Motorhome vs. Motels

[LVJ58]

It's a no brainer, Motorhome

[deSanford]

If you can afford a MH then of course buy one. If not do the best you can with what fits into your budget. Sanford

[Thunderfoot]

I would ask the following questions:
* Do you have any RV experience?
* Do you enjoy doing your own repairs & maintenance?
* How many miles annually will you travel?
* Have you read the depreciation thread on this forum?
* Does your wife have any RV experience? If she's not happy it will be a very long 4 months, if it lasts that long.
These questions only touch the surface but may start you thinking of the total concept in addition to the financial issues.

Although this is an MH forum the choice is not for everyone. dons2346 comment is spot on. From a cost analysis standpoint your accountant will never tell you what a great bargain it is. The initial purchase price, sales tax, recurring registration & inspection fees, depreciation, insurance, tires, batteries, routine service, and more all have to be factored in to the cost of each trip... unless someone is giving you a coach and paying all of the bills except those incurred during travel only.

That said, we have enjoyed traveling in MH's for 40+ years and don't plan to be without the convenience, flexibility, comfort (and occasionally, frustration) that they offer. Best of luck with your decision and Happy Holidays!

[Mike and Cha]

It really depends on what your goal is. If you just want to get out of the area for several months a year and don't mind staying in one place, then renting a place like mentioned before is probably the way to go. If you want to travel and see different places and explore then get the MH. We really enjoy sleeping in our own bed, showering in our own shower ect, cooking our meals, meeting other people, and seeing alot of different sights. We used to stay in Hotels/Motels all the time, multiple times a month even. Since we have bought our MH we have not stayed in a Hotel/motel since.

As far as the cost it's a no brainer if you plan on staying in Hotels/Motels while you travel. We have done two one month trips so far and I did the cost comparison of using the MH vs Hotels, on both trips. This does not include the purchase price of the MH or the insurance ect. We included gas, RV sites, equipment needed, food, ect. We also considered we would pay about $100 a night for a decent hotel, and that price could be more or less depending on where we were. So far both trips the MH cost about $1500 less per trip. You can figure at about $4 per gallon of gas it will cost you about .50 cents per mile to drive a MH as a ballpark figure. If you ate out a couple times a day that could run up to $75 a day including some snacks and drinks you may buy to travel with, with a MH you are going to buy food anywhere you live anyway, and you can cook all your own meals if you choose.

The biggest thing is you will get to see more, camping is better than being stuck in a hotel room, and alot of the CG's have pools and spas if you are looking for that. if you are someplace you really like you stay longer and explore more, if you go someplace that was a letdown or not what you expected you just pack up and move on. It is a great way to tarvel.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by Greg Schoenberg

.... (56 PNW winters is enough).....

LOL!!! Interesting how things are relative. DW and I left Boston a while back with the same words.... "60 Boston winters are enough". The past couple of years we've wintered up on Puget Sound because the winters are so mild. ;-)

Well, of course motorhome is the answer, and it doesn't have to be huge.

[msturtz]

We have been through this very discussion. For us it allows us to travel. For example my wife wanted to take our daughter to Disneyland for her birthday. I figured the budget for the trip the trip for hotel, airfare, rental car, dining out, park entrance fees, parking fees etc. totaled about $6,000. When I did the budget for the RV the cost was about $1600 including fuel. That is what we did. The trip was much more pleasant than when we made the exact same trio we made staying in hotels.

[Greg Schoenberg]

Originally Posted by Thunderfoot

I would ask the following questions:
* Do you have any RV experience?
* Do you enjoy doing your own repairs & maintenance?
* How many miles annually will you travel?
* Have you read the depreciation thread on this forum?
* Does your wife have any RV experience? If she's not happy it will be a very long 4 months, if it lasts that long.
These questions only touch the surface but may start you thinking of the total concept in addition to the financial issues.

Although this is an MH forum the choice is not for everyone. dons2346 comment is spot on. From a cost analysis standpoint your accountant will never tell you what a great bargain it is. The initial purchase price, sales tax, recurring registration & inspection fees, depreciation, insurance, tires, batteries, routine service, and more all have to be factored in to the cost of each trip... unless someone is giving you a coach and paying all of the bills except those incurred during travel only.

