Community Forums

Morning Star · 12-12-2019, 07:56 AM

HI everyone, I'm new to this site and I have not yet decided on an RV. I am moving out of a house and into an RV for a couple of years to pay down debt. The unit will be on my friends farm so the monthly rent will be very low as far as a space goes. However, I will NOT be traveling with the RV. I am torn right now between purchasing two different types of RV's for full time living. One is the Cedar Creek Cottage and the other is a Keystone Alpine 5th Wheel. I like both of them for different reasons and I've taken into consideration the storage and floor plans, etc. I decided it might be more helpful to ask experienced people. I know most of you travel with your RV's and that might be something I want to do down the road but right now I need help with figuring out the benefits of one over the other. Things like depreciation (both units are used), resale (which would be easier to resell) warmth in the winter (both have similar descriptions on insulation), ETC. Any help you can provide if you are knowledgeable about both types would be greatly appreciated. I have to make this decision by the end of the week. Thank you

MSHappyCampers · 12-12-2019, 08:59 AM

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

Hope you find the perfect RV for your needs!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

okcnewbie · 12-12-2019, 09:37 AM

If this is truly about paying down debt and staying on a friends farm you might need to look into park models or even a Mobile home. These units would be way better as far as heating/cooling.

1bigmess · 12-12-2019, 11:10 AM

Get a floor plan you like and forget about the rest. Never worry about the depreciation, what someone would pay for it when you're done with it is out of your control.

momdoc · 12-13-2019, 08:52 AM

Welcome to the forum.

Personally I would pay dept down then hit the road.

Floor plan is important and needs to match the quality of the rig you are looking at.

Good luck

Pyropete · 12-13-2019, 09:59 AM

Front living space! So you don't have to kick back in the kitchen and watch TV all the time

I like a separate room to do that. Some have real living spaces that have a barrier from kitchen to rear living space, and those I like too.. The ones without the discernable boundary from living space to kitchen are not really high on my list.

Barbaraok · 12-13-2019, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyropete

Front living space! So you don't have to kick back in the kitchen and watch TV all the time

I like a separate room to do that. Some have real living spaces that have a barrier from kitchen to rear living space, and those I like too.. The ones without the discernable boundary from living space to kitchen are not really high on my list.

Come on, your can easily look down your whole rig. And you will find you 'live' outside much of the time. You just don't have much space to have "rooms".

Arch Hoagland · 12-13-2019, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1bigmess

Get a floor plan you like and forget about the rest. Never worry about the depreciation, what someone would pay for it when you're done with it is out of your control.

I agree. The floor plan you like is the most important factor.

Pyropete · 12-13-2019, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barbaraok

Come on, your can easily look down your whole rig. And you will find you 'live' outside much of the time. You just don't have much space to have "rooms".

believe it or not I am definitely that picky lol. It's all open (except for door on bedroom, but with the front living space it gives me more of a separate room field, not to mention in the real living space combined with the kitchen I have noticed that the couches aren't aligned in a way facing the TV. My buddy's Montana is a FLS and I love that thing. Having used both the FLS just feels more like a home to me. To each his/her own though! Floorplan is #1 on my list when I look.

Morning Star · 12-14-2019, 11:28 AM

That is my feeling too Pyropete. I will be outside but this will be my home for a couple of years and I'm not traveling so it needs to be comfortable for me.

twogypsies · 12-15-2019, 08:54 PM

I'd recommend finding a cheap house or mobile home rental and get rid of you debt before buying something else.

Morning Star · 12-16-2019, 06:44 AM

It's interesting the interpretations that everyone has on my post, most are very helpful and some have different ideas. I live in Asheville NC, in case anyone has heard of it. It has been on the top ten lists of places to live, visit, etc., in just about every publication possible including National Geographic. I have lived here for 17 years and when I first came here it was a quirky little town and I had no problem finding affordable houses that all allowed pets. It was like a dream coming from So Cal. Now, so much of the housing is being used for Air B&B and there is more demand for rentals than there is supply so pricing is ridiculous. IE: a 150 square ft tiny house for 1150 per month. If you have pets then expect a non-refundable pet deposit and extra rent per month and a hefty move in fee. My landlady actually kept my rent low because she likes me but even at that I have paid over 60,000 in rent in the last 6 years. So, I decided to buy an rv because I would pay a lower monthly fee and at the end it would be mine, or I can sell it or I can use it for an Air B&B because people will rent anything here on a visit. But I won't be giving my money to someone else to pay their mortgage anymore. Thank you to all who have contributed to this thread. I have gained a bit of valuable information.

GeezerViz · 12-16-2019, 08:57 AM

I also park my coach on a family farm when not traveling. However I paid a good chunk of change to get 50 amp service out to the coach and fortunately I am parked close to the pump house so I have water. The big pain is emptying the tanks. I use a 40 gal. Blue Boy and then drag that over to the home's septic and empty it there. You didn't mention if you were going to have hookups, so that needs to be figured out before you park your rig.
I like living in my coach but it is a big one. The only way to combat depreciation is to get a good deal at purchase then sell after a couple of years. I think it is best to look at year end coach at a huge discount as dealers try to move inventory at the end of the year. I bought my coach on the last day of the year and received 45% off MSRP. However I also researched coaches for 3 years before I bought so I knew exactly what I wanted and recognized a good deal when I saw it.
Good luck with your plan!

Solo_RV_Guy · 12-16-2019, 09:37 AM

Until you mentioned Asheville, I was going to suggest that RV residency as a means of frugality was pointless as it costs a lot to heat and cool an RV, and keeping it water-tight and vermin-free can be significant efforts. There are a number of unexpected expenses owning and operating an RV, but half of them are travel related and will be on hold until/if you decide to take the unit on the road.

Spend some time here on the forums and search for the models and year(s) you're interested in to find complaints and reviews from owners.

Most RVs have very little insulation compared to a conventional house built in the last 20 years or so. The HVAC is noisy and not terribly even. How will you get propane delivered, and do you plan to get a 100# cylinder to maximize the time between deliveries?

Floor plan... since you're going to use it as your primary residence I think the floor plan and general 'livability' are important. You'll feel better about putting money into roof repairs or skirting/weatherizing if you like living in it, not so much if you don't. Also repairs seem to come in $1000 increments and any repair of consequence seems to start at around $2000. Only you can decide if all of this represents enough savings to adjust your lifestyle to RV residency.
Good luck in all your endeavors.