Motorhome purchase? Pros/Cons!

[BUM]

What about security? Anybody ever had that "uh oh" feeling in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere?

 

[Martha]

What about security? Anybody ever had that "uh oh" feeling in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere?

Not really. I don't think the bad guys like the middle of nowhere.

I know those who recommend oven spray in lieu of mace.

Greg would prefer a pistol. For the bears, not the bad guys. We have met people whose motorhomes were attacked by bears and in the areas where we primarily camp bears are becoming a bigger problem all the time.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Makes you wonder about those people who wont stop talking about the right to arm bears.

 

[ex_CFO_now_RVer]

What about security?

Wasp spray  and fire crackers can also work, but I prefer a 12 gauge shotgun which I have never even taken out of its box.   Intruders don't know what they will encounter when inside a motorhome, so they leave you alone.  Most rvers that I have met carry some sort of protection.


Dave

 

[REWahoo]

Greg would prefer a pistol. For the bears, not the bad guys.

Do I understand that Greg is not only investing in gold but also in firearms in his efforts to prepare for bear markets, bear attacks, bear naked ladies, etc.?

Martha, I don't understand how you bear to live with him.

 

[brewer12345]

Do I understand that Greg is not only investing in gold but also in firearms in his efforts to prepare for bear markets, bear attacks, bear naked ladies, etc.?   

Martha, I don't understand how you bear to live with him.

I suspect that the shock collar he wears helps, at least until he wears the batteries out.

 

[Howard]

A VERY LARGE Beward of Dog sign, with a picture of a Rottweiller will deter potential intruders.

The use of a shotgun reminds me of the Senator from New York who wanted his wife to be able to own an Uzi or AK in case they were burglarised.

Scary thought, a civilian with a gun in the middle of the night.

I guarantee that if any of you have seen the real results from weapons, you might just have second thoughts and decide Charley Heston is wrong.

It ain't as eay as drop to knee, point and fire.

 

[REWahoo]

Scary thought, a civilian with a gun in the middle of the night.

Howard, that's the general idea.

 

[greg]

Do I understand that Greg is not only investing in gold but also in firearms in his efforts to prepare for bear markets, bear attacks, bear naked ladies, etc.?

Martha, I don't understand how you bear to live with him.

REW: You have it all wrong. It's "bare" naked ladies and '"bare" to live with him.' And, yes, I would much prefer a "bare" market. It all starts with no pants. Try 10% no pants first to test the waters. Please, no wise cracks.

 

[REWahoo]

Try 10% no pants first to test the waters. Please, no wise cracks.

Need your help on this one. Since I'm a guy, I should be able to accomplish both the above by simply unzipping my fly, right?

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Hmm, when I unzip, I get 80%. Weird.

Theres a crack joke in here somewhere too. I think the database pushbuttons screwed it up though.

 

[MJ]

Howard, that's the general idea.

let's see. RV is in the middle of nature, late at night wife get up without waking husband to go out to enjoy the stars. comes back to the RV thinking husband is still sleeping doesn't turn on the light. husband wakes up hearing some noise, panics, takes out the 12 gauge, boom and voila, instead divorce.

 

[BUM]

Where theres a subject, you can bet theres a Yahoo! group.

Guns and rv's go together...well here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RV_SAG/

 

[tozz]

A while ago I asked one of the more prolific posters here to shed some light on the emotional component from the pro gun folks that typcially arises in many firearms discussions.  I sincerely wanted to understand it.  I received a (typically?) trite response. 

However, after slumming around the private campground world last fall and meeting some exceedingly scary local denizens, I am beginning to see the light.  The emotional component is fear.  They are simply ascared.

and I may have to git me a gun!

Guns and rv's go together...well here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RV_SAG/

 

[tozz]

I purchased an Itasca Navion last fall and am quite satisfied.  It's not for everyone, but might be worth looking into since you seem to want a smaller vehicle.  It's nimble and gets good fuel mileage.

Sheryl mentioned the Rialta.  I had been looking at them for years but ultimately decided that it was just a tad too small.  I think it's one of the more attractive motorhomes out there though.

The VW campervan does seem like a great comprimise... but is there anything out there that compares... perhaps made by toyota etc.

 

[old woman]

My boyfriend has an 11.5 foot camper on his pickup. We have been using it 5 years some for camping some he lived in it near work a few nights a week when working double shifts. Taking it camping is nice because it can haul a boat, but I usually take my truck to haul the boat. It has a little shower, range, frig and air conditioner with a queen sized bed so very nice for getting away for a weekend. We leave food and clothes in it so we just need to pack parishable food to be set to go. Not only do you save on motels but you are where you want to be not in the next town, we like being alone in the forest or at a lake or river. You don't have to go anywhere to get coffee or a meal and the cost of food is just like at home.
We got the truck camper because we haul a boat if we were going to travel without a boat we would pick a 5th wheel they are bigger. A motorhome leaves you without a truck to run around in unless you bring a spare. If your motorhome is in the shop you are stuck in a strange place with no car. If you blow an engine with a 5th wheel you can just buy a new truck.