That said, we have enjoyed traveling in MH's for 40+ years and don't plan to be without the convenience, flexibility, comfort (and occasionally, frustration) that they offer. Best of luck with your decision and Happy Holidays!

Thank for the best wishes.
Great advice, y'all.

To answer your questions, I've owned all makes of RV's except class A and 5th wheel. Enjoyed them all. My wife has no experience in any. She comes into our marriage with the belief that she will not like life in a "tube." It conceivable she may stay home to be near her kids and grandkids, flying south to meet me here and there.

Depreciation. IIRC, significant in the first three years, then slowly the next few. The popular Winnebago 27N or the 30T are my first choices.. I'm assuming that depreciation will be slower with their qualify and popularity.

No repairs or maintenance. I'll rely on warranty, including extended. Miles per year. Starting from Oregon to through Cal, Az, and perhaps Texas, with a mountainous return in the Spring.

One last thing to note. I will be running my insurance business from the road...roughly 3 hours a day. I picture stopping at rest areas from time to time, returning calls and emails. I'm thinking a MH with a comfortable table and seating will be suitable for this. I plan to write off the interest as a 2nd home and also have the business pay rent for the office space.

-Greg

[Greg Schoenberg]

Originally Posted by JFXG

LOL!!! Interesting how things are relative. DW and I left Boston a while back with the same words.... "60 Boston winters are enough". The past couple of years we've wintered up on Puget Sound because the winters are so mild. ;-)

Well, of course motorhome is the answer, and it doesn't have to be huge.

It's "mild" where I live too in Washington state. I play golf year around in the mud. Get tired of the gray.

-Greg

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by dons2346

If you are trying to justify the cost effectiveness of owning a motorhome, forget it.

Exactly !!!!

[guardrail53]

"Quote"( My wife has no experience in any. She comes into our marriage with the belief that she will not like life in a "tube." It conceivable she may stay home to be near her kids and grandkids, flying south to meet me here and there. )"Quote"
My suggestion to you is, Rent a nice class A MH, and take the wife(DW) for a long weekend to week long trip. See if she changes her mind, or at least considers the MH as a way to go. If the wife ain't happy, no one is happy! After all, she is half of the equation!
My vote is, the MH is by far, the best way to go, but my DW loves it as much as me! Rail!

[HuntingHawk]

Consider a self contained MH. Means you can go days without checking into a campground & that of course saves money.

[Chow5656]

Originally Posted by vettenuts

I did some spreadsheets on the cost of travel, and the motorhome won by a lot. However, this didn't include the initial cost. Then there's other considerations. First, eating in a restaurant all the time is typically not very healthy and you end up eating differently than if you were home. I also like sleeping in my own bed where I know it is clean. Ditto for the bathroom and shower. You can also take more of your own things and make it very homey.

All that and much more!!! Like no one in the next room arguing with someone at 2AM, no one watching TV at 3 am in the next room. No groups of people partying all night slamming doors and running up and down the halls!!!
Just a few things I DONT miss!!!

[HD4Mark]

If you have pets to bring along then the decision is even easier. Finding hotels that allow dogs is not always easy. Finding CGs that don't isn't easy. Some breed restrictions may apply but let's not get into that.

Where we winter I don't think we could or maybe would want to afford the price of a hotel or resort of some kind for the time we spend but then again we have to bring along our own house If we did fly in the rent a place and a car there would not be any maintenance. Seems like there is always something to fix on the MH. But then again it is our house, we know who slept in the bed last and if it isn't clean we know who to blame.

The cost question is tough. The initial investment is high then there is fuel and routine maintenance. After that there are plenty of inexpensive options to overnight. Some state or federal CGs are $25 or less and truck stops, Walmarts and rest stops can be free.

[wildtoad]

If cost is the issue then travel by car can be quite cost effective. Travel by motor home, pulling a toad can be quite expensive, less so if you stay in parking lots. One can not forget the initial cost of the mh nor the ongoing continual maintenance of a mh when comparing costs.

However, I hate motels and living out of a suitcase. I like taking my stuff with me, sleeping in my own bed, and my privacy. So I'll opt for the costs associated with RV travel.