Low Cost RV Travel

[GravitySucks]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/a6urmZCnHUzwUkfg7

1978 Airstream Argosy.

 

[aja8888]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/a6urmZCnHUzwUkfg7

1978 Airstream Argosy.

Nice!!

 

[REWahoo]

Not mine but parked next to us today. The one on the left sells new for around $400K, the one on the right for $1.5M or so.

The entry door on the high-dollar coach does not open on hinges. It pops out and automatically slides to the left on hidden rails.

Four spaces behind them is a pop-up tent camper...

 

[Teacher Terry]

I actually find the car and motels more comfortable than the motor home. Someone with a 200k one said they should have kept their old one because the problems are all the same.

 

[GravitySucks]

Nice!!

Money pit. But yeah, pretty f'ing cool.
Sold it this year as it had bad memories attached.

 

[NW-Bound]

Not mine but parked next to us today. The one on the left sells new for around $400K, the one on the right for $1.5M or so.

The entry door on the high-dollar coach does not open on hinges. It pops out and automatically slides to the left on hidden rails.

Four spaces behind them is a pop-up tent camper...

Well, minivans have had automatic sliding doors for many years now, and they do not cost anywhere near $1.5M.

I do not understand these expensive motorhomes though. Do you still have to drive it? If you hire a chauffeur, where does the guy sleep at night or use the bathroom?

I don't think these coaches are big enough for a hired-help quarter. So, I would have the coach pull a travel trailer behind as the living quarter for the chauffeur.

PS. My wife would ask about accommodation for her chef. Argh!

I think the problem can be solved if we hire a married couple as chauffeur/cook. They can then share the travel trailer.

 

[brucethebroker]

More and more motels are taking dogs especially if they are small.

We recently took our first trip with a small dog. We were assigned to the "dog wing" of the motel (which I understand). The room next to ours had a dog that apparently was unattended all day, both days we were there. Much whining and begging to get out plus barking every time we came and went (we NEVER leave our dog alone in the room).

I was curious about why the neighbor dog was left alone so much. Maybe because spending an additional $10 to $15 a night to leave the dog in the room is cheaper than boarding?

Did not want to make a big deal about our situation with mgmt. since we also have a dog who occasionally barks.

Is this experience typical? It has discouraged us about taking the pooch on vacation.

 

[RunningBum]

Pictures of "Low Cost RV Travel"?

Here's one, but the "travel" part seems to be missing.

hmm, looks like it could be the aftermath of this RV fire I came across a few years ago. I took this pic myself from my Miata. It was hot! driving past this. I stopped a safe distance back and walked back to make sure all got out. They did.

 

[folivier]

Lots of people who buy these $1.5mm+ coaches have someone drive it to their owned lot at luxury resorts. Actually there are some who have 2 or more coaches that stay in different areas.
Yep, these people are in a different economic class, just as there are those who have private jets, large yachts (those that require crew), etc. But just because you see a coach that originally cost $1+mm does not mean that person paid that much for it. These things depreciate like every other movable item. They can be a great bargain if you buy a 10 year or older model. And they are built to a much higher level of quality.
When we owned our Newell I would have people initially treat me as if I were one of "those" people. Little did they know that I'd spent far less on my "luxury" RV than they had! And had far fewer problems than they did. But I enjoy working on mine and it was a hobby as much as an RV.

 

[GravitySucks]

We recently took our first trip with a small dog. We were assigned to the "dog wing" of the motel (which I understand). The room next to ours had a dog that apparently was unattended all day, both days we were there. Much whining and begging to get out plus barking every time we came and went (we NEVER leave our dog alone in the room).

I was curious about why the neighbor dog was left alone so much. Maybe because spending an additional $10 to $15 a night to leave the dog in the room is cheaper than boarding?

Did not want to make a big deal about our situation with mgmt. since we also have a dog who occasionally barks.

Is this experience typical? It has discouraged us about taking the pooch on vacation.

I travel with my 85 lb German Shepard alot. When we're not at friends, family, or camping we stay at Red Roof, La Quinta, or Motel 6. Only once Have I run into the situation you describe, though we do get relegated to the dog wing.
I don't usually leave him alone for long periods, but sometimes an hour or two while I go to dinner. If the weather is nice I bring him and let him sit in the car as he's more comfortable there than the hotel.
If I leave him in the room I give the front desk my cell number and tell them to call me if he makes a fuss. They never have.

 

[CaptTom]

Only one comment about the cost of RV'ing:

Boat owners go to RV shops to buy products at a huge discount compared to the same items marketed as "marine."

 

[RE2Boys]

Not mine but parked next to us today. The one on the left sells new for around $400K, the one on the right for $1.5M or so.

The entry door on the high-dollar coach does not open on hinges. It pops out and automatically slides to the left on hidden rails.

Four spaces behind them is a pop-up tent camper...

The guy with the pop-up could have been me!

