Fuel parking and insurance costs of driving an RV ? (motorhome, park, standard)

[dhanu86]

Hey. I'd like an estimate of how much it costs to drive an RV. I know it varies by how size and roads and other things. Or how much do you pay to fill it up? What type or how big is it?

Is it cheaper to pull a camper with a pick-up truck? Is it easy to unlatch the truck from the camper to drive it around? How about if I wanted to park it in a RV park near Yellowstone, or somewhere else like Florida? Are there alternatives to using an RV park to stay for a few days? Which do you prefer?

[StealthRabbit]

$300 / yr for MH insurance ($200k / $500k / $100k, HIGH limits)

$ 30-$50 / day for nice RV sites
$15 for forest service with no hookups
FREE for boon-docking (BLM)

$100- $300 / day in fuel (this is gonna get MUCH worse, The USA WILL pay WW prices before long)
Fuel, greatly depends on your style / routing. Figure at Least $.30 / mile (fuel and Maint), UNLESS you have a HOG,... I.e. I relocated a MH and each stop it took 10X the fuel my diesel VW took.

$5 - $10 for food

TIRES !!!! Hang on, these are VERY EXPENSIVE and must be replaced every 7 yrs, worn or not.

You might want to make up a spreadsheet that is tailored to your travel style and destinations.

I have one that helps me to decide whether I:

1. Fly / drive
2. Take the Motorhome
3. Take the car and tent
4. Take car and use guest homes
5. Take the motorcycle.
6. Stay home and read a good travel book.

In the last couple yrs, (per yr average)

Option #1-(Fly / drive) 10+ trips/ yr ($79 SWA and $12/day Priceline rental cars). ($10 / night guest home, $3 / day food) Can't buy much gas for that!

3 trips in Motorhome (~ $100 / day in fuel (& I get 20 mpg!!) and ~$40+ for a 'real' campsite.
1 trip in the tent (I'm getting OLD for that and live in region with 120" rain / yr)
5 Trips with car and Guest home (~ $30/ day fuel @ 50 mpg + $10 lodging + $3/day food)
0 motorcycle overnights
0 trains (I use a lot in Europe and Asia)

Frequent option for me is to Fly / Drive in MH. I park it near an airport and fly home for awhile or for weather / season to change, then fly back and continue my trip. This is REAL useful if one spouse is still working and has limited vacation. This is a fuel / operational / depreciation cost mitigation plan. I will be bringing a $35 / 50 mpg 'grease burner' as a 'toad' (Tow Car) next yr on a cross country RV trip, and leaving RV PARKED as much as possible.

My Cars and pickups are 'throw-away' as far as depreciation for mileage (I have many with over 500,000 miles.)

On the other hand an RV has very expensive depreciation per mile if you ever expect to sell for a decent price. Miles rattle RV's to death, ESPECIALLY if NOT built from solid welded structure ( MOST are NOT). One Hailstorm can finish off most RV's.

As a commercial trucker I always hated coming upon an RV wreck, ugly. Especially during the era of kids riding in the upper bunk.

[dhanu86]

U must be burned out from driving. The insurance is surprisingly low, my car is 1400 a year and I have a clean driving record. But the FUEL, I would want a smaller gas efficient RV. With a car I can drive all day and spend 100 on fuel, so an RV must take about 3 times that if driving. I think it's worth it if you live in it a part of the year and constantly on the road with it and know some very homely places to park and stay a while.

I think the car/tent or pick-up with a cover on the back to sleep in and cushions sound good as well. I did that as a kid, but u can't stand up. The camping sites for non-RVs are I think 20, with the bathrooms and shower facility. I'll keep the tires in mind, start a savings for that every 7 years.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by dhanu86

U must be burned out from driving.

far from it, I just applied for a PT driving job ~ 600 miles a day. I LOVE to drive, as it gives me time to think. Getting paid to do it is a plus!

The insurance is surprisingly low, my car is 1400 a year and I have a clean

My car insurance is $186 / yr.(liability only) The MH is more due to full coverage, but is less that a 'full hit' due to the fact they consider you drive a MH less than a car. AND the typical high frequency exposure to claims is the 'local' driving you do while commuting, (not a risk for MH).

[rtandc]

Originally Posted by dhanu86

Hey. I'd like an estimate of how much it costs to drive an RV. I know it varies by how size and roads and other things. Or how much do you pay to fill it up? What type or how big is it?

Is it cheaper to pull a camper with a pick-up truck? Is it easy to unlatch the truck from the camper to drive it around? How about if I wanted to park it in a RV park near Yellowstone, or somewhere else like Florida? Are there alternatives to using an RV park to stay for a few days? Which do you prefer?

How high is the sky...no really the replies you will get will be all over the board because everyone is different

I drive a 45 foot class A. I have a 150 gallon fuel tank and get around 6-7 miles to the gallon depending on my driving habits that day. So I could go about 1000 miles between fill ups but I never let my tank get much below half...Diesel fuel was 3.09 a gallon on my last fill up so you can do the math....But fuel is just the tip of the iceberg. You have normal maintance and wear and tear you have to account for everyday.

Most people that RV allot own several different types of "campground memberships" which if used properly can save you allot of money. Many fulltimers also own a "home lot" at a RV resort.

Campgrounds are no different then hotels. It is all a supply and demand type game....Just like you would expect to pay a high price for an oceanfront hotel in the middle of the summer you can also expect to pay much higher then standard prices for campgrounds in very popular locations.