Community Forums

Arizona · 12-15-2013, 07:43 PM

Any rv means only one thing to me. Freedom! Doesn't matter what it is as long as you like it. Time, now that's important!

Ramets · 12-16-2013, 08:18 AM

We ended up adding the residential fridge and also ordered a 2800 inverter.

Good decision on the residential it's the only way to go. You didn't say how many solar panels the quote was for, and if the inverter was a PSW or not. Go with the pure sine wave it'll solve any problems down the road.

BigBlue505 · 12-16-2013, 08:48 AM

I'm just glad I bought a used Class A diesel and don't have payments. I don't use ours nearly as much as I'd hoped. I do love driving it and often take it out for a Sunday drive. I like short overnighters or weekend trips and don't go very far because the diesel can be quite expensive. Our dogs don't travel well, either. I've got it stored at a storage facility so I don't work on it as often as I should, but I hope to have it in my side yard soon after I get my gate widened. We took it to Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower this summer and at the farthest point out, the trouble light came on. Luckily, I just had to add a couple quarts of oil (it was still within operating range on the dipstick and never lost oil pressure) and I haven't seen it come on since, but I was stressing over it.

plasma800 · 12-16-2013, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fansill

Never, Never, Never... I never regret it....

We have had our challenges with the rolling home. It is a constant game of fix-its...but I have never regretted a day spent in our beloved rolling home.

When we leave the driveway...(or dooryard as they call it in our neck of the woods...) we immediately relax. Even the two pups seem to be happier when we drive away from the house. Even when we just park in a dry-camp parking lot in a casino, we love our little tin house. (40 foot RV with a car behind us,,,LOL!!!) We break out the little cup of soup and sandwiches and hold hands as we look at the scenery of our latest stop... And sometimes, I shuffle him into the car and we go to a restaurant or diner or if it is available... or I assemble the little elecric scooter that I store in one of our bays and we head off to a place to eat or I pack a picnic lunch... Life is good....

As I recently posted....if something does not work when you get to your destination...who cares???? If the fridge is not working well...just eat all the food in there and grab a cooler for the rest. If the lights are not working correctly...oh heck...grab a flashlight, read a book under your covers and tackle the problems in the morning. Or worse case scenario...start the RV up and when you get home...have it looked at and fixed. My friends on this site have been so wonderful with their tips and helpful hints to try and allow me to fix things myself...but when I cannot...well then I get out the checkbook. But the money is always well spent....

My hubby may not have too many years left, but he so loves getting away in the rolling home and I will give him that for as long as I can. Having an RV is like having a secret tree-house that only belongs to its owners. People who have never had this type of retreat cannot understand it...but we can.

My family and Hubby's family think we are foolish because they think that we should stay put in the stick and brick because it is close to the hospital and doctor's office...but if he does not need them on a daily basis...why should we???? We enjoy seeing the scenery. Yes, it is a little hard on me sometimes because I am the driver, the engineer, the navigator, the caregiver, and chief cook and bottle washer.... I have his meds with us and we have a good insurance policy that we can get into a hospital anywhere if we need to, but even if we could not....I do not think that this would stop us.

But even with all of this, I cannot complain, because I see the smile on his face as we travel together and that is worth it all. I signed on for this,,,sickness and health and all that stuff,,,,blah...blah..blah...

Please jump in and enjoy. Don't worry about the small hiccups or bumps along the way. The benefits are worth every small challenge that you may face.

Just my two cents worth....

Faith

That's the sweetest thing I have heard in a very long time! Awesome post, thank you for brightening my day !

Consequently, I just bought a coach similar to yours.

palehorse89 · 12-16-2013, 09:00 AM

Yes, sometimes as the views out of the front windshield are not so good some times........

Snomas1 · 12-20-2013, 08:18 AM

I have owned a 20" class C, 31' Class A gasser and presently have had the diesel Dutchstar since 2004 and we would not have any other way to travel through out out great USA. Any MH is a costly investment from purchase to repair cost, but there is no better way to travel. IMHO!

ricere · 12-21-2013, 10:40 PM

There is absolutely no better way to travel or to live. That's why we are fulltimers. That being said, the cost of the coach is a drop in the bucket to the cost of taxes, insurance, maintenance, and repairs.

