RV or Winter home

[surprising]

We have a 22 Silverado 1500 3.0 Duramax. It pulls the 7500 bumper TH like its not there. And 12+ MPG towing is a plus...
Mabee we can start a FIRE Camping Rally.....

The ecodiesels went through a diesel litigation and recall where they severely detuned the engine. Mostly it causes bad low rpm performance, so it feels very sluggish when towing and trying to get up to speed. Also it has 140K miles so probably has lost some lb ft over the years.. You can buy an (illegal) aftermarket tune that is supposed to undo what the recall did. If I knew I was going to keep this for awhile, I would consider it.

 

[surprising]

FYI the 2500 has coil springs, so a nicer ride when empty, but the payload is less. If you're going for the big 5th wheel, then the 3500 might be worth it. Airbags are an option too. I had a truck camper on my 3500 SRW short bed and with some air bags it was perfect.

Yes I will look for the airbags if I buy a 2500. My 1500 has air suspension all around that autolevels, so sits and rides great when towing.

 

[38Chevy454]

We have a fairly large motorhome and a winter RV place. I own the lot which also has a small casita on it. I like having the extra space, and being the owner, I can leave stuff here; such as a vehicle, golf cart and some living stuff. The motorhome becomes our guest house for visitors since the house is small. In summer we use the motorhome to go places in the traditional RV camping sense. Yes having the second home costs more than just the motorhome, but overall I have a lot nicer place than I could rent for the winter months. Theoretically being the owner as the property value goes up I am the one to benefit the gains. But it's not purchased as an investment property.

 

[old medic]

The motorhome becomes our guest house for visitors since the house is small.

We do the same, plus we have 2 full hookup sites 30/50Amp and room for several more.... had 5 here one weekend,

 

[sengsational]

Another option would be to do long term RV stays during that time instead of purchasing a home.

You might not get many replies with people who have done this because they don't allow forum access from the asylum

 

[finnski1]

UGH.... not counting tents... we are on #8 since 1985....

yeah, I think we are on number 6 ourselves since about 1989.

 

[folivier]

RV'in is a disease. We've had 8 or more. Some we kept years, others we only kept a few months. Each time we sell we say never again. Still have the 30' we bought for our Alaska trip last year.

 

[JeKa]

We already own a travel trailer and have taken many trips with our 2 dogs. It is small, 24' or so, and no slide outs. All of our trips have been open ended (we're retired!) but we usually only last about 3 weeks before we're ready to get back into a house. If we went the RV route over the winter home, we would be buying a much bigger one with slide outs, but I don't know how long I'd last even with a bigger one.

We have lasted 15years fulltime in a 37ft class A diesel pusher.

 

[SnowballCamper]

We have lasted 15years fulltime in a 37ft class A diesel pusher.

Thats amazing. Do you move around a lot or stay in the same places?

 

[LakeRat1]

We found the RV is good for about 3 weeks, then became tight..... RVs are not insulated very well, so when it is cold out, it is gets cold inside.....Same when it is hot out ..... We settled for a mondular in a 55+ community where you own the land .... Total Investement was $120k, HOA was 150 per month ..... This was 12 years ago..... HOA Dues are now $200 per month, includes water, sewer, two pools, mowing, trimming, trash....only bill is the annual tax $600, electric, and internet ...... Cheap Living in Ft Myers, FL 1/2 mile from the coast

 

[AudiDudi]

We found the RV is good for about 3 weeks, then became tight..... <snip>

40ft 5th wheel at about 350 sqft living space. We spend over 6 months in the winter in it. Have my desktop computer with 500mb fiber Internet, bedroom, shower, washer/dryer, kitchen with enough cabinets, large pantry, comfortable electric recliners, etc. Weber and Blackstone on the patio, + a shed for extra storage so we're not carrying a bunch of stuff back and forth.

 

[audreyh1]

We found the RV is good for about 3 weeks, then became tight..... RVs are not insulated very well, so when it is cold out, it is gets cold inside.....Same when it is hot out ..... We settled for a mondular in a 55+ community where you own the land .... Total Investement was $120k, HOA was 150 per month ..... This was 12 years ago..... HOA Dues are now $200 per month, includes water, sewer, two pools, mowing, trimming, trash....only bill is the annual tax $600, electric, and internet ...... Cheap Living in Ft Myers, FL 1/2 mile from the coast

The trick is to go somewhere warm in your RV during the coldest months. We avoided any place that routinely dropped into the 20s overnight during the winter.

