REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? - Page 3

madeit! · 09-07-2006, 07:37 AM

I am one month into retirement and spent the entire month traveling in my new truck camper. Many USFS and USNP campgrounds range from $ 0 to 5 or 8 per night with the Golden Eagle card. State and Canadian Provencial parks are more expensive - around $20 or so. I plan to do this every other month or so. Fall trip to new england, Winter trip to Key West and next spring a three or four month trip to Alaska, Canada and points west. The RV is more comfortable than a hotel, you can take your hobbies, the internet etc with you. With a truck camper, you can go anywhere and "camp" anywhere you can park a car. My wife is a gourmet cook so we save money by almost never eating out. She can cook anything in our galley that you could at home. The concept is basically, "The house is small, but the backyard is infinite..." You want waterfront living? Mountain top living? Whatever, you got it. Don't like the nieghbors? Just start up and move. Cost of fuel be damned, it is a great lifestyle.

Billy · 09-07-2006, 09:30 AM

Quote:

My wife is a gourmet cook so we save money by almost never eating out.* She can cook anything in our galley that you could at home.* The concept is basically, "The house is small, but the backyard is infinite..."* You want waterfront living?* Mountain top living? Whatever, you got it.* Don't like the nieghbors?* Just start up and move.* Cost of fuel be damned, it is a great lifestyle.

Our sentiments exactly. Couldn’t have said it better. It’s a great way to travel, cost efficient, no property taxes, and the best of both worlds. You have stability and movement at the same time!*

Sigh…

We kinda miss it…
8)
Good for you!

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement

dex · 09-07-2006, 10:14 AM

This is only my 2nd month full timing and gasoline costs are the major cost in the budget so far.

Last month $675; this month $875. I'm in California now and the per gallon cost the highest I've encountered so far. I've been moving around a lot and I expect to stay longer in one place in the future.

The $875 got me about 3,800 miles of travel at 14.5 mpg while towing and 20.0 when not towing.

I'm pretty happy with those mpg figures considering others get.

I eat out less than once per week - it isn't the money issue it is the weight issue. Although I'm pretty active while traveling it is very easy to put on weight. So I make sure I eat low fat meals and don't eat for the wrong reasons.

My guess is that the RV lifestyle cost is equal to a fixed home cost - the money is just spent in different areas.

Billy · 09-07-2006, 10:46 AM

Quote:

This is only my 2nd month full timing and gasoline costs are the major cost in the budget so far.

When we were full timing, we consciously managed our motion on the road.

We didn't travel on weekends or holidays (traffic!! and waiting in traffic! = using more gas and causing more stress*

) Coming into campgrounds on weekends gave us a smaller selection of sites.

Instead, we traveled pretty much from Monday thru Thursday, planning on where we wanted to be for the weekend.

We also chose to drive less than 250 miles on any one day if possible - and usually much less. We avoided rush hour traffic (another huge stress creator) and so we drove from the morning and planning to arrive at our destination at about 1-2pm. This gave us the pick of the sites, and more time to use the amenities.

Also, we didn't have to set up in the dark (more stress) or back into our site in the dark or find the whatchamacallit in the dark....

And, of course, we tracked our expenses and knew the miles we were driving, etc...

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

audreyh1 · 09-07-2006, 12:07 PM

After over a year now of fulltiming, I would say our monthly costs on average dropped around 20 to 25%. This is mainly due to the fact that we don't also have the expenses of a house, and we don't have separate "travel expenses" anymore. This is a really, really cheap way to travel - if you have the time to enjoy it.

Now - our house was paid for. And our RV is paid for. If you put any kind of amortization/depreciation into the picture - any financial benefit is blown out of the water.

We know people who once they owned their RV, are able to enjoy the fulltime lifestyle with amazingly low expenses. It doesn't take much to enjoy the "luxury" version of RV living either, if you are so inclined.

