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Old 06-18-2021, 02:37 PM   #1
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Future plans

Hi all. First post for me and wanted to throw out our plans and get some feedback, advice and or warnings lol. DW and I plan to full time our retirement. Our plan as of now is to purchase our home come March. Am leaning towards DP in the 35000 range. We plan to travel limited , around 300-500 miles a trip about 3 times a month for about a year to shake things out till we quit working and go full time. At that point we hit the road with about 60-70000 in the bank plus about 3000 a month income. We do plan on doing some work camping like camp hosts etc. Am pretty good at fixing things around home electric plumbing etc and while I used to know my way around gas engines have never touched a diesel. Would welcome any thoughts comments. Thanks
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Old 06-18-2021, 03:05 PM   #2
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$35K is going to buy you an older rig but if it is in good shape it shouldn't be a problem. But things to look out for on a used rigs that can add up to lots of $$ are (in no particular order) are

  1. tires have a 7 year useful life, I just put a set of 6 on for $3600, some go for much more.
  2. service, unless you can do it yourself, can cost ~$500-1000 per year
  3. minor components can add up, I've had to replace a water heater for $600, EMS control board for $450, water pump ~$150. Replace motor on AC unit $125, new AC units are ~$1000. Added a Surge guard for ~$400.
  4. I had road debris take out my radiator, cost $7000 but insurance paid for it less deductible.
  5. Any major problem with a diesel engine can get expensive, there has been a rash of injector pumps failing on older DP's cost ~$5-7K. I just spent ~$1000 installing a new transfer pump to try and prevent future problems with the injector pump.
  6. Recent poster had a drive shaft come out damaging transmission and engine oil pan, cost $20K.
So if you are buying an older DP I'd suggest putting $20K in an account to handle unforeseen problems.
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Old 06-18-2021, 03:16 PM   #3
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Thanks planned on all new tires unless I get lucky was hoping first year owning and using fairly heavy should bring out most problems so we can fix before starting. Still waffle back and forth DP vs gas for exactly the reasons you bring up. Allot to give thought to.
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Old 06-21-2021, 05:31 AM   #4
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$35,000 is not a lot of money for your "home". I full time now in my 2015 Entegra Anthem that I paid almost $350,000 for back in late 2014. It still runs me somewhere between $6-10,000 per year to get things fixed and or replaced (tires in 2019) and maintenance; but again, unfortunately I can not do the maintenance things that need done, so I have to get them done with my wallet. Also remember that campsites are going to cost you quite a bit as well if you want to be close to great tourist sites. For instance, I just paid $1,500 for a little over 3 weeks at Elkhorn Ridge in Spearfish, SD. And ... don't forget the cost of diesel ... I just got 110 gallons at a cost of $367. At an average of 7 miles per gallon ... I will fill up again before I get to Colorado in July.

Yes, you can do it cheaper than I do, you can do your own maintenance, boon dock and go to less expensive campgrounds. But, it is your retirement, only you can decide what is "worth it", just wanted to give you a real world example.
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Old 06-21-2021, 10:44 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DebbieMH View Post
$35,000 is not a lot of money for your "home"......
Another problem with older DPs that have sat for a number of years is that the seals, etc. don't get used as they should, so you need to think of all filers/fluids replaced as starting and then watching, looking for or just replacing seals as you can as you go along. If someone is trying to use lack of miles as a selling point on a DP you are looking at, make sure you get some independent verification that she's in good shape. Key is the maintenance records that the owner can give you/has left in the coach. If available, you will need to pour over them to see if there is a consistent pattern.

We get 8.5 mpg with our DP. Always fill when she is about 1/2 full - generally every 450 miles of so. That way I always have a good backup should we be unable to fuel when we had planned.

Since she is old, no DEF required. But we don't have integrated electronic systems, still have dials on the dash, etc. Plus and minuses to each, but just be aware of what you will need to do and how often you need to do it.
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Old 06-22-2021, 11:28 PM   #6
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As Debbie said, lodging costs can add up quick. If you buy in to a thousand trails or such rv program that can help. Setting yourself up to boondock or take advantage of forest service campgrounds. Full time travel you have to consider your monthly expenses since it is different than a sticks and bricks.
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