Are New Class A's Easier to live with...

[jzick]

I'd plan for a $500 dollar bill out of your pocket for repairs and maintenance EVERY month. That isn't for fuel....just repairs and maint.

Sure has not been our experience. Since May, 2007, when we took delivery of our motorhome, we have spent $4,416.58 on maintenance and repairs + the original cost of an extended service plan. We spend 6-7 months per year in the unit. We will buy new tires this fall which will add $4000 or so. Except for tightening screws or replacing light bulbs, I do almost no repair or maintenance myself.

I think this gender gap is greatly misunderstood. It seems to me that for men, having an RV means getting behind the wheel of something big and cruising around the country swapping lies about what great mileage they're getting, and polishing the chrome, and kicking the tires, etc.

But it's the girls that do the domestic chores, and in a smaller space than we've got at home.

My mother hated rv vacations. When the family went her "job" of taking care of all the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc. continued but was harder due to limited space, water conservation, outdoor cooking, etc. Dad enjoyed the fishing and sitting around the campfire. As soon as they could afford it, Mom said no more and they started cruising - 137 cruises before they both passed away.

Different strokes for different folks.

[vraines]

I agree that RV'ing is a different life style than cruises, island vacations etc. Need to resolve that definition of vacation with the DW before making the plunge. We've tried most of the options mentioned and RV'ing seems to,work well for us. We have friends that take maybe six or seven cruises a year, and they think we are warped for not wanting to trade the RV for a bunch of cruises. I can justify any hobby or pass time based on costs, but that proves nothing. It is just a pleasurable pass time that we have committed to and we will make it fit into our budget any way possible.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by sc3283

Id say newer is easier than old...with all the improvements that have been made in the whole industry. Quality issues do still exist with some companies.
I'd plan for a $500 dollar bill out of your pocket for repairs and maintenance EVERY month. That isn't for fuel....just repairs and maint. Even if you don't need the $500 this month....next month you my need $800. Granted I bought used..and have fit right into the $500 a month plan...I do all my own repairs, and have upgraded a few things, added a few things and done any maintenance required.

I do not feel that these vehicles are just 1 to let sit and use whenever you choose. They are constant maintenance.

We love ours and enjoy it far more than hotels. We are not retired, so work is our major problem for not using it as often as we wish

I'd say this estimate of cost is extremely high unless you you don't plan to do any work on it yourself. We bought our motorhome new in 2001 and currently have over 99,000 miles on the odometer. I have used a software program since the begining to track all motorhome related expenses. It has been our experience that the monthly costs for maintenance, repairs and upgrades is far less than $200.00. Maintenance and repair items alone have been less than $100.00 per month.

[JimM68]

our first motorhome, a 1999 gasser, took a lot of work the first year, upgrading and "catching up" it was trouble free the second.
Motorhome #2, a 2008 diesel pusher has been pretty troublefree, but I still like to tinker, improve, and generally have fun with my tools.

I hate hotels, and like flying even less. when we vacationed in the old days (before camping) we mostly rented condo's.

I love camping. I love driving the beast. maintaining the beast. filling the beast up in truckstops. Walking thru a campground and talking to everyone I see... cooking outside. eating outside. relaxing in front of a fire. making s'mores with my family.

[SarahW]

You've already had the best idea...rent an RV and see how you both like the experience. If your wife is dead-set against it, you're probably swimming upstream. Like others have said, the chores do go along for the ride in an RV! Have fun.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Francesca

Your wife is dead right, and it makes no difference how new the rig is. You can't leave the household chores at home if you're bringing a home along with you.

Sounds like for her, a vacation should include freedom from such responsibilities, or it's not a real "vacation".

My wife very seldom cooks at home so when we go somewhere we eat out!! Although, sometimes I cook in the crockpot, and I vacuumed the rig last time out too although I vacuum the house too.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by jzick

Sure has not been our experience. Since May, 2007, when we took delivery of our motorhome, we have spent $4,416.58 on maintenance and repairs + the original cost of an extended service plan. We spend 6-7 months per year in the unit. We will buy new tires this fall which will add $4000 or so. Except for tightening screws or replacing light bulbs, I do almost no repair or maintenance myself.



My mother hated rv vacations. When the family went her "job" of taking care of all the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc. continued but was harder due to limited space, water conservation, outdoor cooking, etc. Dad enjoyed the fishing and sitting around the campfire. As soon as they could afford it, Mom said no more and they started cruising - 137 cruises before they both passed away.

Different strokes for different folks.

Soooo how's that service plan working out for you? Sounds like not very well if you add the cost of it to what you've paid out!

My wife has been on 6 cruises and 3 for me. I thought that was doing pretty well!

[rmd230]

I much prefer to motor home to hotels. For one thing you are sleeping on the same bed every night. You are also assured it is not infested with bed bugs. You don't pack and unpack every few days. You can fix your own meals, grill when you want, mix the drinks, etc.

Our best vacations are when we load the motor home and the only decision we make is which direction we drive out of town. We go where the impulse takes us, stay as long as we want, leave if we want to see something new, and never have to worry about reservations.

I have never been a fan of cruises. Being trapped on a ship with 3000+ people I don't know is not my idea of fun.

[jzick]

Soooo how's that service plan working out for you? Sounds like not very well if you add the cost of it to what you've paid out!

Paid little over $2000 for service contract, so my total expenditures for maintenance and repair amount to about $1200/year. I did not think $100 per month was all that bad. That includes oil/filter changes for engine/generator, lubes and all the routine stuff, and for a diesel, the annual maintenance eats most of that.

Our extended service contract has worked very well for us. It has paid to replace a convertor, fix an AC, replace all the 110 outlets in the mh, replace the satellite, replace a rear axle seal, and replaced the power cord when it frayed.