Deep pockets or not..Is it worth a new rig now..

[movin-on]

I guess most of us think about a 4 slide...all the bells and whistles full body paint rig at some point but is it worth it in this economy with fuel approaching $4.00 a gallon even if you can afford it ...We have a 2002 2 slide Itasca Horizon that we really like but are thinking about upgrading or just staying put for a while...It gets 8 to 10 miles per gallon with 330hp Cat motor..A new rig would most likley be 400 hp or better averaging 6 to 8 miles per gallon I'm guessing here so do the math on what it will cost to go about 500 miles......It's not so much the price of fuel but if you will be able to get it or not in the future..With most of the rv manufacturers hurting and laying off and National filing Chapter 11..Is it worth taking the chance...Don't mean to sound like the sky is falling..Just asking opinions...Thanks

[movin-on]

I guess most of us think about a 4 slide...all the bells and whistles full body paint rig at some point but is it worth it in this economy with fuel approaching $4.00 a gallon even if you can afford it ...We have a 2002 2 slide Itasca Horizon that we really like but are thinking about upgrading or just staying put for a while...It gets 8 to 10 miles per gallon with 330hp Cat motor..A new rig would most likley be 400 hp or better averaging 6 to 8 miles per gallon I'm guessing here so do the math on what it will cost to go about 500 miles......It's not so much the price of fuel but if you will be able to get it or not in the future..With most of the rv manufacturers hurting and laying off and National filing Chapter 11..Is it worth taking the chance...Don't mean to sound like the sky is falling..Just asking opinions...Thanks

[smlranger]

I've been asking myself the same question/s. We have same rig as your's...02 with 2 slides. It is in great shape and takes us anywhere we'd want to go in comfort. However, being a typical man-beast, I'd love to have a 40' rig with 400-425 hp motor, full body paint and more slides.

That said, I am realistic...fuel will continue to increase in price and we may be in for some difficult times ahead. So, for now, we've elected to keep what we have and re-evaluate the situation in a year or so.

[wilpower]

IMO the "perfect" time never comes. That being said, everybody's situation is different. If you feel unconfortable with the $ for fuel etc., then you won't enjoy the "new" coach as much. We upgraded 2 years ago, and haven't looked back! Just remember your present coach's value is NOT going up, and with the present "difficulties" for manufacturers and dealers, this may be a great time to find the right deal!

[MaverickBBD]

I saw this on another forum and liked it so much I think it has bearing here. Bottom line if you want it and can afford it--go for it. I never heard a dying person say that they wish they didn't enjoy their life so much.

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OK, everybody just calm down. The Main Stream media says we are in a recession and we are not: A recession is two consecutive quarters of negative GNP growth and we have NOT had that.

Sure the banks are in trouble. They got greedy and stupid and made a couple million bad loans to people they should not have. Now the economic system is correcting that. It will work out.

After 9/11, the stock market "crashed"...but it recovered in 59 days.
The Stock market has made money 100% of the time in any 10 year span and 97%of the time in any 5 year span. Take a breath. When the market is down, that's when you buy. Keep funding your 401K and your Roth IRA. Relax. You're in K-mart and the blue light just came on.

The feds cut the prime 3/4 of a per cent today. That means nothing to you, unless, if and until the banks pass that along in rates, and they likely won't.

It is a good time to be out of debt. Cut up your credit cards if you haven't already.

Oil is down 13% from $100 a barrel, the President wants more tax cuts and just might get them, the Fed cut the prime. Spring is just around the corner, the weather and the economy will both improve over time.

Find a state park and go camping.

Gheeez...

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[Route 66]

I believe that if you can AFFORD it and you want it, then BUY it.

Do what you want to do, before it's too late.

[rebelsbeach]

I agree with Dirk one hundred percent....

Lost Mom in '99 and after losing Dad in '05 my brother and I both came to a tough realization.... we're here for a short time and gone for a long time and this isn't a dress rehearsal, it's the real thing.

I came to Florida in April, answering the long urge of my brother to do so... I would never know at the time the effect this move would have on my future.... I have not only found a paradise "weather wise", but I've found love in more than one way.

There's NO guarantee of tomorrow my friends, only a guarantee of today....

Love those around you like there's no tomorrow and live like you were dying.....
You'll never have to say "I wish I could've" or "If I only had done that when I had the time" ever again....

[bjbkkb]

Maybe the better question is "will I look back and say I wish I had done that". For example we went on a great summer vacation of rock climbing and whitewater rafting using only tents. Two months later we bought our first Class C and found ourselves saying a month after that (10 camping days in the first month) "boy, I wish we had this for our big summer trip". We took the Class C on a great Christmas break to Key West and came home with a Class A at the end saying "boy, I wish we had this Class A for the whole Christmas trip". If you can't envision a situation where the new rig will make the trip that much more pleasant than it probably isn't worth upgrading. Just my thoughts.

[GaryKD]

If the new rig seems to fit how you will RV, then buy and enjoy. Like others have posted, our free, market based economy moves in cycles. All of us are old enough to remember several of these cycles. Make your plans, buy what is needed to make your plans a reality and enjoy.

[Hillbilly2]

Amen to what Maverick posted, if we leave things to sort themselfs out the pain will be much shorter. Government used to be called "Big Brother" now I think it's "Mommy" to a lot of people now!

[Easyrider]

If you are thinking seriously of buying a new RV and can afford it-now is the time to go to some dealers and play hard ball with the pricing. The economy has got some people scared, buyer will be rare on the sales floor. And the dealers will be EAGER to Deal! As far as housing, rvs, cars, and any big ticket items go, we are now in a "buyers" market. When the economy starts to improve we will be in a "sellers" market. Both markets are an advantage to someone, it just depends on if you're buying or selling!

[amy5708]

For those of us without unlimited funds, and about 50 years of life expectancy in front of us, we have learned to temper our "wants" with "enough."

A 4-slide $250K depreciating asset that gets 7 mpg just doesn't' make sense for us (that doesn't even consider the maintenance expense!). And we are in the top 5% of earnings and savings for our age group (40 yrs).

We have "settled" with a $65K Class C that is tight on space but affords us to see the same parts of the country and stay at the same campgrounds as a big, spacious, and somewhat pretentious class A.

Now that we are planning on living in our camper next year when we hit the road with our children, we are considering moving up to another Class C (a 35' SuperNova Diesel) that has full body paint and a full body slide (even has washer/dryer and a king size bed), but still costs about half of the Class A's we've seen.

The markets will survive even this downturn, and dealers are eager to deal, but do I want to lose $25 thousand per year on depreciation when the market is also declining?

Now is the time to add more to our net worth by investing in the lower market, so we will have a lot more when next the market rises, even though that may be 10 years. I think it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

Just my humble $.02.

[Route 66]

Your points are well taken.

Most of us post from our own point of view, and clearly we all have different situations.

Your situation with a family to care for, and saving for retirement is much different than those of us that have grown children and are now retired, and without unlimited funds too.

You are wise to plan for your future so that you may enjoy retirement.

["007"]

You can still have bells and whistles only with a older coach and alot less money. Maybe older is better?