What do you tell potential newbies when they ask about RVing?

[BruceDeville]

Originally Posted by baraff

I always tell them if they don't have any mechanical, electrical skills, or troubleshooting ability and/or a willingness to work on their own equipment that they should not consider buying an RV. Rent an RV, stay in motels, vacation homes instead. Otherwise they will likely be very disappointed.
Some of the questions I see posted here and on other sites have convinced me that there are a lot of folks who have no idea what they're getting into.

Good advice.

Please allow me to expand. If your favorite tool is a small plastic card containing a comuter chip and a magnetic strip you are in trouble. Ownership, not just RVs, but automobiles, homes anything with moving parts, electricity, fuel and such is a troubling path. Just rent.

Now on the lighter side - it's all about lifestyle. How will you use your RV? It has to be more than for example just deciding to go to a movie.

Does the prospective RVing family do things regularly together? RVing is about family, at least in the circles I travel.

Is the prospective RVer highly structured or more of the adapt and go with the flow type?

These and a thousand more comments like these need addressing.

My decision was easy - RVing is our lifestyle.

[GrantR]

Start small, if you are not prepared to work on it some, expect to spend a lot of money and be without it. Black first, then gray, watch out for yellow posts and enjoy the journey.

[Ldubs]

Originally Posted by SomeDay

Depending how in depth/long the conversation and questions are, we generally tell them after 22+ years we can't imagine our lives without an RV. We absolutely love sleeping in our own bed each night, having our bathroom and fridge access on board and so on. However, caveat being, don't buy it unless you are definitely going to use it and commit on a regular and consistent basis.

We see way too many folks over the years think it's a great idea and then by the second/third year they never leave their backyard or storage place. Excuses typically being "too much hassle to get ready for a trip", "I'm so tired after working all week can't be bothered to prep and go", "everything keeps breaking/falling apart so maintenance takes too much of my time".

We also advise how to keep it set up for ease, and have a tote box for winterising liquids into basement storage and then back in RV late spring. As well critical to have an emergency fund of ideally about 10% of the rig cost set aside and consistently add to it for when the time comes, and it eventually will!

We didn't have a clue about electrics, mechanics, solar, even how to turn on anything when we started in the late 90's RVing, but now with help from forums like this we do a huge amount of maintenance/servicing ourselves.

So in answer to the OP's question: "it depends". Nature of the person asking the question, how financially sound they are, how often they "will" use it, and how realistic they are about what's involved in ownership.

I read through all 50+ posts and their is a lot of confirmation about what to expect. I can't say I really disagree with too much. I enjoy tinkering with the trailer, just like I enjoy tinkering with the boat. There have been necessary repairs just as others have warned. I'm lucky to have space in the side yards to store both at our house. I think your advice to set things up to keep it as hassle free as possible is excellent advice.

I'm not sure we are part of the "RV lifestyle" that has been referred to here. We used to go camping a couple times/year. Now that we got the TT we go just about every month for a few days at a time. I still try to get out on the boat every week (unless I'm out with the TT). And, except for the pandemic, we will spend more days each year traveling internationally than we will in the TT. But still we enjoy taking the little trailer out for a few days of "roughing it".

So, to me it isn't a lifestyle. It is an activity I enjoy along with several others. If we ever stop enjoying or using the TT, we will get rid of it. And, to be sure, my investment in this toy is very modest compared to what a lot of you all have.

[horsecollect]

For 2 yrs we had a KZ Connect TT. Some young friends came to see it and they fell in love with it. J & E started to figure out how long it would take them to save enough money to buy one like ours. Oh, they could live in it full time with their 4 cats and 2 small dogs and see more of the country! They kept up with with their "pie in the sky" plans until I pointed out the TT cost 12 times what they paid for their present car (used). Then I added their car couldn't tow the Connect so they would have to buy a larger tow vehicle.
Then I started to tell them all the expenses along the way - license for both the tow vehicle & TT, fuel for the tow vehicle, repairs, places to park the TT, etc.....
I kind of hated to shoot down their dreams, but they finally realized it would take a lot longer to save the money, especially since at that time they were living in a garage at his parents' home.
As far as I'm concerned, newbies should start with a popup.

[New2road]

I tell newbies to have fun and not get wrapped up in making it perfect. We let them know we are amenable to providing help if they need it. Many do.
Everyone's "RV" experience is unique to them, what works for us; may drive another crazy. Kind of like military experience, no two people have the same careers. Similar experiences and challenges, but in the end unique to the person.
I find in camping, as in the military, it is the people interactions you remember and enjoy most.

j

[Misjudg]

Yes I agree 100% with you me being a newbie and I'm very grateful that I am mechanically savvy and I'm able to do many things on my own I was a mechanic for several years back in the '80s and '90s so I have an idea of what I'm dealing with it's just everything so Greek to me I want to make sure I'm doing it properly and without the right schematics and right information I just there's so much out there I want to make sure I'm doing it right so yes I agree with you 100% on this one if you're not willing to do some work on your RV on your own and get familiarized with it it's not I don't know what you would do unless you had your mechanic or whatever on speed dial which could get quite costly which I don't need.

[Hardroad]

We bought our first RV 20 years ago and didn't know a damn thing - but - after 20 years, we know quite a bit - buy your first RV, enjoy and learn!