For a diesel coach, figure at least $500 per year for routine maintenance, $1,000 per year (or more) for insurance, and in our state you will average $2,000 per year (more for a newer coach and less for an older one) for taxes.

We have had our coach for nearly 8 years now, and that has called for new tires at $3,000 plus, a new referigerator cooling unit at $2,000 plus, repairs due to fiberglass manufacturing problems at $6,000 plus, and now we have a problem that could cost as much as $6,000 plus to fix. Except for the cooling unit, our problems are not covered by any extended warranty, either. That's why I don't have one.

Seems like after this thing got 5 years old it has been several thousand dollars of unexpected expenses every year.

However, if we had a house, it would be the same thing. We're happy with the coach, but the repairs can be expensive.

Air Baron · 12-22-2013, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricere

and in our state you will average $2,000 per year (more for a newer coach and less for an older one) for taxes.

No wonder they say Virginia is for lovers. They just love your money.

We also are full timers...in a $72k older coach. The sales tax was still a hit. I cannot imagine paying 6% on a $350k new coach. This is your house!

We just renewed our vehicle registration in Florida for $78.

Our full-timer insurance dropped from $1756/yr to $778/yr when switching from GEICO to Nationwide and changing our registration (and mailing) address from south Florida to our son's house in north Florida. BTW, we also increased the coverage! It pays to shop around EVERY renewal period.

No state income tax in Florida. Much easier on those IRA withdraws.

PS - It will be 85 today in Miami. Please stay away from Florida. There are too many people down here right now. Besides, everybody knows how much happier and friendlier people are in Texas...right?

Bumps · 12-22-2013, 08:10 AM

Regrets? The posts here sum it up pretty well. There are highs and lows with ANYthing. We're stll in our first motorhome and there just is no looking back. For us, we were going to be on-the-road in retirement one way or the other, so the 'Class A' was somewhat a quality of life decision. You work hard in life ... take those steps to be able to enjoy it to its fullest!!! \ken

ricere · 12-22-2013, 08:20 AM

[QUOTE=Air Baron;1853878]No wonder they say Virginia is for lovers. They just love your money.

You are absolutely right on that! I think Virginia is the tax capital of the South, and it will only get worse with the newly elected less than conservative leaders.

The personal property tax varies from county to county. In my county, a hundred thousand dollar coach would cost you about $3250 per year. That's terrible.

Since we are full timers and are out of the state as much as 6 months per year, we have our coach registered in another state, and have had since we purchased it new. Let's just say we have paid very little taxes on it.

With all the troubles I have heard and read about with new coaches lately, I guess ours is pretty good. We plan on keeping it for many more years to come. Our current problem is one that needs to be repaired eventually, but can wait for a while if needed. We hope to find a facility that can do the repairs at an affordable price. Otherwise, our coach is in excellent condition.

umcontractor · 01-12-2014, 05:48 PM

Does California still have a luxury tax for motorhomes. What states don't have it?

Mr_D · 01-12-2014, 05:54 PM

Not a regret, other than buying a Santara gasser before buying our first Dutch Star DP!

safari1 · 01-12-2014, 05:59 PM

I regret my 2008 Safari class B bought in Jan. 2010, sold in May 2011.
Do not regret my 2015 Stellar toy hauler, we really like it! 4 weeks old now.

Snomas1 · 01-13-2014, 06:36 AM

Umcontractor, Colorado doesn't have a luxury tax. Our 2014 lisc tags and emission test cost a total of 280.00. Insurance about 650.00. But last year I spent about 12K on engine repairs and just spent another 5K when my engine shut down on I40 in Gallup NM. We finally got it fixed and are now in our winter home on Mission Bay San Diego. We still love our MH and love to travel in it vs Motels!!!