Back in the day when I was into backpacking, a group of us wanted to stay at a commercial campground the night before hitting the trail into the woods/mountains. We were told that we couldn't camp among these RVs as we were not real campers, ie, didn't have an RV. The irony left us speechless.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Most motels will call the owner or kick you out. We have never encountered that. We used to be able to leave all the dogs in the room for 6 hours with no barking. Now it’s only the big old guy. Our calm little ones have passed and the 2 we have now will bark if left.

 

[NW-Bound]

hmm, looks like it could be the aftermath of this RV fire I came across a few years ago. I took this pic myself from my Miata. It was hot! driving past this. I stopped a safe distance back and walked back to make sure all got out. They did.

As a joke, I searched the Web to link to the photo of a dilapidated motorhome. The one I posted was that of a motorhome abandoned by the roadside in Florida. The local newspaper said the police was trying to identify and locate the owner, but the license plate and vehicle ID were already removed or destroyed.

This motorhome looks like it suffered from delamination of the fiberglass wall, which peeled off in sections. The grime on it was mold and mildew, and not due to smoke.

About RV fires, they are quite common and caused mostly by electrical shorts. When you have several batteries wired with shoddy cables and no fuses, it's no wonder that disasters happen.

Your picture is that of a diesel pusher, and the fire came from the rear engine compartment. Perhaps it was engine related, and not of an electrical nature.

This is video of a similar fire of a diesel pusher.

 

[NW-Bound]

Lots of people who buy these $1.5mm+ coaches have someone drive it to their owned lot at luxury resorts. Actually there are some who have 2 or more coaches that stay in different areas...

Many years ago, when I did not know anything about RV, I saw a TV segment on people who paid more than $100K to buy a pad in one of these RV resorts. Because they owned it, they could then build a patio with a fire place and BBQ to hang out. The pads looked like they were from 1000 to 2000 sq.ft.

Why is it called a "resort"? I guess because there were a club house, a golf course nearby, and a restaurant that they could call on the phone to have food brought to them.

I dunno. If I want a resort life, I would prefer to have a condo or a townhouse. To me, RVs are for traveling, and when I do not travel, I prefer a real home.

 

[Winemaker]

DW and I mentioned that we were looking into RVing to SILback in 2016. She hooked us up with her snowbirding neighbor with a 06 32' Class A who wanted to upgrade. It was originally $600,000, they wanted $100,000, less than 75,000 miles on the Cummins diesel. It has slides, cedar drawers and closets, granite counter tops, a button to push for anything and everything (but sex!). It had shiny stainless steel around the outside bottom that I could use as a mirror to shave, storage compartments underneath big enough to be a moving mausoleum! But it only slept 3, unless someone slept on floor!

It took 30 quarts of synthetic oil, and had a 100g stainless steel fuel tank. When asked about problems, he explained his issue with a dirty fuel system. It kept cutting out, so he took to dealer; changed fuel filter and fuel pump, dumped 87 gallons of diesel fuel, and $2,000. Took home, let set for three months, off on a trip, started to cut out, algae in diesel fuel. Different dealer, same franchise, dump 100 gallon diesel, change fuel pump, filter, fuel lines, new 100 gallon stainless steel tank and refill tank. $10,000 but gave $1500 credit because of previous misdiagnosis. Got back on interstate, and truck jack knifed in front of him, so he put RV into median and struck storm drain, puncturing tire and got high centered. After getting winched out of median and 4 new tired at $700 a piece, he was back on road again.

We lost all interest in RVing that morning.

 

[audreyh1]

We had neighbors whose beautiful Country Coach caught fire. It was in the engine area. They were able to disconnect the car, but otherwise got very little out of the motor home.

We were super careful replacing our house batteries because we knew of several reports of fires after battery replacements on our line of motor homes. We made sure everything was the exact same size, etc.

 

[GravitySucks]

Low cost RVing can be done, but not in luxury.
We bought our used 17' Casita trailer about 2 years ago for $9500. It is small, but does sleep three and has shower, toilet, fridge, stove, etc. I could sell it now for what I paid, and depreciation going forward will be very slow (maybe $300/yr?). Zero insurance costs. Annual registration of about $50. Maintenance costs have been minimal.

I'm thinking this is the way I'll go next time. It will require an upgrade to an SUV or van or pickup though. The Camry can't tow much.
I saw Scamp on craigs list. I stopped in less than an hour after it was posted and already sold. Those fiberglass trailers have a big fan base.

 

[brucethebroker]

I travel with my 85 lb German Shepard alot. When we're not at friends, family, or camping we stay at Red Roof, La Quinta, or Motel 6. Only once Have I run into the situation you describe, though we do get relegated to the dog wing.
I don't usually leave him alone for long periods, but sometimes an hour or two while I go to dinner. If the weather is nice I bring him and let him sit in the car as he's more comfortable there than the hotel.
If I leave him in the room I give the front desk my cell number and tell them to call me if he makes a fuss. They never have.

Good idea about leaving your phone # at the desk. thanx.

