Community Forums

Dave78Chief · 05-10-2013, 09:54 AM

Check the roof carefully in the area of the roof AC. Those support braces that have been added were due to a sagging roof and are not original.

Dave

Winnebeater · 05-10-2013, 10:44 AM

$4000 for fuel is a better estimate.

Waymon3x6 · 05-10-2013, 12:56 PM

Thanks Dave, something I did not notice/think about. Will be sure to put that down on the list of things to check out.

Winnebeater, I did my calculations, using 7mpg, I get:

6000miles/7mpg = 858 gallons * $4.00 per gallon = $3,428.57. So $3500 should be a decent estimate, no?

Trying to keep it under $2k per person (with 5-6 going) so my calculations look like this:

May I ask what you pay for insurance? I called our company (smaller mom and pop shop) and gave her the info, told her I'd be the only one driving, gave her the vehicle description and price the owner is asking. Supposed to get back to me early next week. Just a rough estimate, I'm expected to pay around $1500, is this in the ball park?

Thanks for all your help guys.

RickO · 05-10-2013, 01:06 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you guys are planning a big adventure and I certainly see the romance in what you're planning.

Not wanting to be a stick in the mud... but... two weeks to go coast to coast and back again strikes me as far too short a time. Secondly, the potential for major break downs along the way with a $5000 motor home exist. I'd suggest to at least discuss what happens if you find yourself in the middle of Texas and the transmission blows.

Best of luck to you guys.

Rick

Blag · 05-10-2013, 01:06 PM

What would be the cost of renting a new RV for two weeks?

RickO · 05-10-2013, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blag

What would be the cost of renting a new RV for two weeks?

These guys are one of the biggest Cruise America: RV Rentals, Motorhome Rentals, Wohnmobil Mieten, Camper Hire

I also think your estimate for insurance is probably double what it should cost you.

Rick

Blag · 05-10-2013, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

These guys are one of the biggest Cruise America: RV Rentals, Motorhome Rentals, Wohnmobil Mieten, Camper Hire

Rick

The excess milage terms with this rental company would push their budget some, but still..... a nice new rv would most likely be trouble free & light years ahead of the vintage rig in terms of comfort & mod cons..

Quote:

An estimated mileage charge of $476.00 for 1400 miles applies to your rental. At the end of the rental if you have driven less then 1400 miles you will receive a refund for the unused miles at the rate of $0.34 per mile. If at the end of your rental you have driven more then 1400 miles you will be charged $0.34 per each additional mile driven.

Winnebeater · 05-10-2013, 01:19 PM

My gas estimates were at $4.30 a gallon and 6.5 mpg. It is over cautious, but you should expect the unexpected.

Waymon3x6 · 05-10-2013, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickO

Not wanting to be a stick in the mud... but... two weeks to go coast to coast and back again strikes me as far too short a time. Secondly, the potential for major break downs along the way with a $5000 motor home exist. I'd suggest to at least discuss what happens if you find yourself in the middle of Texas and the transmission blows.

Best of luck to you guys.

Rick

I certainly understand. Perhaps ~3 weeks would be a better estimate? If we drive straight through, and rotate, we should be on the west coast in ~5 days from CT if there are no problems. We did a road trip from CT to FL which was supposed to take ~22 hours and we made it in, I think 18 if I remember (driving at night is a huge plus).

All of us won't have to go back to school until after labor day weekend, so we basically have the entire month of August, but it would be nice to be home for a few days before we go back to school. So 3 weeks should be enough, no?

Regarding renting, Since I am the oldest and will turn 21 in October, this simply won't work. To my knowledge, you must be 25 to rent. My parents are very lenient, but won't take the responsibility of signing for us for such a big trip like this. There's just too much that can go wrong, and with them retiring soon, they don't want to take the risk of losing assets etc if something stupid does go wrong. So renting is pretty much off the table. But thank you for the suggestion.

RickO, thanks for the clarification on insurance. That's a huge saver right there. If I can lower that estimate, then it might be possible that we can look at a newer model RV, with perhaps little to no problems; maybe something like this?

