Property... keep it? sell it? wait and see?

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I love being debt free, and have been that way almost all my life (I'm presently working to pay down two years of living off of credit cards following a divorce, the first time I've accumulated significant debt. My retirement pension and SS are still about 5 years away.) Being debt free is a very good way to start fulltiming.  So you have that in your favor up front.

I think it's very unlikely you'll find your ideal motorhome the first time out.  It takes living in one for a while to see what does or doesn't work for you.  What if you get that 40 ft. diesel pusher then decide you really want something smaller that will fit into back country campsites?

I suggest starting with a motorhome that you can pay cash for, and live and travel in it for a while.

Decide what things you do or don't like about it, and what you'd do different when you purchase your "dream" one.

Maybe in a year or so, decide if you really want to sell your property - if you do, trade in your motorhome for your "dream" rig and use the sale proceeds to pay the difference.

If you decide not to sell, you can still trade in the rig and take out a loan using your property as collateral to get a better interest rate.
 
Thank you all so much...  your comments added some new insight on our dilemma.  I think we have decided to hang on to our property for now.  We will full time for a year and re-evaluate then.  So for now it's onward with the motor home shopping  :D
 
Lou Schneider said:
I love being debt free, and have been that way almost all my life (I'm presently working to pay down two years of living off of credit cards following a divorce, the first time I've accumulated significant debt. My retirement pension and SS are still about 5 years away.) Being debt free is a very good way to start fulltiming.  So you have that in your favor up front.

BRAVO!
 
While I'm not a fulltimer, I've owned several MH in the last 20 years. I have always paid cash. My DW thinks ours is too small, it fits me perfect for what we do with it. She always want a MH with a big bathroom, loves a bath, then shower. Ours only has a split bath, no tub to soak in.

While I like my little 30fter, It's easy to drive and I can park in most spaces. If I were to buy another, I'd like to have a living area slide only, and maybe a tub so the DW can soak.

I suggest that you rent on for a spell and see just what you want. I don't want a DP, because of the cost to maintain, and service. I can do my own repair on my gas unit. I did have a problem while back, had me scratching my head. Went over to the local service center for chassis, and their rate was $140.00 per hour. I don't believe I could have got out of there with out a 5/600 dollar bill.

There are a lot of nice used MH out there at good prices. They DO loose there value rather quickly, so choose wisely
 
92GA said:
While I'm not a fulltimer, I've owned several MH in the last 20 years. I have always paid cash. My DW thinks ours is too small, it fits me perfect for what we do with it. She always want a MH with a big bathroom, loves a bath, then shower. Ours only has a split bath, no tub to soak in.

While I like my little 30fter, It's easy to drive and I can park in most spaces. If I were to buy another, I'd like to have a living area slide only, and maybe a tub so the DW can soak.

I suggest that you rent on for a spell and see just what you want. I don't want a DP, because of the cost to maintain, and service. I can do my own repair on my gas unit. I did have a problem while back, had me scratching my head. Went over to the local service center for chassis, and their rate was $140.00 per hour. I don't believe I could have got out of there with out a 5/600 dollar bill.

There are a lot of nice used MH out there at good prices. They DO loose there value rather quickly, so choose wisely

Oh, I don't think we need to rent one...  I have been camping since I was a wee child.  I have been workamping out of my vintage 12 ft TT for 3 seasons (5 months at a time), which gave me lots of time to think about what I want.  We have been shopping and researching for many many years.  And lastly, we certainly won't be buying anywhere near new  ;)
 
92GA said:
I don't want a DP, because of the cost to maintain, and service. I can do my own repair on my gas unit. I did have a problem while back, had me scratching my head. Went over to the local service center for chassis, and their rate was $140.00 per hour. I don't believe I could have got out of there with out a 5/600 dollar bill.

I'm curious what parts of gasoline engine maintenance you can do on a gas rig that you wouldn't be able to do on a diesel?

Ken
 
I can do all my work on a gas unit including engine and trans rebuilding if nessesary. Don't have the tools or knowledge to work on injector pumps ect. on diesels. Haven't had too much exsperiance with them except my Buddy had a diesel several years ago, for one winter. Everytime we pulled our sleds to Wisconsin they'ed be covered in soot. That's what turned me off. I've never driven a diesel powered coach, and I might chage my mind if I did. It still cost more to operate than a gas.
 
My thought pattern went close to yours for a while also. Then I realized I can't rebuild my cars fuel injection system either because every system has half a dozen odd fittings, bolts, or plugs unique to them. I can replace injectors for both gas or diesel. Changing a water pump is no different on my diesel that my gas engines except maybe size and made of cast iron instead of aluminum. Which maybe means it'll last longer and I'll not have to change it. The filters are filters, some mount differently, some need to be prefilled and/or primed, but that's a simple procedure even I could learn from only the owners manual. Fan belts are similar, you'll recognize the valve cover gasket is in the same place, just a little larger than that new 4 banger that every car maker sells. The engine rebuild has pistons, con-rods, cranks and cams. Unless you've done so many that you automatically know where all the timing marks are on every gas engine, you're looking those up in the book anyway. But, that's a worst case scenario because it's an extremely rare case to have a MH wear out a diesel and you probably wouldn't buy one that they had abused so badly it needed an OH, because everything else would be trash too. Turbos use exhaust to turn the fans and push air in both gas and diesel, nothing exotic there.

