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Trying to figure out what makes sense for me (entirely new to all this), and my head is spinning, so...help!
My goal is to -- upon retirement -- rent out my S&B house and travel up and/or down the east coast for a total of about a year spending 1-3 months in a series of adjacent beach towns to get the lay of the land and choose one in which I'll eventually buy my oceanfront retirement dream home. I'll be travelling with pets.
The choices are... A van conversion (pros: decent gas mileage, ability to boondock and save on park fees, option of keeping as daily driver/overnight camper after this trip is done; cons: cramped and little storage). A small travel trailer (pros: "tiny house" comfort and storage, toilet and shower for privacy, easily resold; cons: would have to trade in my tiny gas-sipper which I love for a huge SUV or truck for hauling, which I would hate; terrified of towing a trailer). Used Class C or A with a car toad (pros: still homey, but drivable; con: expensive and, if used, not necessarily the most reliable).
We traveled with a 17' Casita travel trailer towed by a Nissan Xterra. It was just fine for the 2 of us. We went border to border and coast to coast, plus trips down into Mexico and up into Canada.
Some people buy motorhomes "because they don't want to tow" and later realize that breaking camp just to go to the grocery store is a PITA. A toad is another vehicle to maintain with the attendant expenses.
I found out the hard way, ordered a new Class C
2017, and had nothing but problems from day one,
Dumped it this past Fall, and took a huge hit in the wallet.
While driving, the noise from the engine and the sound of wind, as well as the rattles from the coach area is unbearable. While parked overnight, the HVAC is deafening, you can't open your windows at campgrounds, the coach will fill with campfire smoke,
from your neighbor's smoldering fire.
Good luck with your sure to be adventure, glad that chapter is behind me.
I found out the hard way, ordered a new Class C
2017, and had nothing but problems from day one,
Dumped it this past Fall, and took a huge hit in the wallet.
While driving, the noise from the engine and the sound of wind, as well as the rattles from the coach area is unbearable. While parked overnight, the HVAC is deafening, you can't open your windows at campgrounds, the coach will fill with campfire smoke,
from your neighbor's smoldering fire.
Good luck with your sure to be adventure, glad that chapter is behind me.
Would another type of rig have made it more bearable -- or not? I've always wondered where you're supposed to live when your "drivable" home is in the repair shop, assuming you're full-timing.
1) if you've got a pretty good idea of your timeframe to locate/acquire that dream retirement house, and it's only around a years' delay ...
I think you'd be making a mistake to rent out your house during that time. In most markets, putting the house into a rental will result in likely lessened value, as well as potential high costs to refurbish the house for sale after the rental time frame. You're now in the property management/rental management biz ... is this how you want to be spending your time when your goal is to be away from the place during your year of exploration? What if you find that "dream" retirement house much sooner than a year, will it be a burden to have to still have your other house tied up with a tenant?
2) if you can do your due diligence in advance to narrow down the towns where you'd like to retire, then perhaps you can find an "extended stay" suite or condo to stay in while you do your local scouting trips with your current vehicle.
3) keep in mind that an RV ... no matter what series ... represents a significant up-front expense and operating costs. As well, overnight fees if you're not able to boondock can add up pretty quickly. Even KOA's are in the $50/night range for a site with full hook-ups. Many resort/tourist area RV campgrounds are higher priced than that. When you're stealth camping, you still need to have access to potable water and dump sites, so you'll either have to find a campground (fees!) or a public facility (fees!) to get those services.
So, put a pencil to what you're really going to be spending ...
if an RV runs 5-figures before you've spent one night in it, and then you've got license/ownership/taxes/fuel/maintenance and operating costs to have it on the road, you're already behind the 8-ball for your nightly costs. In due time, you'll not recover your investment in the vehicle, and if it's not something that you'd use once moved into your retirement house, it's a loser for you to keep around.
A motel or extended stay facility may be less expensive.
The principal advantage of a self-contained RV is the freedom of access that it can provide when reasonably priced lodging and restaurants are not available. That "freedom" comes at a price. Boondocking in tourist oriented areas may be problematic if you're looking at staying in an area for more than a few nights. 2-3 months of boondocking in a tourist town is a pretty far stretch to accomplish. Even public parks/national campgrounds have a 14-day limit before you must move on and their nightly fees do add up.
