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DVCOLLIER · 10-20-2012, 04:07 PM

Been looking at 40 to 45 foot RV's for a year. Can't get real answers from the dealers on what it really cost to own and operate a 40 to 45 foot Motorhome.

I've owned a plane and the annual inspections can be a real bummer.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Midniteoyl · 10-20-2012, 04:12 PM

More than a boat, less than a plane per hour.

bluepill · 10-20-2012, 04:17 PM

Fixed costs (just sitting there without being driven):

Insurance, Loan interest (or loss of invested income if you pay outright), depreciation.

Easy to figure based on your purchase price and a call to a few insurance companies and credit providers. Class A DP in the size range you mention, I would figure 5 to 7% depreciation per year for 2 to 8 year old rigs.

Variable expense is fuel at current prices at about 8MPG. Very little maintenance required for a DP. Oil Change at 1 year or 15K miles should be in the $200 - $300 range. Half that if you do it yourself.

Tires are a big expense at 6-8 years or about 50K miles. For 22.5" tires I would figure $700 per tire.

jmarmor · 10-20-2012, 04:28 PM

OMG! Who ever said more then a boat is so wrong and never owned a boat. I just sold my boat because the fuel was unreal. One mile to the gallon at best. Usually .7 mpg. Insurance the same as a boat. Boat dockage and storage $9000/year. RV motorhome $65/month off site on blacktop. Service less on the RV cause you can get any truck repair guy to service it. [Moderator Edit] Tires much more on an RV but props on the boat make up for no tires at $3500 a pair.

LVJ58 · 10-20-2012, 04:37 PM

The average annual cost to maintain our gas coach over the past 12 years was $2,422.25. This figure does not include registration fees, insurance premiums or fuel costs.

It does include all preventive maintence costs, repairs, replacement of critical parts, add-ons i.e. solar panels, front trac-bar, air horns etc.

Insurance premiums averaged $850 annually and registration fees averaged $659 annually.

Can't speak for a diesel powered coach though. Hopefully there'll be some diesel owners on the forum who can provide the cost data on a DP.

Best of luck

Gorlininc · 10-20-2012, 04:49 PM

Well you mentioned an airplane. I still have my plane and the cost of an RV is so much cheaper. They can't even be compared. I have a 38 diplomat DP. Full insurance is $850 a year. My plane is $3k
No annual on the MH. a plane is $5K a year.
Diesel is $4.00 gal. Avgas is $7.00 gal. They both average 8.5 MPH. a hanger is $6K a year. Motorhome is free I have a slab for it.
I estimate my DP is about $2500 a year plus fuel. Not including tires.
These days I use the MH much more than the plane. A 43 foot motorhome DP is probably a little more cost. My next MH will be a longer one.

TheJeep · 10-20-2012, 05:07 PM

Every year is different, so take with a grain of salt. Also every coach is going to be different. I do my own work and this is what I do as a minimum for preventative maint.

Fuel-how much you drive

Oil change for engine 150

Trans filter and fluid once every three years 300

Generator oil change and air fuel filters 100.

Lube chassis 40

Aqua hot filter and fuel nozzle: I haven't done this yet. My guess 50

Winterizing if you need to 50

Other things that need to be done from time to time is hyd fluid, anti freeze, axle hubs, differential fluid and the big one is tires. Of course you will have other repairs that you can not plan for.

This is approx what it cost me to do it I would guess double for a shop. Hope this is what you were looking for.

Mr_D · 10-20-2012, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midniteoyl

More than a boat, less than a plane per hour.

Never owned a boat have you?
Yacht club fees, "hole in the water" (dock space for the boat house), utilities for the boat house (sewer, water, electricity), property tax on the boat house, boat license fees (yearly). Then we can talk about the cost of actually using the cabin cruiser (in our case) and maintenance.

MH:
Stored beside the stick house, just electricity for winter heat, license fee ($136/yr), insurance (about $1,200/yr). Diesel, oil, filters, tires, etc.

Yes, they both cost money but the MH is much less than our boat was!

SarahW · 10-20-2012, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DVCOLLIER

Been looking at 40 to 45 foot RV's for a year. Can't get real answers from the dealers on what it really cost to own and operate a 40 to 45 foot Motorhome.

