First Ever Post - First Ever Camper/RV... Should I?

[Kevin Means]

My wife and I retired last year and would like to do more camping.  I've been looking on Craigs List at 30-year-old RVs for around $5K.  After reading all these posts, it sounds like a pretty stupid thing to do.  I am very handy and have done a lot of car/home repair, but at 67 I sure can't do physically what I used to.  We can't afford to spend anything even close to $20K, and we don't want to take on any payments.  I guess we better just rent an RV a few times a year.
Signed, "Burst Bubble"

We just got home last night from a nearly week-long RV trip to the Colorado River (275 miles each way). My nephew and his family (who live 1/4 mile away) went in their motorhome - a 1992 Elite, which he bought two years ago for $5000. After buying it, he had to replace the tires (it's a 34 footer with a tag) the converter, the batteries, the brakes and a handfull of other items, so he did have to sink a few thousand additional dollars into it. He did the work himself, so he saved a lot of money on labor. A month ago they drove it from San Diego, CA to Salem, OR in 100 degree temps, towing a Jeep on a trailer to watch the eclipse, and had no problems at all.

It sat outside most of its life, so it's nothing to look at, but we have found no signs of leaks (lots of additional Dicor, so it was maintained) and the drive-train and cooling system seem to have been well maintained too. It's an old 454, so it's not going to win any mileage competitions. Both AC units work as do all the appliances.

My point is, if you look around, pay close attention to the expensive-to-repair stuff, and you don't mind not having a shiny new-looking RV, you might find one that works well for you, especially if you can do a lot of the maintenance yourself, and you're realistic about what you've bought. The real troubles start when you don't know what you're buying, you don't know what to look for, you're not capable of fixing things yourself and you're out of money.

Kev

 

[RV newbe 1]

Issac-1 / Kevin, thank you for your input.  I think we'll keep looking and reading a lot more in the forum to educate ourselves about RVing.  I certainly am glad to have found this site.  I did not have any grand illusions about a $5K RV, but I realize now I need a lot better understanding of all the systems involved.  Thank you again for your invites and moral support.

 

[garyb1st]

Never had one but always wanted to.  Looking at a '94 Pace Arrow for under $10k, thought it might be a good start and if I don't like it I'm not out too much.

Your comment tells me you're not strapped for cash.  When I bought our first motorhome, a 1999 Rexhall with 72,000 miles on it, my thinking was pretty much the same.  If it's a total bust, I'm only out $12,000.  Something that would give me pause, but wouldn't begin to break the bank.  At the end of the day, we drove it just under 30,000 miles and the Ford F53 with the early V10 ran like a charm.  Aside from tires, batteries and typical maintenance, it cost us maybe $3-4,000 for the 3 years we owned it.  Most of that was to replace the black tank, $2,500.

That being said, I'm a bit concerned about the operating costs I don't see with an older 3rd vehicle on the road.  Insurance, storage, road maintenance, what else should I be thinking about?  Assuming everything is "perfect" (don't look at those cracked tires with factory tread) I really don't know what to expect with a second "home" but don't want to spend retirement in my "first" home.

Soon to retire  ;D

Don't think many spend $600 a tire on an old gasser.  We paid half of that and never had a problem.  Liability Insurance and storage dependent on your location and if a concern, you can get real life numbers from an insurance agent and calling a few storage facilities.  Any number you get here pretty much meaningless based on the limited information in your post.