Community Forums

umcontractor · 10-25-2018, 04:13 PM

So, I purchased a new 2015 Newmar Ventana. After 6 months, went camping in Mammoth Lakes, California. Fell in love with the area and purchased a home that weekend. Got scared of losing so much money on the rig, I sold it after only having it a year. I'm now getting that itch again to purchase a new rig. I'm 60 and still working a lot. Will this be another bad idea to purchase? Would love your thoughts. I keep saying that I want to take trips and see the U.S. but is it easier to fly and rent a car or better to drive, pull my jeep, and stay at campsites?

Ann n Gene · 10-25-2018, 08:38 PM

That’s a question only you can answer. For us, 6 coaches later and spending 8-9 months per year in our coach pretty much sums up our feeling about it. All JMHO

TJ · 10-25-2018, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by umcontractor

So, I purchased a new 2015 Newmar Ventana. After 6 months, went camping in Mammoth Lakes, California. Fell in love with the area and purchased a home that weekend. Got scared of losing so much money on the rig, I sold it after only having it a year. I'm now getting that itch again to purchase a new rig. I'm 60 and still working a lot. Will this be another bad idea to purchase? Would love your thoughts. I keep saying that I want to take trips and see the U.S. but is it easier to fly and rent a car or better to drive, pull my jeep, and stay at campsites?

The very fact that you are asking this question after your earlier experience indicates to me that you are not ready to buy another coach. If it is "easier to fly and rent a car," then that's obviously what you should do. Not everyone is cut out to be a motorhome owner. And, there's no shame in that. It is all about personal choice and what works best for the individual.

TJ

HavingABlast · 10-25-2018, 09:22 PM

I agree with Ann n Gene, it is best answered by you. We avoided purchasing until we were retired. We both retired at just over 65. That way we could take our time exploring without the rush to get back to the job. That said, we are now low on the cumulative “Fun” curve vs. those that purchased and used their rigs while still working.

If you have an itch, I say scratch it. JMHO.

JMH · 10-25-2018, 10:05 PM

Ok, the doctor is in. Before I retired I was sitting at a campfire with some fellow Lazy Daze motor home owners. The subject of how much money do you need to retire came up. One of the grey beards (that’s knowledgeable and experienced folk) said “what ever you have when you retire”. I’ve seen happy folk in an old class C, fulltiming on just social security, thinking they are the richest folks on the planet. Also have met multi-billionaires that can’t sleep at night because they “don’t have enough money to be secure”.

RVs are not an investment in making money, they are an investment in making memories. If you understand this grasshopper then buy an RV. If you are thinking boy this guy is nuts 🥜 then move on, never read the forum again, it will only confuse you.

scbwr · 10-26-2018, 12:37 PM

The answer is in the finances. If you can afford to buy a new one and aren't concerned about losing $ on a resale, then it's strictly your call. A more conservative approach would be to buy a used unit with the idea if you only use it for a short period of time, there will be minimum loss of $$ providing you are paying cash for the MH. So....yes, only the OP can come up with the answer that will work for him.

I'm one of those folks that feels very fortunate to have my used Bay Star and have the ability to travel around this great country with a MH rather than having to stay in hotels!

FLJOE · 10-27-2018, 09:28 AM

We tried the part time RVing because we thought buying a home in Florida was a good investment. Financially when we sold our first Florida home we should have purchased another and continued to just travel part time in our gas coach.

Instead we bought a new DP and began traveling full time, the worse possible financial decision we could have made. Don't get me wrong, we can afford what we have done and what we are doing, it is just that we really are not accumulating much additional financial security.

In the past two years we had a close friend get ALS and die a year later. Another buddy got AO (agent orange) related cancer and died. For us the decision was easy, spend it now and have fun!

TUCSONRAIL · 10-27-2018, 04:23 PM

I say go for it and buy the new RV. Of course its not a sound financial decision, but you only live once. Do it while you can and have your health. Much more enjoyable than flying, renting cars, and staying in hotels. Its just as much about the journey as the destination.