 

[Symbiotic]

When we owned our Newell I would have people initially treat me as if I were one of "those" people. Little did they know that I'd spent far less on my "luxury" RV than they had! And had far fewer problems than they did. But I enjoy working on mine and it was a hobby as much as an RV.

Hey there, an ex-Neweller!

We are currently living full time in ours after a year spent preparing for the journey.

Ask Me Anything?

 

[samclem]

Hey, if you talked of the Casita purchase earlier, I missed it. I knew you were interested in RV'ing when I talked of my class C purchase.

We bought the used Casita a couple of years ago and have made a few trips. I owe a big thanks to Travelover for showing me the ropes regarding these "egg" RVs.

I'm thinking this is the way I'll go next time. It will require an upgrade to an SUV or van or pickup though. The Camry can't tow much.
I saw Scamp on craigs list. I stopped in less than an hour after it was posted and already sold. Those fiberglass trailers have a big fan base.

These trailers do have a devoted fan base. The trailers stay together well, and people want that. The fiberglass shell (on a metal trailer frame) constitutes the "structure" of the trailer, unlike a "regular" trailer that has a wooden frame with metal exterior skin and a composite interior skin. There are just fewer places to leak and (especially) trap water, fewer seams to eventually let water in, and fewer parts and fasteners to rattle apart.
While the prices for a nice molded fiberglass trailer aren't low, they aren't unreasonable. Knowing I could sell it quickly if it wasn't a good fit for us made it an easy decision for me.
A good place to find out more is the Fiberglass RV Community (owned by the same company that owns ER.org). A site that does a good job of searching Craigslist and other sources for fiberglass RV ads is Fiberglass-RV-4-Sale. (I have no financial interest in either site)

I use an RV to travel, not to camp. I need comfort, but mobility is important too.

I had not seen as many class B motorhomes as I did on this Alaskan trip. Even my class C towing a car was cumbersome on occasions.

Next time going there, I probably will get a class B, but one larger than the common Roadtreks. Too tough to downsize from a class C.

We looked at Class B's, and for traveling as you mention (staying each place just one night), they might be good. But if staying somewhere for a longer time, I personally wouldn't consider one. Not having a separate "local use" set of wheels means I'd have to break camp and put everything away (electrical, sewer, power, re-stow everyhtin in cupboards, etc) just to drive into town. And fitting everything into a van's footprint (even a long van) drives compromises that aren't shared by a small trailer.

If we are still talking about low cost RV ownership, especially for an "intermittent" user I think some things to consider are :
1) Reduce depreciation.

2) Separating the "prime mover" from the living space has some significant advantages. If you have another use for a truck, SUV, or large van, then getting an RV that is a trailer or 5th wheel can be a smart move. I bought a used Honda Pilot and use it to pull this trailer when we travel, the rest of the time it is my daily driver. That means it stays in good shape and I know it is in good shape. If I had a Class A, B, or C RV, my RV's engine, transmission, suspension, etc would be sitting unused for weeks or months at a time, which is not great, especially if it isn't of recent vintage (see "reduce depreciation" above). In 5 years or so when the Pilot wears out, I'll get another one and all the sophisticated "running gear" of my RV rig will be new (or, at least "less old"). Plus, having a separate tow vehicle makes it simple to see the sights in the local area--just unhook and off you go (so the benefits of a "toad," but without the hassle and dead weight).

My used 2009 Pilot and used Casita trailer came to about $21K. If we'd spent the same on a Class B, the drivetrain and mechanicals would have been 10 years older, there would be less space for sleeping/living, and I would not have a vehicle with as much daily utility as the Pilot. If I'd spent the money on a Class C, it would have more room, but it would have very limited utility the 95% of the time when we were at home. I'd be registering and insuring another motor vehicle, maintaining another vehicle drivetrain and suspension, etc. And, no convenient "local" vehicle when traveling unless I bring a toad. Class A: I don't know what I could get for $21K, but it would be old and otherwise have all the other attributes of a Class C.

A molded fiberglass trailer or molded fiberglass 5th wheel isn't right for everyone, but it was a really good fit for us. We'd probably go a different route if we were full timers or going on trips longer than a month or so. It's great to have choices.

 

[ImaCheesehead]

Well, this is where the “low cost RV living” thread eventfully led me. We love our coach and this lifestyle. It’s not for forever, but it’s fun for right now!!!

 

[Symbiotic]

Dutch Star! Our previous home. Excellent choice.

 

[Bamaman]

Now that's the way to live. I was by a local rental operation yesterday that has about 25 Prevost coaches on the road rented to music road acts, race car teams and corporations. All their $2 million rigs were out for the Summer.

We've got a fifth wheel, but it is used more our second home in the mountains. We don't take it out on the open road. Big diesel pusher Class A's are for traveling.

 

[GravitySucks]

Well, this is where the “low cost RV living” thread eventfully led me. We love our coach and this lifestyle. It’s not for forever, but it’s fun for right now!!!

Our ideas of low cost diverge greatly!
Nice rig.