Yes, fuel can be expensive. But we found that if we wandered about at a nice easy (comfortable, relaxed) pace, our RV fuel expenses ran more like $200 a month, which really is no big deal for us. $200 will move us 625 miles at $3 per gallon diesel. We spend way more than that on eating out or groceries. And we usually spend at least $150 per month on car fuel.

Audrey

Billy · 09-08-2006, 12:08 PM

Audryh1

Quote:

Now - our house was paid for. And our RV is paid for. If you put any kind of amortization/depreciation into the picture - any financial benefit is blown out of the water.

Smart approach, IMO. Why go into retirement with a mortgage of any kind? It is a removable burden and by removing it, your option horizon is expanded.

Akaisha
Author, The Adventurer's Guide to Early Retirement

SteveR · 09-08-2006, 01:22 PM

Ok you RVers.* Here is a question for you.*

We have pretty much researched ourselves to a razor's edge and have concluded that for your wants and needs and budget (post cabin sale) a Bigfoot 40MHTSL is what we want.* We found a 2005 model that is new and is priced reduced to about 75% of MSRP.* I know we are paying a premium for the luxury additions to the rig but for us it is worth it as we plan to snowbird for several months at a time so it will be "home" for us and we don't mind being a bit spoiled.*

The question is:* is 25% or MRSP on a new Bigfoot that is now almost 2 years old a good deal or is there "room" to lower the price by X percent?

For the thrifty group on the board....I know...I know.* But DW has some must requirements and so do I and a Class A is not one of them but the relative level of creature comforts is.* The rig is in the upper range of our budget but knocking off a few more % would be nice....just where to put that stake in the ground and either take the deal or walk away is the hard part.* To complicate matters the rig is in Canada.*

Constructive comments from the RV experts would be greatly appreciated.* *

edited to fix percent MSRP typo.

Texas Proud · 09-08-2006, 01:30 PM

Steve....

Just a question on your math... just to make sure.. you say they are selling AT 25% of MSRP... so if MSRP was $100,000 then you are paying $25,000... is this right??

And my thought on the price (which by the way I have no idea what it would be)... everything is compared to something else you can buy.. so if the price is good compared to the other RVs you have looked at.. then it is a good price no matter what the MSRP says... if you do not see the value... then it is too high..

SteveR · 09-08-2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud

Steve....

Just a question on your math... just to make sure.. you say they are selling AT 25% of MSRP... so if MSRP was $100,000 then you are paying $25,000... is this right??

And my thought on the price (which by the way I have no idea what it would be)... everything is compared to something else you can buy..* so if the price is good compared to the other RVs you have looked at.. then it is a good price no matter what the MSRP says...* if you do not see the value... then it is too high..

I did it backwards...it is 75% of MSRP. Thanks for catching this.

Rich_in_Tampa · 09-08-2006, 01:57 PM

Steve,

From my recent research, paying 85% of MSRP for a new current model year rig is a fair deal. 80% probably good for a new prior model year (e.g. buying a 2006 now as the 2007s are appearing -- what I did). For a 2 year old new model, 75% sounds like a good deal.

The only real downside is that you take a hit on resale because of model year. Drive it til it dies and you will have done as well as you can expect.

audreyh1 · 09-08-2006, 02:36 PM

From my experience with class A motorhomes, 25% off MSRP is a good deal for a NEW model. 2 years old - I think I'd expect more of a discount than that. It's hard to know for sure without doing a lot more research.

Is the unit out of warranty?

Audrey

**Martha** · 09-08-2006, 08:21 PM

Steve, is a dealer selling the vehicle?* Is the vehicle new or previously titled in another person's name?* We looked at buying a motorcycle in Canada a few years ago (favorable exchange rate at the time) and could not buy new.* I don't know if that is still true.* Here is one website that talks about it but I don't vouch for any accuracy of the site:* http://www.canadatotwincities.com/buy_car.html

Price?* I don't know.* But I do know that Bigfoot is considered an upscale Class C brand.