 

[Rambler]

We live in Phoenix, and bought a summer home 3.5 hours away that is about 20 degrees cooler, in the mountains. Having had cancer three times now, and with the wife developing some back problems, that was too far away, so we found another place to about 1.5 hours away that is just a couple degrees warmer than the first summer place, and bought it, and we are in the process of selling the other. We had an RV in the past and enjoyed it, but the last large one we bought had so many problems right outta the gate, we got rid of it. Recently we bought a B-van to tour in. The plan is to use it to go see places, enjoy a fresh cooked meal, but mostly stay in hotels. And when we drive to visit friends we have our own bathroom and kitchen, instead of having to use (nasty) rest area facilities. But, it is too small to spend months together in, if we want to stay married…

 

[HappilyRetired]

Started looking to buy a winter home recently. We'd live there from Nov to April. We are also RVers so we'd bring our RV with us during that time. Another option would be to do long term RV stays during that time instead of purchasing a home. We wouldn't be tied to a single location every winter and can explore more. There are some really nice RV resorts that are like 55+ communities, with pools, clubhouses, activities, sense of community. But, we'd be living in a small RV for months which might get annoying. Has anyone made a similar decision and how did it turn out?

Hi Surprising. We just visited, for one week, our friends who winter at a rv park in Yuma AZ because they live in Missouri. They stay for 5 months and there is a lot to do at the park. It is really inexpensive and lots of snow bird Canadians there. They just left to return home this week to snow! I think it would be much more cost effective to go to one of these parks instead of purchasing a second home. I am speaking from experience!

 

[a60dan]

Started looking to buy a winter home recently. We'd live there from Nov to April. We are also RVers so we'd bring our RV with us during that time. Another option would be to do long term RV stays during that time instead of purchasing a home. We wouldn't be tied to a single location every winter and can explore more. There are some really nice RV resorts that are like 55+ communities, with pools, clubhouses, activities, sense of community. But, we'd be living in a small RV for months which might get annoying. Has anyone made a similar decision and how did it turn out?

Very timely post.

We’re starting month 3 on the road. Left Western NY at 8° on January 20.

Just had dinner with a friend who winters in Sun City Center FL.

Its our 3rd travel trailer and is only 20’.

My wife’s tolerance is about 6 weeks and i could go for months.

We’re discerning the same question about buying a second home, and both prefer the variety of places we stay.

RV is definitely a lifestyle choice and lord knows it’s a houseful of maintence on wheels. “Fixing things in beautiful places” as they stay.

I guess there’s nothing to prevent us from doing both, but part of me likes having one home base near the most grandchildren.

 

[BubbaChris]

We started RVing 12 years ago. DW RV'd with her family as a kid, I had no RV experience, but I took to it like a duck to water. Someone on an RV forum shared about how they tracked nights and mileage. I liked the idea and have done that from day one.

25' bumper pull - 287 nights over 5.5 years (while still employed). A ton of 3-night trips, with 2 to 2-1/2 week trips for our big vacations. We were both still working

35' fifth wheel - 492 nights since Aug 2019. Biased towards 4-8 night trips with a month-long stay at an ownership resort Dec 2021. We bought a lot with the 43' fifth wheel on it. Our 35' RV one is now known as our traveling RV. We both retired in 2021.

43' fifth wheel - Amazingly at 490 nights in these first 4 years, with 2 more nights to go before I head home. This RV has 1-1/2 baths, a stacked washer/dryer, and a very generous kitchen. Having the second bath and being able to do most of our laundry in the rig makes longer stays much more comfortable. This RV was put on the lot by the local dealer and hasn't moved a foot since March 2020.

Our snowbird RV is just under 300 miles from home, so it gives us extra flexibility. We each have spent solo time here. And it seems like every year includes going back home for a week or two at some point in the season. We've brought our traveling RV down and used this location as a jumping off point for trips.

Honestly, this second RV/Lot has been a strain on our mental health and our relationship. We had a dog in palliative care when we started the buying process, and she died before we left town. The original owners never deep cleaned this RV, and they had two dogs. Just getting it clean enough we'd be willing to sleep in it almost put us over the edge. And we've had other bumpy times during issues that have nothing to do with the RV, but the small space and fishbowl nature of the RV park has kept things tense.

There are also things we've loved about having it. The local crack-dealers (oops, I meant pickleball players) got me hooked. We have a nephew with a vacation home in the same town, so we see them more often (and their home is a resource for us too). Even having any form of a second home has been helpful when one of us needs time away from the other. Although home is a snowbird destination for some, the winter morning here are in the 40's instead of the 20's, which makes outdoor exercise so much more comfortable. It's also put us closer to friends who we see more often because of the proximity.

This was an impulse purchase (towards the end of Covid restrictions), and we plan to have thoughtful conversations this summer about it's future. We could sell the RV and keep the lot, knowing the smaller one will cause some other changes to our stays. We could sell both the RV and the lot and buy another lot with a park model instead of space for an RV. Park models are all on one level, need less energy for climate control, and they age better in the desert summers.

There are people who've been coming here for over a decade. About 10% of the owners live here year round. Early this season I walked by a couple of guys chatting and overheard one of them saying it felt like the typical owner sells after 5 years. Others have moved within the community 2-3 times.

Signing off before this becomes a novel.

