disclosurer that you are living full time in an RV

Someone down the line had told us never to tell the RV salesman that you would be living in your Motorhome full time?  I don't understand why not.  The reason being as there would be more disposable income right?  If anyone knows why you would not want to disclose this information when buying a motorhome please let me know.  I seriously don't know the reason why.

Thank you!
Laurie

I would not even talk to an RV salesman. They lie way too much.

IIRC, it said in my owners manual that an RV is actually intended to be used "periodically" and not really meant to be lived in.
But that begs the question------What's periodically?

It's really none of the RV salesman's business what you plan to do with your RV.  ;D

Answer his question with questions of your own such as "Can you show me that rig?"

I don't know HOW folks get a job as an RV salesman. I've met some pretty clueless ones that were so busy laying the crud on so thick that I asked more than one if I could borrow a shovel.  ;D

I think the RV salesman interview goes something like this...

Do you know anything about RV's?
Can you lie repeatedly while smiling sincerely?

If you answered No to the first and Yes to the second, you're hired!

I think part of the reason not to mention living in it full time is that some manufacturers will void the warranty.

In my opinion there is no reason to tell the salesman that, but equally little reason not to.  Maybe a safe intermediate ground would be to say that it will be used extensively, several months a year.

Legally an RV cannot be used as a full time residence - it is for recreational use only. The RV manufacturer's paperwork will state that. However, that does not preclude what we call "fulltime RVing", which you can think of as "full time recreation" as opposed to a residence. Splitting hairs to be sure, but it is a lsplit the the federal government recognizes.

Fulltime use can also create difficulties for lenders, who have to skirt around some banking regulations concerning escrow and taxes. Some lendors avoid the issue by saying No to loans for fulltime uses.

I have on occasion here said to not tell your dealer that you intend to fulltime. I have purchased 2 new motorhomes in the last 2 years, and both have had clauses in their warranty section that stated that full time use would void the warranty. 

  What would give Laurie the opinion that a fulltimer would have more disposable income??>>>>Dan (A common misconception)

If I didn't own a home and was just renting a home and then went full time in an rv, I would have 1000$+ dollars of disposable income

Read my last comment.>>>D

I think what Utclmjmpr is saying, though perhaps a bit obtuse, is that there are multiple costs in ownership of an RV that are not not obvious or predictable. Am I right Utclmjmpr? By the way, what happened to your vowels?
Bob

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Legally an RV cannot be used as a full time residence - it is for recreational use only. The RV manufacturer's paperwork will state that. However, that does not preclude what we call "fulltime RVing", which you can think of as "full time recreation" as opposed to a residence. Splitting hairs to be sure, but it is a lsplit the the federal government recognizes.

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To clarify that a bit, there is no law against fulltime RV living, although some localities may have ordinances that prohibit sleeping in an RV other than in a recognized RV park/campground. Where the confusion comes in, is that an RV cannot be claimed by the manufacturer to be designed as a permanent residence, since that would put it in a category where it would have to meet HUD residential building standards, rather than RVIA/ANSI standards. The very definition of a "Recreational Vehicle" says that it's intended for temporary use. On the other hand, there's nothing in the rules that says that the end user has to use the RV within that definition, making fulltiming completely legal.

HUD and the RVIA rewrote the rules to clarify that issue not too long ago, since some larger 5'vers and park models skirt the edges of HUD's size regulations as to what constitutes an RV versus a residence. Basically, it came down to the manufacturer simply stating that the RV was an RV, and was not "intended" for fulltime living. I'm sure all of us can easily come up with a number of tools, etc, that we routinely use for something other than what they were designed to do, and this is really no different. Just as a screwdriver is designed to turn screws, there's nothing stopping us from opening paint cans with one. RV's are designed for one purpose, but there's nothing that prevents us from using one differently from that purpose.

Mysteryriders said:

Someone down the line had told us never to tell the RV salesman that you would be living in your Motorhome full time?  I don't understand why not.  The reason being as there would be more disposable income right?  If anyone knows why you would not want to disclose this information when buying a motorhome please let me know.  I seriously don't know the reason why.

Thank you!
Laurie

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The bottom line pretty much comes down to telling the salesman no more than you're comfortable with, but the reality is that he/she only cares about one thing: Will your check clear...

NY_Dutch said:

the reality is that he/she only cares about one thing: Will your check clear..

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X2. There?s a very real chance the salesperson has never camped in their life, doesn?t even own an RV, and knows very little about them (no matter how knowledgeable they try to seem).


The sole purpose of them asking how you intend to use it is to formulate a line to tell you why this rig or that rig is right for you; a decision you have to make for yourself. If he asks your plans, tell him you want to go camping. If he asks how much, tell him you don?t know. If he asks again, go someplace else.

malexander said:

IIRC, it said in my owners manual that an RV is actually intended to be used "periodically" and not really meant to be lived in.
But that begs the question------What's periodically?

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I'd say 364 days per year is fair. 

My Jayco warranty states that any use of the RV as a semi-permanent or permanent home will void the warranty. I believe the Thor warranty was a little more forgiving. It stated the RV was designed and intended for temporary recreation use, and full time living constitutes abuse of the systems and may result in warranty exclusion.

It stated the RV was designed and intended for temporary recreation use, and full time living constitutes abuse of the systems and may result in warranty exclusion.

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The "fulltime use voids warranty" thing is becoming increasingly common, probably as a result of lawsuits and lemon-law cases where there is a claim for alternate living accommodations & loss of use, or that the RV is inadequate for living.  Plus it gives the manufacturer an "out" if they feel the use was beyond reason (their reason, not yours!).

If I didn't own a home and was just renting a home and then went full time in an rv, I would have 1000$+ dollars of disposable income

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Which quickly becomes dedicated to the RV & tow vehicle, so in reality is no longer "disposable".  It's a popular myth that RV-living is a way to save money, but if you maintain about the same lifestyle that is not going to happen.  However, it may be easier to set up a somewhat more modest lifestyle in an RV than to find a lower-priced rental apartment that is not a slum.

I want to live this way as a dream... I want to see as much and have as my opportunities for adventure before I get to old to have any fun...
Its my new Retirement Mantra

Not all manufactures are afraid of having their RV's used for full time living. Tiffin for one advertises on their home page that the "Allegro Bus is "Favored by owners who live full time on the road".  www.tiffinmotorhomes.com

Many do though just for the reasons already mentioned. The key is to find a RV that the manufacturer has enough faith in to not be afraid of someone using it on a daily basis.