SteveR · 09-08-2006, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1

Is the unit out of warranty?

Audrey

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha

Steve, is a dealer selling the vehicle?

Don't know about the warranty but there is a limited one that goes 5 years on the struture. I will have to ask on this one. Thanks for the pointer.

The unit is new; never titled and is being sold as new by a dealer. It has been on his lot a while so I would guess they would want to get some of the carrying charges back and may not want to deal.

We will see where this goes.

Thanks for the feedback.

**Martha** · 09-08-2006, 08:40 PM

Steve, here is a Customs website that has a document link to importing vehicles:

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/cl...utomobiles.xml

audreyh1 · 09-09-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR

The unit is new; never titled and is being sold as new by a dealer.* It has been on his lot a while so I would guess they would want to get some of the carrying charges back and may not want to deal.*

We will see where this goes.*

Thanks for the feedback.

Well in that case, 75% would a reasonable top price I would expect to pay and the unit should still be under any warranty - warranty extends from the day of sale not the day a unit is built (from everything I understand).

However, under these circumstances I've seen deals closer 30% or so off. So I suggest you deal hard. If it's been on their lot that long, they like to see it leave and make room for new inventory.

You can always make an offer.

If you want to do some more work (I would) see if you can track down prices. Blue book does have some information on RV retail prices. Searching the internet is a good way to find other dealers offering similar units and can give the most leverage when negotiating with a dealer.

Dealers are ALWAYS interested in dealing. Worst case - you make an offer and they say no. Or they might counter offer with a better discount and/or try to sweeten the pot in other ways.

Audrey

Texas Proud · 09-09-2006, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR

Don't know about the warranty but there is a limited one that goes 5 years on the struture. I will have to ask on this one. Thanks for the pointer.

The unit is new; never titled and is being sold as new by a dealer. It has been on his lot a while so I would guess they would want to get some of the carrying charges back and may not want to deal.

We will see where this goes.

Thanks for the feedback.

The carrying cost is THEIR sunk costs... it should not come into the negotiation at all... if NOBODY has wanted this RV in two years.. then it is dead weight to them.... make a low low offer if you intend on buying... look up what a used one would go for that has some miles.. offer THAT... do not be concerned if they are making money or not.. they have a cash sucker on their lot and wnat to make it YOUR cash sucker... treat it as such..

Dont' get swayed by the salesmen... they can read you like a book... they know how to manipulate your 'wants'.. be firm with what you are willing to pay.. and then move on..

Again, like my previous post... you must compare the price to whatever else you can buy that meet your needs.. if the price is $20K below what you could get anything else that is even close.. then it is a good deal.. if you are paying $5K over something else that is close, but not the same.. you are paying too much.. it does not matter what the MSRP shows.. that is a number on a piece of paper to get you to think it is a starting point..

Look at the SUVs etc.. they are giving $5K off at various places.. and still making money... so what were those people paying so much more a few years back

more profit..

SteveR · 09-09-2006, 12:30 PM

Martha,
Thanks for the links. I sent the dealer an email asking a lot of questions about title, US EPA and safety ratings. I appreciate your efforts in getting me those links. If it is a Canadian only unit I have no interest in it because of the potential costs and problems trying to get it up to US standards.

Audrey,

Thanks for the input. I have done a lot of internet searching and this particular unit is rare and there is only one other one for sale (also in Canada). NADA has no information on this rig so that is not much help. RVConsumer also has no information on it. I am still searching and hope to find some more pricing information but so far there is nothing.

Texas Proud,

Thanks as always for your straight from the shoulder comments. If this rig pans out to be a US made one or where they will certify it will meet US standards I plan on offering them a low ball offer; after all I will have to travel 3000 miles to even see it and then drive it back so that is a big expense for me. I am also looking at long range hauling but so far no luck with anybody able to move from Canada to the US with a rig this size.

