Community Forums

mikron · 11-05-2010, 05:41 PM

I will go 50 miles per hr. before I stay home. I would stay in Florida for camping trips.

bthomforde · 11-05-2010, 06:51 PM

You didn't say where in Florida or how long you'll stay but I did some "very rough" calculations.
2500 miles round trip, Indiana Florida and return.
a gas class C, 10 mpg?
250 gallons
$3.00 gal = $750
$4.00 gal = $1000
$5.00 gal = $1250

worst case it will cost $500 more, if it were me I'd figure out a way to cut $500 someplace, eat in the RV a couple more times, buy a T-shirt rather than a sweat shirt, etc.

AFChap · 11-05-2010, 07:09 PM

We've heard rumors of fuel going to $5/gallon since we started fulltiming in 2005 ...isn't there yet, though we did see a brief bit of $4 diesel in the Pacific NW in 2008. It is very hard to say at what $/gal we would have to park it ...depends on what other expenses are I imagine. As fulltimers, we spend MORE every year on RV site rent that we do on fuel ... I would guess this discussions means something way different for fulltimers than it does for sometimers/parttimers/weekenders...

Gary - K7GLD · 11-05-2010, 07:27 PM

Some here made rather big and bold statements about simply biting the bullet, paying the price, and staying in motion - fine for the few to whom price is no object perhaps - but lower income and fixed-income types have only so many corners they can cut to offset an extra $500 for a planned RV trip!

And even for those who CAN manage rising costs, the one basic building block for the RV lifestyle is the ENJOYMENT it brings us - and I gotta tell ya, that "enjoyment" can fade REAL fast when a tank refill needed every other day or so hits $400 or $500!

YUP - it's somewhat easy to force a smile - and go ahead and take that once-a-year 1000 mile trip - but what about the folks who planned in their "Golden Years" to full-time on the road - perhaps 12K miles a year or so - will their retirement plan still cover the rising cost of fuel?

... and healthcare, and groceries, and cost of CG's and resorts. and...

There are only just SO MANY corners that can be cut to stretch a dollar...

goldwingerx2 · 11-05-2010, 07:49 PM

We probably will try to maximize fuel mileage by driving slower and lighting the tow load. DW says the Smart Car will stay home. That is fine when we put the top on the sidecar she does not get any rain on her. GO FIGURE. I do like her idea though.

frankdamp · 11-05-2010, 08:16 PM

If you already own a $40K or higher RV, the cost of fuel pales into insignificance alongside the depreciation. We've found campground fees hit the budget almost as hard as $3 gas. COE and State Parks are going to be our stopping points more often (sorry, commercial CG operators) and maybe we'll stay 2 nights instead of one.

With our elderly Lab, trips more than about 6 days are too hard for her, so that's another money-saver. It offsets her injection at $110 every 25 days for her Addison's disease, an expense we've been handling OK since she was 9 months old (it was cheaper back then!). She has a hard time getting out of the rig, with four steps down, so I'm considering ramps with actuators, etc. Realistically, though, she's not going to be with us much longer, so maybe we'll stay with the staus quo.

skigramp · 11-05-2010, 08:51 PM

Okay get out your calculators ...

Lets say you go on a 1000 mile trip, your rig gets 8 mpg ... so you burn 125 gallons of fuel. If fuel goes up $2 a gallon that is an extra $250 for fuel .....

If you use your motohrome in the city park in your town you will still have the insurance bill for your rig ... probably $300 a year ... taxes, licence $500 a year ... one lube a year $50 ... depreciation $3000 to $5000 a year ...

I am not looking forward to paying more for fuel ... but I am not going to quit using my motorhome if fuel goes up $2 a gallon because the extra $250 for a 1000 mile trip is pretty insignificant in the total cost of owning a motorhome.

