Future Tiffin owner??

[k_cleveland]

We are a couple years away from retirement but I have been researching Class A RV's and trying to get a solid grasp on Depreciation. Any advice?

[pbucha]

The depreciation is less significant on a high quality diesel pusher. I bought ours gently used 2 years ago, and could sell it today for the exact same price.

[puttin]

Welcome to irv2! Worrying about a depreciating rv won't make you happy- especially if you buy new. Personally I'd recommend a late model with a floor plan you like and can live with. I've heard that a brand new rv can depreciate up to 30% after the first year. To me, it's a little like worrying about gas mileage. Enjoy the lifestyle and again- welcome.

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Originally Posted by k_cleveland

We are a couple years away from retirement but I have been researching Class A RV's and trying to get a solid grasp on Depreciation. Any advice?

My advice? If depreciation is a serious consideration you should not buy a new coach. Period.

Motor homes are not investments that pay returns, in fact they're 180 degrees opposite - they're guaranteed to lose value every year.

Observations of used coach prices show me that a new unit can drop 50% of value in 6 years, give or take.

If you're borrowing to purchase, if you have to sell your sticks and bricks home... these are things that you may not want to do in retirement. Having long term debt after your earning years requires substantial assets to service the debt, and if you have that kind of money already you are *probably* better off paying cash. If you have investments returning more % than the loan is costing, that's a reason to finance but I don't have the impression you're in such a situation.

[pete5016]

Originally Posted by Solo_RV_Guy

My advice? If depreciation is a serious consideration you should not buy a new coach. Period.

Motor homes are not investments that pay returns, in fact they're 180 degrees opposite - they're guaranteed to lose value every year.

I would take it one step further....if you are worrying about depreciation, don't buy a motorhome. period.

They are just like cars. They will continue to depreciate each year, and unlike a car, they will also take a considerable sum to maintain and keep up.

You buy a motorhome because you want it....And, you want to leave that lifestyle. You decide if you can afford to live in this lifestyle with a large depreciating asset.

It's a great lifestyle. Only you can determine what you can afford, and how much you are willing to invest (and lose).

Just do some research and understand that any Motorhome will be a money pit. Just have as much fun possible enjoying it!

[TXTiger]

All Motorhomes will depreciate. New or used. New ones will depreciate faster, used have already felt some depreciation but will continue to depreciate some while you own it. Tiffin is a good brand, with great customer service. Newmar is also top notch quality and customer service. Winnabego has been around a long time and comes in a close 3rd in most people’s opinions.

[tarheel21]

There are various RV depreciation charts online. I used them as a guide. Not sure how accurate they are for any given brand.

Depreciation is built in. Imo you can minimize it by studying prices and buying best quality for your budget. But it is still the elephant in the driveway

[k_cleveland]

thanks.. Not so much worried as I am budgeting for retirement and need to be aware of the potential loss I will take during our time living in the RV. I expect 2-5 years

[Props2]

Don't forget your offsetting cost of travel as you do your calculations. Cost of hotel rooms against campground fees, eating in restaurants vs your home cooked meals. If you fly,you have those cost(and hassles), not to mention car rentals. If not flying, you still rack the mileage and fuel up on your vehicle. This will take the sting out a little bit,and I mean a little bit.
This is our first full year with the coach with 13000 miles under my belt. Our experience traveling in the coach far exceeds our travels by airline or road trips and hoteling it. Here are offsetting cost you cant put a price on....


Your home(and bed) is always with you.
We have a 3700 sq ft home and I wasn't sure I would be able to cope with a 500 sq ft coach.What I find is I am equally comfortable in the coach.


We have the same meals and habits in the coach as we do at home. Our body clocks never really change.


Since we both are retired(second year), we go as we please and where we please. We have no schedule.


The cat comes with...no cat sitter needed.


Ever talk to your neighbor at a hotel? Outside of a hello....never in my years.
We have made some great friends from other parts of the country and will continue.


There are to many positives that you cant put a price on. The sting of depreciation,maintenance and other cost of a large rig,will be thrown out the window when you truly get out and enjoy it.

[BillJinOR]

I had to some of the same thoughts because I’m into numbers and budgeting. Even though I constantly spend more. Not more than I have but more than I budget [emoji4]
Some coaches have more desirability so nothing is hard and fast
It’s really hard to get numbers like cars as there are so few rv’s sold in comparison. I compared several coaches I was looking at and years old pricing ... the ones I used were starting at 30% off manufacturers sticker ( nobody should ever pay Msrp !) the minute a coach drives off the lot and losing about 5-10 % of the new value ea year. So if you got 20%off at purchase you lost 10% the day you bought it . 300,000 coach ? You just lost 15-30 grand ...all in one day . On that example your losing at least 20 grand a year the first 7 years . As you can see , not a poor mans sport , at least not in the Buy from new market .

At 10 years it becomes almost impossible to finance so the buyer pool drops to cash buyers as does the price. Actually 7 -10 are tough years because of the finance situation . After 10 that’s where it ( prices) begins to stabilize and “condition “ becomes much more important.