MJ · 09-09-2006, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveR

I am also looking at long range hauling but so far no luck with anybody able to move from Canada to the US with a rig this size.

Hey Steve, if you buy it maybe i'll move it for you. Of course, I might take 1 year to get to you but I won't charge you for the gas.

09-07-2006, 07:37 AM	#41
madeit! Dryer sheet aficionado Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 34	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? I am one month into retirement and spent the entire month traveling in my new truck camper. Many USFS and USNP campgrounds range from $ 0 to 5 or 8 per night with the Golden Eagle card. State and Canadian Provencial parks are more expensive - around $20 or so. I plan to do this every other month or so. Fall trip to new england, Winter trip to Key West and next spring a three or four month trip to Alaska, Canada and points west. The RV is more comfortable than a hotel, you can take your hobbies, the internet etc with you. With a truck camper, you can go anywhere and "camp" anywhere you can park a car. My wife is a gourmet cook so we save money by almost never eating out. She can cook anything in our galley that you could at home. The concept is basically, "The house is small, but the backyard is infinite..." You want waterfront living? Mountain top living? Whatever, you got it. Don't like the nieghbors? Just start up and move. Cost of fuel be damned, it is a great lifestyle. __________________ Not entirely clueless about dryer sheets.* I know that if you wet them - they are the best way to clean dead bugs off of the front of an RV!

09-07-2006, 10:14 AM	#43
dex Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 3,056	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? This is only my 2nd month full timing and gasoline costs are the major cost in the budget so far. Last month $675; this month $875. I'm in California now and the per gallon cost the highest I've encountered so far. I've been moving around a lot and I expect to stay longer in one place in the future. The $875 got me about 3,800 miles of travel at 14.5 mpg while towing and 20.0 when not towing. I'm pretty happy with those mpg figures considering others get. I eat out less than once per week - it isn't the money issue it is the weight issue. Although I'm pretty active while traveling it is very easy to put on weight. So I make sure I eat low fat meals and don't eat for the wrong reasons. My guess is that the RV lifestyle cost is equal to a fixed home cost - the money is just spent in different areas. __________________ Sometimes death is not as tragic as not knowing how to live. This man knew how to live--and how to make others glad they were living. - Jack Benny at Nat King Cole's funeral

09-07-2006, 12:07 PM	#45
audreyh1 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,203	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? After over a year now of fulltiming, I would say our monthly costs on average dropped around 20 to 25%. This is mainly due to the fact that we don't also have the expenses of a house, and we don't have separate "travel expenses" anymore. This is a really, really cheap way to travel - if you have the time to enjoy it. Now - our house was paid for. And our RV is paid for. If you put any kind of amortization/depreciation into the picture - any financial benefit is blown out of the water. We know people who once they owned their RV, are able to enjoy the fulltime lifestyle with amazingly low expenses. It doesn't take much to enjoy the "luxury" version of RV living either, if you are so inclined. Yes, fuel can be expensive. But we found that if we wandered about at a nice easy (comfortable, relaxed) pace, our RV fuel expenses ran more like $200 a month, which really is no big deal for us. $200 will move us 625 miles at $3 per gallon diesel. We spend way more than that on eating out or groceries. And we usually spend at least $150 per month on car fuel. Audrey

09-08-2006, 01:22 PM	#47
SteveR Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2,675	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Ok you RVers.* Here is a question for you.* We have pretty much researched ourselves to a razor's edge and have concluded that for your wants and needs and budget (post cabin sale) a Bigfoot 40MHTSL is what we want.* We found a 2005 model that is new and is priced reduced to about 75% of MSRP.* I know we are paying a premium for the luxury additions to the rig but for us it is worth it as we plan to snowbird for several months at a time so it will be "home" for us and we don't mind being a bit spoiled.* The question is:* is 25% or MRSP on a new Bigfoot that is now almost 2 years old a good deal or is there "room" to lower the price by X percent? For the thrifty group on the board....I know...I know.* But DW has some must requirements and so do I and a Class A is not one of them but the relative level of creature comforts is.* The rig is in the upper range of our budget but knocking off a few more % would be nice....just where to put that stake in the ground and either take the deal or walk away is the hard part.* To complicate matters the rig is in Canada.* Constructive comments from the RV experts would be greatly appreciated.* * edited to fix percent MSRP typo. __________________ Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.

