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Old 08-15-2009, 08:59 PM
 
Location: Wyoming
9,724 posts, read 21,149,490 times
Reputation: 14823

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It really depends on how you're going to use your RV. You can get a pretty decent old motorhome for $5,000 - $10,000. Same with trailers/5th wheels. Trucks too. If you only want it to drive 30 miles to the lake on weekends, you don't need new and fancy.

Big isn't too important either. Until my wife insisted on something bigger 9 years ago, I'd used pickup campers for decades. My last one cost me $1,200. It was about 15 years old when I bought it. It was a 10.5-footer (plus the bed over the cab). It had a small bathroom (sink and potty), but no hot water nor shower. I added a hot water heater and remodeled the bath for a shower. That cost me about $300 but kept my (late) wife happy. I used it for 7 years and sold it for $1500. My only other expense was $650 to replace the refrigerator.

I left that camper on my pickup all summer long most years. I could park it most places cars could park. I drove it coast to coast a couple times, through Canada, and usually drove it just for traveling, as I always had the bed, stove, and refrigerator with me. Not bad for the price of a new refrigerator. We normally boondocked in national forests when camping -- free. If we paid for a campground it was usually under $10.

We now have a 27-foot 5th wheel. I have a bigger truck (F250 diesel) than I'd have without a camper, but I'd have a truck of some kind either way. That's a wash. The camper cost us $17,000 new in 2006. They do depreciate pretty quickly. We might get $12,000 if we sold it today.

But the thing is, camping is our main hobby. We don't have a camper to save money while traveling; we travel a little because we enjoy camping. I'm 62, so national campgrounds are half price for us now. We usually spend $6.50 per night. That gives us a nice trout stream 30 feet from our front door. We have to share our yard with deer and moose, but they don't bother us.

We could do it cheaper with a tent or pop-up, but we wouldn't enjoy it as much. If it's raining or cold and windy, we just go inside, close the windows and turn on the furnace. Even though it could be cheaper, we still consider it a darned cheap hobby -- certainly cheaper than regular visits with a shrink.
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Old 08-15-2009, 11:12 PM
 
Location: Inthewoods
113 posts, read 391,881 times
Reputation: 53
I have a 06 hybird myself, Got it for 9k this last year. The couple only used it 2 times. It looked like they never used it. They put all this money into it. I am going to add on to it next year. People ask me all the time, why not buy one? I want to add on and make it the way I want it, not what someone else has in mind. I want to make my own bedrooms and redo the bathroom.
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Old 08-17-2009, 06:24 PM
 
11 posts, read 58,290 times
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Another thing you all forgot to say about having your own bed and bath, is your own food. If you are on special diets, its sometimes hard to find food you can eat. In your camper or whatever, you can carry what you can eat and always have it handy. You always know how it was cooked and what ingredients were used, what seasonings, and oils. Another, you can always take your pet without having to worry about finding a place that allows it.
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Old 08-17-2009, 09:52 PM
 
16 posts, read 113,799 times
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Plus, you've got a place to go when your mother-in-law comes over to your house.
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Old 08-19-2009, 02:30 PM
 
Location: Casa Grande, AZ
8,685 posts, read 16,764,085 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtbeck View Post
Plus, you've got a place to go when your mother-in-law comes over to your house.
LOL or anyone else for that matter When in Alaska we rented ours out to the 'tourists' and recouped a little bit Now when in AZ, we may have to put the visitors in it...
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Old 08-21-2009, 09:38 AM
 
Location: EPWV
19,330 posts, read 9,413,172 times
Reputation: 21120
Default travel trailer vs class b/c motor home

I'd love to hear from folks that have had both and their pros and cons.
Anyone ?
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Old 08-21-2009, 09:55 PM
 
Location: Texas
66 posts, read 155,453 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cat1116 View Post
I'd love to hear from folks that have had both and their pros and cons.
Anyone ?
We bought a new travel trailer despite my hatred for towing. I towed my boat for years and hated it. After about 2.5 years we sold the Pioneer travel trailer and actually made money on it cause we kept it in such good shape. We bought our current Minnie Winnie class C which we now live in full time.

The travel trailer had no slide but the motor home does. What a difference it makes. We bought a 2001 with just 12,000 miles on it.

Though our Winnie has a towing package I will not tow our PU truck. She follows behind me with the truck while I drive the Winnie. There are many arguments which is better but I can tell you after much travel and many many RV parks that I see more 5ers then MHs by a little bit. A distant 3rd is travel trailers and the least common is the class C. I shouldn't say that. The very least common are popups. Just tonight about 8 spaces up from me one of those massive semi truck class Cs pulled in. This thing is a freakin beast!!!!!!!!

The motor home will have a bit higher maintenance costs. Gas wise I get 8MPH in the motor home and I got 8MPG when I towed. Just 3 days ago I went into a shop to ask about an AC recharge. He quoted me a higher price then was posted on the board. I guess he thought RVers were all wealthy and were willing to pay more. I will instead go to the auto parts store, buy a can of freon and do it myself for less then $10.

I love drivng the class C and cant see ever going to the A.
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Old 08-22-2009, 08:21 AM
 
16 posts, read 113,799 times
Reputation: 89
I can certainly see the allure of the motor home, but to me it's just one more engine that can cause you trouble. I admit that I am almost totally mechanically ignorant. I will perform basic engine repair and maintenance if forced to, but it's just not my bag. So, not being mechanically inclined the extra engine scares me off. Towing a TT is a breeze compared to having your engine worked on.

As for what's the least common, I would have to say that the Class B is the least common RV type I see. Mostly 5ers and class A's and TTs around here. But LOTS of PUPs and C class MHs as well.
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Old 08-22-2009, 11:07 AM
 
Location: virginia beach, virginia
128 posts, read 626,910 times
Reputation: 65
Since I've been in the market for a small RV (around 20') or camper van I'd say the more frequent type I see (and for sale) are A's and then small pups. The least I see is quality camper vans. So much so that I've decided to get a used 4x4 pu big enough to haul 5000 lbs or so to broaden my possibilities. I stated on any forum that I dreamed of cruisin' down the highway and smelling my coffee being brewed. I've change that to setting up my pup near a lake or stream and being able to hear, smell and touch the wilderness.And of course new friends.
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Old 08-22-2009, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Way on the outskirts of LA LA land.
3,051 posts, read 11,562,965 times
Reputation: 1967
Quote:
Originally Posted by bob swanson View Post
Since I've been in the market for a small RV (around 20') or camper van I'd say the more frequent type I see (and for sale) are A's and then small pups. The least I see is quality camper vans. So much so that I've decided to get a used 4x4 pu big enough to haul 5000 lbs or so to broaden my possibilities. I stated on any forum that I dreamed of cruisin' down the highway and smelling my coffee being brewed. I've change that to setting up my pup near a lake or stream and being able to hear, smell and touch the wilderness.And of course new friends.
With your pickup, you may want to consider a slide-in camper. Some of the pop-up models have a fairly low profile on the highway, but raise up to full height when in camp. The come in a large variety of sizes, with plenty of options on amenities, as well. Used, they often sell for as little as a few hundred dollars, but of course they go way up from there.
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