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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,694 posts, read 58,012,579 times
Reputation: 46171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacqueg
Whether it is cheaper FOR YOU depends on your current budget....
BTW, $30/night is low end, especially for a Class A. Some of those big RV resorts charge $100/night - and up.
Nearly all my FT friends have bought 'pre-owned' Platinum Thousand Trails memberships (~$10K) for 300+ days 'in-park'. Those features are no longer offered. MUST buy pre-owned membership
Our local RV parks are ~ $300 - $400 / month + electricity for LT stays. LOTS to do 'free' (in my CO, TX and WA locations).
Having camped / RV'd for over 50 yrs, we've stayed in only a few established campgrounds. I prefer the boonies or farms or friends. I keep RV sites at all my rural homes (free for friends). As do many of my friends and family. Once you start making connections, you will be pretty well set up. Several friends travel FT with 'building projects' often at state parks or youth retreat camps (very nice locations). https://www.workamper.com/ (Yes, you can workamp as a retiree (and not have to work much) https://rvlife.com/workamping-jobs-f...couples-solos/
I have noticed there are literally thousands of gently used Class A motorhomes from 20+ years ago that are selling for as little as 10K-15K. With the cost of retirement housing skyrocketing it would seem a possible alternative to renting and with some work/research opportunity to plug in at some campgrounds as well as via private property owners with acreage. The RV itself can remain fixed while a towed vehicle acts as primary transport. Thoughts?
Sewage, water supply, electricity, and managing the water vapor load inside the trailer; these are your issues.
A mobile home has a permanent fixed connection to sewer, city water, electricity, and has a HVAC system for a house. A motorhome or travel trailer has none of these.
All the compromises in an RV to make it go down the road, also compromise it as a long term house. Unless you really think you're going to move around regularly, a single wide is a cheaper and more reliable approach to low cost housing.
So in campgrounds that allow long-term use, is the 10-year rule less of an issue with a travel trailer? I would think it'd be difficult to discern a 15-year-old trailer from a 5-year-old if well maintained? Boondocking doesn't seem desirable with water/waste disposal issues unless there is some kind of get-around I'm unaware of.
You do realize some sites can be $100 a night? 3000 a month can get a nice apartment in most places.
They can check the age of the trailer in 1 minute.........just look at the registration.
My only experience is that my son bought a camper with 23000. miles on it. Everything had been cared for, but yet, no one could have foreseen that the tires rotted from sitting. He and his family had multiple blow outs on one of the first trips on the highway. It was very scary.
I think there’s a reason why there are so many used campers for sale. One, the thrill wears off after a few trips, and two, things start breaking. When things start breaking and you’re in the middle of nowhere…that’s bad.
Many of the rv manufacturers put on tires which can't safely carry all the weight of a fully loaded rv. Many of these tires aren't good even when brand new.
My only experience is that my son bought a camper with 23000. miles on it. Everything had been cared for, but yet, no one could have foreseen that the tires rotted from sitting. He and his family had multiple blow outs on one of the first trips on the highway. It was very scary.
I think there’s a reason why there are so many used campers for sale. One, the thrill wears off after a few trips, and two, things start breaking. When things start breaking and you’re in the middle of nowhere…that’s bad.
Standard advice is to replace the tires every three years. Regardless of what they look like or how few miles they have traveled.
Many people actually do foresee this. I am sorry your son missed it, because it is highly dangerous. Did he have his rig inspected before he bought it? A professional RV inspector would have told him about this.
You are correct that many RVs are shoddily built. The RV industry has stats that show that the typical RV is used 2-3 weeks in the first year it is owned, and then the annual usage decreases from there. Many of them are simply not built to last. The ones that are built to last are not cheap. Even when they are used, they still command top dollar.
That's why so many of us prefer our home-built rigs.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,694 posts, read 58,012,579 times
Reputation: 46171
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational
That's a cop out. The RV tire issues are not hidden in the least.
If son didn't do any homework however ...
...
tire date codes...(6-7 yrs is considered MAX). Tires you buy from Walmart / retailer might be 2-3 yrs old on the date code). It's a long trip to USA and through the supply warehouses, and to the end user.
The same issue crops up in the motorcycling world.
There are a lot "driveway jewelry' bikes that get sold as "low miles!" etc.
They will all need new rubber too.
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