1984 Winnebago 75,000 Miles

Thanks for all the input guys, I've learned a lot from you over the past few days.

Winnebeater · 05-10-2013, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waymon3x6

....then it might be possible that we can look at a newer model RV, with perhaps little to no problems; maybe something like this?

1984 Winnebago 75,000 Miles

Both motorhomes are exactly the same as far as chassis is concerned. In fact most amenities are similar if not exactly the same. The 1984 is the same as mine except it is five feet shorter. With five guys the 1981 seems like a better fit for you guys as long as it passes inspection.

You had mentioned that you did a previous trip before from CT to Florida and shaved 4 hours off the estimated time.....keep in mind 55 mph is where I get optimal highway mileage. Every 4-5 mph faster I go it reduces my fu economy by about 20%. A friend and I have made it from Chicago to Sacramento in 51 hours, but only stopped for fuel, drove 80 mph or faster and switched driving duties at every fill-up.

Are you traveling to a destination in California or are you guys just wanting to see the country?

Waymon3x6 · 05-10-2013, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winnebeater

Both motorhomes are exactly the same as far as chassis is concerned. In fact most amenities are similar if not exactly the same. The 1984 is the same as mine except it is five feet shorter. With five guys the 1981 seems like a better fit for you guys as long as it passes inspection.

You had mentioned that you did a previous trip before from CT to Florida and shaved 4 hours off the estimated time.....keep in mind 55 mph is where I get optimal highway mileage. Every 4-5 mph faster I go it reduces my fu economy by about 20%. A friend and I have made it from Chicago to Sacramento in 51 hours, but only stopped for fuel, drove 80 mph or faster and switched driving duties at every fill-up.

Are you traveling to a destination in California or are you guys just wanting to see the country?

Regarding the Florida trip, we drove a Rav 4, mainly at night, and obviously tested the aerodynamics of the car on the straight-aways. Since it was 2, 3am, we had no issues with traffic which also helped.

But yeah, we would obviously look to go the speed limit in a big camper. No rush. Would you recommend that we travel during the day, or at night? Or maybe both? We don't want to miss Colorado/Utah and further west on the way there though, so perhaps we should travel during the day, but that presents an issue with traffic.

We are traveling to Santa Monica. My cousin lives there so I would visit him, and probably spend a few days there in the RV. Then we would possibly take a trip up the PCH to Santa Barbara or down to San Diego (maybe both) and then head home through Arizona, New Mexico etc. I have already been to CA, and some of my friends have as well, so the main part of the trip is to see the country - Colorado, Utah, Arizona etc, some of the places we have not yet been to.

RickO · 05-10-2013, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waymon3x6

I certainly understand. Perhaps ~3 weeks would be a better estimate? If we drive straight through, and rotate, we should be on the west coast in ~5 days from CT if there are no problems. .

I'm not a good person to ask this question. I would take four months but I'm retired.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Waymon3x6

But yeah, we would obviously look to go the speed limit in a big camper. No rush. Would you recommend that we travel during the day, or at night? Or maybe both? We don't want to miss Colorado/Utah and further west on the way there though, so perhaps we should travel during the day, but that presents an issue with traffic.

.

I really don't think traffic will be an issue overall so drive when you want and feel you can best meet your goals for timing and sight seeing. I would think it would include a lot of both day and night driving.

Traffic will be an issue in the major metros but there's no answer for that other than to plan your passages to hit them in off hours.

Have fun and be safe.

Rick

RickO · 05-10-2013, 02:33 PM

On the subject of night driving... be sure you use our search feature and find threads about overnighting at WalMart parking lots. You'll probably find yourselves very tired at times and WalMart (and some others) allow for RVers to stay overnight in their parking lots. As they say, "some restrictions apply" so please do research it so you stay within their rules.

Rick

ronspradley · 05-10-2013, 07:23 PM

It is going to be one hot trip. Get some 12v fans from Wallyworld. And if you want this trip to see America, driving needs to be during the day. Sounds like a grand adventure.

ronspradley