Hubby and I have been discussing retirement a lot lately. It’s amazing what a health crisis makes you think about. Anyway, we have about 10 years before we retire and we were talking about possibly purchasing an RV so we can take road trips and visit the continental US on our own schedule- go where we want to go and when we want to go and stay as long or little as we’d like.
This would not be a primary home, just a temporary home on wheels, where we can use our retirement home as a base.
This sounds simple to me, but H needs to think about everything (over and over again) until he is ready to make a decision. So I thought I’d get him thinking now, because it may take 10 years for him to agree to something… I’m a little more ummm “impulsive” (according to him) although I tend to create spreadsheets and do a cost analysis, do LOTS of research, etc.
I’m hoping there are some RVers on this site who can offer advice- things to think about, look into, etc. Also ideas about the ‘retirement’ home…We are planning on downsizing and moving to North Carolina (maybe, still in discussion) but not sure if we should purchase or rent.
About 20 years ago DH and I had fantasies of renting an RV and doing the national parks with the kids. Sadly, it never happened, but I’m eager to hear if anyone else has experience with this. It’s still kind of on the list.
I think about it from time to time. What stops me is the problem of driving a huge vehicle on mountain roads and the cost. I haven’t penciled out how many nights in hotels I could stay for a cost of an RV. At the more popular parks, aren’t you still going to need reservations for a camping spot?
I might go for one of the smaller ones as long as it had a shower and a toilet.
Rent a few first. It will help you understand what you want and don’t want. We have rented 3 (from about 26 feet to 34 feet) and ultimately decided that we want a small trailer instead. Possibly a T@B with the clamshell kitchen outside. I discovered that I hated cooking inside that small space, but did not mind cooking outside.
We are getting ready to sell our much-used tent trailer now that our kids are more or less gone. We thought about replacing it with an RV but have taken that option off of the table. The cost to operate an RV is so high with gas prices, and traveling is just not flexible enough for us. We like doing spur of the moment jaunts down little roads where an RV would be difficult to drive and I don’t like the idea of hauling a car behind the RV. For the initial purchase price, maintenance costs and gas costs to operate one, we could pay for a LOT of hotel rooms. We do enjoy staying in campgrounds but would be very happy with a very small trailer and a car ( my husband would be just as happy in a tent but I am over sleeping on the ground). We figure we could rent an RV if we ever want a little more luxury. Our neighbor has been trying to sell his RV for more than a year with no luck, so I would look into resale values before purchasing. I’m probably the wrong person to comment- I’m too practical to spend that much on something that I’d feel guilty about not using on every single vacation.
We have a tiny little trailer with an A/C unit and queen sized bed. It is only 4ft high inside, and is as cute as a button and very comfy. But when DH and I get 7 years older, we will trade up to something w/ a bathroom and water. Say a 17" egg camper, or casita/
This is a running joke that my husband and I have. There’s no way we would ever do it. Too hard to drive. Where do you park if you want to stop at a fast food restaurant for lunch? It’s too restrictive in where you can go. We enjoy cities. That’s not gonna work.
Then there’s the expense as mentioned upthread. But keep in mind the expense of storing it when not in use also.
I vote for using that money to drive a car, stay at hotels, and eat in restaurants. I think you would still come out ahead.
We have a hybrid trailer - tent beds that fold down from the ends and side and a real trailer box in the middle with kitchen, sofa, dining table, and bathroom. It’s our roaming hotel room. We get the breezes from the screens on the beds and an outdoor grill, and the comforts of AC, indoor stove and oven, espresso machine, good size fridge with separate freezer. We don’t go to rustic spots, mostly state park camp grounds. You would be surprised as to how many are near towns and cities.
In retirement we’d like to have a smaller fifth wheel and travel around the U.S.
We were out this past weekend and talked about all the different brands of trailers/RVs/5th wheels, but only a few manufacturers. And so many styles are regional! What we see on the WC are different from what’s in the MW and EC.
Used can be a good way to go. Often people get out a few times a year and the. Get tired of traveling after a short time. Go to some RV shows and wander through everything.
Something to consider is where you will store it. The place where we keep ours charges $135/month. Lots of HOAs won’t allow them in your driveway or side yard. We just bought a vacation/retirement home and one of the considerations was the space for the RV - we’ll be saving a few dollars by not paying for storage.
ahh…the benefit of our little clown trailer is that it fits in the garage! (But don’t talk to me about having to get up in the middle of the night to pee… then I would prefer a standy trailer!)
I really want an RV. We travel at LEAST two weekends a month these days for dog shows, and I’d do more if not for hotel costs. The hotel costs are brutal and shows are often in the middle of nowhere with slim pickings, and needing to be dog friendly is an added complication. A good, used RV would be a wonderful luxury, and lots of dog show people use them. I’d need one with a shower and toilet since we aren’t typically staying at campgrounds with bathroom facilities. The cost of fuel, insurance, and upkeep really concerns me, especially the upkeep since we would have to buy something very used to afford the purchase price. We shall see. Maybe in 5 years if we are still traveling like this. But hotels every month stings. I hate paying for it.
Where to keep it is also a problem. We don’t have room for much in the garage, and I don’t want to be THOSE neighbors who keep it in the driveway year round, what an eyesore. The city forbids them being kept in the backyard. No clue what I’d do with it. The cost of insurance, fuel, upkeep, and storage could easily exceed my hotel costs, I think-- which I think goes double for people who only use their RVs for occasional vacations. Lots to consider.
We have an old Coachmen class C we use a couple times each year. It has been across the country four times, last summer from Seattle suburbs through Glacier NP, up to Banff, through the Kootenays, North Cascades and back home. It has an air-conditioning/heater in the roof, a generator, 3-burner propane stove with an oven, microwave, refrigerator, shower, queen bed, the list goes on.
One thing about having a big motor home is you either need a tow vehicle or you don’t go anywhere except the campsite. Ours can go over the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier (21 foot limit). At 10-12 mpg, gas is a consideration but not too punitive. It fits in pullouts and has been down many dirt roads. It fits in regular parking lots.
If you are like us, just want a place closer to nature but with your own toilet and a dry place when its raining, it is a great way to travel. Avoid the RV-envy trap when you see the class As with satellite tv and internet, pop out bedrooms, the rolling condo.
New ones similar to ours are about $60k. Well-loved but working ones can be had for about $10k.
60k divided by the cost of a room at a national park lodge, say $200 per night = 300 nights. It’s those type of calculations that make an RV seem not to be a frugal choice. Of course, I haven’t calculated resale value.
I had thought I’d wanted an RV – to rent or purchase but H vetoed. He said his “roughing it” days are long behind him. Nowadays, he considers “roughing it” if we stay in a 3* hotel/motel/inn. Neither of us thinks cooking is a fun part of a vacation for us.
it’s expensive to rent an RV, I research for the price and it’s around $300 a day, a while back. I think for that price I can stay at a reasonable hotel.
Yes, while renting an RV is expensive, buying one and then deciding you don’t want it and having to figure out what to do to get rid of it is much more expensive in time, storage and money. I would definitely rent before I purchased, just sto minimize buyer’s remorse. It’s moot in our home as H does NOT want one and is adamant on his position.
I’m a little more ummm “impulsive” (according to him) although I tend to create spreadsheets and do a cost analysis, do LOTS of research, etc.