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Deano2002

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Joined
Apr 21, 2013
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968
Location
Morris, IL.
We have/are considering selling off everything and leaving Illinois (hardly can wait). My wife is retired now for about the last year and I am 63 and thinking of retiring soon but, am perfectly capable of working (blue collar) and most likely will need to part time for extra income. We have an old 34' motorhome that has had some extensive rework and upgrades and is a reliable coach now. My better half says she would have no problem living in it but, I am wondering if people live fulltime in a 34' coach w/no slides. Comments are welcome
 
Our previous fulltime coach was a 33' Coachmen Catalina with no slides, and we managed quite nicely in it. We've since moved up to a 34' GBM Landau with a single "super slide" that expands the living and dining area floor space when extended, and we do like the extra roominess. Probably the biggest functional difference for us was that we didn't have to step over our 75 lb dog as often with the slide... :)
 
Since you already own a reliable coach, the simple answer is keep what you have and give it a try, you can always upgrade later
 
We have a 35+ foot two slide gas motorhome.  We have been lived in it more than 3 months.  Previously we had a 32 foot no slide motorhome and lived in it for 4 months.  While I say lived in it, we have always had a stick built home so it's more like vacationed in it.  For us, they're doable on a limited basis.  If we were full time, I think I'd want larger.  That's because there are so many things I'd like to bring that simply will not fit in a smaller motorhome.  If your motorhome has the ability to pull an enclosed trailer, that would certainly help.  But part of the space would be used to transport your car, if you wanted to have one available. 

If you don't have the financial ability to upgrade later, I'd be hesitant to sell your home until you're sure the full time lifestyle works for you.  We're on the Coast and prices are high.  But I just read that prices in the rest of the country are starting to increase.  If you sell now, you would miss any increases that occur making a transition back to a stick built home challenging. 

IMHO, the best planned transition to living full time in an RV should include a plan to move back to a more traditional home. 
 
NY_Dutch said:
Our previous fulltime coach was a 33' Coachmen Catalina with no slides, and we managed quite nicely in it. We've since moved up to a 34' GBM Landau with a single "super slide" that expands the living and dining area floor space when extended, and we do like the extra roominess. Probably the biggest functional difference for us was that we didn't have to step over our 75 lb dog as often with the slide... :)
no we have stayed in our 4-5 months at a rec club we belonged to and it didn't seem too bad at all. We'd go home on weekends to cut grass and do laundry so, that was getting out of it for a little. The biggest thing I would miss is my garage since I like woodworking and all my tools are in there and, I do my own maintenance on cars and coach. We have been looking in Mississippi and Alabama for a small parcel of land 1/2 acre with a small metal building to call home when needed. We wouldn't need a storage unit if we had that, and I would have a workshop if needed. We have see some very inexpensive property down there and the taxes are nill, just hard to tell the neighborhood without physically going down there which if we are serious about this we will. No dog to climb over here ;D
 
garyb1st said:
We have a 35+ foot two slide gas motorhome.  We have been lived in it more than 3 months.  Previously we had a 32 foot no slide motorhome and lived in it for 4 months.  While I say lived in it, we have always had a stick built home so it's more like vacationed in it.  For us, they're doable on a limited basis.  If we were full time, I think I'd want larger.  That's because there are so many things I'd like to bring that simply will not fit in a smaller motorhome.  If your motorhome has the ability to pull an enclosed trailer, that would certainly help.  But part of the space would be used to transport your car, if you wanted to have one available. 

If you don't have the financial ability to upgrade later, I'd be hesitant to sell your home until you're sure the full time lifestyle works for you.  We're on the Coast and prices are high.  But I just read that prices in the rest of the country are starting to increase.  If you sell now, you would miss any increases that occur making a transition back to a stick built home challenging. 

IMHO, the best planned transition to living full time in an RV should include a plan to move back to a more traditional home.
this last part of you reply is important, I cant see living in this at 80 years young although I'm sure thee are some that do
 
Back2PA said:
Since you already own a reliable coach, the simple answer is keep what you have and give it a try, you can always upgrade later
this will probably be the way we would go
 
Deano2002 said:
this last part of you reply is important, I cant see living in this at 80 years young although I'm sure thee are some that do

My wife is 75 and I'm 76, and we fully expect to continue living in our coach as long as our health permits.
 
How much space is up to you. There are those that live in a camper van fulltime, and those that need a double decker bus. Only way to know for sure, pack up and hit the road. Take some shorter trips and get a feel for it. The best advice I ever heard was, "start with what you have, you can make adjustments later."
 
We have a full wall slide, but there are 7 of us (and 2 cats) in a 32' class A. Where there's a will, there's a way!
 
The amount of space you need is a highly personal thing.  My wife and I like to spread out to relax and get irritated if we trip over each others feet or have to move things out of the way often. Others don't mind it a bit.  We learned that width was a bigger factor for us than length - deep slideouts enabled us to move around easily, relax in a recliner with the footrest out, have a coffee table by the sofa, etc.

Another factor is storage, both inside and basement. Fulltime living generally means you want to bring more stuff along, e.g. seasonal clothing, hobby & craft stuff, tools and supplies, etc. You will also need more space for dirty clothes and will likely want to have a washer/dryer.  Most find that laundromats get old rather quickly.
 
NY_Dutch said:
My wife is 75 and I'm 76, and we fully expect to continue living in our coach as long as our health permits.
well, thats is encouraging to me. Do you still crawl under the rig for maintenance ?
 
Deano2002 said:
well, thats is encouraging to me. Do you still crawl under the rig for maintenance ?

Absolutely! Oil and filter changes are really pretty easy on this gasser. I do hit a shop for more things as I get older, but I still do everything I feel is within my current capabilities.
 
Deano2002 said:
well, thats is encouraging to me. Do you still crawl under the rig for maintenance ?

Not quite 73 yet(68), but still old and fat. 
There's a picture circulating on Facebook this week of an "old, fat Christmas elf" sitting on the floor of the carport installing new brake calipers and pads on my Jeep(yes, I was wearing a Santa hat...my ears were cold). 
My bro-in-law thought he was being funny with the picture, but my kids slapped him down.  "Leave him alone.  He's our Christmas elf that fixes things."  Guess they all still want their cars worked on by this fat old elf.
 
I was still doing my own oil & filter changes at age 72 (we sold the coach before 73 came around). Polished the exterior and washed the roof annually as well. Put new flooring in the bedroom and installed a residential fridge at age 71 too.  I work slower and fewer hours per day than I did when younger, but still do most routine maintenance and small improvements.
 

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