Getting an RV (Phoenix, Golden Valley, Quartzsite: RV park, 2015, motorhome)

[Lucy Martinez]

Hello all. Im looking into getting an RV , this is quite the age where so many things are up for question. im 65 years old and my partner is 68 we still work to subsidise our income. resently we bought a piece of land in Golden Valley. 3 hours from Phx its where we live now. thinking about , what to do with our land its close to all water fishing grand canyon n park its in a very accesable place . Rv we are thinking on buying is used. our land has no ristrictions. no water or electricity. what you all think any ideas?

[grmi66]

I used to work in the RV industry. The best time to buy a used RV is coming soon. Sounds morbid, but every year couples flock to AZ in their brand new RV and one of the couple passes away. So the remaining half of the couple sells the RV for pennies on the dollar because they can't stand the memories or in many cases it's the wife that's left and she doesn't want to drive the RV back to Iowa.

One of my friends buys an RV or two every year like this in Quartzsite and then drives them up to the Northwest in the Spring and makes a tidy profit.

[gemstone1]

"our land has no ristrictions"...from what I read, Mohave County does have RV restrictions...are you exempt from those regulations ?

Regards
Gemstone1

[keninaz]

Be very careful about the quality of RV that you purchase.
We have owned many over the years and enjoyed traveling in them and lived in a 40' 5th wheel for some 2 years.
Many RVs are not insulated enough to protect you from colder winters. And even if the heater(s) in them keep you warm if it's cold enough outside pipes can freeze underneath and in walls.
If your tanks freeze underneath it's not fun at all but many RVs are just not wrapped or protected under the carriage.
We have known many over the years that have tried full timing it and found that they cannot live in the much smaller area that they have.
Make sure that you know what you are buying and what you are getting into is all that I can say.
And if you are financing the RV you may find that if you want to get rid of it that it just does not have enough value.
Selling a used unit is hard. Many systems that a dealer can warranty and give better interest rates on so be cautious.
And at your age if you plan on traveling consider medical, your health overall, and just how long you will be able to do the required work associated with an RV.
We recently gave up our final RV due to age and health problems. It was just entirely too hard for us to manage anymore. But we started many years ago and have had trailers, motor homes and mainly 5th wheels over the years.
You just never know as you age what will hit you health wise.

Good luck with your choices.

[gemstone1]

"Selling a used unit is hard"...yep. gotta be in the right place at the right time. We paid $92K for a 5th wheel in 2005, sold it in the wrong place, at the wrong time in 2015 for $22.5...in good shape, and we felt we were lucky to get that. Be prepared to watch your money evaporate before your eyes.

Regards
Gemstone1

[meo92953]

Go to cheaprvliving.com & check out different opinions. It's wise to make an informed decision via listening to different opinions. Everyone has had experiences that didn't achieve the desired result but many had good experiences that worked out.

Check out both sides of the equation, not just one opinion.

[LordBalfor]

Tend to agree with Keninaz and Gemstone1 regarding RVs. Be aware that RVs can be money pits. Having lived in a motorhome for 5 years and having spent that time in an RV park - and thus having spoken with many many friends with RVs over that time, it's been more than obvious that RVs can be very expensive to maintain. In the case of a motorhome for example, consider that such a machine has all the complexity of a house and a truck combined. How do you think your house would hold up in a 6 hour earthquake? That's essentially what your RV goes through each time it goes for a 6-hour ride. All that vibration creates a LOT of havoc for every aspect of your RV and the result is that things tend to fail fairly often. Add to that the fact that everything in a RV seems to be more expensive than the same item in either a truck or a house, and the money for repairs can REALLY add up - especially at the dealer.
Also consider that RVs depreciate- and I mean REALLY depreciate, so if and when you decide/need to sell, expect to take a substantial loss.

Not saying you shouldn't do it (we don't regret our time in our RV), but just be aware that owning an RV is NOT a cheap experience.

Ken

[fluffythewondercat]

Did the OP say there's no water or electricity on their land? RVs typically have generators, some have solar but shore power seems like a must.

[509]

It is pretty simple and easy to live without "shore" power. It is a non-issue.

Water on the other hand is a HUGE issue. You can easily make electricity a thousand different ways (well, many different ways), but you CANNOT make water.

I have two RV's and a off-grid house. Don't even notice that I am not connected to the grid.

My off-grid house has a good well at a reasonable depth. THAT I would never trade.

[mrshowtime3]

Only RVs id even consider buying are Class B camper vans or Class "B+". A B+ is basically a class C but without the bunk over the cab. But they are typically much better built.

B and B+ RVs hold their value very well. All other types do not, apart from the Airstream brand trailers. And the reality of the RV industry is most are just flat out junk.

Id stick with only these brands: Coach House, Pleasure Way, Leisure Travel, Phoenix Cruiser, Born Free. Winnebago, while not as good as all of the above, are solid for the lower price you will pay. You can often find good used deals on early 2000's Coach House, Born Free and Phoenix Cruiser models.

Avoid trailers and 5th wheels like the plague. They are junk money pits.