Community Forums

jmk909er · 12-15-2016, 08:17 AM

Thank you for all your great posts, I feel the love

Let me address some of your concerns. As far as taking my time, this is not a luxury I have because of the pending divorce. I was hoping to refinance, keep my house and pay my spouse off. This was only going to happen if we were able to mitigate spousal and child support which now I will be paying so we agreed to sell the house outright. In San Diego the going rate for an apartment is $2000 a month! So I want to live in an RV for a while until I get on my feet.

The good news is I will wind up with a lot of cash for an RV and with this I am buying residential property in Fort Worth Texas. I already have a realtor, finance person and a contractor working on this for me there already.

Although I have not owned an RV before have been very intrigued with the idea for a long time. I subscribe to several YouTube channels of full time RVers and have learned a lot. I feel like I am ready jump into life's new adventure and I don't want to waste a lot of time. I am 58 and the clocks ticking.

It's time for a new life!

TeJay · 12-15-2016, 08:49 AM

Joe,

I read most of the posts and didn't read this. One thing you can do once you settle in on any used unit. Warm up the engine and get a sample of the oil to be sent off for testing. That will give you a good idea of wear and care.

One of the testing laboratories is called, "BlackStone." Look them up and they list the different levels of testing. They might be able to also test the automatic transmission fluid as well as the differential. Those three areas are expensive if needing repairs.

The best advice you got was on post #2. Pay somebody to give it a very good look over. Wear and tear on interior stuff is basically cosmetic and can be upgraded if needed. Lack of proper service or abuse of a system is something else.

I'd almost guarantee that if you walk into a clean well kept RV they would also have good records. The reverse is for the most part also true. Most individuals who care for their RV's keep records and receipts for service and upgrades.

There are many reason why folks decide to sell/trade their RV's. Sometimes they do it not because somethings wrong but maybe they just want more bells and whistles. Maybe their current rig needs a lot of standard services like: Tires, belts, hoses, fluid changes, exterior care like paint or crazed emblems etc,etc. So instead of spending $3,000 to $5,000 on stuff like that they decide to sell or trade. Their new rig will have all that stuff new and they will have more bells/whistles to play with.

Best of luck looking!!

imob · 12-15-2016, 09:01 AM

It does sound like you might have a good loophole on the boondocking thing. Just be aware of what it is and that you could get rousted at any time. Most having that idea think they can just setup in a friends driveway... that never ends well.

As for the actual rig.. I would say go older and spend in the range of 20-30k. There are lots of well loved 10-12 year old rigs in that price range. The big point is that you will not get killed on depreciation and could pay cash and eliminate carrying costs. Shop well and you will find something that will get you through a few years with minimal cost. If you go up to the 75k range, even if you do pay cash, you will be giving up so much in depreciation. Then in a few years when you go to TX... if you like the life style and your finances are truly mapped out you can trade up and get something newer or even new if you want.

Gordon Dewald · 12-15-2016, 09:29 AM

The most important part is selecting the best floor plan. More people change coaches because the floor plan, features and amenities do not work that brand name.

Ensure to the extent possible whatever you select is in good mechanical condition. You can inspect the appearance.

A good well maintained coach that fits your wants and needs will do very well.

RobbieH · 12-15-2016, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmk909er

The good news is I will wind up with a lot of cash for an RV and with this I am buying residential property in Fort Worth Texas. I already have a realtor, finance person and a contractor working on this for me there already.

Tell your Realtor that you want a house with an RV pad. Land is cheap in Texas. I have my 40' parked on my RV pad, plugged in to 50 amp, and water and sewer connected. It's nice having it always ready to go, plus we use it as a guest house when we have lots of folks over. RV storage is expensive. It'll pay off in the long run if you have parking at your house. It's not unusual here to find houses with RV pads.

jmk909er · 12-15-2016, 05:57 PM

So much good information, this is all very helpful! On the base where I work there is a free dump station and water so this will not be an issue either.

Paying much less for a 10-15 year old rig sounds like some great advice I will start looking more at these. If buying a used rig like this is it better to look from private sellers like in the RV Trader rather then looking at dealers?