Kountry87Air · 11-06-2010, 05:29 AM

Interesting comments all.
DW and I are a blended family..though we do not have kids at home..instead we have 5 in college. Can you say EXPENSIVE!? We fall into that MH use category of weekenders...CG/Parks and yes..College visits. All are relatively local..few hundred miles. We both have had TT in past and loved the RV experience...we chose to re-enter RVing with a MH as we do not have a tow vehicle and we both appreciate the charm of a MH. We planned on using the MH for also for that once a year vacation to leave the winter weather behind and soak in the sun..but the budget is very finite. There is no fluff to cut for us..we had already budgeted for grocery store food, WalMart/rest stop overnights and lowend CG at destination. We may still get our vacation, but it is now a heavy consideration to drive the car @ 31mpg and say in hotels intead.
Bummer.

Kountry87Air · 11-06-2010, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superslif

But if $4 or $5 or higher gas is the level of greed BP feels they need to recoup profits lost because of their little gulf accident, so be it.

I understand the sentiment Super..but this is different reason. Part of the effort to reduce the trillions in US debt is to devalue the dollar on the global currency exchange. Since oil is traded globaly in US dollars..the weaker the dollar the higher the oil cost. If the design is to reduce the value of the dollar by 20% then oil will rise by that much...and from what other nations are saying re this devalue thing..they are not happy either as their cost goes up too. For those who say this is political talk..hey..it is what it is and to think the cost of fuel is not the concern of RV's is to be idiotic. It affects us greatly and our ability to enjoy our MH.

Dave and Jaime · 11-06-2010, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff and Cheryl

When oil was $147/barrel, gas around here was about $4.30/gallon. Currently oil is about $84/barrel and gas is $2.99. I would think that gas might go to $3.50 or even $3.75 but 4 to 5 bucks per gallon within the next 4 months, sound like Chicken Little fear mongering to me.
Another way to look at this is to figure out how many gallons of gas you will us on a trip then multiply that by how much you thing gas will go up. That will give you how much extra you will actually spend for fuel.

I agree. Remember that the trucking industry uses a lot more diesel than RV's and the Feds aren't going to intentionally devastate an industry when we need all the jobs we can get.

Also, another way to look at it (besides increased costs on fuel) is decreased miles for the same costs.

For example, if you travel 10,000 miles a year and the MH gets 9mpg, at $3/gal your annual fuel cost is $3333. So, if you keep the same MH and same budget, at $4/gal you can travel 7,500 miles for the same annual $3333. Certainly it would not justify parking your MH -- reduce your miles traveled without any increase in fuel cost (and side benefit of a little less wear and tear).

bldrbob · 11-06-2010, 08:05 AM

Taking the car lowers fuel cost. Then add motel cost instead of campground or Wallyworld.Resturants instead of home cooked meals.My own dirt instead of others.I'll keep the motorhome.
BOB

Monacoach · 11-06-2010, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Taking the car lowers fuel cost. Then add motel cost instead of campground or Wallyworld.Resturants instead of home cooked meals.My own dirt instead of others.I'll keep the motorhome.
BOB

Dont forget the bed bugs.

Monacoach · 11-06-2010, 09:26 AM

Here in Canada diesel averages around the dollar per liter mark ( roughly $4 per US gallon.. Fortunately we do most of our traveling in the USA. The last time fuel prices went through the roof, the economy went through the floor.... don't think that will happen any time soon as the economy is still in the basement.

Craig M · 11-06-2010, 09:41 AM

If the right president gets elected in two years and the legislative branch is controlled by "real" representives, then maybe we can get a "real" energy policy. A "real" energy policy will keep oil prices down. Right now the only reason oil is not at $140/barrel is because the economy sucks and there is no demand.

I am lucky. I live on a 86 acre farm with 15 acres of woods. Three years ago I put in a outdoor wood furnace for my primary heat. If you are willing to cut trees down and load the furnace 1 or 2 times a day, it works great and saves a ton of money. Even if you have to buy the wood, have it delivered in full lengths and cut it yourself. This will still save a ton of money over oil/gas heat. There is no need to split wood with these furnaces. I can fit a 22" diameter by 3 foot long log in the furnace.