PS: re the camper above who found nearby smoky fires objectionable ... doesn't matter what RV you're in if smoke wafting in a window or vent spoils your camping experience.
PPS: if your RV is in a shop for an extended time frame, you'll be needing other lodging.
Some folk will enjoy minimal facilities for an extended trip ... but most folk will not. A couple weeks in a minimal RV is one thing, but spending a year on the road that way is an entirely different proposition. Consider, too, one's aging body. Much as I still thrill to a week of tent camping from my airplane in the back country, it's charms wear thin after a week or so ... I'm ready for a real hot shower instead of the sunshower, a real bed and all the comforts of home ... 50 years ago, tent camping for a summer or living on a modest sailboat for several months was dandy. Not anymore, thanks.
Would another type of rig have made it more bearable -- or not? I've always wondered where you're supposed to live when your "drivable" home is in the repair shop, assuming you're full-timing.
Of course.
We went to a diesel pusher...engine in the back. Nice and quiet while we drive. Many RV repair places have full hookups now so full timers can stay right there while their rig is being worked on, depending of course, on what is being done.
We fulltimed twice in our past...once in a big motorhome for fun, and once to get ourselves where we wanted to be, and in a 30 foot travel trailer. We were comfortable both times and had a blast,but were young. Absolutely no desire to do that again.
In our 50’s now and retired early. We own a 40 foot diesel motorhome that’s about as comfortable as a house. More like a rolling condo and we pull a Jeep Cherokee behind. 1.5 baths, king sized tempurpedic bed, fireplace, full sized residential fridge, washer and dryer etc. I was appalled when we bought it but it’s really a great way to travel the country or stay places for months at a time.
And they can and are notoriously unreliable. RV forums are filled with people complaining about things breaking. The big scary thing are slides going out and not coming back in. If you aren’t handy, I’d stay away. My husband is an engineer and can fix just about anything given the right tools, and we travel with a lot of those.
Last edited by mistyriver; 02-24-2018 at 10:55 AM..
Would another type of rig have made it more bearable -- or not? I've always wondered where you're supposed to live when your "drivable" home is in the repair shop, assuming you're full-timing.
Of course, but you’ll pay for it.
We went to a diesel pusher...engine in the back. Nice and quiet while we drive. Many RV repair places have full hookups now so full timers can stay right there while their rig is being worked on, depending of course, on what is being done.
We fulltimed twice in our past...once in a big motorhome for fun, and once to get ourselves where we wanted to be, and in a 30 foot travel trailer. We were comfortable both times and had a blast,but were young. Absolutely no desire to do that again.
In our 50’s now and retired early. We own a 40 foot diesel motorhome that’s about as comfortable as a house. More like a rolling condo and we pull a Jeep Cherokee behind. 1.5 baths, king sized tenpurpedic bed, fireplace, full sized residential fridge, and dryer etc. I was appalled when we bought it but it’s really a great way to travel the country or stay places for months at a time.
But they are notoriously unreliable. RV forums are filled with people complaint about things breaking and not working. You’d think if you spent a small fortune that wouldn’t be so, but it still is. Maybe in the million plus dollar Prevosts it’s different.
If you aren’t handy, I wouldn’t get one. We travel with a full accoutrement of tools and my engineer husband is good at fixing everything. The greatest fear is the slides failing to come back in. Knocking on wood it won’t happen.
I found out the hard way, ordered a new Class C
2017, and had nothing but problems from day one,
Dumped it this past Fall, and took a huge hit in the wallet.
While driving, the noise from the engine and the sound of wind, as well as the rattles from the coach area is unbearable. While parked overnight, the HVAC is deafening, you can't open your windows at campgrounds, the coach will fill with campfire smoke,
from your neighbor's smoldering fire.
Good luck with your sure to be adventure, glad that chapter is behind me.
Wow, I'm a class c'er. You just are not made for the life style. Better luck on your next venture,
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