Length, Mileage and Maintinance

First off thank you in advance for the great info.  I have been reading a lot of the post and appreciate how generous everyone is with their knowledge.  We are preparing for ditching the daily grind and heading down the road fulltime in the not too distant future.  So these are probably questions directed more at the fulltimers or extended travelers.

The backstory, we had a 32? Bounder when my son was a desert racer so most of our experience is boondocking with very little paid camp experience; we pulled a 20? race trailer.  I have been doing a lot of research on everything from coach to solar and everything in between.  Thinking about a 10 yr. old Class A that we will upgrade mechanically (by others) and remodel it  by me (I?ll do that work just because we want too).  I have building skills not wrench skills. Not sure yet about a gasser or DP its more about the deal and the floorplan and looking to stay around 35?. We will pull a Jeep Wrangler. I plan, still need some convincing with the better half, on boondocking about 1/2 to 2/3 of the year.  I?m budgeting about +/- 20k on the purchase and around 20-30k to upgrade and remodel it before we go out. The coach will be from a 1 or 2 Owner seller with lots of maintenance records. My biggest fear is the engine/mechanical repair once we start because that is not my skillset. So, the questions are:

1) At 35? any issues with state or federal parks, heard that is a ?suggested length? 
2) How many miles does the average fulltimer drive in a year
3) What is the average cost per month to be on the road fulltime less any financing for coach or car.  I have read about $3500 per month average
        included in that is a repair budget
4) Any feel for gas verses diesel maintenance cost per year at that age of coach knowing that DP maintenance is more than a gasser
5) Are we nuts and should we just look for a place by the beach to watch to sunset and years go by

I just wanted to point out that 10 years ago would be a 2009 model, and 2009 was a very bad year for the RV industry, lots of companies were failing with the big economic downturn, lots of corners were being cut building RV's and many shops were slapping together coaches from whatever parts they had on hand (mix and match upholstery, ...) before going out of business.

Thx Isaac1, I had heard that and forgot to ask that. I heard avoid 2008 to 2010.

I would suggest you spend more up front and budget less for mechanical upgrades.  A 10 year old Class A should be well equipped and not need much upgrading. Even a 15 year old should be ok except for any necessary catch-up maintenance (new shocks, tires, that sort of thing).

A 20k budget won't get you a 10 year old gas chassis coach, let alone a diesel.  You would be looking at $40k-$50k for a 10 year old Bounder or Adventurer, both solid brands. Even the low-end models (Hurricane, Daybreak) are going to run $25-$35k in decent condition, and I would not choose a low end model for long term travel and live-in use.  That said, with some looking around you can probably find some really nice 12-15 year old rigs and get into your price range.  The last sea-change in RV tech occurred 2002-2004, so most anything since then will be reasonably up to date.

New longtimers tend to travel a lot, trying to see all the famous landmarks on a sort of endless vacation.  Probably 10k-12k per year and sometimes 15k or more.  After a while you realize that RVing is more about living at a relaxed pace than driving all the time and you should settle down to more like 6k-8k yearly.

Average monthly cost is almost entirely lifestyle dependent. Campground costs vary wildly with location, your desired amenities and space, and long vs short term stays.  You can even stay more or less free if your wants & needs are minimal. Fuel is obviously a big variable - the less you drive the lower the cost. Food is another highly personal thing, as is entertainment.    If you stay in cheap places and/or long term, avoid pricey tourist destinations, eat all your meals in the RV and don't spend much on sightseeing, you can manage well on less than $2000/month.  But, is that why you wanted to travel in an RV in the first place?  Your call...

CA Escapee said:

1) At 35? any issues with state or federal parks, heard that is a ?suggested length?

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Nope, no issues. If you are too long to fit into a park there is always a commercial park nearby you can fit into.
 

2) How many miles does the average fulltimer drive in a year

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I have heard 6000. But the secret is to stay in one spot for a month before moving on. A typical RV park might charge $35 per day, $150 per week or $325 per month. You save a lot of gas money and rent by staying put. You won't see more by driving more, you will just drive more and explore less.

3) What is the average cost per month to be on the road fulltime less any financing for coach or car.  I have read about $3500 per month average included in that is a repair budget

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I full timed for many years on $1500 per month. You could even do it for less if you were frugal.

4) Any feel for gas verses diesel maintenance cost per year at that age of coach knowing that DP maintenance is more than a gasser

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At your budget I would not be looking at a diesel.

5) Are we nuts and should we just look for a place by the beach to watch to sunset and years go by?

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Nope you are not nuts. Full timing is fantastic and one of the best periods of my life. I would suggest getting something like this:

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/used-rvs-for-sale/class-a/2005-tiffin-allegro_rv-40078

Great feedback! Another quick question, my wife wants a W/D in the unit. Yes / No and what about all in one or stackable?

CA Escapee said:

Great feedback! Another quick question, my wife wants a W/D in the unit. Yes / No and what about all in one or stackable?

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I had one once and hated it. Small loads, lots of wrinkles and it uses a lot of water, power and creates a lot of grey water. Lots of people here love their W/D so I am the odd one.

CA Escapee said:

Great feedback! Another quick question, my wife wants a W/D in the unit. Yes / No and what about all in one or stackable?

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Our coach is a 38' unit and we have stackables -- DW loves it, and even on a two week trip she'll run a load or two, plus do the sheets just before we get home so that she doesn't have to take them in the house later. Our first coach didn't have a W/D and we hated having to go to a laundromat, so we've had W/D since. The W/D do take up some of what might otherwise be used for shelving, but it hasn't been a problem for us. Of course you only use that with full hookups, since it uses a lot of water and the dryer, especially, uses a lot of juice. Of course many folks are also happy with a combo unit (such as a Splendide), and there are plenty of discussions on the forum about the various types, and about whether the extra storage is preferable to have.

I would like to comment that for full timing, a 35' unit might be a bit small, mostly because of on-board storage, but some folks are happy that way so it might do fine for you.

CA Escapee said:

Great feedback! Another quick question, my wife wants a W/D in the unit. Yes / No and what about all in one or stackable?

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My wife is happy with the Splendide W/D combo in our now 22 year old, 150,000 mile, Safari Coach. (She does small loads almost daily).

I also love our Splendide combo W/D.  There are secrets to fewer wrinkles, such as wash a larger load and divide in half for drying or remove clothing when still damp and hang to complete drying.  You get a lot of wrinkles when it's too full and you dry all the way.  We do more smaller loads.

Keep in mind that as fulltimers you'll have clothing for a variety of seasons, hobby "stuff", perhaps more paperwork such a for taxes, and other things you didn't carry when vacationing so you'll want enough storage space.  Class As tend to have more underbay storage which will be more important than for those traveling a few weeks at a time.  Of course, a floor plan you both love will be a high priority.

ArdraF