[Scooter363y]

Wow lots of varied experiences! I can only speak from my own experience and here it is,

We started somewhat small. Motorcycle with a tent if you want to start there. Couldn’t do it now at my age (64 years)

My (our) first Rv was a 89 Winnebago chieftain 36 that we bought in 99. We used it a lot at the drag races as we raced motorcycles. I fixed what I could and paid for service that I couldn’t. We had it for about 5-6 years. I don’t want to bash the Winnebago brand but this thing is a piece of crap! Not a good experience at all! And made very cheaply. When we got rid of it we were so burnt on the experience it was almost 10 years before we tried the camper experience again.

We got our second Rv a 06 Gulf Stream super C with a gas Kodiak chassis. A much better rig. No major problems with this rig. We actually started “camping” in this rig. We started spending the winters in Florida with this rig.

Our current rig is an 04 HR endeavor 40 DP. We have spent the last 3 seasons in Florida for the winter. A really nice rig! But the last owners were not kind to the rig. We have spent a lot of time and money on repairs and upkeep that the previous owners didn’t do or tried to do and screwed it up. The first year we spent $10k on maintenance and repairs. The second was $12k on repairs and upgrades! This year so far about $3500 on maintenance and upgrades. There is always something to do on the rig. There is always something to do rather it is repairs, maintenance or if your lucky upgrades! Now we are getting to the fun stuff upgrades!

I would tell newbies that have had the nerve to ask that:
1. Don’t think that you are going to save money by RVing that’s a myth
2. You will/have to develop some mechanical skills
3. You can/will have a wonderful time
4. When you will have a both a relaxing and frustrating time
5. Rent a Rv several times before you commit to buying one
6. Ask/talk to people at campgrounds they are happy to share
7. Subscribe to IRV2 lots of useful information here

If you like it then by all means dive in.

I would suggest start small/cheap but not too cheap. If I had it to do I would have saved a little more and bought a nicer first rig. But I learned a lot about what I could and couldn’t fix on my own.

RV safe
Scooter

[PapaTrk]

Originally Posted by baraff

I always tell them if they don't have any mechanical, electrical skills, or troubleshooting ability and/or a willingness to work on their own equipment that they should not consider buying an RV. Rent an RV, stay in motels, vacation homes instead. Otherwise they will likely be very disappointed.
Some of the questions I see posted here and on other sites have convinced me that there are a lot of folks who have no idea what they're getting into.

Friend of mine asked me about getting an RV and was concerned with the expense of the upkeep. I agreed with most of the comments, that it is a hobby for me and most successful hobbies are costly, but very enjoyable. I enjoy learning how to troubleshoot, repair what I can, and enjoying traveling in my "Hobby" with my family.... Hard to beat.

[momcat]

If someone inquires, I tell them it is quire expensive, but if they like to work on things, and need a hobby, to GO FOR IT ! They will never run out of something to do, or somewhere to go. I cuss it, and Love it. MOMCAT

[Ctrod]

Originally Posted by jondrew55

I tell them to buy a pop up and start from there. See if you like camping. You'll most likely grow out of it into something bigger soon, and I you don't you will not have invested an ungodly amount of money in MHs or tow vehicles.

I definitely agree with this. The bigger and fancier your first rig, the more systems you have to learn right out of the gate.

[Cloud Dancer]

I always tell them that if you're driving a Class A, do NOT believe the Michelin video (the one that instructs how to handle a front tire blowout). Then they ask me what brand of tire I like. Then, I answer MICHELIN. Then, I explain what's wrong about the video.

[Adaycj]

I think it's like wanting a motorcycle. As a motorcycle rider every time gas costs spike I'm asked about fuel economy of my bike. It's a red flag to me that someone would ride a much more dangerous mode of transportation only to save fuel.

RVs or motorcycles, if you are driven towards that sort of thing, figure it out and do it. If you are listening to hyperbole about low costs, stay anywhere life, then I tell them to rethink the plan with better information.

As far as the negatives, any activity has them. I've never thought my pop ups, TTs, or RVs were more.expensive than other recreation or entertainment. While the scale of things is different, if you carry insurance and take care of them they are still worth money when you sell them ... big or small.

[jeddpearl]

Originally Posted by SomeDay

Depending how in depth/long the conversation and questions are, we generally tell them after 22+ years we can't imagine our lives without an RV. We absolutely love sleeping in our own bed each night, having our bathroom and fridge access on board and so on. However, caveat being, don't buy it unless you are definitely going to use it and commit on a regular and consistent basis.

We see way too many folks over the years think it's a great idea and then by the second/third year they never leave their backyard or storage place. Excuses typically being "too much hassle to get ready for a trip", "I'm so tired after working all week can't be bothered to prep and go", "everything keeps breaking/falling apart so maintenance takes too much of my time".

We also advise how to keep it set up for ease, and have a tote box for winterising liquids into basement storage and then back in RV late spring. As well critical to have an emergency fund of ideally about 10% of the rig cost set aside and consistently add to it for when the time comes, and it eventually will!

We didn't have a clue about electrics, mechanics, solar, even how to turn on anything when we started in the late 90's RVing, but now with help from forums like this we do a huge amount of maintenance/servicing ourselves.

So in answer to the OP's question: "it depends". Nature of the person asking the question, how financially sound they are, how often they "will" use it, and how realistic they are about what's involved in ownership.

I agree 100%. We also did not have a clue years ago about most things associated with RVing, but that did not stop us. We learned from asking questions and being inquisitive about the many aspects of what this lifestyle was about. We also learned from watching many YouTube videos and from this forum.


I do try and let newbies know about what they may be up against but let them know how much pleasure this has brought us and that there will be good and not so good times