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I am thinking about retiring and buying diesel and 5Th wheel and see the country.
I want to spend about 40,000 on the RV and 35000 on the truck to pull it
Am i waisting money ?
Do i need to keep a home base or should my home base be where I am?
I also think I'm might have lost my mind
Any Advice on the RV life?
We want to do the same thing. We'd hoped to be full-timing by now, but our finances have dwindled to nothing so we've got to wait awhile -- maybe until my wife is eligible for Social Security in a few more years.
I've been RVing off and on all my adult life, and we've had various smallish 5ers for the past 12 years.
I'd suggest a 1-ton dually for your truck. They'll handle all but the very largest, heaviest 5ers just fine, and they're still small enough to run around town in or do a little backroad exploring. I like 4x4s as we do like to explore the mountain trails, and rear-wheel drive pickups are just too easy to get stuck. Finding a good, low-mileage used one for $35K will be no problem.
Don't fall into the trap of buying a 3/4-ton truck. They really aren't made to haul the weight of a large 5er, especially not one built for full-timing. Even the 1-ton single-rear-wheel pickups can severely limit your options, and a few of the best and biggest 5ers (ex: Tetons) should be towed with medium duty trucks.
You should be able to get a very nice 3 to 5-year-old 5er for $40K. You might even find a nice new one for that amount, but it won't be the kind to stand up to day-to-day living. Most campers are only used 30 days per year or so and don't need to have good cabinets, carpet, etc. If this is to be your (main) retirement home, you want quality throughout, plus you'll want good insulation, double-pane windows, etc.
Many of the newer top-brand 5ers also come with automatic push-button leveling systems now, so they're just as easy to set-up as the big motorhomes. That's certainly not a necessity, and it can also be added later.
If you can afford it, I'd keep your current home for awhile at least. It would give you an out if you decide you don't like the life of a gypsy. Lots of people RV 6-8 months out of the year but return "home" now and then. I think when my wife and I do it, we'll sell our home before we go. We have little doubt that it's what we want, plus we simply can't afford to keep an empty house at this point.
I suggest a visit to the Escapees website and rv.net.
For most people its the liability/insurance. Can be very costly, but, it could be a good idea, most likely with a dealer. They are hungry still, even though the market is coming back.
Just a Side note: I inquired about renting or buying a 5th wheel to spend Christmas in Key West; Sorry, all booked up already , at lest for any waterfront spaces.The 5th wheel idea is a cheap way to go, if you already have a 3/4 ton P/U. I was looking at about 12,000 for an older model but it looked new. A week in most resort places, motel cost can run 4,000-5,000 depending where you are, or want to be. I thought maybe going down to Fl. Buy a 5th wheel and leave it there at an RV site. The cost for renting space made the idea impracticable, and I had no interest in signing any leases, or time share scams. The Idea it to be free from all your past ties, just get up and go anyway!
Not sure where you looked and got some of your figures from, but we are staying in the Keys currently for a couple of months. The yearly cost here for waterfront is about $11,800, $9,600 standard site. A month here is approximately $2100. We are at a very nice RV park. Although Boyds is popular you are squished in like sardines.
Not sure where you looked and got some of your figures from, but we are staying in the Keys currently for a couple of months. The yearly cost here for waterfront is about $11,800, $9,600 standard site. A month here is approximately $2100. We are at a very nice RV park. Although Boyds is popular you are squished in like sardines.
Yes , it was Boyds, and water front was that expensive. One of the reasons , they stay booked up for years for prime spots. Money can buy things you otherwise could not get.
I have been to the Keys many times, mostly for a week or two.However, never in a RV. I did not find Key West all that expensive , but that was 12 years ago now,.I always drove from Miami with the top down, something everyone should do at lest once.We used to rent a house for 2 weeks and bring our mothers down for Christmas.
I have also came in by sea plane from the Dry Tortuga's, that's another story, and by my own sail boat a time or two just before we built a beach house a ways north on a private bridge less island . All that stuff was quite a while ago, when Key West was just starting to be " discovered" for the second or third time ! I lived in Florida for 5 years, and, grew to hate it, but never Key West, that was another country.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by darstar
... I have also came in by sea plane ... and by my own sail boat...
These are certainly other RV modes of retirement (and fairly popular in many nice / remote areas of the world).