 

[Sheryl]

I purchased an Itasca Navion last fall and am quite satisfied.  It's not for everyone, but might be worth looking into since you seem to want a smaller vehicle.  It's nimble and gets good fuel mileage.

I like the look of that - thanks Tozz.    Another question:

Has anyone ever tried putting kayaks on top of a motorhome?  Would you exceed overpass heights? 

 

[kat]

I purchased an Itasca Navion last fall and am quite satisfied. It's not for everyone, but might be worth looking into since you seem to want a smaller vehicle. It's nimble and gets good fuel mileage.

Sheryl mentioned the Rialta. I had been looking at them for years but ultimately decided that it was just a tad too small. I think it's one of the more attractive motorhomes out there though.

Tozz, does the Itasca Navion only take diesel? (I just looked at them at a site I found through google.) And is diesel what all RVs use? Wondering because there was just a news story here in NY about how it's harder to find diesel, and I suspect the remote places I'd want to go are worse off.

kate

 

[Martha]

Kate, Tozz's motorhome, on the mercedes sprinter chassis, takes only diesel. This is one of the reasons its milege is so good. There are both gas and diesel motorhomes.

We have a diesel car and we have not had trouble getting diesel. Though we have not been to the northeast with the car.

Sheryl, I saw someone who made a very elaborate sea kayak rack for his class C motorhome. It was too hard to lift them up there by hand, so he created a lift system with pulleys to lift the kayaks unto the racks he built on top of his motorhome. Very nice. I would like something similar on our motorhome.

 

[yakers]

I like the look of that - thanks Tozz. Another question:

Has anyone ever tried putting kayaks on top of a motorhome? Would you exceed overpass heights?

Well yes, I put them on my VW camper all the time on a Yakama roof rack. When I had a Class C camper I also would carry kayaks on top. I used the Yakama side pieces and just a piece of pipe accross the width of the camper. It worked OK but it is a lot of work to assemble and get the boats up & down and it makes the side wind profile even worse. But it can be done. I strongly suggest not trying to set up & load solo.

 

[kat]

Thanks Martha!

Yakers -- and everybody -- is there a VW camper made these days? Friends tell me that's what I want. I'm a novice on all this, but they've heard me wax on a lot....

Thanks!

kate

 

[Sheryl]

I strongly suggest not trying to set up & load solo.

No - I don't even put my boat on the RAV alone anymore. One too many lower back injuries.

 

[audreyh1]

(pretty late in this thread - this will probably get lost)

Owning a motorhome is a luxury. Don't try to justify it economically. Economics is not the point.

The main CON - is, it's an expensive luxury.

The PROS - it is so dang fun to travel this way, if you can afford it, who cares about the cost? The purpose of life is not to economically justify your pleasures.

You can indeed reduce the CON significantly by buying a not-too-late model RV. You'll be "wasting" a LOT less money.

But, you'll almost never get your money back even if you try to compare it to other modes of travel.

But why does that matter?

Audrey
P.S. I actually live in a motorhome. i.e. - I'm a fulltimer. I don't own a house. I live a totally mobile lifestyle. It can't be economically justified. I'm having a blast with this lifestyle.

 

[brewer12345]

P.S.  I actually live in a motorhome.  i.e. - I'm a fulltimer.  I don't own a house.  I live a totally mobile lifestyle.  It can't be economically justified.  I'm having a blast with this lifestyle.

Audrey:

I'm not so sure it can't be economically justified. When I compare what it costs me to live in the burbs vs. the budget I see at www.rv-dreams.com, it looks like I could save a LOT of money by full-timing.

 

[audreyh1]

Audrey:

I'm not so sure it can't be economically justified.  When I compare what it costs me to live in the burbs vs. the budget I see at www.rv-dreams.com, it looks like I could save a LOT of money by full-timing.

In most cases I doubt that - when compared with home ownership. The problem is the RV is a depreciating asset. A house is an appreciating asset. It's very hard to overcome that difference even when living very cheaply with a lower-cost RV.

Yes, there are some people who manage it, but they are perhaps willing to buy a super cheap RV, and live a very frugal lifestyle. Most people aren't interested in living quite that frugally.

Personally, I don't see the point of TRYING to economically justify owning an RV. What matters is enjoying your lifestyle and just figure what tradeoffs you need to make to afford it.

Audrey