Kind regards,
Chris

 

[JohnnyPHX]

We live in Phoenix, and bought a summer home 3.5 hours away that is about 20 degrees cooler, in the mountains. Having had cancer three times now, and with the wife developing some back problems, that was too far away, so we found another place to about 1.5 hours away that is just a couple degrees warmer than the first summer place, and bought it, and we are in the process of selling the other. We had an RV in the past and enjoyed it, but the last large one we bought had so many problems right outta the gate, we got rid of it. Recently we bought a B-van to tour in. The plan is to use it to go see places, enjoy a fresh cooked meal, but mostly stay in hotels. And when we drive to visit friends we have our own bathroom and kitchen, instead of having to use (nasty) rest area facilities. But, it is too small to spend months together in, if we want to stay married…

If you don't mind sharing where abouts of your summer heat retreat is? We are in Phoenix too and I have casually been dreaming of a place within driving distance to escape for summer. Prescott and Prescott valley seem to be a good area to consider north of Phoenix and an easy drive once you are north of the Phoenix crazy drivers. Heading south and a retirement area Oro valley Saddlebrooke might be an option as it runs about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix.

 

[mountainox]

We've owned RVs since 1999 and a sailboat prior to that. The longest "vacation" was 5 months in our current 35 ft Class A with 3 slideouts. Those months were tolerated well as long as we did not stay in one place longer than a month. We were in between "sticks and bricks" type dwellings and were waiting for our CCRC apartment to be finished.

We love the CCRC community, but kept the RV and now escape for trips anywhere from 1 week to 2 months at a time. It's much easier to plan trips now as we don't have to worry about household chores given the "lock and leave" nature of a CCRC.

We love to hike and it's so much nicer than a hotel or a tent to recover in. The advent of Starlink and solar panels over the years has made this type of lifestyle much more tolerable. When we first started RVing we took movies on DVD to be played in the RV. Now, via Starlink, we Tailscale via VPN back to our 700 movie library server that resides in our aparment. That's a lot of change.

I HATE hotels!

 

[Koolau]

We have lasted 15years fulltime in a 37ft class A diesel pusher.

Heh, heh, that IS a "winter home" but on wheels.

 

[NameTaken2]

Never seriously considered an RV-
But always liked the idea that an RV would allow "getting out of Dodge" vs owning a 2nd home in a hurricane zone, and dealing with the potential repeated inconvenience/repairs/insurance.
Was that a consideration for you RV'ers?

 

[TripleLindy]

Recently we bought a B-van to tour in. The plan is to use it to go see places, enjoy a fresh cooked meal, but mostly stay in hotels.

That sounds like a great way to travel!

 

[audreyh1]

Never seriously considered an RV-
But always liked the idea that an RV would allow "getting out of Dodge" vs owning a 2nd home in a hurricane zone, and dealing with the potential repeated inconvenience/repairs/insurance.
Was that a consideration for you RV'ers?

We decided to live in an RV full-time so that we could travel non-stop and we did most of the time. It was about exploring new places in a leisurely way, although we certainly returned to favorites of which there were many. Unless we were visiting family or limited by winter, our destination stops were rarely over a week.

 

[BubbaChris]

Never seriously considered an RV-
But always liked the idea that an RV would allow "getting out of Dodge" vs owning a 2nd home in a hurricane zone, and dealing with the potential repeated inconvenience/repairs/insurance.
Was that a consideration for you RV'ers?

We did not consider this in advance, but we have our own version of this now. We used our RV as a mobile isolation unit during Covid. There was a month or so where our State parks system only allowed visitors within the same county. We did 3 trips bouncing back and forth between 2 very local parks. It was so helpful for our mental health in those early months.

In addition to weather events, the RV gives us a super flexible option if we want to leave town because of large events. I could imagine some people using this as a chance to earn Airbnb money on a limited basis - I've heard areas hosting the World Cup Soccer games have a ton of new Airbnb options.

A final bonus I don't recall seeing mentioned so far, RVing is one of the most dog-friendly ways to travel. Prior to our move 14 years ago, we mostly used dog-friendly VRBO locations for our vacations. There were very few in our new region when we first moved there, so that was a factor in choosing to get our first RV.

Kind regards,
Chris

 

[RAE]

I don't think I could live in an RV for 5-6 months, and that's about the length of time we want to stay down south. We checked out several spots before deciding on a spot we like in Central Florida. So, we bought a small house there (650 sq ft). It works out well for us. I don't mind doing some maintenance work on the house when we are there, and when we are back up north I have someone to mow the grass and keep an eye on things. It works for us.

 

[jj]

I don't think I could live in an RV for 5-6 months, and that's about the length of time we want to stay down south. We checked out several spots before deciding on a spot we like in Central Florida. So, we bought a small house there (650 sq ft). It works out well for us. I don't mind doing some maintenance work on the house when we are there, and when we are back up north I have someone to mow the grass and keep an eye on things. It works for us.

There are houses in Central Florida that are only 650 sq ft? I'm surprised. I need to take a look.