09-08-2006, 01:30 PM	#48
Texas Proud Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,052	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Steve.... Just a question on your math... just to make sure.. you say they are selling AT 25% of MSRP... so if MSRP was $100,000 then you are paying $25,000... is this right?? And my thought on the price (which by the way I have no idea what it would be)... everything is compared to something else you can buy.. so if the price is good compared to the other RVs you have looked at.. then it is a good price no matter what the MSRP says... if you do not see the value... then it is too high..

09-08-2006, 01:57 PM	#50
Rich_in_Tampa Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Tampa Posts: 5,882	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Steve, From my recent research, paying 85% of MSRP for a new current model year rig is a fair deal. 80% probably good for a new prior model year (e.g. buying a 2006 now as the 2007s are appearing -- what I did). For a 2 year old new model, 75% sounds like a good deal. The only real downside is that you take a hit on resale because of model year. Drive it til it dies and you will have done as well as you can expect. __________________ Rich Tampa, FL (10% retired) As if you didn't know..If the above message happens to contain medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any medical purpose whatsoever. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.

09-08-2006, 02:36 PM	#51
audreyh1 Thinks s/he gets paid by the post Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,203	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? From my experience with class A motorhomes, 25% off MSRP is a good deal for a NEW model. 2 years old - I think I'd expect more of a discount than that. It's hard to know for sure without doing a lot more research. Is the unit out of warranty? Audrey

09-08-2006, 08:21 PM	#52
Martha Administrator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: minnesota Posts: 9,863	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Steve, is a dealer selling the vehicle?* Is the vehicle new or previously titled in another person's name?* We looked at buying a motorcycle in Canada a few years ago (favorable exchange rate at the time) and could not buy new.* I don't know if that is still true.* Here is one website that talks about it but I don't vouch for any accuracy of the site:* http://www.canadatotwincities.com/buy_car.html Price?* I don't know.* But I do know that Bigfoot is considered an upscale Class C brand. __________________ . Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.

09-08-2006, 08:40 PM	#54
Martha Administrator Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: minnesota Posts: 9,863	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Steve, here is a Customs website that has a document link to importing vehicles: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/cl...utomobiles.xml __________________ . Do not rely on the information provided--my posts are not to be taken as legal advice. Needless to say you must consult with your legal representative. I am not responsible for errors. If I offended you with cya I apologize. If I did not, I tried.

09-09-2006, 12:30 PM	#57
SteveR Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 2,675	Re: REduce burn rate with an RV. A used one? Martha, Thanks for the links. I sent the dealer an email asking a lot of questions about title, US EPA and safety ratings. I appreciate your efforts in getting me those links. If it is a Canadian only unit I have no interest in it because of the potential costs and problems trying to get it up to US standards. Audrey, Thanks for the input. I have done a lot of internet searching and this particular unit is rare and there is only one other one for sale (also in Canada). NADA has no information on this rig so that is not much help. RVConsumer also has no information on it. I am still searching and hope to find some more pricing information but so far there is nothing. Texas Proud, Thanks as always for your straight from the shoulder comments. If this rig pans out to be a US made one or where they will certify it will meet US standards I plan on offering them a low ball offer; after all I will have to travel 3000 miles to even see it and then drive it back so that is a big expense for me. I am also looking at long range hauling but so far no luck with anybody able to move from Canada to the US with a rig this size. __________________ Work? I don't have time to work....I'm retired.