it...

A good quality unit, well maintained and gently treated, will probably be a 'reliable' place to live for quite some time. However, it may not be a reliable vehicle for as long. I've heard that gasoline powered rigs can start to have engine/transmission problems after 50K miles or so.

The real problem is that the value plummets like most vehicles, so replacing it later can be a challange.

You will probably want to tow a small vehicle behind it so you can go places once you reach a destination. Another option to look at is a trailer. It may be a bit more trouble to drive, and more of a hassle to set up/tear down, but the house part and the vehicle part can be bought/replaced separately and often more economically, and once you reach a destination, you can leave the trailer and drive around without having that second vehicle to maintain and insure.

 

[Kirk]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

The best place to start is by joining the ([urlwww.rv.org][/url]) RV Consumer Group. They rate RVs and they educate buyers on how to rate one and check it out. They will also help you to know how to deal for one. Membership is not free, but it could save you thousands.

 

[DL Rupper]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

You are better off renting every year until you are ready to buy. The value of RV's decrease so fast you won't get your full value out of your RV by using it once a year.
Should you decide to buy now, you are better off with a diesel pusher as it will last longer. However, if you are really serious about full timing, you should consider a 5th Wheel as they are more comfortable than a Class A and have less wasted space.

 

[DL Rupper]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Going to be fulltiming again soon, so if you miss my clever little tid bits I'll be out learning new sage bits of advice. Happy Camping.

 

[Poppa]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Well the bride and I sold our home in South Louisiana and bought a small neat little house up in the mountains. From there we will use it as home base for our travels.

Hells kitchen is right, Tennessee has no hurricanes, torrential summer thunder showers and it breaks 90 in the area we bought about 25 times a year and the humidity is a blustering 65%.

Anyway just food for thought. By the way property is relatively cheap there,

 

[Alarmguy]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

I have been fulltiming for 14 months now in a 40' diesel pusher. We find it more plenty roomy and comfortable. There advantages to both motorhomes and 5th wheels, it is a personal preference as to which you choose.

I chose the motorhome as I like having access to the facilities while on the road. I also like having a smaller vehicle to run around and do sight seeing. With a 5th wheel you will (depending on the size) have more room and the initial cost is less than the better large RVs however you also have to have a fairly heavy duty truck to tow the 5th wheel with, again depending on the size of the trailer, and can spend almost as much on the truck as you did for the trailer or more if you are a truck driver at heart and want one of the big Freightliner tow vehicles or a custom 5th wheel tow truck.

If you feel that you need a lot of "stuff" while on the road, then get a 5th. wheel as they generally have more storage than a motorhome and depending on how many slides the trailer has can be huge inside.

Like I said, it is a personal preference thing, I know motorhome drivers who wouldn't even think of getting a trailer and I also know 5th. wheel owners who want no part of a motorhome. Look at both and decide for yourself is the best advice I can give you.

 

[plantman]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Looking to buy a diesel pusher and move into it full time but first want to rent one for a week or so to see we can get use to the smaller confines.Dont need to drive it.Are there any dealers in the southern US that would rent us one I find plenty of class c rentals but no dealer renting diesel coaches

 

[plantman]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Looking to buy a diesel pusher and move into it full time but first want to rent one for a week or so to see we can get use to the smaller confines.Dont need to drive it.Are there any dealers in the southern US that would rent us one I find plenty of class c rentals but no dealer renting diesel coaches

 

[plantman]

Wantabe Full Timer RV'r

Looking to buy a diesel pusher and move into it full time but first want to rent one for a week or so to see we can get use to the smaller confines.Dont need to drive it.Are there any dealers in the southern US that would rent us one I find plenty of class c rentals but no dealer renting diesel coaches