Most problems that I have with my cars are not user repairable anymore. If you can read the codes, diesel or gas, you may be able to replace the right part the first time by luck, but maybe not. With everything being more and more electronic the backyard guy is having a tougher time. When I first did my mechanics apprenticeship and got certified we were changing points, adjusting carburetors and rattling pcv valves. 80,000 miles was close to time for a valve grind, 150,000 could be time for a rebuild. Now my car says to change the spark plugs for the first time at 100,000 miles.

Unless you're buying an ancient rig, I think you're going to find diesels are a very dependable low repair engine. And I'm talking real diesel here, not some overgrown lawn mower engine stuck in a pickup truck that Johnny races stoplight to stoplight with when daddy isn't looking.

As for cost, I shake my head every time I have to have something done that I can't fix. The last time I took my car to the dealer they explained very carefully that it was $195.00 to look at it. Then, shop time if they found something to fix. Turned out to be the primary coil for one cylinder breaking down under specific loads. With twin ignition, 2 plugs/coils/etc for each cylinder one breaking down was hard to find without the scope and dyno. But you could feel it when you drove, so it had to be fixed.

I don't know what to tell you about the soot other than the old ones have it and the newer ones don't. I can't make mine produce any visible smoke, and the car is never dirtier on the exhaust side than the other. That's only the first 20,000 miles or so with this coach and car together. The coach exhaust comes out about 4 feet from the front bumper of the car, and although the exhaust tip aims toward the curb the air around the back of the coach has to be blowing some onto the car.

Take a look and ask around. I think you might enjoy a diesel rig once you try one.

Ken
 
It sounds like you are getting close on deciding on what you want.  Go slow and think about all the tidbits of info you have been given.  Sounds like you have been thinking about this for a while.  That's good.  Add it all up and what do you come up with?  Still curious?  Then keep asking questions and looking for that RV that will work for you and your family.  Commit when your ready.
 
bucks2 said:
I'm curious what parts of gasoline engine maintenance you can do on a gas rig that you wouldn't be able to do on a diesel?

Ken
Here's another reason.
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=60157.0
 
In my opinion credit is the dirtiest word in the dictionary. I haven't had a debt in the last 30 years. I have been full timing the last ten. I have a modest class A that I paid cash for and everything inside it is paid for. Every month I get my retirement checks and I am free to spend it on whatever I wish. I have two monthly bills, $35 a month for the Internet and $30 for my phone. While everyone else is complaining about the economy I think the economy is just fine.
 
92GA said:
Here's another reason.
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=60157.0

Poor maintenance habits kill diesel as well as gasoline. Allowing water into the fuel system isn't the diesels fault, it's the owners fault. Many if not most diesel fuel filters have a transparent bowl on the bottom which allows you to see the fuel going to your engine. You can see if there is algae, water, or any gunk getting to the engine. Stop driving if it is. If you don't look at it who's fault is it? Check the oil, coolant, fuel filter, hydraulic oil, belts, hoses, just typical easy to do stuff for anyone with an interest.

Ken
 
RobinsBill, If I understand your original question I can give you only what I would do if I were in the same situation.

I have always buy anything for cash and never finance unless my life depended on it. As a young man I did get a mortgage to buy my first ranch, in 1958. That was the last debt I ever had and I paid it off in 1967.

You mentioned that your intentions are to become fulltimers. So why do you need to keep your property? I believe tht I would sell the real estate, use the cash to buy your full time RV, and be debt clear.

You may have other considerations so my advice may not fit. While thinking about it consider that the prices of both an RV and your property will be affected in coming months and years by economics. Contnuing Inflation and the fact that there are over 2 million vacant homes pending on the national market, both due to our economic situation at this time, may affect your decision.
 
I am enjoying this thread as I am in a similar situation as the OP.
Gotta a house. Gotta an old, beat up, 1989 motorhome. Am a (new) campground worker. Got no money to upgrade the motorhome unless I sell the house. I am not retirement age. (53)
Anyway, I am also new to these forums and was wondering if there is a thread anywhere for campground workers. I am in Colorado now for the summer but want to find work for the winter down South. Heck, I don't know where to start to look for work.
I have been doing this 2 weeks. (yea, real new)
Any direction would be kindly appreciated.
Laurie
 
geneveve2 said:
I am not retirement age. (53)
Laurie

Sure you are. Retirement age is when you can do it and WANT to do it. I retired at 53 years and 14 days. I regret working the extra 14 days. Many here retired younger than I did.

Ken
 
If you're interested in working seasonally, you might give the Forest Service or the National Parks a try. Or the concessionnaires in the national parks. There's also amazon.com if you don't mind being on your feet for 8-10 hours a day.

Wendy
 
Snowman9000 said:
It's true, they aren't making any more land.  But over the long haul, land value moves about in hand with inflation.  And it costs money to hold.  I'm not in favor of holding land for speculation.  I've done that, the annual costs don't seem like much at first.  Then after ten years or so you add up what you have spent just to hold it, it doesn't look so good. If you need the land, that's different.  Or if the money is going to burn a hole in your pocket and you will pee it away, that also might be a reason to keep the land.


true enough... real estate entry/exit costs roughly 10% +, taxes every year and you usually end up paying long term capx gains on inflation....  if you are lucky/smart and use high leverage it can be very profitable...at a risk of course
 

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