There were lots of UK retirees 'over-wintering' in a marina at an Island I lived in BC. They spent the summers sailing the inland passage to AK in their 'motor-sailers'. 'motor-sailers' - Google Search
A few friends in BC and AK have float planes to drop in on their various cabins interspersed throughout the wilderness.
A neighbor retiree uses a special bush plane as an RV to explore ID, WA, and MT.
I am certainly surprised by the RV space rents in The Keys. I suppose it is ok, but I will take a stay in Thailand or Malaysia for about 1/4th that. (Since I will have to go there for medical care anyway.)
I agree, timeshares are long gone way to travel. They also have Motorhome timeshares. You get a cement pad, that's about it. Depending where, like Key West, anything would beat super high motel prices. Motorhome parks are full most of the time. Search for private deals, remote areas etc.
There is nothing like living in a quality high end motor coach. Most of us , in that type of travel, never stayed in "parks". It's nice to be self contained, not dependent on anyone. We used the Flying J lots, Walmarts, etc. I hated the camp grounds. They are mostly for huge amounts of kids, noise, not so nice a surroundings, all for a few hours, besides most of us were too long for the Parks.
One of the nice things is in Canada/Alaska there are very few places to stay, bringing your home with you is a great feeling when you are in the remote areas. I have parked many times , right on a beach. The view is like no other. It is like driving your living room and your favorite chair.
The other way is to down size, as many have done, to a high tec compact unit. They are very expensive considering the amount of space. Good thing, you can go places the big coaches can not. With a motor home it's like driving your home, cause you are! It is a lifestyle for special traveling people. I have seen every state many times, all of Canada, Alaska Highway. Yukon, many dirt roads, ferries, like living inside a travel book every day.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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There are also folks doing RV timeshare.. Buy an RV in an LLC and each drive it part of the yr. This woul dbe TOUGH as your home, but OK for trips if you had a Park Model / trailer in a permanent site. The friends I know that got 1000 Trails platinum menberships are pretty happy with that camp / resort plan. You can get them used for about $1000, but that con only be transferred 2x in life of membership (3 owners total). The Platinum allows 365 days in park, with 21 day max stay AFAIK. Most of the newer plans cap at 14 days and 20 day / month max.
I really like the Roadtrek Class B for single travel, they can be had used for $10k - $30k. I paid $25k for my Rialta, and it is excellent too, but not off road / forest capable. Craigslist has the 4x4 expedition conversion vans for about $20K. If U make it a grease burner, (Waste Veggie) it might be a good cheap rig for a single person. If you find a nice place to stay for awhile, You can often rent furnished housing pretty cheap (Apartment above garage, or in daylight basement.)
My various sites across USA will have those options, + RV hookups and community showers / wash and kitchen. And a couple 50 mpg cars for use. They will all be within 1 hr of airport, so you can fly between there and home (or other site) , and keep your RV parked. You can get really nice 22' RV tailers for ~$5k
Cousin belongs to RCI and claims the places they own are lousey. Clark Howard says run if you hear "timeshare". Worst investment ever.
We bought a timeshare in 1998 and have enjoyed it for many years now. Our timeshare maintenance provides housekeeping at the end of every visit and our places are well-kept. Our timeshare is not an investment. It is vacation for us and we have had three this year. We went to New Bern, North Carolina in July, Smuggler's Notch the first of September and Myrtle Beach this month. I have only used RCI once because we always seem to have enough points to last the year, but I still want to try the monthly stays. I may find that your cousin is right. But we have been places that I would never have thought to go. I guess timeshares are not for everybody, but I am really enjoying staying at clean, well-maintained places so much that I absolutely hate to check into a motel or hotel anymore. I am spoiled rotten.
Don't buy a front wheel drive coach., like the VW , GMC. A few others. It just will not work with the wheel base. Easy to get overloaded, poor steering. Real bad on snow and ice. Many front end expensive rebuilds along with pulling a trailer can be a nightmare. I had the GMC Palm Beach,restored Worked great stationary,while building our house. Then I sold it to a couple of kids in-between, high school and college to tour the US for one year....never heard from them again as we all waved goodby leaving my warehouse yard !
I had thought of RVing and while looking about what interested me, was a Class C with a small, inexpensive tow along car. I was concerned about towing a 5th wheel then using the truck to run around when hooked up somewhere.
We have a 40' Tiffin Phaeton (Class A), all the comforts of home, self contained and plenty of room. Tow our car for convenience.
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