Motorhome newbie seeking advice.

[tomdrennan]

Hi,

I am about to retire and am going to become a fulltime motorhome user in January 2021. I intend to purchase a used motorhome and a toad. Have been leaning toward a Newmar or Tiffin. I have about $25-30 K total to spend - with a little extra if new tires/batteries and other maintenance are required.
My annual spending budget will be about $40K - income from my retirement funds.

I'll be traveling solo sometimes and with one or two others at times, and plan for about 5 to 6K miles a year, boondocking when I can and also looking at other inexpensive ways to stay. I'm not into resort type RV parks and prefer to be able to enjoy the wonderful mountains forests and lakes of this great country.

I will confine my travels to the western states and provinces in the first year.

My thoughts are that I could get a 2000 to 2004 Motor Home and a Honda CRV.

I would appreciate comments and advice, especially about my choice of motorhome and toad, and other aspects of my planned adventures.

Thanks in advance.

Tom

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi Tom! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined us!

I would go to RVTrader.com and do some searching based on your requirements. That will tell you what's available in your price range.

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[GCSuper]

I think you're underfunded. That budget will put you in a very old unit. Even if well maintained, there will be maintenance and repairs needed. Are you handy with tools, etc ? If not, life will be difficult.

[450Donn]

For yoir budget you would be far better off with a 2500 series pickup and a TT. Even at that it could be a stretch getting something decent within your budget. 5-6 thousand miles a year means a lot of sitting in one place. Which is not good for a motor home.

[Unplanned Tourist]

Tom, I suspect you will find that a smaller rig will get you into many more remote (free) areas if that's what you are thinking about.

Don't get me wrong, DP's are great, but can be a money pit, and it sounds like you may not be prepared for that.

Happy Glamping.

[jacwjames]

If you are not mechanically inclined, with the budget both for purchase and annual expenses, I would not recommend at diesel rig. A gas rig can be worked on at most larger auto dealers for oil changes and repairs. They are usually less complicated.

I would do a search on Full Timing expenses. If you are willing to rough it, boon docking when possible, limit recreational or entertainment expenses, and pinch pennies you may have enough money budgeted.

Also remember that in the end the older motorhome will essentially be worth no where near what you paid for it, just assume ZERO. Will you have enough money in the bank when it's time to plant new roots?

[momdoc]

Welcome to the forum. Good luck in your search but i fear you will need to increase your budget to get what you are looking for. RV trader is a good place to start.

You are joining a good group of folks here with lots of good info to share. Read the various threads here and ask questions as they come up or add info if you can.

Good luck with the search and enjoy the adventure!

[edgray]

in my opinion, your expected use of 5-6 K per years is much less than a DP “ needs”, and your purchase and PM budget points to a gasser too. There are lots of high quality Newmar and Tiffin gassers our there. Look for a Newmar Kountry Star or Mountain Aire and for a Tiffin Allegro BAY. Both are available on a Workhorse W-22 series chassis that will give you a GM V-8 and Allison Tranny, which is “ better” than the Ford F53 chassis, which will have a screaming V-10 and a Ford Tranny. Do not buy a coach on the Workhorse P32 chassis that has an AUTOMATICALLY Applied parking brake instead of a foot applied parking brake. The CRV is an excellent choice for a toad, if you want to avoid using a dolly.

[Kluffinator]

The CRV is a good choice. If you buy one that is not already set-up to be towed, budget $2 to 2.5K for baseplate, tow bar, lights and aux brake. You might find some of this on craigs list or classifieds here at cheaper.

We have a 2004 MH and while we love it, it doesn't always love us back. Seems there is always something that needs to fixed. But in a sick way, that is part of the fun.

Some ways to ameliorate your initial costs is to make sure the tires are not too old, the roof is in good shape and the power-train has been loved on. An RV is a collection of systems. Learn them, inspect them and ignore them at your own peril.

Since you are going to be spending a lot of time in it, don't overlook the importance of having a floor plan that suits you and storage that is adequate. Create a wish-list and prioritize the items that are most important to you and you will have fewer regrets after the the fact.

Don't get too hung up on the cost of fuel, gas vs diesel, or miles per gallon. At 4-6K per year the difference in cost is not that significant. And the savings in fuel cost will more likely be appreciated from the choice of second vehicle, CRV toad vs full size truck if you were to pull a TT and driving either of those more than the MH. The difference in cost of maintenance and repairs could be a more deciding factor between Gas and DP.

I applaud your thinking and know that you will have a great time traveling around and exploring. I can't wait to do some of that myself.

[deandec]

your expected use of 5-6 K per years is much less than a DP “ needs”,


Interesting observation

Our 25 year old DP has averaged 4,300 miles per year. Ready for a long trip today.

Runs fine. No major repairs. Still looks good inside and out. Owned for 18 yrs.

Ours is not unique.

What are those effects of my "DP not getting what it needs" that you have experienced?

[edgray]

Perhaps I should have said “frequent” use, as I believe that a diesel chassis has more systems that will last longer if exercised regularly. I’ve had 3 gassers and a Spartan K2 tag axle DP, and the required annual PM costs of the DP are much higher, regardless of mileage.
I hope you will agree that today’s DPs are far more complicated than yours.

[SomeDay]

Tom absolutely I believe from your brief OP, that you can achieve what you desire, but maybe with the exception of seriously consider a gasser. Yeah you'll get up the hills a minute or two slower than the DP (we do mountains all the time in our 2003 36ft Gas), but that aside over time we've learnt so much about our gal and fixing things to save a fortune on booking her in for services etc. A full time Canadian couple we've followed for years that generally love to hike, bike and occasionally kayak, spending little on main stream entry fees bought a 1996 MH called Sherman I think roughly about 13 years ago, and have just the past couple weeks sold it to now start exploring Europe. They typically tend to have spent around C$1200 to $1400ish per month (odd exception months), and share their monthly budget all the time. If you've got the patience and can search/read their website blog you might gain a lot of comfort with your budgets, by what they've done and relate somewhat. TravelwithKevinandRuth.com.

Happy Travels. SD.

[tomdrennan]

I want to say a big THANK YOU to those who took time to respond to my questions concerning my intention to start full time RVing in January.
Great advice and many practical tips - just what I need.
I am going to search for a 28 to 32 feet MH and an older Honda CRV.
I will stay with gas and not look for a Diesel Pusher. Some prefer Ford motors, others favor Chevrolet. I am still undecided and it might be preferable for me to consider age and condition rather than manufacturer.
I feel that my budget will work for me - and if not I will get temporary employment from time to time. (I also have plans for an on-line business)
My feeling is that if I get a MH in good condition, especially engine, tires, battery and roof I will be in as good a situation as many of you who are enjoying your older rigs.
I disagree with comment from one who said that it would be worth nothing when I quit using it. Example. If it's worth $25K now and is 18 years old with 50K miles on it, it might still be worth perhaps $15K when it is 22 years old with 70K miles -as long as it has been maintained well. I learned this infromation from looking at ads of used MHs for sale.
Ideally I will be able to locate someone who has something similar to what I am looking for and is willing to part from it - quitting the RV life or planning to upgrade. If you know of anyone who is in that situation I would appreciate such information. I would be willing to travel anywhere in the USA to collect it, and it would be a cash transaction.
Again, thanks so much for all the good and encouraging advice. I have found a wonderful group and look forward to many happy days RVing, and following the tons of advice on the forums.

[Kluffinator]

Sometimes you can find CRVs that are already set up to tow. When you look at the sales sites like Autotrader look at the pictures of the front to see if there is a base play installed. Not all dealers include that fact in the description.