Community Forums

aging rocker · 02-04-2019, 04:10 PM

I apologize in advance for all the stupid questions I will be asking. We are new and just starting to look at full time RVing as a retirement option. We have friends/motorcycle buddies that retired three years ago and sold everything. After buying a Class A toy hauler, they spend their time bouncing from one motorcycle rally to another during the season. They were in town for the Superbowl this weekend and left this morning to finish the winter in AZ.

As we are still 3-5 years away from retirement, we are doing our due diligence and trying to research as much information as possible so that we can make an informed decision.

Currently we do not have an RV. I haven't actually been in an RV since we spent summers on the lake when I was a kid.

We aren't even sure what we want. A Class A toy hauler that we can pull a car behind sounds perfect but they are huge and expensive. There do not seem to be many used ones out there either.

A 26' travel trailer and an F250 also sounds good and would allow us to purchase it now and get use from it until we retire.

Diesel_Don · 02-04-2019, 04:13 PM

Welcome to the group. Lots of good people to answer questions for you. The resources are plentiful.

Walk though some units and make a list of must haves and must not haves, that helped my wife and I a ton.

Good luck.

sbleiweiss · 02-04-2019, 04:31 PM

Why a toy hauler? I understand your friends' and their motorcycles, but why you? You can get a new gas class A in the low 100,000s, or a used diesel pusher for from less than that to more. They can all tow a car (but not all cars can be flat towed.)

aging rocker · 02-04-2019, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbleiweiss

Why a toy hauler? I understand your friends' and their motorcycles, but why you? You can get a new gas class A in the low 100,000s, or a used diesel pusher for from less than that to more. They can all tow a car (but not all cars can be flat towed.)

Oh..... We both ride. The toy hauler is to transport our Harleys. Figure 1300-1400 lbs in riding condition. We would probably live a similar lifestyle. Different rallies throughout the season then move somewhere warm/hot for the winter.

momdoc · 02-04-2019, 08:57 PM

Welcome to the forum.

You are joining a good group of folks here with good info to share.

Since you are new to this DO not jump into anything until you have done lots of investigation. Visit as many dealers and shows as you can to see the various rigs, floor plans, quality of build. Look at Motor homes (all classes as they meet your needs, look at travel trailers as well as the many 5th wheels. Even rent a couple for weekend trips. See what works and what does not.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure!

scbwr · 02-05-2019, 04:02 AM

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn a lot about various RVs, so take your time and do a lot of research before buying. And good luck with your search!

MSHappyCampers · 02-05-2019, 10:06 AM

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Better get busy, you've got a lot of tire kicking to do!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Old-Biscuit · 02-05-2019, 10:52 AM

Plan a vacation SOON and rent a MH.
Nothing quite like actually doing it to find out IF you would like it.

3-5 yrs to retirement......
So you will have source of Income, Medical Insurance?
Are you Debt Free...close to it?

FT living is great lifestyle BUT is NOT necessarily less expensive

So look over your current expenses...and how those would be covered in future when retired
RENT RV and go on several 'extended' trips to get an idea how well living in 300 sq ft (or less) works for you.

We camped/RV for years and it took us a YEAR to choose which rig we wanted.....spend the time between now and retirement to research.

As for F250/2500---------go 350/3500 and they do NOT have to be duallies

Arch Hoagland · 02-05-2019, 11:15 AM

I agree with Old Biscuit....Rent an RV for a week. You'll learn a lot more about RV's than you could ever read.

aging rocker · 02-06-2019, 09:56 AM

While we have not done any RV living we have done several, two-week stays in one room cabins and 700 sq. ft. condos. I'm not sure how they compare though. I realize there is more "work" involved in maintaining an RV because of things like black/gray/fresh water, generator fuel, and general vehicle upkeep. I don’t think a lot of this would not apply to a rental unit because most of the work would be handled by the rental agency. If someone has some input on this I would appreciate it.

Our original retirement plan was to retire on 12/31/2021 with 22+ years on the job. We originally planned to expat and hop around South/Central America, staying in long term (3-6 months) rentals. Since then thing have changed, and we may push it back to 08/31/2024, giving me a full 25 years, if I apply to my PTO time to my years of service. I have a local government pension along with 403b and a small pension from my previous job. I need to talk to a financial planner and go over these details before I purchase anything.

Selling our residence and our investment properties will also net some cash reserves. Since I work for the government our health insurance will continue at an increased rate (20%) until I hit 65 when it automatically reverts to a supplemental plan. My employer will continue to cover my wife until she hits 65 at the single rate. Not a bad deal as far as retirement goes. When we sell our current residence, we will be debt free except for any loans on our RV. If we buy in the next year or so. It is conceivable that the rig will be paid off by then, depending on what we choose.