I've owned a plane and the annual inspections can be a real bummer.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

As you see, there is no "correct" answer!! Too many variables, but lots of good info here.

xplorer33 · 10-20-2012, 05:17 PM

I"ve never owned an airplane, but I did own a 36 foot ketch that averaged 10 mpg with a 30 gallon tank it worked out to 300 miles at 7 knots! I now own a 33 foot Diesel Pusher that gets 10 MPG with a 100 gallon tank and a range of 1000 miles per fillup. and I have to be careful to keep it under the speed limit. I have a 5.9 Cummins turbo with an four speed auto allison. I heaed out of Florida three years ago, traveled across the USA to the north west and went as far as Seattle, Wa. The best advice I can offer to save money is instead of staying in the RV Parks look for Mobile home communities that have a few RV spaces, their cheaper, and they are more forgiving if you want to work on your rig. And unlike RV parks, most of the residents know each other so there is a friendlier atmosphere

Triker56 · 10-20-2012, 05:58 PM

A 40' to 45' probably won't cost more then a 32' DP to operate. Other then less MPG for fuel.

My 34' MH has cost a average of $156.47 a month for 122 months.
I do all the maintenance items I can myself.

That doesn't include the $19,000 spent for add ons, Insurance, plates, fuel or campgrounds.

Or the $60,000 it has depreciated in that time. :(

Midniteoyl · 10-20-2012, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmarmor

OMG! Who ever said more then a boat is so wrong and never owned a boat. I just sold my boat because the fuel was unreal. One mile to the gallon at best. Usually .7 mpg. Insurance the same as a boat. Boat dockage and storage $9000/year. RV motorhome $65/month off site on blacktop. Service less on the RV cause you can get any truck repair guy to service it. [Moderator Edit] Tires much more on an RV but props on the boat make up for no tires at $3500 a pair.

OMG! Boat, not yacht..

Midniteoyl · 10-20-2012, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Never owned a boat have you?
Yacht club fees, "hole in the water" (dock space for the boat house), utilities for the boat house (sewer, water, electricity), property tax on the boat house, boat license fees (yearly). Then we can talk about the cost of actually using the cabin cruiser (in our case) and maintenance.

MH:
Stored beside the stick house, just electricity for winter heat, license fee ($136/yr), insurance (about $1,200/yr). Diesel, oil, filters, tires, etc.

Yes, they both cost money but the MH is much less than our boat was!

Again, boat, not yacht.. or boat house

Jon Mopar · 10-20-2012, 06:38 PM

Cost to run boat varies wildly depending on boat, and where you keep it...so they're a bad example. Private docks fees in the small club in my area is $1700 for the season for a 28ft power boat, but the adjacent public dock were free...it was first come, first serve (always plenty of room) with no overnights on Sunday. No biggie, that's what the truck & trailer are for, right?? 5-6mpg, and maintenance costs of about $350 a year (fluid change and winterization).

Anyway, cost of ownership of a MH also varies, depending on how much you travel, and if you do some of the work yourself. With us, besides insurance, our 2 last gas Motorhome cost very little to operate, and both got 10-12mpg.

$100 ever 2 years for re-sealing,
$80 a year for oil and filter changes (including generator).
$50 a year for chassis spraying and greasing
$50 a year for roof care products. We detailed it ourselves and did any repairs.
$1700 a year for a campsite at our favorite park, or $30-40+ per night.
Just under $20 an hour for fuel, running at 60-65mph
Surprise repairs happen, but were rare for us, and never totaled anywhere close to $500. We went years without needing to spend a single dime on repairs.

If you're like most (who might only travel 65k in 10yrs), tires will last you 7-10 yrs, and brake components about 10+yrs. Tire prices vary depending on brand and size, so how much you spend is up to you.

Only YOU can accurately calculate what you'll spend in a year, luckily it's not hard. Guesstimate how many miles you'll travel, and how much it'll cost to stay there once you arrive. How far you go will determine how much you'll need to spend on your coach

What I can say is that Diesel motorhome do cost more than gassers to operate, so my numbers won't be yours. Our current Class C is just about 37ft, and has cost next to nothing to operate outside insurance, basic up-keep, oil changes and fuel. Our previous 30ft Class A was very much the same. My parents have had RVs for 30yrs, and if you tallied up what they spent on maintenance on them over that period of time, it wouldn't be that much (like well under $10k)