JerryP · 12-15-2016, 06:09 PM

Good advice on getting a house with an RV pad. Monthly RV storage rental rates in Texas are $100 to 150 for covered storage. Enclosed storage is $300 and up.

If you decide to build an RV garage later, build it bigger than your current RV. Your next one will probably be bigger. Think 50 ft. long with a 14 ft. high door. I learned this the hard way.

Good luck, Jerry

WendyG · 12-15-2016, 06:24 PM

If you want to be stealth, either buy a unit without slide outs or a unit that is very livable with slides retracted. A or C or TT, whatever works for you.

Since it is your first rv and many trips will be local, buying an older unit may make a lot of sense. That is how we decided to start; we are happy with our 2005 Itasca. We found ours at a dealer, but I wish we had found the right one direct from owner...we'd have more history and more records.

Isaac-1 · 12-15-2016, 07:18 PM

I shopped for 4-5 months before buying my 2002 Safari Trek at the beginning of November, what I found was generally the best deals are from private sellers, this does not mean they always have the lowest prices, but that they are MUCH more likely to have detailed maintenance history, etc. which is important when shopping for motorhomes in this age range. Also deals do come up,but they rarely last long so if you find one be prepared to jump on it. I did most of my shopping nation wide looking at a few specific models, and mostly shopped RV trader and craigslist ads. There are a lot of scams on craigslist though, so watch out and if the price seems insanely low there is usually a reason. Having said that the motorhome I ended up buying was off of a craigslist ad, and I think I got a great price. Note this was not a low price, but a case where the motorhome had lots of recent upgrades (tires, batteries, carpet, seating, fridge,solar panels, suspension, etc.) All total around $10,000+ not counting install labor was put into it in the last 2 years, and I paid $20,500.

LarryW21 · 12-15-2016, 07:54 PM

MHs are meant for moving down the road. If you won't do much moving get a good TT or 5er and save some money.

jmk909er · 12-15-2016, 10:54 PM

I like the comments about Texas but I have to stay in San Diego for another 2-4 years until I can retire but then I think I will move to Texas in the Fort Worth area.

To answer a previous comment about charging my batteries I will put some solar panels on top, it is sunny most of the time here plus I will also have a generator.

imob · 12-15-2016, 11:33 PM

2-4 years is a LONG time for a newbie to commit to boondocking in the situation you are proposing. I know you have you're mind set on doing this I just hope you do not regret it. By the end it will be interesting to look back on this thread. For the time frame you are proposing I would look heavily at 10yr old units. You will find a sweet spot there in modern amenities and rig age that will get you where you need to be. You will need slides. And I encourage you to search for the "how to read tire age codes" threads. Tires will be one of the initial big cost items for a coach of that age. Beyond that you can find deals in many places and I think you should not rule out any venue. The key is to understand wear and age items and the cost to fix/replace them. As was stated before, update, replacements and fixes can make or break the value of a deal.

imob · 12-15-2016, 11:52 PM

Personally I got my 2000 Winne Brave 31' in March from a trusted friend... it was his parents and first owner. It had not been used in 6 years but had been started and marginally maintained sitting on concrete. It had good bones and the interior was immaculate.... but I knew it had issues. A full brake system, shocks and suspension components, fridge, engine ac, rear ac, many plastic parts... and doing some interior updates I have put over 10k in it but I only paid 2k for it. And I will probably put another 2k in it till I am done... not including the exterior updates (paint job) I want to do. But I plan to hold it for another 5yrs while we pay off the house. We are working to be fully debt free by 50... and this will be our vacations during this time. Every one has their own motivations and experience... but its all in the RV life

Crasher · 12-16-2016, 07:29 AM

With limited resources, I would recommend that you choose a MH, 5er, or TT that allows you to be debt free when you retire with a cash reserve. It would be a shame to reach retirement and always be on the verge of needing to go back to work just to pay the bills. You can be certain that a used motorhome will come with it's own set of expenses needing to be paid. I still see people who want to quit working, but failed to plan ahead and they have no choice. Being debt free and choosing to work because you want to is a happier worry free retirement.