Community Forums

MWeiner · 04-21-2020, 08:58 PM

RV's are typically driven 5,000 to 7,500 miles per year or less.

And, many people purchase a used motorhome as opposed to a brand new model.

So, if you purchased a 5 - 9 year old model , how many useful years are left in the RV lifetime?

Many finance companies won't finance an RV older than 10 years and if they do, it will be on a much shorter timeframe.

This is important, because you need to know that the money you've invested and the maintenance for the vehicle is money well spent.

Of course, it's not reasonable to expect an RV to last as long as a sticks and bricks home.

From a financial aspect, it's probably a good idea to keep your RV as long as possible instead of trading in your RV for a new model which is very expensive. It's definitely a bad idea to purchase high and selling low.

SO, how old is your RV and will you keep it until it's service life is over?

604eholston · 04-22-2020, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWeiner

RV's are typically driven 5,000 to 7,500 miles per year or less.

And, many people purchase a used motorhome as opposed to a brand new model.

So, if you purchased a 5 - 9 year old model , how many useful years are left in the RV lifetime?

Many finance companies won't finance an RV older than 10 years and if they do, it will be on a much shorter timeframe.

This is important, because you need to know that the money you've invested and the maintenance for the vehicle is money well spent.

Of course, it's not reasonable to expect an RV to last as long as a sticks and bricks home.

From a financial aspect, it's probably a good idea to keep your RV as long as possible instead of trading in your RV for a new model which is very expensive. It's definitely a bad idea to purchase high and selling low.

SO, how old is your RV and will you keep it until it's service life is over?

No. I'll probably keep it as long until my service life is over, then my son will inherit it. My next birthday will be the big 90. It is a Winnebago Era, 2016 model.

Unicorn Driver · 04-22-2020, 06:06 AM

This is intended for class B's only?

Waiter21 · 04-22-2020, 06:14 AM

I have a 1999 Southwind. Its in excellent condition, and I keep it that way. It has 78k miles on it, I anticipate 10 to 15 more years.

http://www.1999southwind.com/

..

MWeiner · 04-22-2020, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn Driver

This is intended for class B's only?

It's not intended for just Class B's.

Unplanned Tourist · 04-22-2020, 08:39 AM

Ours is a 2008 and we hope to get another 10 to 15 years out of it.

It has around 115,000 kilometres on it now, but we don't have any long trips planned for the near future.

I built a shed to store it in, so it should last a good long time.

Happy Glamping.

BCam · 04-22-2020, 08:40 AM

Mine is a 2002 Itasca Suncruiser 35U (purchased in 2017) that's equipped with a wheelchair lift. It has fifty-some thousand miles and I have no expectations of replacing it as long as it's mechanically sound and barring a major accident. I'm a reasonable skilled DIYer and, aside from major body mechanical work, I can pretty much fix, replace or modify anything.

Besides, its floor plan is especially suited to our needs and will be more so once I finish some bathroom mods.

MWeiner · 04-22-2020, 08:49 AM

Did most of you pay CASH for your RV'S or are you financing them over TIME? You would hope that it will be a serviceable unit BEYOND the monthly payments?

tommar · 04-22-2020, 08:58 AM

I purchased my 1998 Dutch Star Class A in 2017. It had 64K miles on it and now it has about 78K miles. I intend to keep it for as long as I can still enjoy it!

Unicorn Driver · 04-22-2020, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWeiner

It's not intended for just Class B's.

Cool, was wondering as it was in the B forum

I would hope our 2008 Winnebago will still have plenty of life in it when I go to change it in 8-10 years time. It has 50k on it now.

Rust is what will kill it eventually.

MWeiner · 04-22-2020, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unicorn Driver

Cool, was wondering as it was in the B forum

I would hope our 2008 Winnebago will still have plenty of life in it when I go to change it in 8-10 years time. It has 50k on it now.

Rust is what will kill it eventually.

Fortunately, we live in Los Angeles and NOT at the beach. I'd love to live closer to the ocean, just can't afford it.

In this case, it's a plus, because where we are cars and RV's for that matter can last more than 50 years ( at least the bodies can ) and once rust gets started it's very hard to stop.

My advice is to put your coach in a heated garage or pole barn ( they are popular in the midwest. I know there's some places that specialize in storing vehicles in the winter and charge about $100 per month.

When you think about it, you only need about 6 months and even if it were $1,000 per year, that's pretty cheap compared to having your rig fall apart.

I just leave my RV parked out in front of my house. Easy access and as I said, we don't have severe weather conditions except for heat.

Good luck.

saddlesore · 04-22-2020, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWeiner

Did most of you pay CASH for your RV'S or are you financing them over TIME? You would hope that it will be a serviceable unit BEYOND the monthly payments?

Yes We paid cash ....

Ours is an '02, bought with 20,000 miles, now has 120,000 miles..
Should get another 10 to 15 years of service if What I'm seeing holds true with our brand..
Have seen quite a few '75 to '90 year models still looking good and running strong

MWeiner · 04-22-2020, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saddlesore

Yes We paid cash ....

Ours is an '02, bought with 20,000 miles, now has 120,000 miles..
Should get another 10 to 15 years of service if What I'm seeing holds true with our brand..
Have seen quite a few '75 to '90 year models still looking good and running strong

Ok, you've put 100,000 miles on this in 18 years, that's about 5,500 miles per year. Yes, I imagine it will last another 10 years, it's a diesel pusher.

Beautiful rig. I hope you're getting at least 8 to 10 MPG on that.

Unicorn Driver · 04-22-2020, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWeiner

Fortunately, we live in Los Angeles and NOT at the beach. I'd love to live closer to the ocean, just can't afford it.

In this case, it's a plus, because where we are cars and RV's for that matter can last more than 50 years ( at least the bodies can ) and once rust gets started it's very hard to stop.

My advice is to put your coach in a heated garage or pole barn ( they are popular in the midwest. I know there's some places that specialize in storing vehicles in the winter and charge about $100 per month.

When you think about it, you only need about 6 months and even if it were $1,000 per year, that's pretty cheap compared to having your rig fall apart.

I just leave my RV parked out in front of my house. Easy access and as I said, we don't have severe weather conditions except for heat.

Good luck.

Its the rust from the previous owner driving it in winter is the issue. I have tried indoor storage and prefer having my coach at home. I had a concrete pad poured last year.